The Crown's Obsession

Music Recommendation: Les outrages des hommes- Etienne Forget

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While on their way back to the castle, Madeline had wondered how to break the news to Calhoun. It was good that Vladimir was here as it would be easier to convey about it. She had met Calhoun's mother in the cemetery, and she had been visiting her since she had come to know where the woman laid, praying for her peace. But since she had returned from Heaven, somehow Madeline felt like she knew the woman better than before.

"Did the tailor give the wrong gown?" questioned Calhoun, slightly tilting his head.

"No, it isn't that. The tailorman had a wedding gown which was old and he had stored it when the person who asked him to stitch it didn't come back to take it," explained Madeline, her eyes locking with Calhoun's eyes. "The gown belonged to Lady Constance."

Vladimir's eyes narrowed, and he said, "That's not possible. The man and his family had no plans to accept her into their family. There was no arrangement of a wedding between her and Laurence, unless you are telling she was getting married to someone else."

"Are you sure the wedding gown was ordered by my mother, Madeline?" asked Calhoun, a small frown coming to settle on his forehead.

Madeline nodded her head, "She was one of his first few customers when he started his line of trade. Laurence didn't know about it, she must have got the gown ready for the future," came her slow words. "The man had saved all of his customer's name since the very beginning and her name was in there. Constance Leigh."

A frustrated sigh escaped from Vladimir's lips, "This only makes me want to beat and torture them up even more. That bastard had the nerve to hurt my daughter. And what the f.u.c.k is with Leigh? She had a perfectly good name to keep, and she picks Leigh," he turned his head to look away from them.

Madeline pursed her lips, staring at Calhoun, who seemed to be in shock, and she walked up to him before placing her hand on his arms. "We brought the gown along with us."

"I would like to see this wedding gown," demanded Vladimir, and soon one of the servants was sent to fetch the box in which the gown was from Lucy's room. Once the box was brought to the room, it was opened, and the dress was placed on the couch.

Calhoun couldn't help but stare at the wedding gown. His expression was almost blank, while only his eyes moved. His jaw ticked in anger while at the same time, the revenge he had administered to some of the royal family members seemed too little in front of what his mother had to go through all those years.

"What more did the tailorman tell you?" asked Calhoun. Walking near the couch where the white gown laid and he sat down next to it.

"He..He said she was very excited and happy to get it tailored and stitched. She wanted something simple," replied Madeline.

Madeline knew it was hard to digest the fact that Constance had got a wedding gown prepared in the thought to marry Laurence, a man who didn't value or respect her, nor did he protect her when his sister and his mother threw her out of the castle and into the unkindly world that slowly killed her, but not her spirit.

Silence filled the room, and Madeline stayed quiet, giving the two men the time they needed.

"How strange that you ended up going to the same shop where she had once been to," commented Vladimir. "Foolish girl, she should have returned to the castle and everything would have been fine," he muttered under his breath.

As much as Vladimir was the Devil, he was still someone's father to a girl who was opposite to him, and it was obvious he treasured her.

"Is Lucy going to wear this?" asked Calhoun, standing up and turning to his wife.

"If you both don't mind, I think it would be good if Lucy wore it, the dress that Lady Constance made so enthusiastically than keep it in the cupboard," said Madeline, not knowing if the men in the room would be happy with her suggestion.

Calhoun nodded his head, "You are right. It would be disrespectful to not have someone wear it than keep it in a dark place," he said.

Vladimir looked enraged, not because Lucy was going to wear it, but because he remembered Laurence's existence, and within a second, he disappeared from the room, leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

"You don't have to agree to it if you don't want to," whispered Madeline. "There is still time and Lucy can have another gown-"

"It is fine," replied Calhoun. He picked up her hand and squeezed it. "I lived with my mother for so many years, knowing more than the rest of them, but it feels like there were things that she couldn't share."

They took a seat on the other couch, and Madeline said, "She possibly didn't want you to be hurt more than you already were. She was protecting you, Cal."

A small smile appeared on Calhoun's lips that didn't reach up until his eyes before the smile fell. His lips twisted, and he said, "I wish she would have told me, shared things that she was scared about and had scared her. I could have reduced her burden. So many things used to happen, and I always found out through others on what happened to her. She had turned so quiet."

Calhoun had loved his mother dearly because, in the past, she was the only person he had and no one else. As good as the present time had turned out to be, the past was worse, and he wished he could have done something.

"If I knew about this, I would have drawn out their punishments," said Calhoun while staring at the wedding gown.

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself, Cal. You did everything that you could possibly do. Sometimes, people don't say things because they don't want to hurt the other person. Your mother loved you a lot and she probably didn't want you..clashing with the royal family in fear that something might happen to you," Madeline consoled him.

Calhoun turned his head to look at her, "Promise me something," and Madeline nodded her head. "That you won't care if the truth will hurt me or not."

Madeline offered him a warm smile, "I promise," and Calhoun leaned forward to kiss her forehead before interlocking their fingers. She placed her head on his shoulder and said, "Do you think Vlad minds?" Though Calhoun didn't mind Lucy wearing his mother's wedding gown, she wasn't sure if the Devil was alright with it.

"He will be fine," replied Calhoun while staring at the gown.

His heart quietly grieved for his mother, thinking how she had been looking forward to being someone's bride.

A few minutes later, the vase next to the fireplace crashed as Odin had suddenly appeared in the room in the wrong place, breaking the vase as it fell on the ground.

"My apologies Master Calhoun and Lady Madeline!" he bowed his head. He carried binded parchments in his hand that looked like books, and he looked at the ground, "I didn't mean to break the vase!"