The Crown's Obsession

A carriage drove in the rain, heading towards Wilmot's residence. It stopped when it came to stand in front of the entrance. A servant quickly arrived with an open umbrella for the person who had arrived at the mansion. The coachman was drenched in the rain as he was sitting in the open. He opened the door, and a lady stepped out, her feet on the wet ground and her lips twisted with displeasure.

The servant man made sure that the umbrella covered the young lady, who was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wilmot. He followed her until the entrance of the mansion where she was safe from the rain.

Sophie was angry, and her footsteps told it all the way she walked clicking on the floor. Her dress had picked up dirt and mud, but she had other important things. Her teeth gritting against each other. She made her way where her parents and her brother sat in a room.

"Welcome, sister," her brother Markus greeted her, "How was your day out in the rain," his eyes fell at the bottom hem of her dress which was wet.

Unable to contain her anger, Sophie said, "Did you hear about Calhoun?!" her voice came high pitched in the room. Her parents were playing a game of cards with her brother. They stopped to look at their younger daughter, wondering what had got her angry.

"Hear what about Calhoun?" asked her mother. One hand of his holding three cards while the other hand held a small pipe where he was smoking at the corner of his lips.

"He is getting married! He is getting married to that human who has been living in the castle!" Sophie shrieked. She looked devastated and angry. How could this happen?!

Her mother laughed, "That is not possible, Sophie. The Hawthrone's have never married a human. It must be false news. Come sit with us. You must be tired after your trip."

"NO!" the young vampiress screamed so loudly that the other three family members squinted their eyes.

Sophie had been to visit an acquaintance, wanting to spend time as she was bored in the mansion. There she found out about the King who had announced his wedding to the lowly human.

"I told you things were serious this time! Calhoun had dismissed the food from the table that I made while leaving hers in the dining room. My food was given to the servants!" shouted Sophie, her eyes livid.

Tears brimmed in Sophie's eyes. All the effort she had put until now, every step she had taken to be careful and calculative, everything was going to be washed away because of that human bitch! It was her throne! Her place to be the queen and some stranger from a village was replacing her!

Sophie's family knew how the young vampiress exaggerated a few things, so her mother said, "Calhoun has the habit of making a joke, dear. You shouldn't be worried about this. Your father and I would never let any girl to steal your rightful place."

When the previous King didn't have a male heir, the throne was going to be passed to the Wilmots as the King and Sophie's father were cousins. The family was happy about the King not being able to have an heir which only meant that the throne would directly be passed to Markus, her older brother. No one knew how and when things turned, but the King's bastard son was back in the castle.

"Calhoun is going to marry that girl in less than four weeks of time, and I will be here, standing alone, watching at the sides that a mere human is going to snatch what is mine! I will go and talk to him right now!" said Sophie, ready to leave, she turned around to be stopped by her mother.

"Hold your feet, Sophie," said her mother, "What do you think is going to happen once you go and demand your position in there?"

Lady Rosamund placed her cards down on the table, getting up, she walked towards her daughter who looked distressed by the news, "My dear, things like these need careful planning. If you go now, it will only irk Calhoun. How about we go and congratulate the couple tomorrow."

"What?!" Sophie couldn't believe that her mother was proposing to celebrate the news.

Her mother sighed, "Just because we are going to congratulate them, it doesn't mean we are going to go ahead with it. It is to see the delicate relationship between them. If I am not wrong, didn't the girl try to get out of the castle? I am sure she will be more than willing to oblige to the help that I have to offer her. Within a week, she will be gone, and the King to save his face will need to pick a bride," the older woman placed both her hands on Sophie's shoulders, "You still have a lot to learn, but that's alright. Until I am here, I will help you," smiled Lady Rosamund.

Sophie stared into her mother's eyes, "Will that work? What if it doesn't work?"

"If what you said is true, and that there are four weeks, it is more than enough to get rid of a person. Either through their own will or ours. You must be tired now, go get your clothes changed," Lady Rosamund smiled at her daughter and after a couple of seconds, Sophie nodded head.

Once Sophie left the room, Lady Rosamund turned around to meet her husband's eyes who was sitting quietly until then.

"I thought you said, the girl was a human who wasn't much to look at," said Mr. Wilmot.

"Indeed, she was. I don't know what charm she placed on Calhoun that he is eager to marry her," answered Lady Rosamund. She had thought that it was someone the King was going to bed and throw because that was what happened till now, but what changed this time?

After some thought, Mr. Wilmot said, "Markus, find about the girl's family. We might need some information about them."

"Yes, father," Markus bowed his head.