Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 168: The Tree of Winter

Ruelle noticed Dane’s eyes stayed on the tranquil painting, though it was unclear whether he was looking at it at all. He stared at it for a moment before saying,

"Come take a closer look. You’ll see it."

She did as he told her, staring at the painting closely and after almost a minute, when her focus almost turned blurry, did she notice the markings on the bark. Her eyes widened in surprise and she asked,

"Lucian painted this?"

Ruelle looked slightly taken aback by it. It seemed like the skills Lucian possessed was balanced by the existence of corruption inside of him. And even that he had tried to get under his control, she thought.

"Interesting, isn’t it? One must first lose oneself in it before seeing what lies in plain sight." Dane raised his hand to trace the aggressive brushstrokes. He said, "The governess suggested he paint so that it would help ease his mind, seeing how aggressive and bloodthirsty he appeared during combat lessons. He was only ten."

"At ten?" Ruelle repeated, because that was too young.

"My father thought it was best we honed our skills after what happened. It was better to be prepared as we didn’t want to lose another person," Dane smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

Ruelle’s lips set in a thin line. The way he smiled made it difficult to tell where the truth ended and whatever lay beneath it began.

Dane placed his hand on top of her head. "Don’t look sad," his words gentle.

A deliberate clearing of the throat was heard behind them.

"You should go rest if you have a cold. Don’t want dear Ruelle catching it," Dane stated, smoothening Ruelle’s hair before dropping his hand.

"Mr. Slater, I trust I made it clear that Miss Belmont’s chastity is to be preserved," Peyton spoke in a firm voice.

"Did you not hear her address me? We even share the same hair colour—surely that ought to reassure you that we are siblings," Dane said lightly, and when he turned, he caught the woman pursing her lips.

"You aren’t a sibling by blood, Mr. Slater. Please refrain from touching her," the woman stared back at him.

to Ruelle and asked, "Now then, where were we? The paintings, yes. I am not

aback by the information. She murmured, "But they are stunning." Not to

combination. It seemed like he would unconsciously make them in a single sitting, but he wouldn’t want to see it.

asked and he hummed in

rather profitable," Dane said, almost idly. "People took a particular interest in them. The king heard of it and claimed one

Lucian, Ruelle thought. Selling his brother’s

this one?" she asked because she

preferred I kept to myself." He cast a brief glance toward Peyton. "You’d do well to keep a few such things of your own. They tend to be...

gaze lowered slightly. The thought of holding something over Lucian, of using it against him did not

would have

with the smile lingering on his lips. "You wouldn’t need to find anything. You already have

where Lucian was in the mansion right now and what

With the paintings being the same but not at the same

her briefly before accompanying her while his thoughts drifted

Glenn, who was popular when it came

you saying the painting isn’t valuable enough to be

at all. It is a beautiful painting and from what I hear, you refused to sell it to some of them,’ the woman replied before her eyes moved to the painting.’It has become a collector’s choice now. The tree of winter. Especially when you are hiding the painter’s name. I will take

had first heard about little Ruelle’s hatred of vampires, he’d found it hard to believe. She was too sweet to utter such things. Though he didn’t know the story behind why his brother kept painting the same thing, he could only guess it had something

out. Distributed them to people who ran in the same circles

corruption, there was no telling when it would let loose. Corruption never disappeared. Everything needed an anchor and Ruelle was

who knew that Harold Belmont had changed his circles to the point he would never return to the same

the way, have you thought about what to get Lucian?"

betrothal gift?" Ruelle

betrothal gift as well. But no, that’s

she hadn’t ever touched those subjects. With how secretive he was, it had been a no-go

it, she would have never known unless someone decided to

wondered what she could gift him. Things that wouldn’t compare to others. Her blood? Though he had tasted her blood, he had never fed from