Claimed by the Prince of Darkness-Chapter 125: Elite’s Invitation

Music Recommendation: Lies We Tell – Lee Sang Min

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Three hours had passed since Ruelle had left Mr. Swan’s class, yet she still couldn’t stop thinking about the way Lucian’s sculpture had been ruined. The instructor had apologised before passing him with a high grade, while Lucian had stood there as though the damage meant nothing to him.

Was there anything that ever truly bothered him? Ruelle wondered who now sat in the potion class. Yet the thought faltered when she remembered the way he had questioned her about moving out of his room.

Ruelle’s gaze drifted to Hailey who sat beside her, who was just about to throw the siren’s scales into her cauldron when she stopped and turned to ask,

"How many am I supposed to add? Two?"

"Keep adding them until it turns blue. Give it a second before you add another," Ruelle patiently explained. "If you add more after the colour changes, the antidote will turn poisonous."

"So I’ll either be saving or killing a vampire..." Hailey muttered grimly. "You’ll come visit me in the dungeon, won’t you?"

"Without doubt," Ruelle smiled before a shadow fell on their table. When she looked up, she found an Elite vampire leaning over it, his forearms resting casually beside her cauldron. He wore a lazy grin as he said,

"There’s a private soiree after this class." His eyes moved between the two young women. "Only a few people are invited. You two are invited."

Ruelle didn’t even have to imagine what kind of soiree he was trying to invite them into. She replied, "We are occupied this evening."

"Occupied?" the vampire repeated.

"That is right," Hailey laughed, "We skipped lunch and need to—"

Before she could finish, the vampire reached forward and dropped several more siren scales into Ruelle’s cauldron. The liquid inside hissed violently and a sharp, sour smell rose from it.

"Whatever occupies you," he murmured, watching the potion bubble, "can wait. What could possibly be more important than attending the soiree?" he tilted his head in question.

"You shouldn’t push it. The prince wouldn’t take it kindly..." Hailey said hesitantly.

A chuckle slipped from the vampire’s lips. He responded, "The prince isn’t here. And besides... all of you groundlings are free for us to choose and pick from." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"We’ll have to refuse the invitation," Ruelle said firmly.

The vampire studied her for a moment, as though the refusal amused him.

"Are you sure?" he asked and lowered his voice, "I hear your father carries quite a lot of debt. It would be unfortunate if something... unexpected happened to him. Debt has a way of growing," he continued thoughtfully. "Imagine it swelling so large that it crushes the family entirely."

Ruelle stared at the vampire’s threat and after a second she answered, "If that is what pleases you."

For a moment, the vampire blinked as humans rarely spoke that way when their families were mentioned. He murmured,

"Is that so..." Then his gaze slowly shifted to Hailey. "I hear your father works as a coachman. It would be terrible if he were accused of stealing from the earl’s family."

Colour drained from Hailey’s face and her hands tightened. She said, "Keep my father out of it."

The vampire straightened with a soft laugh. He responded, "Then perhaps you two should think carefully. It would sadden me—and the others—if something unfortunate happened to your families."

He stepped back from the table.

"And the invitation is only for the two of you. No need to share it with anyone else."

"Mr. Orpheus, what are you doing away from your table?" The instructor’s voice cut through the air.

"The Groundlings made a mistake and wanted my help fixing it," the vampire replied with an easy smile before returning to his seat.

The instructor’s gaze moved to Ruelle’s ruined potion and his lips thinned. He stated, "Miss Belmont, you need to pay attention rather than waste the ingredients. Dispose of it and start another batch." He moved on without waiting for a response.

For a moment neither of the young women spoke. Then Ruelle said in a whisper, "Hailey... I was thinking we shouldn’t move into the new quarters."

Hailey nodded slowly before replying, "I forgot how sheltered we’ve been until now." They could only fend for themselves for a short while, she thought to herself. Her voice then dropped to a whisper. "By any chance, do you know the potion that makes us faint... and lets us sleep until Edward returns? I am worried about father..."

