The Crown's Obsession

Music Recommendation: Reflections by Eamonn Watt

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When morning arrived, Madeline woke up by the sound of the birds chirping outside the window of her room. Her head felt slightly heavy because of the lack of sleep she had.

"Sleep some more," she heard Calhoun's voice beside her, and she turned her head to see him lying on one side of his body, watching her.

The previous night, after both of them, had visited the Carnival's village and the cemetery, they had returned to the castle. Madeline couldn't remember when they reached the room or when she fell asleep on the bed. The last thing she witnessed and experienced had left her mind shaken.

Madeline felt Calhoun place his hand on her cheek, caressing it, "Close your eyes, Madeline," he whispered the words to her, and like magic, her eyes turned heavy to shut close again.

Calhoun watched her drift to sleep, her body lulling and sinking into the mattress beneath her, while he laid next to her. Since the time they had returned, he hadn't left the room. His eyes slowly trailed down to their interlocked fingers and he didn't move it, not wanting to wake her up. Madeline had not noticed that she was holding his hand as if not wanting him to leave her alone.

When he had heard her screaming in the coffin, he had pushed the lid as fast he could. But her scream somewhere still haunted at the back of his mind. The thought about her being in trouble kept Calhoun alert.

He wanted to go and confront her parents, to get answers from them even if it meant torturing them right now.

It didn't matter to him if she killed people, he had done it too, and it thrilled him knowing there was something within her. Whatever she was, the old couple were scared and worried about her—worried that she would kill someone else again.

After a few minutes, her hold on him turned loose, and Calhoun got out of the bed. Pulling the blanket to cover her, he tucked her carefully before leaning forward and kissing the side of her head without waking her up.

Hearing footsteps outside the room, Calhoun went to the door and opened it to find Elizabeth Harris standing outside the door.

"Madel-Oh!" Beth quickly bowed her head and greeted the King, "Good morning, my King." Her eyes slightly widened at the fact that Calhoun had come out of her sister's room with messy hair and his shirt hanging loose as the strings on the front of his shirt had not been tied, allowing one to see the taut muscles.

"Morning to you, Miss Elizabeth," he greeted the human before pulling the doors that belonged to Madeline's room, "What brings you here this early in the morning?" he questioned.

Beth smiled at the King, "I came here to meet my sister, my Lord. I was going to help her to wear clothes and to get ready." She looked at the King with her green eyes which were even greener because of the envy she carried that she tried to hide. Her curiosity peaked high at the sight that the King just stepped out of Madeline's room. "You are here early yourself." She tried to fish for some information about what was going on.

Calhoun, who was staring at Beth with his red eyes, said, "I never left the room to come here early." He offered the girl a smile of his own and didn't stop there, "Madeline had a very busy night, until the time of past midnight. Let her sleep."

The King's words insinuated another meaning and Beth blushed at his words. For a few seconds, she couldn't meet his eyes, but at the same time, Beth couldn't believe that her innocent sister was drawing the King with methods like these.

"Of course, my Lord!" she obliged to his words while wondering if she should leave right now.

Calhoun asked, "Where are your parents, Miss Harris?"

Beth raised her brows slightly, "I saw them in the parlour room. They must be having early tea."

"Would you be kind enough to accompany me there?" came the sugar-coated words from the King, and it brightened Beth's mood. The King knew the way to the parlour, after all, this was his castle, but he was asking for her company.

"I would gladly," she obliged, bowing her head one more time with a smile, she started to walk with Calhoun next to her.

Beth had taken extra care to look and make herself pretty. Having enough sleep and then wearing the dress which she had taken from her sister's closet. Her hair was prettily done, and she dabbed rose water on her neck, to make her smell good. Did the King perhaps take note of her improvised version? Beth asked herself. She possessed the ability to adapt to any place.

"Miss Harris, the dress you are wearing…" Calhoun paused for a second, "Is it Madeline's dress?"

Beth had not expected such a direct question, "Um, yes, milord."

"Hm," was his only response. Considering the number of dresses that were stacked in the closet of Madeline's room, Beth had thought no one would notice it. "If you want to have new clothes, I can tell the tailor to get your measurements than you wearing clothes that belong to Madeline. I touched her in one of the rooms when she was wearing this dress."

The girl's eyes turned wide, and she didn't dare to look at Calhoun. This dress? Was that why he remembered? Suddenly Beth started to feel uncomfortable.

"Else I will drop a word to Markus. I am sure he would love to dress you up. Especially taking in how much he is smitten by your presence. Hm?" Calhoun turned to look at Beth, and the girl couldn't refuse to meet his gaze, giving him an awkward smile while the King gave a broad smile.

Was the King displeased that she had borrowed Madeline's clothes and was indirectly telling her to change? But her sister had so many of them, and Beth didn't think it would matter. Right now, all she wanted to do was go back to her room and change her dress.

Beth was ready to leave when she heard the King indulge her with another question, "You should take care of your hand, Miss Harris." She noticed how he didn't address her as 'Lady Elizabeth' right now as if she didn't belong here in the castle but in the village.

"It is healing quickly now. And Madeline is more important than the little wound," laughed Beth, "Back when Madeline was home, I used to be the one to comb and tie her hair. Even dress her up as we don't have maids," and it was true. To think that there was a time when Beth liked Madeline but didn't now as much as before, she could only blame Madeline for that.

"What a wonderful sisterhood you both share," complimented Calhoun and Beth took the compliment, "My wolf must have playfully bitten you without meaning any ill."

Beth found it hard to accept when she remembered the pain of her muscle being pulled and pushed in her hand. "They are lovely wolves," they were the worst, thought Beth in her mind.

"Indeed, they are. If they were not playful, they would have torn a person's wrist off the person's hand. That is if they find the person to be disrespecting the people who the wolves care," Calhoun chimed with the smile that didn't fall from his lips. "As you are going to be my sister-in-law, I would be sad if something like that happens to you. How would you write letters to your sister or others? I must say, you have beautiful handwriting," he added.

Beth had not expected the conversation to steer in this direction. She felt nervous about where the King was getting at, "Madeline and I learned to write at our aunt Mary's house. She was the one to educate us."

"So I have heard. Is this aunt of yours going to attend the wedding?" questioned Calhoun.

"Yes, I heard mother speak about it. Aunt Mary has been invited," she quickly answered the King.

Calhoun gave her a small nod and then said, "I would like you to write another letter and invite her to come to join your family. It would be a shame to miss family members during this good time. I miss my family members. Only if they were alive, but then I tell myself they are always in here," he placed his hand on his heart.

Both of them had stepped out of the King's quarters, and Calhoun halted his footsteps. Beth stopped walking too, and she heard the King say,

"You can go write the letter and give it to Theodore, who will send it out."

"I think Aunt Mary would pack her trunks sooner if she received it from Madeline," Beth joked. She was too lazy to write a letter right now when she could use the same time in looking for Markus and try to wrap him around her finger.

"Does your aunt favour Madeline more than you?" Calhoun gave a look of pity to her, "I believe your words can be convincing just the way you wrote the letter and handed it to Mr. Heathcliff. I will leave it in your capable hands," saying this, he went on his way to hear Beth's heart rate increase out of fear.

Beth's face turned pale over Calhoun's words as she stared at his back walking away from her.