Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 164: The Quiet Arrangement

Ruelle’s eyebrows furrowed as her mind struggled to process what she’d just heard. Her sister had murdered June? This was the person who wasn’t capable of killing a fly, let alone a person, without shrieking.

"M—Murder?" Caroline’s voice came out strangled with her face white and looking like she was about to throw up blood.

"What rubbish is this?" Mr. Eustace interrupted them. His bewilderment quickly turned to anger. "This is MY slave. I bought her for six thousand gold coins and I am taking her with me."

But the officer didn’t flinch. He instead pulled out a rolled parchment from his coat and handed it to Mr. Eustace which carried an official seal. He then said,

"As you can see here, she has been found guilty and it has been ordered to take her." Soon a long chain with metal rings were placed on Caroline’s wrists.

Mr. Eustace’s face darkened to something murderous. He demanded, "And who is going to fix my loss?!" He turned to Caroline and went to grab her, "I will see you are ruined!"

But the officer was quick enough to pull Caroline behind him and instructed, "Please keep a distance from the person. Or I will be forced to detain you as well."

Mr. Eustace glared before he stormed back towards Sexton’s building, where he wanted a refund for the property he had just bought himself. When the men began to walk, taking Caroline with them, Mrs. Belmont’s voice rose in desperation. She stated,

"This is a mistake! Caroline couldn’t have killed anyone. She is just seventeen!" She followed them, abandoning her dignity in the face of her daughter’s peril. "Where are you taking her?!"

"To the dungeon in the courthouse. You can take permission to meet her before she is executed for her crimes," the officer replied calmly while Mrs. Belmont’s eyes widened. "And milady, age is not an excuse. She had reported that her chain went missing and it was one of her servants who stole it when the very chain was found near the victim’s body. She was creating an alibi."

Mrs. Belmont looked like she was losing her mind. She had protected her daughter, raised her with love and sheltered her. She couldn’t bare the thought of Caroline being beheaded.

"It must be the servants then! Vampires kill humans all the time, and I don’t see you catching them," Mrs. Belmont accused bitterly with the resentment she carried for the other kind.

The officer’s footsteps came to a halt and he turned to look at her with a frown, while assessing the woman. He asked,

"My lady, are you saying that your daughter indeed did murder and we should let her off the hook?"

"Of course not! My daughter is innocent here and maybe your investigation wasn’t proper, is what I am saying," Mrs. Belmont corrected herself. But her words fell on deaf ears.

Soon the carriage door opened and Caroline was guided inside, not roughly but not gently either. The other men followed, filling the carriage and the door closed before the vehicle began to move.

From afar, Ruelle watched her mother beginning to cry.

"Megan! Where’s Caroline?" Her father arrived as he hurried towards her mother, oblivious to what had occurred a few moments ago. "Ezekiel said we can pay half of the price—"

SLAP!

took Caroline away! They arrested her for murder! What are

Ruelle’s before looking forward. He asked in shock, "What do you mean,

them she couldn’t have done it!" Mrs. Belmont wiped her

in anger. "How dare they do that? We should head to the courthouse right away. I will go find Mr. Lorenzo and see if he can

that quickly, Ezekiel," Mr. Belmont nodded while still feeling the sting of his

is the least I can do. I cannot let my wife be punished for something she hasn’t done. Let us go," Ezekiel ushered them into the carriage and soon the vehicle

head officer this morning, outside their room. The officer had bowed to Lucian and had mentioned something being ready. Her eyes snapped at Lucian, who stood there with a detached expression without a flicker

couldn’t have killed June, Lucian. I know her," words tumbled out of Ruelle’s lips. "She doesn’t have it in her. She would

his eyes held hers

whisper, her eyebrows furrowing. "But

share something common. They were young women and each one conducted business with your family,"

mean that I could be the killer too. June was my roommate in

was Caroline’s. She is impulsive but I needed to see if she did it herself or someone set her up." After a pause, he added, "I thought you would find it better for her to stay behind bars

misery. She murmured, "It is better...

interrogated. They are the usual procedures and I intend to keep her there for a little. She will be of use in more than one ways,"

verbal fights. Could that have earned her enemies, who would go so

faint scent of rot coming from the person that day. He was

inkling, but there’s no definitive proof about it.

be—" Ruelle shook her head. "I mean, Ezekiel wanted to marry Caroline. He asked my parents for her hand

she had seen the look of worry Ezekiel had for her sister before

of her hair behind her ear, the gesture tender. His fingers then slowly slid down

more

had been busy. But

to see and talk to your sister today. Once there’s clearance for visitors, you can make a visit

too would pass like the other things. With

with a thoughtful hum, as if

found the ends of her blonde hair, holding them with absent possessiveness. He murmured, "I wanted your undivided attention on me alone

moments before. She should have been upset for delaying the information, but instead, she

thoughts from Caroline’s plight to what lay between

her eyes, she caught Mr. Eustace stomping with a bag swinging in his hand,

were able to give me a heads-up beforehand. I had to compensate Mr. Eustace. It didn’t help that King Septimus decided to start so low

moved to Ruelle and he murmured, "And for the

He replied, "The courthouse prefers some matters be kept under wraps until

quite a loss," Mr. Oak sighed as