"We won’t let anything happen to him," Ruelle assured her, "I can inform—"

"No!" Hailey shook her head. "You heard what he said about not inviting anyone... We just have to attend the soiree. I thought having the prince’s favour would have leverage..."

Ruelle noticed how Hailey was getting nervous, while not wanting any harm to befall on her family. Maybe if there was a gap in the window, she thought to herself.

She couldn’t be reckless. Thinking about her parents, she wondered if they had gone to visit another relative’s house to avoid being harassed by the debt collectors.

Far away from Sexton, a carriage headed with speed and intention before it stopped at the Henleys’ residence. Out stepped Ezekiel, who had returned home to kick the Belmonts out of his house. Since their arrival, things between him and Ruelle hadn’t been the same.

Before he could head towards the door, he caught sight of a carriage parked outside and he questioned whom the Belmonts had invited into his house. When he stepped inside, he found Lorenzo Helsing seated with a cup of tea.

"Oh good, you are here, Ezekiel," Lorenzo said upon catching sight of him.

"Pardon me, I didn’t know you were visiting," Ezekiel replied.

"No trouble at all," Lorenzo said, lifting his teacup. "I came to collect the confidential document that I had asked of you, but your mother in-law insisted I sit and have some tea. I must say, you are fortunate to have such affectionate in-laws. Mrs. Belmont was just telling me how dearly you care for your wife... even to the point of considering selling this house to buy your wife’s freedom."

Ezekiel’s eyes hardened as they met Mrs. Belmont’s, who offered him the sweetest smile. "Did she now?" he asked with a tight smile.

"Ezekiel loves our Caroline dearly and works so hard for her," Mrs. Belmont said with a small sigh. "But I do worry about where they will stay if he sells the house. Things have been difficult."

"Indeed, it sounds unfortunate," Lorenzo nodded thoughtfully. "Sexton does have some iron rules. I shall mention about Mrs. Henley’s special case at court and see if the price on her head can be reduced. It would be good to see her return safely to her husband."

"That is very thoughtful of you, Mr. Helsing," Mrs. Belmont thanked him. She turned her eyes to Ezekiel and added sweetly, "Isn’t it wonderful, Ezekiel?"

Ezekiel smiled before turning to Lorenzo. He said smoothly, "Caroline has indeed been worried. Your help is greatly appreciated." He offered a small bow before retrieving a document from his study room and handing it to the man.

"In a month the new minister’s selection will be announced," Lorenzo said as he accepted the document. "Hopefully your name will be among the candidates." With that, he took his leave.

The moment the door closed, Ezekiel’s hand shot out and wrapped around Mrs. Belmont’s throat. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, "Stay out of my affairs. Or I will snap your neck."

Mrs. Belmont laughed, even though her face started to turn red. She replied hoarsely, "Try it and you will be behind bars instead of being a minister."

Ezekiel’s hand tightened before he pushed the woman away, who coughed for air.

"If you believe you can cast Caroline aside and hide behind Sexton’s contract, you are mistaken," Mrs. Belmont said. "She is your wife, Ezekiel. You are bound to her whether you like it or not. And if you are foolish enough to sell her, I wonder what Mr. Helsing would think of such devotion or your position in the courthouse."

Ezekiel let out a bitter laugh. He would have wrung the woman’s neck until her life was taken, but things weren’t the same as in the past. He asked,

"Is this how you secured Mr. Belmont?" Ezekiel asked with a thin smile. "Caroline mentioned you wasted no time after his first wife died. Grief clearly did not deter you."

Mrs. Belmont’s cool black eyes stared at Ezekiel. She answered, "Harold was drowning in grief. I merely offered him a shoulder during his time of need." She pressed her fingers against her neck.

"Faron!" Ezekiel called one of his servants, who quickly appeared in the living room with a bow. "Prepare a feast for the poor with what we have in the house. In the name of hope that my wife is freed from Sexton quickly."

