Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 137: Lessons Before the Auction

Realising her body was almost pressed against Lucian’s, Ruelle quickly rolled away. But before she could place her feet on the ground, they tangled in the sheets and the next moment she fell straight to the floor.

"Ouch..." she winced before turning to look over her shoulder with only her eyes peeking, where Lucian finally pushed himself up as if he had been waiting for her to wake up until now.

She quickly turned away, unable to believe she had wormed right into him last night while sleeping. He had been gracious enough to call her a butterfly instead of calling her a worm.

"I will wait. You should take the bath first, I will—"

"There’s no need for it. You can wash first," Lucian replied, his footsteps softly padding against the floor. She carefully stood up and watched him head to his cupboard before picking up his clothes. He then turned to her and said, "I will use Dane’s bath. Unless you want me to stay so that your feet doesn’t trip over the next possible object."

Ruelle let out a small, awkward laugh, though the warmth in her face betrayed her. He then moved to the drawer, pulling out a white ball and stretched his hand to her.

"What is this?" Ruelle asked him. He had given it to her last night too before bandaging her wound.

"Medicine. It has components with faster cell turnover in the skin. It is why you aren’t feeling the pain," Lucian explained as he dropped the medicine in her hand.

Ruelle was in awe that something like this existed. She had never heard about it before and she murmured, "Vampires are truly advanced when compared to us humans." She didn’t know why vampires would even need it when their healing was faster than her kind. She then looked up at him and asked, "Where can this be found? Wait, did you make it?"

"You can take the ones from the drawer. The next batch needs to be prepared," Lucian answered.

In the past, when his mother had passed away, Lucian had gone over that day more times than he could count. Her hollow eyes had marred his soul and the regret of being unable to help gnawed and chipped at his mind. He had created this medicine so that the next person who would be injured in front of him wouldn’t share the same fate as his mother.

He stared into Ruelle’s brown eyes.

"I won’t be scolded?" She asked because the first week she had gone cleaning the room because Lucian had been mad at her. He really had a temper behind the calm demeanour he tried to carry, she thought to herself, but people around him could sense it.

He remarked, "If I didn’t want you to, I wouldn’t have told you where they are."

After what felt like nearly an hour, Ruelle was dressed and she was ready to leave when she heard a knock from the other side.

When she opened it, she found Hailey standing in the corridor she leaned away from the door, her neck stretched as if she had been trying to look down the hallway. The moment Ruelle opened the door, Hailey straightened at once and flashed a bright, entirely innocent smile.

"I saw Lucian in the hall below and decided to come see you," she said.

Ruelle looked at her for a long second before a small smile pulled at her lips. She greeted, "Good morning to you too, Hailey. You seem unusually energetic this morning."

"I am," Hailey said, grinning. But then her expression softened, her eyes flickering briefly toward Ruelle’s back in concern. "Firstly, how are you feeling today?"

"Much better," Ruelle replied, stepping out and pulling the door shut behind her before locking it. "I even slept well."

"That is good to hear," Hailey muttered, wrinkling her nose slightly as they began to walk down the corridor. "Otherwise Kevin would get smacked for stabbing you. Not that he isn’t already smacking himself."

A small laugh escaped from Ruelle’s lips. They walked a few more steps before Hailey spoke again, this time lowering her voice slightly.

"So..." she began casually, though there was nothing casual about the way her eyes were already shining, "what is going on between you and Lucian? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to."

her head slowly and looked

"Of course not!" she whispered urgently. "I want to know everything. How did this even happen? When did this even

brief moment and she could hear the distant cawing of a crow. As if gathering courage, before the

should have told you sooner but I didn’t know how to say it. God... it feels so much better now that I’ve said it," and she let out a

that Ruelle had to

and shaking it back and forth, her eyes wide with a mixture of delight and disbelief. "Of course he doesn’t! Else he’ll burn

said, while Hailey continued to beam at her like she had just been handed the

with a laugh as they began walking again. "What does that mean? Is he

want Lucian to buy her?

bid and someone was going to buy her. That much was certain. And if that was the fate waiting for her, then she wouldn’t mind if Lucian bought

it," Ruelle replied

back to you on the contract?" Hailey asked touching her

about it that maybe it wouldn’t be considered. But my parents were given money

are of old lineage. I am sure it is just spare change for him," Hailey said matter-of-factly. "Then there’s Prince Edward with money too. By

railings as they climbed

moving into the quarters he had prepared for you specially," Hailey said brightly.

"Why does it feel like

me. I just thought it was romantic. The last time

her gaze, her friend quickly defended

for a few seconds, and Ruelle then

grin spread across Hailey’s lips. "It did. It

Ruelle noticed the way the students gathered there began to move upon seeing her. The corridor

didn’t seem to notice as she was talking about last night and her time with

what had occurred in the Den. Once they stepped inside the dining room, an almost quiet hush fell in there, and she tried hard not to look at anyone

think if he has pups I can adopt one of the children?" Hailey asked. Ruelle’s lips twitched as if threatening to laugh at the wrong time with the atmosphere that

owner about it," Ruelle replied as they approached the table of

bottom was almost clean except for the

missed the moist cake," Ruelle murmured. "I didn’t

the groundlings’

moist, its top glistening with a drizzle of cream. The

her and she looked up

sweets? Fortunately, I came here to return it, as I didn’t have an appetite for it," Ezekiel said with a smile

the cake was suddenly lifted away

and Ezekiel blinked, watching Dane chew it thoughtfully before swallowing it down and smiling.

Mr. Henley. Just the treat I

was at a loss for words, while Dane ran his finger around the edge of his mouth

the cake that was offered, let me bless you and your lovely wife to have many children," Dane smiled before turning to Ruelle and he greeted, "Good morning, Ruelle. I didn’t see you there. It’s

she

raised his hand, pointing his finger at her and he said, "This is

the feeling of annoyance from earlier.

that not so, darling?" Dane beamed, and one would have thought the sun had descended into their dining room. He then spoke, "What are you doing standing here letting your food turn cold? On your way