Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 103: Before the Apple Ripens

Before dawn had the chance to break, the Belmonts and the Henleys were already inside a carriage bound for Sexton, determined to fix the trouble Caroline had brought upon herself.

But when they arrived, they were made to wait until eleven in the morning. Edmond Mortis, the man in charge of the office, had arrived late.

"Mr. Mortis will see you now," the attendant finally said and Caroline shot to her feet at once.

Inside the office, Mr. Mortis’ gaze settled on Ezekiel standing among the humans and he raised one of his eyebrows. He remarked,

"It is Sunday, Mr. Henley. I would assume you had better use for a holiday like outing outside Sexton."

Ezekiel bowed, the smile on his face tight. He apologised, "Forgive me for troubling you, Mr. Mortis. There has been a little problem—"

"Little problem?" Caroline burst out, her eyes swollen from crying the entire previous day. "These hexed earrings won’t come off. They need to be removed, mister. I wore them for fun. If I knew they would lock like this, I would never have touched them! Please...we need them taken off."

The vampire behind the desk barely reacted. His gaze shifted away from her and returned to Ezekiel instead, while silence filled the room. Before Caroline could continue rambling, Ezekiel caught her wrist gently but firmly, urging her to be quiet. She looked up at him with tearful desperation.

"Mr. Henley," Mr. Mortis called, placing his glasses carefully on the bridge of his nose, "can you explain how you failed to complete the task required of every first year Groundlings?"

"The assignments were given..." Ezekiel replied, exhaustion evident in his tone despite his effort to remain polite. "It appears Ruelle failed to wear them and I didn’t check the result. She often keeps her hair down, which covers her ears and we missed it. It was—"

"I hope you were not attempting to keep Ms. Belmont out of the contract. No one has ever failed the contract from being completed in Sexton’s history," Mr. Mortis interrupted curtly, leaning back in his chair with a faint, disapproving look. "Especially considering she is related to your wife."

Mr. Mortis’ words struck a nerve in Mrs. Belmont. Her eyes widened, suspicion flashing across her face as if this had been Ezekiel’s plan all along after all, as he had once spoken of marrying Ruelle. She glared at Ezekiel and demanded,

"Why didn’t you make her wear it?!"

Mr. Mortis didn’t find it surprising that the student’s very own mother wanted the contract to be fulfilled. When money was involved along with survival, relationship meant very little in this world.

"Were you trying to protect her?" Caroline asked, frowning deeply, confusion and hurt mixing on her face. "But it backfired... I— I’m the one trapped now."

"Like I said," Ezekiel snapped, his composure turning thin, "I never noticed her ears under all that thick blonde hair."

Mortis’ gaze drifted to Mr. Belmont, who stood stiffly with his hands drawn close to his chest and the man looked nothing less than a chicken with its wings resting on the sides. His eyes returned to others and he said at last,

"The earrings can be removed."

Relief flooded Caroline’s face. She stepped forward at once, tilting her head to expose her ear before saying,

"Oh, thank goodness! Then please remove them. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can go back to our lives."

"Mrs. Henley," Mr. Mortis said calmly.

Caroline straightened at once. "Yes?" she asked, a hopeful smile already forming.

"Sexton has its rules. We do not null the contracts simply because someone regrets their decision. You should have thought more carefully before trying them on." His voice remained even, almost polite. "With those earrings on you now, you now belong to Sexton. They can be removed under one condition."

Mr. Belmont’s brows drew together. He asked, "What condition?"

"Ordinarily, young unmarried women are valued far higher," Mortis continued, lifting a hand as if discussing market goods. "However, Mrs. Henley is already married. Her value is reduced, though not void."

Caroline’s smile faltered at the word value. She asked, "S–So... how much? Two hundred gold coins?"

At the back, Mr. Belmont flinched at the number.

Mortis shook his head once and finally said, "Five thousand gold coins."

the money on them, but that such a number might as well

spreading across her face as the weight of it settled in. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the desk to steady herself. She then suddenly

over one another. "We don’t need to host any soirees for a while, and

the end, fragile hope clinging

stared at the woman he

at his sides, and for a fleeting second he imagined closing them around her throat. Not from rage alone, but from the ruin

raise that sum. But he had no intention of sinking to the Belmonts’ level of being homeless.

strained and regretful. He replied to Caroline, "I don’t

fully, panic widening her eyes. She asked, "Then what are we going to

sum is paid," Mr. Mortis said smoothly as though discussing paperwork rather than a life. "Mrs. Henley will attend Sexton as any other Groundling. You

only unmarried women in," Mrs.

adjusting the glasses on his face, "it is essential that you attend your classes and do not fall behind. Failure will place you at the very

stated, "I trust Mr. Henley will explain the remaining details

words hit Ezekiel harder than the

didn’t know how Sexton would handle it if Caroline were ever tied to June Clifford’s death. The possibility of execution was rare when there was profit to be made. Humans with value were far more

warning, a small fine maybe or anything else. But this? Not only would the Belmonts

the picture by placing her necklace near the body. Not knowing she wasn’t

as though they were facing

laid gently on Ezekiel’s shoulder that he couldn’t shrug

into sleep, opened her eyes again when Maude arrived at

lingered beneath the surface. The housekeeper brushed and

corridor with the hem of her dress sweeping softly across the carpeted floor. Her brown

"Where is everyone...?"

servant in sight. As if they had been instructed to remain hidden and to never disturb the Slaters or guests under

piano sitting at the centre of the instrument room, she couldn’t resist taking a seat in front of it. Music had

stretched her fingers before beginning to play. The sound drifted and lingered against the walls, light enough that she almost forgot she was the

her eyes, her fingers faltered and she

and he wore a grim expression as if she had

her words tripped in her mind. "I didn’t mean to disturb. I will stop," she added, realising she

that tune?" Lord Azriel asked, his voice deep and his gaze one that

was little," she replied before

to play it often when she was still alive. It was something

memories or painful ones of his wife. From the portrait she had seen, the lady’s smile and presence was warm. It

such circles, for melodies like this to be passed and learned. To fill the space, she uttered, "I don’t

from its original piece," Lord

must have distorted it with time," Ruelle offered a slight

Azriel’s gaze didn’t lighten but only turned heavier with seconds that passed. She wondered if he was going to ask her to leave, but then he

was impossible to ignore. "This place is not gentle to those who linger. And once attention is given here, it is rarely withdrawn.

word, he left the place,

wasn’t sure if Lord Azriel’s words were meant to be advice or a warning. Truthfully, his words felt puzzling. Did he think she was trying to curry

that didn’t hold only books of laws, world

fingers brushing the leather-bound edges as she read

gaze drew to a particular book— The

pulling the book. She rested the book against the ladder rung

first, she read only a few lines. Then a page. Minutes passed without her noticing, as

read the lines carefully. But the further she read, the warmer her skin felt, as if the pages carried a heat. She had spent her life being useful and needed. This was the first time she had stumbled upon something that spoke of

lips parted at a particular scene as the words she read felt intimate. She was

behind

hands with a sharp thud. Shame rose too quickly, as

be caught doing in Lucian’s

for the next rung