"Would that be today, sire?" asked the servant.

"Yes. Prepare it and Mrs. Belmont can accompany you while feeding the poor if she wishes to," Ezekiel said without looking away from the older woman.

"Of course, sire. I will go inform the kitchen staff right away," the servant bowed once again and left.

Mrs. Belmont walked to where Ezekiel was, placing her hand on his shoulder. She said,

"I knew you would see reason, Ezekiel. Help me, and I will make sure the ministers hear how devoted you are to your wife." She paused before adding with a faint smile, "And the next time you try to squeeze my neck... you may not enjoy the stories I decide to share about you."

The muscles in Ezekiel’s jaw tightened, and he knew she would pull some stunt if he tried to kick her and her husband out of his house. With that thought, he stepped out of his house and took the carriage to Brackenwell.

Covering his face, he stepped down with only his eyes and hair in view as he walked through the cold weather and reached the gambling establishment.

"Where is Harold Belmont?" Ezekiel demanded from the men seated inside. "He owes me money."

"We haven’t seen him since more than a week now. Not since he pawned his house," said the owner of the place.

When Ezekiel stepped out of the establishment, a few men followed him and one of the gruff men spoke.

"Wait. He owes us money too. Bastard gave his house to someone else instead of settling his debt with us. He owes us one hundred and thirty gold coins and that’s without interest."

"His daughter is worth a lot. The one who is married, Sexton has placed a hefty price on her head," Ezekiel informed calmly. "Catch her, and you might collect more than what he owes."

The gruff man’s henchman laughed. He pointed and said, "Married ones don’t sell well. It is the unmarried one."

"That is not how vampires see. If she weren’t of use, a place like Sexton wouldn’t keep her," Ezekiel stated. He wanted Caroline out of the way, as it seemed the investigation hadn’t caught up to her as she was in Sexton. "Don’t you know that the Belmonts dote on the married one? If you want to cough up money, you need to catch the right one."

"If you know so much, why aren’t you doing it yourself?" the debt collector questioned, his eyes trained on Ezekiel.

"Unfortunately, I don’t have the men to do it," Ezekiel explained calmly. "I thought we could help each other." His gaze shifted between them before offering, "I know someone who can lure them to the fair this weekend. There will be a lot of people and no one will notice."

With the groceries in the house finished by the end of the day, the Belmonts would soon have nothing left to eat. How long could they stay indoors once the servants were dismissed and not available to help? Ezekiel thought to himself.

Back in Sexton, the tower bell rang loudly, signalling the end of class as students began to disperse. Ruelle and Hailey exchanged a glance before rising from their seats and heading towards the door. They had barely taken a few steps when the earlier vampire’s voice stopped them.

"Where are you two going?" Orpheus asked lazily. "I thought we had plans together."

Kevin, who had overheard him, frowned. He questioned, "Why do you need to know, Orpheus?"

"This doesn’t concern you, Reynolds," the Elite replied, flicking his hand dismissively. "Run along."

"They’re my friends, so it does concern me," Kevin shot back. When he came to stand beside Hailey, she lightly tugged at his sleeve, trying to quieten him.

"We are going to the restroom," Ruelle said, attempting to draw the vampire’s attention back to herself. But Orpheus’s gaze remained fixed on Kevin, amusement curling on his lips.

"Aren’t you a little brave today? I don’t remember seeing that courage when you’re running for your life during hunt and stake," the vampire remarked with a sly grin, before his eyes narrowed slightly and he said, "Why don’t you step outside now, Reynolds—if you’re done barking?"

"No. We will be leaving together and they don’t want to do anything with you," Kevin decided, moving to usher Ruelle and Hailey towards the door. He barely took a step when the Elite’s fist struck him across the mouth.

Kevin stumbled hard against the nearby table, his back knocking into it as one of the glass beakers on the table toppled and shattered on the floor.

