Chapter 217 - 217: Of Frogs and Forgiveness

Maude soon led Caroline out of there with Mrs Belmont following them.

Edward made sure the three of them had disappeared before he praised himself. "Am I great or what? To make her humble and apologise to you."

"Your Highness... I think that's a little unfair, as it was my idea," Hailey smiled slightly as if to appease the prince.

"Your idea?" Edward looked offended and he stepped back to size her up. "If I didn't tell you all we should head to the physician, you wouldn't have had the opportunity for your idea."

"That again is because I suggested we take the horse," Hailey corrected him before she cleared her throat when she saw Edward's eyes narrow.

"I think what you should take credit for is chasing Ruelle's sister in an attempt to bury her last night," Edward harrumphed, crossing his arms and Hailey's eyes widened.

Hailey quickly clarified, turning to Ruelle, "I only tried to scare her, it was Sawyer's fault! But she's fine. We just wanted to scare her, as she seems nicer like that."

"You did a good job, Hailey," Lucian praised the young woman, which had her back straighten with full respect. "I'll have Maude bring the physician here to deliver the next piece of news on her health."

Ruelle didn't like seeing a person frightened nor did she take any pleasure in watching someone beg. It wasn't in her nature. But she had tried kindness, patience and reasoning, and none of it had changed the way they treated her.

But this was probably the only way...

The four of them made their way to the dining room, and upon reaching the front of the door, Ruelle spotted Lucian's relatives there along with Lord Azriel engaged in quiet conversation with her cousin. Seated between them was Dane, who calmly cracked a raw egg against the rim of his cup and let it slip inside.

Lachlan looked like he was still recovering from the aftereffects of the previous night's liquor. He had clearly only dragged himself down for lunch out of sheer obligation, as it would seem rude after missing breakfast.

"The liquor made for vampires is often far too strong for humans to handle," Lady Ravencroft remarked as raised her hand for the maid to stop pouring tea further into her cup. "Did the server not warn you beforehand?"

"It was my mistake for not paying attention to his words," Lachlan admitted and he wasn't proud of it.

"Looks like everyone drank quite a bit," Edward remarked and he gave a nod to Lord Azriel and the others, who returned it, before he took one of the seats and everyone else filled the seats. "Can't believe we missed all the fun," he complained. "Perhaps we should have them redo it tonight."

"I wanted to watch it too," Hailey nodded before she turned to look at Lachlan and asked, "Did you enjoy last night, Mr. Hawksley?" Hailey then turned to Ruelle and asked, "What was the story about?"

Ruelle's lips parted but no immediate answer came. Of all the questions Hailey could have asked... Her gaze briefly wandered elsewhere before she answered,

"I think it is something you should experience first-hand. Yes."

Beside her, Lucian raised his glass to his lips.

"Was it that good?" Hailey's eyes immediately brightened. "I should definitely not miss it then," she decided.

"Mr. Hawksley," Edward spoke, stealing Lachlan's attention. "You should join us this time. If the liquor knocked you out, you must have missed a fair story."

Ruelle decided she would tell Hailey later, in private, exactly what the play entailed. It was better that her friend knew what she was walking into rather than be caught completely off guard as she had been.

Off to the side, Dane sprinkled and squeezed half a lemon before adding a pinch of salt and pepper into the teacup, stirring the concoction. Sawyer, seated at the table, watched the entire process unfold with a mixture of curiosity. But once the drink was prepared, Dane pushed the cup to the person next to him.

"It will help with the headache," Dane said in an even tone.

Lachlan's eyes dropped to the murky concoction before lifting briefly to Dane's face, only to receive a peaceful-looking smile from the pureblooded vampire which he knew was not true.

"It isn't poisoned," Dane joked.

"Thanks," Lachlan murmured, and took a careful sip from it. While on the opposite side, Sawyer continued to watch the scene unfold, his head tilting to the side as he blinked.

When Sawyer looked at Lucian as if in question, his cousin was talking to Ruelle. His eyes then moved to his twin, who was busy with Oliver.

After lunch, the seamstress arrived at the mansion with the final adjustments for the wedding clothes.

Outside the mansion, preparations were already underway. The chosen location for the wedding rested just behind the Slaters' mansion, where a series of elegant, arch-like structures had been erected. Delicate vines and blossoms were being carefully woven along the frames, ready to be on full bloom on the day of the wedding.

