The Crown's Obsession

Fear crawled underneath Rosamund's skin. She never knew that one day she would be terrified of someone in the living world because who knew the Devil would personally come to torture her. Sweat trickled down from the side of her face.

She couldn't die, nor could she live here.

Vladimir raised his hand, placing his hand on Rosamund's cheek, and she gulped.

"I find it fascinating to see things to be delivered to you, the same way you tried to hunt Constance just because you thought you could. The audacity you must have, did you think you would get away from your sins?" questioned Vladimir, his voice turned cold like Winter.

Lucy felt a chill run down her body with the way the Devil questioned her aunt.

"I-I didn't know. I d-didn't know she was your daughter, if I knew, I-I would have n-never-"

"Silence!" Vladimir got Rosamund to shut up instantly. "You will go through twice and more the humiliation, the pain, the anguish she felt. To know that I am here to turn your life worse than Hell, watching everything you do. And you," his eyes then fell on Sophie.

Sophie looked as if she was ready to bolt from there, but her feet were frozen, and she couldn't move. She didn't breath loudly in fear that she would be burnt like her house by this person who stood in front of her and her mother.

"I heard you have tried quite some things in the living world," stated Vladimir.

Sophie shook her head, "I didn't hurt the K-King. I didn't t-try to kill him." She held her mother's sleeves for support.

"Odin, bring this onion's parchment," ordered Vladimir.

Odin, who had accompanied his master to the living world, raised his hand to start looking through the scrolls in midair. One could hear the sounds made by the parchments, and the servant finally pulled out one of the scrolls to present it to his master.

"Here it is, Master."

Vladimir took the scroll of parchment and started to look from the top. The scroll was black, which held the number of sins one had committed in their life while they were in the living world.

"What remarkable sins you have in here," the smile on his lips widened from one corner to another. "I absolutely love it. I will make sure you have a cell reserved too."

"W-what?" Sophie looked at him in horror. "Y-you cannot do that to me! I can fix myself! I haven't done anything serious that warrants me to Hell. Mother, please tell me he is joking!" she shook in panic.

Vladimir laughed at the silly girl's words.

"You pushed Ms. Julianne's mother from the top of the stairs because you were jealous of the woman. You killed a maid because she saw you entering the King's chambers. Well with the way I see, you have done a lot in the name of love towards my grandson. Not to forget, you even went as far as to harm my granddaughter-in-law. Who do you think you are?" he raised his eyebrow at her.

Neither Madeline nor Lucy stopped Vladimir from questioning as they knew both Rosamund and Sophie deserved it.

"You went to harm her before and I doubt you will stop it. It is very clear that you will harm her with every opportunity," Vladimir's eyes burned. "Live the life that you shunned and the way you treated people. To be treated the same way that you had previously offered people, what more can one ask? Don't forget, if you take your life, I will bring you back again."

Handing the scroll back to Odin, who hid it away from sight, Vladimir snapped his fingers, "Get out from here."

They had nowhere to go! Where was he expecting them to go?!

Both Rosamund and Sophie blinked at what Vladimir just said. Rosamund then said, "T-this, we have a shop which is ours. It is-"

"I am counting till three. One," started Vladimir as if he had no patience and didn't have time to spare on them. "Two."

Sophie looked confused, and her eyes shifted from Lucy to Madeline, who stood behind the Devil. Suddenly her mother caught hold of her hand and dragged her away from there so that they wouldn't have to face the Devil's wrath.

When Vladimir turned to face both the young women, his face lit up like a candle. "What a wonderful day it is. What did you buy?"

Lucy, who watched her aunt and her cousin disappear from her sight, her gaze moved to look at Vladimir, and she asked, "Did she really do all those things?"

"Don't feel sorry for someone, who won't feel sorry for you. She's no innocent sheep. If you give her a few more years, she will turn just like her mother," stated Vladimir.

Lucy felt her heart squeeze in uneasiness. She knew Ms. Julianne, who used to meet Calhoun to offer her blood as her body was able to create the blood quickly. The news had reached her in the past how the woman's mother was bedridden as she had slipped down the stairs, but it was apparent that someone had pushed her. It was only now did she confirm that it was Sophie who did it.

She knew her family had been despicable people, but she had hoped her cousins wouldn't turn out to be the same. She had hoped for a family to be better than that, but they were all greedy for power and the crown to end up on their heads.

Vladimir spoke to Madeline, where Lucy had fazed out from the conversation, thinking about the past, present and the future, hoping no harm would come to befall on any of them.

"I heard from Calhoun that you are getting married to Theodore," said Vladimir, turning to look at Lucy, who broke out of her thoughts, and she nodded her head. "I must tell though, that I am hurt."

Lucy looked slightly surprised and asked, "Pardon me if I did something to offend you," she bowed her head in apology.

Vladimir stared right at Lucy and then questioned, "Why is that I haven't received any invitation to the wedding?"

Madeline could tell where this conversation was going to go, and she internally smiled.

"Ah," Lucy offered him an awkward smile, "The wedding is not going to be big. It isn't as grand as brother Calhoun's and is rather a simple one."

"You think I am petty to not attend simple weddings? I love simple weddings," Vladimir's bright-looking eyes shone in delight, and Lucy then asked,

"But will you be able to enter church? Because you…" she trailed, not wanting to offend him.

Vladimir gave it a thought and then said, "Hm, so it is going to be held in church. I will get that fixed. You don't have to worry about me. I will make sure I get you some beautiful flowers that day. Odin," he turned to look at his servant and said, "Get my clothes ready."

"Yes, Master!" Odin was quick to oblige to his master's command without a second thought.

And like that, Vladimir had easily invited himself to Theodore and Lucy's wedding.

Madeline wasn't sure if it was the right time to tell Vladimir about the gown as Calhoun was still unaware of it. She said, "Vlad, would you like to join us for dinner tonight?"