Chapter 197: Harold Is Dead
The morning light was a traitor even though it was pale from the winter. It slipped through the curtains of the bedroom like a thief, stealing the last remnants of darkness.
When Ruelle’s lashes fluttered open it took her a moment to realise where she was. As warm breath feathered the back of her neck, soon she became aware of the arm resting securely around her waist. Holding her close enough that she could feel the slow rise and fall of Lucian’s chest behind her.
The quiet was shattered by a knock at the door and Ruelle stiffened. Peyton.
As if sensing her panic, Lucian murmured, "Breathe."
Ruelle let out the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. She pushed herself upright and beside her, Lucian did the same. Another knock followed which was firmer this time.
"Master Lucian, the minister’s assistant is looking for Miss Ruelle," it was Maude, who stood on the other side of the door.
She watched as he moved to the door, his movements fluid, and he opened the door. Maude stood on the other side of the door, her expression unreadable as she held out a tray that carried freshly squeezed juice.
"How long?" Lucian asked as he glanced back at Ruelle, whose hair was tangled and her brown eyes wide.
"Should be no longer than thirty seconds," Maude answered, while briefly turning in the direction of the faint noise that came from below.
Ruelle’s eyebrows knitted and she whispered, "I should go." Not to mention with her father, who had disappeared, she didn’t want her stepmother tightening things along with Peyton.
"You should stay," Lucian insisted as he picked up his coat to leave.
But this was his room and her eyes wandered over it. He had already made space for her and this morning she was already asking him to make more. Ruelle shook her head.
"I know a way out," she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. She made her way to the balcony and she swung her leg over the railing, and his eyes narrowed.
Ruelle jumped, the rush of wind stealing her breath as the frozen earth rushed up to meet her. For a heartbeat, she was weightless and free. Then the ice below cracked and turned liquid.
The same time, thick green grass sprouted in an instant, just as Lucian’s arms wrapped around her, yanking her against his chest. They hit the ground together, the impact absorbed by the sudden cushion of grass.
Ruelle blinked up at Lucian and said, "You didn’t have to jump too." Her palms resting against his chest felt his heart beating.
"You..." The word died somewhere between exasperation and relief. A quiet breath left him before he rested his forehead against her shoulder.
She had only tried to find a quick solution, not realising Lucian wasn’t familiar with such things when it came to her. Wrapping her arms around him, she whispered, "I didn’t mean to scare you. I... I’ve jumped before. Sexton made us climb and jump often."
In the past, Ruelle had to jump to get away from Alanna and her minions who were after her in Sexton. Only that this time, she was able to land without pain, unlike then. It was a mystery that she hadn’t broken any bones so far.
He pulled back just enough to look at her, his dark eyes searching hers. "Then Sexton failed to teach you one thing," he murmured, his voice rough. "That I would jump after you."
Ruelle felt her heart turn full and she then replied, "Then... I’ll explain better next time?"
Before Lucian could respond they were interrupted.
"Morning, birdies," it was Dane who had spoken. Upon turning, Ruelle caught the window open and he was already dressed and now sipping on blood tea from his teacup. He asked amused, "Enjoying the day?"
At the same time, she heard voices come from Lucian’s bedroom.
Peyton and Mrs. Belmont, had arrived at the door, while Maude continued to stand with a glass of juice in her hand. The vampiress’s eyes skimmed quickly through the room, while Mrs. Belmont questioned,
"Where is my daughter?"
Maude stared at them for a second before she answered, "They went on a morning walk."
Mrs. Belmont looked confused and asked, "This early in the morning?"
"Yes."
"In this weather?" the woman continued to press.
"Yes," came the stoic response from the housekeeper with her. Peyton’s eyes slightly narrowed, as if the woman knew everyone here covered up after their pureblooded masters.
Mrs. Belmont pressed her forehead, not knowing if she should even worry about something like this when her husband had disappeared. Pursing her lips, she turned around and left as if she didn’t have the energy for this. But Peyton on the other hand, stared at the housekeeper and said,
"Let me know Ms. Belmont’s room so I can return to her side."
The housekeeper simply nodded before guiding the person out of there, but not before glancing at the balcony once.
At the ground, Ruelle and Lucian made their way to the front of the mansion when a carriage came rolling through the gates. It belonged to the courthouse because of the little blue flag it waved. Once the carriage came to a stop, the officer didn’t waste time to step out.
"Mr. Slater," the officer bowed before giving a short nod to Ruelle. His gaze then returned to Lucian and he informed, "We have found something in the forest. I think you should come take a look at it along with the Belmonts to identify..."
If the officer was asking to identify, it only meant that they had found his body.
Did someone kill him? Maybe it was a passing rogue vampire, thought Ruelle to herself. Or maybe it was something else.
Once they had changed into warmer clothes, they climbed into the carriage. Mrs. Belmont sat opposite Ruelle, her handkerchief pressed tightly against her lips as though holding herself together by sheer force. Every few moments, her fingers trembled before tightening around the cloth again.