In the evening just as Lucian had instructed, a physician arrived at the mansion to examine Caroline's false corruption. Ruelle and Lucian stood near the doorway while the examination continued. The physician finally pulled back, letting out a heavy sigh.

"This doesn't look good," said the physician, his lips setting in a thin line.

"But the wound is healing, isn't it?" Mrs. Belmont questioned quickly.

"Only on the surface. Corruption is something you cannot see with the naked eye," the physician replied, adjusting the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He then turned to Caroline and questioned, "Do you feel any discomfort?"

Caroline nodded immediately, her mind already conjuring the phantom aches and pains until they felt real beneath her skin.

"Unfortunately, I have no solution for it," the physician admitted, rising from the edge of the bed.

At those words, Caroline turned to look at Ruelle in panic.

Noticing the girl's distress, the physician paused thoughtfully before adding, "However, I do know of a colleague who has been conducting research on ways to help humans who are still salvageable. The only problem is that he currently resides up in the north."

"North?" Mrs. Belmont whispered.

"Indeed. Especially when time is of the essence," the physician replied. He turned to Lucian and explained, "If you want the young miss treated, sire, you will need to send her there today and not wait."

"I don't think that is possible, especially with the treaty still in effect. Without a formal letter, questions will rise about their absence and they need to meet at least one minister," Lucian responded and Mrs. Belmont's eyes widened.

"I will have the letter sent and meet the minister. Forgive me, Ruelle, but I hope it is alright if we miss the wedding?" Mrs. Belmont asked.

Ruelle stared at her stepmother before she nodded. "Caroline's health is more important," she agreed.

Since Minister Carnifex wasn't available at his mansion nor at the courthouse, the next figure of authority to turn to was Minister Sylvan. And so, the Belmonts, along with Lucian and Ruelle, made their way to Minister Sylvan's mansion.

But they weren't the only guests present. Seated within the room were Minister Sylvan's mother and Lady Lia, who, even though she was visiting the family, had her eyes fixed on Lucian.

"...my aunt has fallen severely ill and we need to pay her a visit urgently," Mrs. Belmont explained.

Minister Sylvan's eyes narrowed as he murmured, "How unpleasant that you must leave when the wedding is right around the corner. Perhaps it would be wiser to send for her instead. The treatments here in the city are far superior."

"No," Mrs. Belmont replied quickly before she insisted firmly, "She is quite poor in health, and long journeys would only worsen her condition. It is best that we go to her instead."

"Forgive me, I merely find it strange that you have decided to leave the wedding behind," Minister Sylvan remarked, his tone deceptively polite. "One would say it is perhaps because it has only been since your husband passed away that your heart no longer resides here. Or is it, perhaps, because Miss Ruelle is merely your stepdaughter?" he prodded further.

Ruelle couldn't help but snap her attention directly onto the shrewd-looking minister at the blatant insinuation. She spoke,

"Minister Sylvan, with all due respect, it is rude to insinuate such claims about my family, who have raised and sheltered me with whatever little they had. My relative is gravely ill and we only came here out of protocol."

Before Minister Sylvan could press the matter further, his mother spoke up.

"My daughter informed me that you were far too weak, given how quiet you remained at the soiree. But it is good to see that you have some backbone after all," the vampiress remarked, her voice carrying a weight of authority despite its softness."

Lady Sylvan's gaze then drifted toward Lia, who was present in the room.

Lady Sylvan continued, "You should be careful of the quiet and calm ones. People often mistake silence for meekness. I find the quieter ones to be the deadliest. What do you think of it, Mr. Slater?"

"I think underestimating anyone is generally unwise," Lucian's tone was curt, sitting beside Ruelle.

Lady Sylvan nodded and replied, "Well said."

It was hard to know whether the old vampiress's warning was meant for Lia or for Ruelle herself before Ruelle noted the flicker of unease cross Lia's expression which quickly disappeared.

Choosing not to dwell on the warning, Ruelle offered a respectful bow. She said,

"Thank you for allowing my mother to serve you all those years ago."

