Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 141: Debts That Wait

"H–How did you find me?" Mr. Belmont’s voice cracked. He stumbled before going to stand behind the lone armchair as if it could protect him from the pureblooded vampire. "You already took the house. What else do you want from me?!"

Lucian did not respond and instead, he stepped inside the house. The sharp sound of his polished shoes struck the wooden floor, echoing through the living room. Each step seemed louder than the last in the suffocating silence.

He stopped a few steps away from the humans, his eyes resting on Mr. Belmont, calm and unblinking.

Mrs. Belmont offered a deep bow and pleaded, "I don’t know what foolish promise my husband has made you, but we—" She fell silent when Lucian raised his hand slightly without even looking at her. The gesture was small, but it was enough to make her swallow the rest of her words.

"Harold Belmont, you are charged with treason against the Crown and the courthouse," Lucian finally spoke, "you are under arrest."

The room went silent.

"What?" Mr. Belmont whispered, looking as though the ground had vanished beneath his feet.

Mrs. Belmont looked between the two men, her face draining of colour. She whispered, "What...treason?"

"I committed no treason," Mr. Belmont said, his voice rising in panic. "Someone has lied. I am being accused falsely."

Lucian pulled out a rolled parchment and dropped it onto the table. He said, "Perhaps this will refresh your memory."

Mr. Belmont hurried forward and picked it up. His eyes widened as they moved over the first few lines. His mouth fell open in shock and he denied, "This isn’t mine! It is someone else with my name."

"How interesting," Lucian responded dryly. "It is the same signature as the one on the documents you used when you pawned the house."

Not knowing what they were talking about Mrs. Belmont took the parchments from her husband’s hand and her eyes skimmed through them. Half way, her hand began to tremble.

"You signed the treaty knowing the terms. And instead of honouring it, you sent her to Sexton. If I did not know better, Mr. Belmont. I would think you were trying to avoid the treaty altogether. After all, when the war took place," Lucian paused for a brief second, "you disappeared."

"But that was twelve years ago," Mrs. Belmont said carefully. "And after the conflict began, we believed the matter had been abandoned. The courthouse never pursued it, and the other side never came forward. If there is blame, it should not fall on us alone."

Lucian let out a quiet chuckle.

"Is that so? They did not run. They did not hide. And they did not break their word. You did." His eyes returned to Mr. Belmont. He raised his hand slightly. "Take them."

"No!" Mrs. Belmont said immediately with an alarmed expression. "I did nothing. I did not sign anything to be executed!"

But Lucian didn’t care about it. He asked, "When one member of a family commits treason, the punishment rarely concerns that person alone. You should know that."

Mrs. Belmont stared at him with her mouth dry.

"No one came for us," she said quickly. "We were afraid. After the conflict... we thought it had been forgotten. We were trying to protect our daughters. They were frightened. Both of them were frightened of vampires."

Lucian was silent for a moment. Then he questioned, "Is that why you married one daughter to a halfling and sent the other to Sexton? Because they were scared of vampires?" He tilted his head slightly.

The woman’s hands clenched into tight fists at the thought of spending the rest of her life behind bars where sunlight never reached and neither did clean air. She quickly fell on her knees as if in shock and begged, "Please spare us! Harold, say something!" she cried in panic.

Harold Belmont had never thought that the step he had taken to get a position in the courthouse would end up turning against him in time. He gritted his teeth, knowing this person before him had intentionally tried to dig about him! Else, there was no way for anyone to know about this.

forced to bow his head. Also, he didn’t want to break another limb of his where he would have to limp in the dungeon. Begrudgingly, he

You should have taken better care of it. It was the only thing standing between you and your

even though it was

You are from the courthouse.

face carefully. He could almost see the thoughts forming as if calculating, searching, and weighing what

Ruelle had not been at Sexton, her father would have sold her. The very thought had black tendrils escape from his body, his corruption spilling on

of something so unknown that they scrambled

thought Lucian. Because if the Belmonts hadn’t sent Ruelle to Sexton, he would have never known.

said after a moment, as if reconsidering something. "There may be one way

up immediately and Mrs. Belmont stepped closer to the

However, there is a difference between deliberate treason and

Belmont frowned slightly, trying to

parchment closer and tapped a section near the

as a formal clarification. The treaty will be dissolved and replaced with a penalty decided by the courthouse. In other words, the

asked, "Then the courthouse will not

lenient with people who cooperate," Lucian replied calmly. "Especially men who once almost held

the document again. "On the same document? This is the

know how these procedures work," Lucian stated, and it seemed to hit the human’s

slightly. "Of course I know how it works. Bring the pen, Megan." Mrs. Belmont quickly

sign his name and once it was done, he pulled the document away. Inspecting it for a brief moment, he rolled and placed it in his inner

much time will it take for it

It can take weeks," Lucian answered, and he turned

debt collectors were the worst, but the pureblooded vampire standing before him was like a reaper

disappear, Harold. They wait," Lucian remarked before walking out of the Henleys’ residence, where the door was

of this to Caroline," Mr. Belmont said to his wife. "The girl does not know when to hold her tongue, and the last thing we need is for this to be

Henleys’ house, Lucian reached the carriage and Claude opened the carriage door. The

to send them to the dungeons, Master

Slater, a report was filed regarding a stolen pendant,’ said the officer. "The description matches the one found

gaze did not change. He heard the officer say,’The owner of it Mrs.

never particularly clever. Lucian doubted their younger daughter was any different. Apparently two of the victims had purchased knitwear

from that day in class. Even Dane had not been able to find a trail,

Claude’s words trailed at what was spoken in

stepped into the carriage before replying, "I told him what

slightly. "Then the

is a renewal. He would have known if he had the patience to

library, where the lanterns and candles burned brightly, Ruelle sat with

Ruelle, if in the end we are only to be bid on?" Hailey asked, while holding a

tests during the last week of the bidding. To see what they can still extract before the bidding," Ruelle explained, and she heard Hailey

the ball, but so far, there had been no response. In dire times, hope was a cruel thing, but it was often all a person had left. Ruelle reached out and gently

be the last week they would all be together, and the thought

the three of you and set you free? That should solve it, shouldn’t it?"

from the table. "Me too, Your Highness?" she

a

us free," Ruelle said, and a frown settling on his face. "When someone buys a human in Sexton, it gives them a chance to earn. A place to stay. Meals. Work. Stability they did not

possible without a buyer?" Edward asked, raising his eyebrows. "To work and earn without belonging to