"He’ll be alright... won’t he?" Mrs. Belmont shut her eyes for a moment before whispering almost to herself.
Beyond the frosted window, bare trees slipped past one after another, their branches powdered with white and Ruelle watched them without really seeing them. Arriving at the forest which was powdered in white, they got down one by one.
"Because it snowed in the night, it made finding the trail harder," the officer explained, joining Lucian’s side. "At first we thought it was just a deer but then we found male clothes."
"Was the body mauled by an animal?" Lucian took hold of the umbrella which Ruelle was about to open. Opening it, he held it over her head.
The officer’s thoughts seem to falter at Lucian’s action before he answered, "No, it doesn’t look mauled. It’s more like wax."
As they followed the officer deeper into the forest, Ruelle caught sight of men scattered between the snow covered trees, searching through the place. Before they even reached, something foul drifted through the cold air. The stench hit the back of her throat and she instinctively raised her sleeve over her nose.
"Wh—What is this smell...?" Mrs. Belmont’s face lost colour before she hurried past them where some men were gathered.
The guards stepped aside, making way for them and Ruelle’s eyes followed the gap they created.
At first, she couldn’t make sense of what lay on the snow. It wasn’t a body nor was it an animal. It was a glistening mass of pale skin and flesh, collapsed into itself like wax left too close to a fire. And her stomach turned.
Beside her, Mrs. Belmont let out a broken gasp before turning away and vomiting against the foot of a tree.
"We weren’t sure what to make out of this, as this was the first time we had come across something like this," the officer spoke with a frown. "Even the bones look melted so it was hard, but we found clothes which were smeared and dried with this... liquid. Our guess is that this is a witch’s work."
The clothes were brought by one of the men, and upon seeing this, Mrs. Belmont cried, "He can’t be dead! This—This cannot be him! Harold cannot be dead!"
"Do these clothes belong to him, milady?" the officer enquired.
"It is his," Ruelle whispered with a stunned expression.
Lucian moved closer to the pile of mass and he questioned, "You said it snowed yesterday. How did you find it?"
"It was the hawks, sire. Two of them were feeding on it when we discovered it," the officer answered dutifully.
Ruelle stared at the melted pile, and all she felt was hollow, like a room after someone has stopped screaming in it. She had imagined her father’s death when he had last raised his hand on her, she never admitted to anyone.
In the end... her father had turned into nothing more than a pile of flesh.
"Ah... so it isn’t all of him then," Dane remarked in a serious tone, and this only led to Mrs. Belmont crying harder. "Why don’t we go take a seat in the carriage, Mrs. Belmont?" he guided her back to the vehicle.
After talking with Lucian, they began moving the pile of flesh into a container and Ruelle turned her head before she began to walk away as the stench of the flesh bothered her. Unlike her stepmother, she didn’t cry. But she found it hard to believe that her father was dead.
"Are you okay?" Lucian took her into his arms, while Peyton could only watch from afar. The vampiress couldn’t interrupt them, as if the human needed time to process the grief so she stood near the carriage.
"I think so..." A weak smile appeared on her lips. "I just didn’t expect for him to... die like this."
Lucian felt her fingers tighten against his coat. She then whispered, "To die like this without knowing if he paid for it all."
Ruelle, who had buried her head in Lucian’s arms, heard him speak, "He paid for most of it."
She pulled away to meet his gaze and a small smile touched her lips but it didn’t reach her eyes. She asked, "You mean when I first came to the Slaters’ mansion?" She had heard the damage Lucian had caused her father.
"No," Lucian’s answer came without hesitation. "I settled every debt he owed you, every scar he left on you before I ended his life."
Ruelle stared at him. Lucian had killed her father? But he had never left her side yesterday... Her thoughts tangled in her mind before she finally whispered,
"I don’t understand."
Seeing how Ruelle felt today, Lucian finally revealed to her, "This is the second time he died. I don’t know how he returned, because Dane and I saw him buried."
Was that even possible? Ruelle asked herself.
"Mr. Slater, there’s half a bone here, would it be sent to the courthouse for inspection?" asked the officer.
"I will explain the rest later," Lucian informed Ruelle before he walked to where the officer was to talk about the case.
If Lucian said her father had paid for it, then she didn’t have to know more. Ruelle had seen enough to know that when Lucian promised someone would pay, they always did with interest.
Something rustled in the bushes.
Ruelle turned, expecting a hare to dart through the snow. Instead, one of the guards straightened from behind the shrubs. He dusted the snow from his sleeve before bending to pick up a brass button.
"Dropped this," the guard said to no one in particular before walking back towards the others.
She had seen no one come this way since she and Lucian had stepped away from the others. Then... How long had he been hiding behind the bushes?
Ruelle’s hands curled. How much did the guard hear of what they spoke?
As the snow continued to drift down between the trees, Ruelle watched the guard walk away as though nothing had happened. He didn’t glance and simply bent to inspect the ground before joining the others.