"Mira was one of my favourites," Lady Sylvan said as a thoughtful expression settled over her aged features. "She was excellent at everything she did. Knew what to say and how to handle any situation. Very knowledgeable. You look very much like her, you know. The same hair and face. It is a pity that she could not marry my son... nor could you."

At those words, Caroline spat the tea she had just sipped. Her eyes darted back and forth between Ruelle and the old minister.

"Marrying this old man?" Caroline blurted out loud, only to receive a kick from her mother, who shot her a look to stay quiet.

"Why? Do you find it strange?" Lady Sylvan asked Caroline, who quickly shook her head.

"No, milady," Caroline murmured like a mouse.

"Kings, princes and many other royal and high-standing families were married in such fashion. Nothing new about it. I was surprised when I heard that the Slaters had decided to skip their eldest and lead the treaty with the youngest," the vampiress stated nonchalantly. "And if things had gone well, dear Lia would have matched with the one she wanted. But well, things don't always go as we think, do they?"

Ruelle found the very thought of herself paired with the minister deeply uncomfortable. With the way Lady Sylvan said it, it made her question if Minister Sylvan had wished to marry her mother, only for her mother to turn him down and choose a man as foolish and unremarkable as Harold Belmont.

She then felt Lucian's hand slip into hers, as if sensing her emotions and she smiled when their fingers intertwined.

When she looked up, she caught Lady Lia's eyes on their joined hands and her jaw tightened at the sight of it.

"Ruelle is mine. Though if you're looking for someone similar I believe the minister already knows where to find one," Lucian stated with a cool expression.

"Indeed, that is right. We really must be getting going now," Mrs. Belmont said before rising from her seat and offering a polite smile.

Once Ruelle and the others returned to the Slaters' mansion, it didn't take long for the Belmonts' trunks to be loaded into the back of the carriage for the long journey ahead. To keep an eye on Caroline's 'deteriorating health', it had been decided for the physician to accompany them.

Right now in front of the mansion, as Mrs. Belmont climbed into the carriage, Caroline stopped in front of Ruelle.

"Lucian has already arranged everything the two of you will need there. So don't wander around and listen to the physician and don't let anyone know your old names," Ruelle reminded Caroline, as they believed it was better to have a new identity to avoid being pursued by people with ill will.

Caroline's lips pursed, before she apologised, "I'm sorry that I won't be able to be there for you... even for your wedding this time."

Even though it was Ruelle herself sending away the very family she had grown up with her chest felt heavy. Still, she knew this was for the best. It was far better for her family to be far away, safely out of reach, than for her to worry about how the rebels or Ezekiel might attempt to use them against her.

"It's important that you stay safe. Write to me the moment you arrive," Ruelle said.

"I will..." Caroline murmured with a sombre look crossing her face.

Her sister then stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her, holding onto her as though she couldn't quite bear to let go.

"I'm sorry, Ruelle. I really am—for everything I said," Caroline whispered against Ruelle's shoulder. "I guess... I was just hurting, and I needed someone to blame. And you being the closest and the most comfortable one, I pushed it on you. I shouldn't have. Will you one day come to forgive me for what I did?"

Ruelle wasn't entirely certain whether Caroline's feelings had truly changed or if they had only shifted because her sister thought she was dying.

"Maybe... Perhaps I'll know for sure the day you tell me you'll still have my back even if I turn out to be a frog," Ruelle said softly.

"A frog?" Caroline pulled away and stared at her. Of all the things Ruelle could have said, a frog was the last thing she had expected, especially since Ruelle knew full well just how much she utterly despised frogs.

But then the meaning behind those words dawned on her.

"I see..." Caroline murmured quietly.

"Come now, Caroline. We should get going." Mrs. Belmont's impatient voice came from inside the carriage.

Caroline paused after placing one foot inside the carriage. She glanced back over her shoulder at Ruelle, and she then said, "I will try to get along with the frogs." She offered one last, shaky smile before disappearing inside the carriage and the door closed firmly behind her.

As the carriage rolled out of the courtyard, Ruelle watched as it passed through the towering iron gates of the mansion and the carriage finally disappeared completely from sight.

As they turned and made their way back toward the entrance of the mansion, Lucian spoke up,

"Tomorrow is the day the merchants return to the harbour. It is an ideal day to check on the missing ingredients from your box."

