Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 199: Why Peyton?

Ruelle’s fingers slowly curled beneath the table. Even though the fire burned on the side in the fireplace, she felt an icy chill crawl through her. How did he find out?

She forced herself to keep looking at Elder Minister Carnifex, afraid that even the smallest flicker in her expression might tell him he had struck the truth. She had been careful and there was no way Peyton had known.

"There’s no need to be hostile," Elder Minister Carnifex remarked, and his eyes shifted to look at Lucian sitting beside her. The black tendrils of smoke had quietly spilled across the polished floor, spreading outward until they swallowed the ground beneath them. "If I truly intended to make an issue of her being a witch, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Would we, Lucian?"

But the black tendrils didn’t retreat.

Ruelle’s fingers tightened in her lap before she found herself asking, "Does that mean... you’ll still allow the treaty to continue?"

The man drew in a slow breath before answering, "Yes."

At that, Ruelle’s face brightened with a smile and relief. She bowed, "Thank you. Thank you for it." She hadn’t expected kindness from the Elder Minister, least of all towards a witch, Ruelle’s smile only widened.

The black tendrils creeping across the floor remained exactly where they were, as though Lucian had yet to decide whether the answer was enough.

She heard Lucian remark, "The treaty has already failed once. A second failed treaty would destroy any chance of him pushing one in the future. The Council wouldn’t be completely in support."

It wasn’t like she had underestimated Carnifex. If anything, the more time she spent near him, she saw how he didn’t reveal anything while always wearing that frown on his face. Curious, she asked the Elder Minister,

"How did you know?"

Elder Minister Carnifex’s lips pressed together for a brief moment before he lifted his own hand and tapped the back of it. He said,

"You had a scar here when you left Minister Sylvan’s chamber earlier. When you returned, it was gone."

Ruelle’s eyes instinctively dropped to her hand and though the scar wasn’t there, she couldn’t help but hide it under the desk.

The firelight caught the wrinkles around Carnifex’s eyes as he continued, "You will have to be careful from here on. Especially after your father’s death has already been attributed to witchcraft. Once people learn there is a witch connected to the Belmont family... it isn’t just the treaty that will fall apart."

Though Ruelle was aware of the danger that came from the kind she belonged to, it hadn’t crossed her mind that her father’s death could be connected to her.

Lucian leaned back in his chair, one arm resting against it and his fingers tapped against the armrest before he stated,

"There was something wrong with Harold Belmont. He refused to let the physician examine him last night, as though he feared something would be uncovered."

"Harold Belmont isn’t a witch," Carnifex clarified.

"Right," Lucian agreed, before continuing, "But why would he be worried and run out of the house? There was no forced break in. He should have stayed dead the first time, but he came back and was fine. Isn’t it odd that—"

"...what?" Carnifex blinked as if he had heard wrong the first time, while Ruelle shifted in her seat, not expecting Lucian to drop the news like this with such a composed expression. For the first time since entering the room, the older vampire sounded genuinely caught off guard.

"What do you mean he should have stayed dead?" The Elder Minsiter’s eyes narrowed while they stayed on Lucian.

"It was only the first time. The second time was by a witch," Lucian clarified, looking at Carnifex with a straight expression.

The chamber fell silent and Carnifex pinched the bridge of his nose while the nerve on his forehead popped. The crackling from the fireplace suddenly seemed far louder than before.

Ruelle watched the Elder Minister close his eyes for the briefest moment and he then spoke,

"Peyton..." He seemed to be lost for words before he said, "Get the medicine and some refreshments."

"Yes, Sire," Peyton offered a quiet bow. The doors closed softly behind her once she left, leaving the room quiet.

Carnifex looked into the fire for several moments before speaking again with a hardened voice,

"Lucian Slater. You violated the one condition that mattered," his gaze angry. "You killed a member of the bride’s family. And sharing this, you expect me to conceal it?"

"Yes," Lucian didn’t so much as flinch. "Would you rather have buried the bride? Or her father?"

Carnifex’s gaze shifted back to Ruelle and it lingered there, as though weighing something only he could see. He then looked beyond the window as if deep in thought, before his eyes moved to Lucian and he asked, "Did you not kill him right the first time? I am surprised he didn’t run here to complain about it."

"Mr. Belmont didn’t seem to remember about it. The treatment towards Ruelle had changed a lot too," Lucian explained with a grim expression. "Dane said when he went to check the body, a witch was following him."

A sigh escaped the older vampire’s lips and after much thought, he said, "I will put the case under Gaile so that you can take over it. Though chances are that Sylvan will apply for the permission of the case before it so that he can hold you accountable for Harold Belmont’s death."

Elder Minister Carnifex then remarked, "It seems life has demanded rather a lot from you, Miss Belmont."

The way it was said was as if he were validating her hardship and she didn’t expect the man to do it. She lowered her eyes for a moment before offering a small smile.

"It has been kinder recently," she answered. "I am grateful you chose my family for the treaty."