A chill crept beneath her skin that had nothing to do with the winter. If it had been a human hiding there, Lucian would have heard the heartbeat behind the bushes. But vampires and halflings didn’t have a heartbeat. Her eyes remained fixed on the guard, waiting for anything that might reveal he had heard what should never have reached another soul.
She resisted every urge to walk straight to Lucian because that would only confirm whatever the guard overheard. Drawing in a careful breath, she turned away instead.
"I am sorry about your father. My condolences," Peyton said when Ruelle came to stand beside her near the carriage.
Ruelle offered a faint nod. She then asked, "Do all these men work under Minister Gaile?" her eyes drifting over the officers scattered through the forest as though the question had simply crossed her mind.
"Only a quarter of them do," Peyton replied. "The rest are men handpicked by the Council ministers. Matters of greater importance are usually entrusted to them and they work more efficiently than others."
If the guard truly belonged to one of the ministers... Ruelle’s fingers quietly curled beneath her sleeves. She didn’t have to guess which one the guard worked for.
Peyton’s gaze lingered on her before the vampiress said, "Perhaps you should sit inside the carriage, Miss Belmont. You don’t look well."
Ruelle didn’t have to pretend, as her father’s death gave her enough reason. "I don’t feel well," she murmured.
Behind her, the last of the glistening remains was scraped into a wooden container before its lid was secured. One by one, the courthouse men returned to their duties, climbing into the waiting carriages.
Soon, Ruelle and the others climbed into the carriage, and it rolled away from the forest. Though her eyes kept drifting between Lucian and Dane, which had already caught their attention. But the words stayed trapped behind her teeth as she sat beside her stepmother.
Even if she warned them now, what could they do? They couldn’t drag the guard out in front of everyone and demand what he had heard. Nor could they make him disappear without drawing suspicion to themselves. Her fingers tightened in her lap.
How long would it take before the ministers heard of it? Probably once they arrived at the courthouse, she thought.
"There’s so much to do..." Mrs. Belmont’s voice broke through her thoughts. The woman clutched her handkerchief tightly. "We need to hold a funeral for your father. Even though his body..." Her words dissolved into quiet sobs. After a moment, she looked towards Lucian. "Caroline is going to be released today too, isn’t she? I don’t know how she’s going to take the news."
"Mrs. Belmont, you needn’t concern yourself with the funeral," Dane said with his usual polite smile. "As Ruelle’s father, we Slaters will take care of it."
The underlying meaning wasn’t lost to Ruelle and she stared at him.
"I am worried..." Mrs. Belmont dabbed at her eyes. "What if whoever killed Harold comes after the rest of us?"
Ruelle glanced at her stepmother. Even through the grief, she could almost see the woman’s thoughts turning, searching for the safest place to stand. Mrs. Belmont had always been careful. Every decision weighed. It was perhaps the only reason she had managed to survive all these years beside her father.
Mrs. Belmont then murmured, "I was just thinking... Perhaps it is a blessing that we are staying at the Slaters’ mansion. It wouldn’t be safe for Caroline and me to remain alone in the residence the minister provided."
Ruelle blinked. Was her stepmother planning to stay at the Slaters’ mansion even after the wedding?
Lucian’s gaze remained on the passing snow outside before he said, "Your concern isn’t wrong. The treaty has already begun and various people will come after you and your family," Lucian turned away from the window to look at the woman. "Those who benefit from everyone’s death involved in the treaty."
Silence settled in the carriage before Lucian continued in the same even tone, "Besides, your son-in-law will expect to live with Caroline once she’s released today."
Mrs. Belmont’s fingers tightened around the damp handkerchief. She then said in a hurried tone, "Let’s go to the courthouse. We need to bring Caroline home."
Dane lifted his hand and knocked lightly against the carriage window. He ordered, "Claude. To the courthouse."
"Yes, Master Dane."
The journey was shorter than before, the forest lying only a short distance from the Belmonts’ residence and closer to the courthouse. But Ruelle barely noticed the road. Her thumb kept rubbing absently over her sleeve while the same thought circled her mind.
When the carriage finally rolled to a stop before the courthouse, one by one, they stepped onto the stone courtyard. Lucian turned to one of the guards and questioned,
"Where is Caroline Henley being held?"
"The annex behind the courthouse, sire," the man answered before adding, "Though if I am not mistaken, she should already have been released."
"Released?" Mrs. Belmont stepped forward. "Where did she go then?"
When faint footsteps echoed across the end of the corridor, Ruelle turned and recognised Caroline there. Dark circles lingered beneath her sister’s eyes, and even from where Ruelle stood, she looked exhausted. But then her eyes fell on Ezekiel, who was beside Caroline.
Ezekiel looked nothing less than a snake in Ruelle’s eyes with how he had his hand wrapped around her sister’s waist.
The colour had drained completely from her stepmother’s face as she pointed a trembling finger at Ezekiel and before another word could be spoken, Mrs Belmont’s cry tore through the courtyard,
"It was him!" Every conversation nearby seemed to falter, while heads turned. Her husband was dead, but Caroline wasn’t... Mrs. Belmont accused, "He killed my husband!"
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