The Crown's Obsession (WN)
Chapter 93: Dungeons- Part 2

Madeline doubted Calhoun would go through it. Especially when she had clearly stated to him that hurting the people whom she cared for would only put him on her wrong side. She wanted to believe that it was why James had been spared today, but she doubted that his life would be forgiven if the day was going to repeat.

"How would you like to treat the people who are rude to the King?" This question was directed to Madeline by Calhoun, giving her the option to choose.

"You are the King, milord. You know the best," she bowed her head, and Calhoun liked the obedience she showed. Instead of retorting with childish words, her words appeared calm.

Sophie stared at the flower Calhoun had given to the human. She had been visiting here since she was a child and she remembered how Calhoun used to offer her flowers or sometimes jewellery but then it had stopped. It was like her position had been stolen and given to other women.

Stepped closer to Madeline, she put her hand around Madeline's arm to hold it, "Let's take a walk in here. It is not often that brother Calhoun takes his time to walk in here." And this had Madeline take a look at Calhoun who raised his eyebrow at her as if to say 'I told you so'.

"I didn't know you took a liking towards Madeline," said Calhoun as they started to walk in the garden.

"Why do you say that?" asked Sophie in an oblivious tone.

"I heard you kicked Madeline out of the carriage."

Sophie snapped her eyes to glare at Madeline. This little dumb bitch couldn't keep her mouth close, Sophie thought to herself, "I think Lady Madeline misinterpreted what happened because she chose to step down. Didn't you?" Sophie tightened her hold on Madeline's arm to make the human flinch internally.

Madeline was not going to take this vampiress blame, and she said, "My apologies beforehand, but I think I smell something very strange...when you speak," saying this she stepped away from the vampiress who looked at her with a shocked expression on her face, "It must have been because of the meat you ate."

Sophie's face turned red as it was the very first time someone had ever pointed something like that to her and she looked embarrassed. She was also angry because Madeline had spoken about it out loud without being discreet about it.

"You-" Sophie had started only to be interrupted with Calhoun's laughter.

"Isn't she lovely, Sophie?" asked Calhoun.

If Calhoun weren't here, Sophie would not have thought twice before raising her hand to slap the human for calling her smelly. She gritted her teeth, and she wanted to say something but Calhoun was laughing like the lowly human hadn't been rude to her. Sophie smiled, but the smile kept faltering on her lips because she wanted to show the human girl her place.

Madeline knew that speaking things directly was not the right approach. At least not in the castle where people of higher power could try to retaliate back at her. Her words were polite and at the same time she had replied to Sophie with what the vampiress wouldn't want to hear about herself.

"Looks like you will need to wash your mouth more frequently, Sophie," commented Calhoun, throwing more oil to the raging fire. The vampiress turned her head away to raise her hand to her mouth and breath the air, which appeared to be perfectly normal and fresh.

While Calhoun was having a good laugh, one of the men who worked for the King walked down to bow his head at the King, "My King, the man is ready to be questioned for one last time. Would you like to take part in it or let the guards handle it before he is sent to the town?"

Calhoun gave out a thoughtful look before turning to the two girls, "How about a trip to the dungeon?"

The vampiress hearing this had her eyes lit up at the words, but Madeline didn't know what a trip to the dungeon meant. She had heard one time when Calhoun had mentioned about it. And with the threat he lowly gave her, she doubted it was anything like the garden. They left the garden and reached the underground dungeon where the man who had come to deliver the message to the King, held a lantern in his hands even though the walls had torches of fire burning in them in equal intervals of distance.

All this while, Madeline had seen only the beautiful side of the castle, not this dark path that they were walking in. Her eyes took in the walls that were made of rocks, and the ground was unclean where the girls had to lift the hem of their dresses so that it wouldn't pick up the dirt. The place smelled and Madeline's eyebrows furrowed at the smell of rustic iron which was strong in the air.

The further and deeper they got in, Madeline's eyes fell on the cells that were built on both left and right side. Some cells were empty, but some of them weren't, and she found people who laid against the wall. Lifeless looking people who looked almost dead because of the way they appeared.

"It looks like people have finally started to obey the words of the King," commented Sophie, an air of superiority in her voice and the way she walked in the front and behind the King. She turned around to meet Madeline's eyes and said, "There used to be a lot of people in here, people who wanted to be punished."

"What for?" asked Madeline, her eyebrows had drawn themselves together as she looked at one man who was lean and almost skeleton-like as if he was not given food.

"Mostly the lawbreakers. Also, the ones who didn't know how to respect our King. You will find only humans here. Because humans often lack common sense and like to think that revolting is what they should do," laughed Sophie.

Madeline didn't know the people in here, and the reasons why they were locked but they appeared to be in bad condition.

She felt sorry for them, but she continued to walk until they came to one part of the dungeon to see cages hanging with a chain at the top. For a moment, Madeline felt as if she had stopped breathing and it wasn't because there were people in it, but it wasn't just alive people, but in some, there were skeletons.

Her feet had stopped moving in shock. Her brown eyes moved around in this so-called dungeon where the King punished people. For standing against him. All these years her parents had protected her and her sister Beth from the gore that was passed down by the current as well as the previous King where people were often killed in front of people. To send out a warning so that no one would ever commit a crime again and it worked, thought Madeline to herself.

The humans were curious about the night creatures as well as the King who ruled Devon, but they had always been apprehensive about the man even though they hadn't seen him. No one spoke about him out in the open and also if people wanted to speculate they did it in whispers so that the officials would never come to hear any of it.

Calhoun noticed how Madeline had stopped even though he didn't turn to look at her. It seemed like it was too much for her to take in and he finally turned around to see her stand like a statue, "Madeline?" he called her name, her name sweeter than honey on his tongue and this broke Madeline from her daze.

Her eyes met his.

"I have someone to introduce you to," Calhoun's words brought worry on Madeline's face. Someone he wanted to introduce her to? Had he truly captured James in here after they were done talking in the morning? Gulping, she started to walk towards him.

Sophie was too eager to see the prisoner and she walked forward, taking the next corridor, "Why the worry?" Calhoun asked her, "I didn't put James in here, but I would love to see him here one day if he continues to pursue you," he whispered to her.

Madeline wouldn't want James ending up here, "He won't do anything," she gulped.

"Are you sure?" asked Calhoun to her, "It is not every time a man finds a woman to love and stand against the King and challenge. And if I were him who loved you, I wouldn't give up."

She frowned. Was he telling James should pursue her? But at the same time, if James challenged Calhoun, Madeline was aware that the King would not spare the man's life again, "Your words are sometimes confusing."

"They are meant to be but let me break it down for you," Calhoun's words were low only for her to hear and Madeline waited for him to speak, "If I were in the tailorman's place I would make sure you were back with me but then even if the man claims to be in love with you, it is sometimes not enough, is it? But then I am not him. I am madly in love with you, and I would go to the lengths of doing anything to keep you by my side."

"That's not love," she whispered to him.

"There are different kinds of love. And we all have our own way to pursue it."