Carnifex neither accepted nor dismissed the gratitude. He instead said, "Your father was a fool, and it made your mother’s task easier."

Mrs. Belmont was a smart woman, Ruelle agreed. She then said, "I think she will eventually find some relief once she realises."

The minister’s eyes then shifted from Lucian to Ruelle before he corrected, "I wasn’t referring to your stepmother. I was referring to the woman who gave birth to you. Mira."

For a moment Ruelle simply stared at the old vampire, trying to understand if she had heard him correctly. "Mirabelle? You knew my mother?"

"Yes."

The simple admission sent her thoughts scattering.

All her life she had searched for scraps about the woman who had given birth to her, and now there was someone other than her dead father who knew about it. If the minister knew her mother, then did he doubt that she was a witch when the treaty came into effect? Beside her, Lucian spoke before she could ask another question.

The same time, Peyton entered the room through the doors with a tray in her hand. It carried water and some other refreshments, which were placed in front of them. She then handed a medicine to the vampire, who took it without water.

"Please help yourselves."

Ruelle was about to pick up the glass when her line was cut, with Lucian picking it up and taking a sip. He then handed it to her, while Carnifex’s eyes narrowed.

Lucian stated, "I find it suspicious that you are sitting down and talking about it all. Makes it seem that you have ulterior motives."

"I thought Ms. Belmont was a dormant witch and she didn’t need to tangle herself in," Carnifex replied, shaking his head.

Elder Minister Carnifex was the last person for Ruelle to associate her mother with. Did her mother know a lot more ministers then?

Ruelle asked him, "How did you know her?"

Elder Minister Carnifex reached for one of the biscuits on the plate before taking an unhurried bite. His eyes briefly shifted to Lucian, almost as if telling him the biscuits weren’t poisoned.

"I knew your mother long before she entered the Sylvans’ household. It was several years before that, I was very young and travelling through the northern forests when I was caught by a hex." The minister’s thumb absently traced the edge of the teacup as he said, "Had she not found me, I wouldn’t have survived. When I saw her again years later, she was a maid in waiting for Lady Sylvan."

Was that why he had chosen to overlook her being a witch? Because he owed her mother a life? She couldn’t tell.

But whatever debt remained between them... she found herself quietly grateful for it.

"What else do you know about her?" The question slipped out before Ruelle could stop herself, and she leaned forward without realising it. A moment later, she caught herself and quietly apologised. "I’m sorry. My father... he never liked speaking about my mother." Except to remind her that she had taken the woman’s life by being born.

There was something almost distant in the minister’s eyes, as though he wasn’t looking at Ruelle anymore but someone she reminded him of.

"She was a smart woman and very graceful. You resemble her," he commented.

For years, the only person who had ever told her she resembled her mother had been Harold and he had always spoken it with resentment. But the minister didn’t say it in anger. But she wanted to know more and the minister was scarce with his words.

Just as Ruelle opened her mouth to ask another question, three measured knocks echoed through the chamber. And the door opened. As the footsteps came to stand behind them, Ruelle couldn’t help but turn to see who it was, and when she did, she wished she hadn’t.

It was Minister Griswold, who stared right back at her with a clenched jaw.

"I hope you didn’t enter my chambers to be part of the furniture, minister," Carnifex remarked and the man looked away from her.

"No... These needed your seal," Minister Griswold answered, handing the parchments to Carnifex.

In the meantime, Lucian reached for her hand, his thumb brushing lightly over the inside of her wrist, as though checking for pain he had caused.

"Does it hurt?"

Ruelle shook her head, feeling him brush the side of her wrist. "Not anymore..." while she felt Griswold’s eyes on her again. But even the minister in front of them stared at their hands.

"Was there something more you wanted to say?" Carnifex asked with his usual grim expression towards Griswold, who shook his head. "No? Then go." The man reluctantly bowed before leaving them.

Ruelle had always thought Elder Minister Carnifex was a hard man. One who valued rules above people and expected everyone else to do the same. Looking back, perhaps she had only ever seen him as the Elder Minister, never the person beneath the title.

Suddenly someone crashed into the closed door. Ruelle flinched, her eyes darting towards it just as Peyton hurried across the room. It seemed like a lot of people came looking for Carnifex in a short span of time for them to be seated here. The moment the door swung open, a courthouse guard nearly stumbled inside, his breathing uneven as though he had run through the corridors without stopping.

"Minister..." The guard struggled to catch his breath before forcing the words out. "We have a problem."

"Speak."

"Officer Wimbley left Mr. Henley unattended for only a moment," the guard reported. "When he returned... Mr. Henley was gone. There are drops of blood on the floor. Officer Wimbley believes someone may have taken Mr. Henley, much like what happened to Mr. Belmont," he guard swallowed.

"The men in the courthouse aren’t able to keep a simple eye?" Elder Minister Carnifex closed his eyes for the briefest second, the lines around them deepening. It was the expression of a man who had barely finished dealing with one problem before another had arrived.

Lucian spoke before anyone else could, he ordered, "Every entrance is watched through the tower. Check every post."

