Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 146: Trap At The Fair

While Ruelle and Hailey waited at one of the stalls as the food was being prepared, Ruelle wandered to a nearby stall and decided to buy things from there.

Once the food was handed, Hailey spoke cheerfully but Ruelle found herself only half listening. The fortune teller’s words did not leave Ruelle’s mind even after they walked away from the stall. They lingered like a faint echo, repeating themselves until her head began to ache.

Darkness is going to descend.

She did not know how much worse fate still intended to make things.

By the time they returned to the others, the food they had bought was long gone, leaving only the warmth of it in their hands against the cold air.

Edward noticed at once that Ruelle was holding a small cloth bag. Curious, he asked,

"Did you buy something? You should have told Hermes to go with you and to pay for it."

Ruelle held out her hand, and the prince looked at her quizzically. Resting on her palm was a simple wristband made of blue thread with several small stones woven into it.

"It’s a wristband," she said. "For you."

Edward’s eyes widened slightly. He looked at the band, then at her, as if unsure what he was supposed to do.

When he did not say anything, Ruelle wondered if perhaps he did not like it, as it wasn’t expensive. She said, "It is alright if you do not like it."

But Edward quickly took the wristband from her hand and slipped it onto his wrist. He muttered, "It is not particularly impressive, but I suppose I can wear it."

Ruelle explained, "The blue stones are meant to bring prosperity and long life."

Utterly touched, Edward turned slightly and whispered to his attendant, "You heard that, Hermes? I got a special gift."

Edward’s eyes then fell on Hailey’s wrist, and he noticed she was wearing a band similar to his, only hers was yellow. Before he could say anything, Ruelle reached into the small cloth bag again and handed another band to Kevin and then one more to Hermes.

"For me?" Hermes looked surprised as he accepted it. "It is my favourite colour, Miss Ruelle," he said with a smile. He had barely finished speaking when he noticed the prince staring at him. He immediately stopped smiling.

Edward looked from Hermes’ wrist... to Kevin’s... to Hailey’s... and then slowly back to his own.

There was a long pause.

"...Ruelle," Edward said at last, "how many of these did you buy?"

"Six of them. The shopkeeper gave it for a good price," Ruelle replied with a smile.

So he had been clubbed with six people, Edward thought to himself dryly. He murmured, "...Mine is still the best one."

Far from where Ruelle and her friends stood among the lantern-lit stalls, Ezekiel and Caroline walked along a quieter stretch of the fair, where the crowd had begun to thin.

They had just passed one of the shops when a gunny bag slipped from a man’s hands and split open as it struck the ground. Onions spilled across the frozen ground, rolling in different directions. And one of them rolled toward Caroline before she could step away. Her foot stepped on it and the next second she slipped and fell on the ground.

the breath knocked out of her as

suddenly tore open. Are you

sit up, his hand steady on her arm. He asked her, "Did you hurt

in his and tried to stand, but the moment she put weight on her foot, a sharp pain shot through

her head. "I think I hurt my

down and examined her foot, his hand careful but firm as he pressed lightly along the side

one spot, Caroline cried out and pulled

I can’t believe this happened," she said in frustration, turning to glare at the man with the torn gunny sack as if it were

help, she managed to stand, but the moment she tried to take a step, she faltered and had to lean heavily on

moved and stared at a distance. Not far from them, half-hidden among the moving crowd and lantern light, he caught sight of the debt collectors. Their eyes moved slowly through the

sorry," Caroline apologised with disappointment. "Our time here has

her face, his thumb brushing

better time than today. I promise. Why don’t

feel strangely uneasy. The moment

us go together," she said. "We can catch the carriage right there in

hers before he turned back to look at her. For a

you will have

at him with an expectant expression before slowly winding her arms around

her carefully in his arms as he made his way toward the quieter edge

injured wife with patience and care. But in his mind he was close to strangling

ruined the timing. If he left her at the carriage and went back,

His jaw tightened slightly.

his arms, her hand resting against his shoulder, trusting, unaware.

some water? It will help reduce

shook her head. "No. Hopefully with a little rest, I should

Caroline inside the carriage, his eyes kept drifting back toward the fair,

had moved in

roll out of the town, Ezekiel realised with a tightening

scanning the crowd. One of them, a thick-bearded man, spat to the side and muttered, "Where is the man? He said to meet at

his voice rough as his gaze moved over the crowd. Then his

and saw Ruelle sitting on the bench, surrounded by people. He replied, "That’s her... But why the hell is

right one?"

disappear without settling his debt. That bastard sold the house that was supposed to be mine.

turned his head slightly and called,

the man asked, stepping closer. The bearded man whispered something and the man let out

at another man, and the two of them began to move through

crowd moving past them for a while before

you enjoy

corner.

turning in slow circles as she looked around the fair, her eyes wide and anxious.

separated from her parents. We should help her look