The Crown's Obsession

Music Recommendation: First by SoMo

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She stared into his eyes that started to turn dark which was a few seconds ago brighter, but it was moving to almost a black shade, and she could only stand there looking at him. Madeline noticed that Calhoun was waiting for her reply and she said,

"No."

Calhoun who was looking at her, his smile turned wicked, "What do you mean by no, sweet girl? No, I do trust you?" It was truly commendable the way he turned everything to his benefit.

"No sane person will ask someone they love to jump off from the cliff," she had done almost everything he had asked her to do, but Calhoun didn't appear to be satisfied with it. She noticed how he kept playing with his sharp fangs with his tongue. As if readying it to sink into her skin.

A chuckle escaped from Calhoun's lips, "I thought we had already come to an agreement that I was insane. Come, I need to take a bite. It will turn out far worse than a bite if you delay my meal."

"I am not your meal! Please find someone else to take blood from," pleaded Madeline. In such a short period, Calhoun wanted her to change her feelings, when in truth she was trying hard to keep up with him and the world he lived in. It was true that they lived in the same world, but she had been shielded away from the night creatures where she had never come across one, not this closely at least.

The smile on Calhoun's lips slowly fell and Madeline could feel the atmosphere in the room turning tense and heavy, "It seems like you don't care about the person who is going to die. What a shame but at least we know we are the same that way," he stated, his eyes cold and his words sharp on her ears.

Madeline didn't understand why Calhoun was blaming her when she was only trying to protect herself. What was wrong in having her own choice? To be forcibly pushed into a life which she didn't want, to be torn away from her family, when her heart wanted something else.

"Last chance," said Calhoun, his eyes trained on her and Madeline felt the air around them turning only heavier and heavier with every passing second. "If that is your decision," saying this he walked towards the call bell, his hand reached for it and pulled it down.

Madeline's eyes turned wide, and she stared at Calhoun who wasn't looking at her now. Within a minute, a maid quickly entered the room who looked small and fragile, almost quivering as it was the King who had summoned her. The maid had her head bowed without a word as she stood at the door and Madeline caught Calhoun walking towards the table, but he didn't take a seat on the chair.

Instead, the King leaned his lower back against the table, and said, "I haven't had my meal for the day. Come here." He ordered the maid, and the girl quickly made her way towards him. Calhoun looked at Madeline who was looking at him, but she hadn't moved or tried to stop him, "You will witness how a vampire drinks when the person is extremely hungry and craving for blood," he said to her.

Right now, the maid had made her way to stand in front of the King, and though nothing had happened yet, Madeline could feel the guilt that was starting to spread in her mind. The way Calhoun spoke, it appeared more like he was going to suck the girl dry. She worried that for the rest of her life, she would carry the guilt of how the maid had died because of her. Before Calhoun could do anything, she said,

"Wait!"

Calhoun who was looking at the maid shifted his gaze to look at Madeline, "What?" he asked, his voice carrying slight annoyance in it and Madeline had to bite her cheek as she had never been on the receiving end of his cold words.

Her lips that were pressed parted to say, "Let the maid leave."

"Are you ready to take her place?" Calhoun asked, tilting his head to the side. He knew exactly how to get what he wanted. Bringing the maid in was enough for Madeline to change her mind because, she was not the kind of person to let someone die. At least not on her watch and he had found the weakness when they were returning from her village.

Internally, Calhoun had a wide smile, but he didn't let it appear on his face. He had already decided that he was going to have her blood tonight and no one was going to stop him. Not even Madeline herself. If he didn't, he wouldn't be responsible for having more than two bodies lying on the ground, lifeless.

"What is it?" came his impatient taunting words.

She found it to be the hardest to speak up right now. She didn't want the maid getting hurt, but at the same time, Madeline didn't want Calhoun taking her as a meal by drinking her blood.

"I will do it," she replied, but Calhoun didn't respond to it as if waiting for something more from her because she had delayed his time. She noticed how the maid who had turned her face to look at Madeline had a look of relief, wanting to thank Madeline for sparing her life and taking her position.

It made it worse when she pondered more on it because Madeline couldn't help, but think on how many people the King had killed for his thirst for blood. She bowed her head, "Please, allow me to be the one instead of the maid."

"And?" asked Calhoun and just as she thought, he wanted more from her, "We could have saved time by now, but you made me wait. Do you think I will be happy with a mere offer?" he had a look on his face, making it look like he didn't care about what Madeline said.

Madeline didn't know what more Calhoun wanted. No, it wasn't that she didn't know, but she was not going to give him what he truly wanted. Things like that could not be taken by force.

"Are you going to keep making it worse for you, by not speaking?" Calhoun's words made her shake her head. Without looking at the maid, he said, "Leave," the maid bowed her head to the King, and then at the lady in the dining room before escaping from the room and being thankful for living another day in the castle.

Calhoun and Madeline were back to being alone in the dining room. He hadn't moved from his position with his back against the table, and Madeline stood near the wall, her feet glued.

"I am giving you my blood, isn't that enough?" asked Madeline, her brown eyes looking at his passive expression.

Calhoun noticed Madeline's beating heart, that was calmer than before where it wasn't erratic, "Nothing is ever enough," his words were truthful, and Madeline gulped.

"One day I won't have anything more to give," she stated to see him raise his hand in front of him, waiting for her to start walking.

"Don't worry about that. I would have consumed you by then," said Calhoun and Madeline wondered if it was another definition of being dead. The smile which he had been holding back finally broke through his lips because Madeline herself didn't realise how she had spoken about a future which she was not willing to think a few days ago.

Madeline had to force herself to move her feet, her heart slowly picked up pace as she closed the distance between them to come to stand in front of him finally.

"Why do you like to make it difficult for you? When you could have agreed, without having to make me wait," asked Calhoun when it wasn't even Madeline's fault.

"I have told you this is not the way how you woo a girl," clearly Calhoun had never fallen in love before and she happened to be the first person, thought Madeline to herself. The only fortunate outcome from this situation was her father having a shop and help but the rest, it was the same.

Calhoun pushed himself to stand straight, leaving the table, and he stepped in front of her, "And I told you I have my ways of making you fall for me."

Before Madeline could think, she blurted the words, "I didn't know threatening the person was a way to do it," but Calhoun wasn't angry. The King was so twisted up in the head that things like these turned to be a compliment to his ears, at least that is what Madeline thought by seeing the smile broaden on his lips.

"What can I say, that's me," said Calhoun. In a blink of an eye, he caught hold of her waist to pick her up and placed her right on the surface of the table.

Madeline had not expected for him to make her sit on the table, and by the single effortless action of his, she could feel her heart beating loud again. She pushed herself back with both her hands placed on the edge of the table. She had truly hoped Calhoun would find someone to drink blood from, but something told her that he wasn't bluffing when he said he would kill the person.

Calhoun took one step closer to her, admiring the girl's feature under the candlelight and she looked like the most exquisite meal he would ever have.