The guard immediately lowered his head. "Yes, sire."

When Ruelle’s eyes met Lucian’s, she couldn’t help but silently question if it was true or if Ezekiel had simply tried to create a setup.

Far from the courthouse, Ezekiel sat rigidly inside a hired carriage, his handkerchief pressed tightly beneath his nose. Every few moments, he pulled it away, only to watch the blood spread through the white cloth.

It wouldn’t stop and the smell of iron clung to the carriage.

"Sir?" the coachman glanced back uneasily. "You don’t look well. The courthouse has a physician if you’d like me to turn back."

"No," the response was quick from Ezekiel. He folded the stained handkerchief before the man could see how much blood had soaked through it.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. The moment he had returned to his own body, he had expected everything to return to normal. Harold’s body had begun rejecting him because it was dead. His own body wasn’t.

His jaw tightened.

The carriage rolled to a stop and before the coachman could offer a hand, Ezekiel stepped down and made his way towards the crooked cottage. Outside, the crows perched along the roof let out harsh cries that grated against his already fraying nerves.

His fingers brushed beneath his nose again. But he felt the wet blood cling to his fingers and he pounded on the door.

Finally the door creaked open and the witch remarked lazily, barely looking surprised.

"I see you’ve already lost your final suit. I warned you not to overuse it. Dead skin is far more fragile than—"

Ezekiel shoved past her and he demanded, "What is happening to me?" He dragged the bloodied handkerchief away from his face and threw it onto the floor. "My nose won’t stop bleeding. This wasn’t supposed to happen?!"

His foot crashed into one of the wooden buckets, sending it skidding across the floor before it struck the wall with a loud crack.

"I can prolong the body, but seeing the state you are in, it will eventually fail," the witch mocked in amusement.

In anger, his hand shot to the witch’s neck and he squeezed it. "Fix it right now. I have to take her tonight," Ezekiel sneered.

"I will help but it won’t be the same as before. But better. Of course, it will come with a cost," the witch assured with a glare and she looked no less than a person who was trying to sell rotten potatoes as she tapped his hand that was around her throat. "But no one can fix it in a day. It will take at least a month before I can patch you."

But he didn’t have a month! He hadn’t expected the minister to revoke the conditions of the treaty. The very thought of the pureblooded vampire’s hand on his woman coursed rage in him.

Ezekiel pulled out a pouch of coins, coins that belonged to the money that came from the house he had sold. He had given the witch more than half the money he had. He paced forward when his eyes fell on a small doll that was made of black sticks. It was a voodoo doll. Picking it up, he turned to look at the witch and asked,

"Does this work?"

The witch cackled in joy. She said, "Just a little preparation is required. Give me the name and it will be enough. But it won’t work on vampires, because their body constitution is different."

"Ruelle Belmont."

Back in the courthouse, Ruelle and Lucian rose from their seats.

"I guess we will need to continue the rest of the talk some other time," Carnifex said, getting up from his chair as he stood too.

Before Ruelle could leave, she asked, "Can I come back? To know more about my mother?"

Carnifex seemed to give a thought before nodding. "Sure," he replied.

"Thank you," Ruelle offered him a polite bow before turning to leave.

When Peyton fell into step behind them, Ruelle slowed. Hadn’t the Elder Minister just lifted the treaty restrictions? There was no longer any reason for the vampiress to remain at her side.

"I believe Peyton should continue accompanying you," Carnifex said, as though answering the question before she could ask it. "Not to monitor you. Merely to accompany you. An extra pair of hands has seldom harmed anyone, especially with the wedding yet to be completed."

Stepping outside the room, Ruelle walked through the courthouse corridor when she felt Lucian’s hand settle lightly against the small of her back. He said,

"I’ve forgotten something. Would you wait in the carriage for me?" His eyes briefly shifted to Peyton before returning to her. "I won’t be long."

Ruelle nodded. "Alright."

She continued towards the courtyard while Peyton silently followed behind.

Inside the Elder Minister’s chambers, Carnifex stood next to the window with a severe expression when he heard the doors open once again. He could sense the dark presence and he asked,

"Was there something else?"

Lucian didn’t answer immediately. He waited for the man to turn before he asked, "When are you planning to tell her?"

"Tell her what?" the Elder Minister raised his eyebrow in question.

Lucian’s tongue brushed absently against one of his fangs. "I didn’t think much of it before. But did you know that you almost never let anyone use Peyton for even the simplest errands?"

"Like I mentioned, it is for the fulfilment of the treaty," Carnifex replied, his gaze calm as Lucian’s. "Do you not want her protected? I thought she could use someone guarding her."

"If it were for the bride of the treaty, then you would have sent Peyton to the Belmont’s residence or had the guards follow Ruelle like before," Lucian’s wine-red eyes stared at the minister, which slightly narrowed. "It almost sounds like you were regretful."

Carnifex left the side of the window and made his way back to the desk. He said, "You are reading too much into my simple actions."

Lucian unhesitatingly questioned, "Were you involved with her mother?"