Ruelle's eyes lit up slightly at the prospect. She replied, "Then shall we head to the harbour together tomorrow, Lucian?"

"Wherever you wish to go I will follow. Though if you plan to wander through the harbour, you should stay close. Those merchants can be rather unruly."

Ruelle laughed at his words. "You know... I used to haggle with a fare share of merchants before I met you for wool and other materials. But I would like to be near you."

"Mm," Lucian hummed in approval and the smile on Ruelle's lips refused to leave her face that day.

At midnight, fog crept along the grounds outside and around the mansion, drifting with the wind in doused silence.

Ruelle lay sound asleep in Lucian's arms, her breathing steady and calm, yet behind her closed eyelids, her eyes flickered rapidly, betrayed by the restless dream unravelling within her mind.

She found herself standing in a quiet corridor which was covered in shadows, except for the pale moonlight spilling in through a narrow window.

A woman's chilling scream filled the quiet place, making Ruelle's heart drop as the voice sounded familiar.

Blood splattered violently against the window, thick crimson droplets sliding down the glass, which turned the moonlight red in some streaks.

Ruelle's heart pounded wildly in her chest and unable to bear the suffocating suspense any longer, her feet carried her forward until she noticed a person's silhouette that belonged to a man.

When the person turned, she took a step back as it was Ezekiel and he dropped the person he was holding. Lucian. His eyes had gone utterly cold and hollow, with a hole in his chest where his heart was supposed to be beating.

'Now we will be together forever, Ruelle,' Ezekiel said, his lips curling into a smile while he turned to look to the side. 'No one will ever come between us again.'

Ruelle couldn't believe Ezekiel could be this crazy even in her dream. She couldn't help but look at Lucian's lifeless body and she reminded herself that this was just a dream.

'I have always loved you and anyone who tries to come between us, they will meet the same end. You don't have to be scared anymore,' as Ezekiel continued Ruelle realised he wasn't talking to her.

Wait... she did hear a woman scream earlier. With that thought, her eyes moved in the direction Ezekiel was talking and she felt her heart tumble.

She caught sight of a woman who had the same hair, eyes and everything... It was her.

'We are lovers Ruelle. I will never let you go,' Ezekiel said to the other person.

Suddenly, a blinding white light erupted from within her, swallowing the nightmare whole and Ruelle gasped, her eyes flying open.

As her eyes began to focus again, she felt the warmth of Lucian's palm pressed against her cheek. His deep, wine-red eyes, which were very much alive, were fixed intently on her face.

"Bad dream?"

"You were dead. Ezekiel—" Ruelle's voice caught in her throat as she moved closer, pressing her forehead against Lucian's chest. He tucked the blanket snugly around her, his hand rubbing slow, soothing circles against her back. "It was strange..." she murmured against him.

"Want to talk about it?" Lucian asked, his fingers threading gently through her hair.

Ruelle hesitated, her mind turning over the unsettling dream once more. She had always wondered why Ezekiel would go to such extreme lengths and it had made no logical sense. She and Ezekiel had barely spent any real time together, not when she had left so abruptly for Sexton.

She took sometime before she carefully chose her words,

"Do you think...similar to how my mother shifted the course of events to protect me, deciding to match me with you instead, altering the future entirely...Ezekiel could have been someone I was originally matched with, in that other life?"

Lucian's fingers paused briefly in her hair before he answered,

"It is possible." Ruelle lifted her head slightly, but his hand returned to the back of her head before she could move far to look at him. "Your mother changed enough so that I didn't kill you. She must have made some changes before the treaty could take place."

True, she thought to herself.

Whenever something harmful was discovered along one's destined path, it was usually removed completely. Which only made her wonder if her mother had far more than one reason for altering the course of events into the present Ruelle now lived in.

She could still feel the faint anxiety she had felt in the dream world to be carried to the present.

Ruelle knew she would only find her answers once she finally met her mother again. And that reunion was only possible after they found the remaining piece of the mirror.

"I don't think I like to sleep..." because recently they were bringing in bad dreams. Ruelle didn't care about knowing about the past or seeing Ezekiel, as she wanted to focus on the present.

Lucian's lips lingered against her shoulder before moving slowly towards her neck and she shuddered. He murmured,

"Then don't sleep. I'll give you something better to think about."