The Crown's Obsession

Music Recommendation: Drive to Parkersburg- Marcelo Zarvos

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Lucy's eyes widened on seeing the person in front of her squeeze Rosamund's hand, hearing the crack in her aunt's bone that made people who were nearby cringe at the sound.

The man who stood in front of her with his back facing her, and he was tall. He twisted her aunt's arm before pushing her with a little push, at least that is what it looked like, but her aunt stumbled a couple of steps backwards.

"What did I tell you about not getting anywhere near my family? Tch," he clicked his tongue.

When he slowly turned to look at her and then at Madeline, Lucy caught sight of the darkest red eyes she had seen until now. They were darker than Calhoun's eyes, and she realized it was Calhoun's grandfather.

"What are you doing here, talking to this useless woman?" questioned Vladimir to Madeline. His eyes then fell on the young women's hands that held two bags and his eyes lit up, "Enjoying buying things?"

While Madeline looked calm and composed in the presence of the Devil, the same could not be told about her aunt, who now trembled in fear.

Madeline bowed at him and said, "We came here to buy Lucy's gown. I didn't know you were here." Odin had come along with him.

"Oh, I am always here. You never know what might happen, and people in the mortal world are far more interesting than the other worlds," Vladimir smiled at Madeline. When he looked back at Rosamund, his expression changed to one that was deadly. "And what are you doing here?"

Sophie, who had been earlier throwing tantrums, now shook in the devil's presence, standing right behind her mother so that the Devil would not drag her like it had dragged her father.

Rosamund suddenly fell on her knees, a sight that neither Lucy nor Madeline had expected to see. "Please forgive us. Please forgive me for what I have done, I am ashamed for what I did and I am repenting for it."

"You must be taking me too lightly to think that I will forgive you this easily. What did I tell you, my dear Rosa?" hummed Vladimir, his voice falling threateningly low, "I will turn your life into a living Hell. My personal Hell, where I can provide much better service than what the underworld can offer. To live the life you used to look down upon, it has its own excitement doesn't it."

The older vampiress placed her forehead on the ground, "I have understood the importance of this punishment. I will never repeat my actions again with anyone! I will do anything! So please release my daughter from this punishment, she has nothing to do with it."

Lucy watched how her aunt, who once was a prideful and stubborn woman, who didn't even lift her finger unless it was to order someone, seeing her in this state was truly pitiful. Her eyes had also subtly widened at her aunt's action, somewhere feeling uncomfortable as Rosamund was still related to her by blood. But at the same time, remembering her aunt's misdeeds, the uncomfortableness slowly disappeared.

Her aunt and her cousin Markus had attempted treason and not her cousin Sophie, which was why she didn't know why Sophie was going through the punishment.

Vladimir had only appeared in the village with his faithful servant when he caught sight of his granddaughter-in-law and the woman who killed his daughter.

He ran his tongue over one of his fangs, a smile appearing on his lips as he stared at the older vampiress. "Why do you think I am punishing her, Rosa? You ask questions that have obvious answers to it. Do you think you have the right to be asking me questions right now?" demanded Vladimir.

Rosamund quickly shook her head, "I would never dare! Please forgive me!"

Vladimir waved his hand for her to stand up, and Rosamund stood up, wondering if she would be forgiven. "You don't have anything with you. The wealth that your mother and you tried to gather and keep it in the safe is not there anymore. The mansion that once belonged to you has turned to dust and the people who once blindly followed you now don't dare to come near you. Ah, not to forget, your son and your husband are in Hell."

Hearing the Devil's words, Rosamund's lips trembled in panic. They were in Hell?

"You can kill me! Kill me and avenge Constance's death-" Rosamund's words were cut off right away as Vladimir had raised his hand, and without touching her, a harsh slap had been delivered across her face.

Rosamund stumbled back again to be caught by her daughter. The vampiress could feel the searing pain on her cheek and the blood she tasted in her mouth. She was scared to spit the blood but also scared to swallow it.

"Don't utter my precious daughter's name in your foul mouth," Vladimir glared at her, and she cowered behind, her shoulders shaking. "Kill you?" he licked his mouth as he shook his head. "Your death is not going to bring her back, but I can use your pain as a medicine to heal my grieving heart. Don't you wish you that you had treated her better? Who knows, if you treated her well, you might have gained favour from me."

Vladimir continued to speak, "Calhoun dismissed you from the very court where you wanted a position in there, away from wealth and the only person who is left with you is your daughter. Isn't she the most precious thing to you?"

Rosamund tried to push Sophie more to her back so that she could hide her daughter from the Devil, but with Vladimir, who towered above them, and his eyes on the younger vampiress, the Wilmot women couldn't help but turn scared and worried.

"S-spare her," Rosamund pleaded, and Vladimir smiled.

"I have done nothing to her. What is happening to her is your very own doing, Rosa. You should learn to own up responsibilities and the blames, don't you think so?" the Devil stared right into the older vampiresses eyes. "Constance was my daughter, my precious girl whom you tore away from me, worse sending her to a place where I cannot even reach her without having the bothering angels around me. Do you know how hard it is to get into Heaven? Not that you have to worry considering how I have opened a spot for you in Hell. A special reservation."