"Kevin!" Ruelle and Hailey hurried to his side, where he now had a split lip.

The vampire who had struck him slowly rolled his wrist. He asked, "Why do you groundlings have such a difficult time listening to us? Do you think that just because we sit in the same classroom, you can be us?" He huffed, "You should know your place."

Ruelle’s hands tightened into fists at her sides. She demanded,

"Why did you have to hurt him? We agreed to come, didn’t we?"

A snicker escaped from another vampire’s lips. "It didn’t seem like you were coming along. Considering Orpheus hadn’t even told you where to come yet... had he?"

Until this day, Ruelle and her friends had never mingled with the elites of her year because they never tried to talk to them. Which is why she and her friends had lowered their guards until now.

"The puppy seems insistent on tagging along. Why don’t we have him come along?" the vampiress sitting in the extreme back remarked with a smug expression. "I can put him to good use."

Ruelle had hoped to pass the information through Kevin for help, but it seemed like all the three of them were being dragged into the vampires’ soiree. This wasn’t good, she thought to herself. There were two options now. One, where she would have to follow them and the second, where she could make a run while her friends would pay the consequences.

"There’s a leash in the den room. You can use it on him. Let us go," Orpheus snapped his fingers at the three humans before stepping out of the door.

"I still want to visit the restroom. Please," Ruelle pleaded, while most of the students had already left. It was just she, her two friends and the four elites.

"I need to powder my nose too," said the vampiress, and as she walked past Ruelle, she smiled, "Come on."

"I will come too. My stomach has begun to hurt now," Hailey muttered before following them into the corridor.

Once they entered the restroom, Ruelle and Hailey stepped into the little rooms and locked the doors behind them while water was splashed by someone at the basins.

When Ruelle opened the door, the vampiress stood right in front of her and the person said, "That was rather quick. You know you have very pretty blonde hair. It makes me want to snip them."

"I think you have better hair than my frayed ones," Ruelle responded before adding, "I need to wash my hands."

"Hm." The vampiress stepped away while her eyes moved, following Ruelle’s movement. When Hailey didn’t come out after two minutes, the vampiress went and knocked on the door. "Don’t tell me you have decided to stay there until tomorrow morning."

"I must have eaten something funny—" Hailey groaned while inside the little room as she felt stressed.

Ruelle’s eyes moved to the entrance when the door opened, and she caught sight of another human. It was her classmate whom she had studied with until the person had led her to Alanna. Ruelle’s eyes darted to her and then the door behind which Hailey was.

Leslie appeared awkward, as if wondering if she should wait outside, while the vampiress watched the two humans, before remarking,

"What is this? Humans not getting along?"

"Nothing like that," Leslie murmured, before quickly moving towards the basin.

"She lied to me once and that caused me trouble," Ruelle explained and Leslie’s face turned red in embarrassment.

Leslie apologised quickly, "I—I am sorry about it—I—"

"It’s alright," Ruelle interrupted her and stretched out her hand. "Let us make peace. You were in a tight spot."

Leslie hesitated before taking her hand. Their hands clasped for only a moment before Ruelle released her hand. The same time Hailey stepped out.

"Finally," the vampiress muttered, rolling her eyes as she pushed herself away from the basin. "We can leave. Hurry now. I’m not your chaperone." She turned on her heel and headed outside.

Leslie remained where she stood, watching the three of them leave the restroom. Only when the door closed behind them did she glance at the small folded note in her hand which had been slid in by the earlier handshake.

Outside, Ruelle and Hailey were led outside the building by the vampiress. She had written the note hoping to pass it to Kevin, but hopefully Leslie would help this time.

When they reached where the carriages were parked, Ruelle felt her stomach drop as she hadn’t considered this. She asked,

"Isn’t the soiree at Sexton?"

The vampiress laughed as one of the carriage doors swung open. Her expression turned sinister as she ordered, "Get in."