Chapter 327 - Confrontation
Madeline had only left Beth"s room. Walking in the corridor, she realised something that took place some time ago in the forest near the cave. When she got near the forest, there were guards guarding the place around the cave, but when she stepped out of the cave, it was like the guards had vanished. Had she imagined it? Madeline asked herself as she continued to walk.
On her way, she met Lucy, who was walking in the opposite direction. The vampiress looked s.p.a.ced out as she walked like she was thinking something deep and wasn"t paying any attention to her surroundings.
When they came near, Lucy offered a small smile to Madeline, bowing her head.
"Are you alright, Lady Lucy?" Madeline asked in concern as it seemed like the vampiress was often falling sick and she stayed in her room most of the time.
"I...I will be alright," Lucy sounded tired, and Madeline wanted to make sure that Lucy got to her room safely.
Madeline offered, "Would you want me to accompany you until your room? I am not doing anything in particular right now." Though she did fall earlier in the forest, she hadn"t received any apparent bruises on her body, "Please."
Lucy was not in the mood to argue. Therefore she gave her a nod, "Thank you, Lady Madeline."
Madeline was more than happy to walk the vampiress to her room. When they reached, Madeline noticed Lucy"s husband Samuel was in the room as if he was waiting for his wife.
"There you are! My beautiful wife!" exclaimed Samuel, coming forward to hug Lucy as if he hadn"t seen her in days. But instead of greeting him, Lucy dropped her handkerchief and in time went to bend down to pick it up, missing the need to hug her husband.
Madeline was ready to leave the couple when Lucy held on to her arm, "Lady Madeline and I were going out. And I had to change my clothes," said Lucy. Madeline could feel the evident friction between the couple, especially the one that came from Lucy, but it seemed like Samuel was brus.h.i.+ng it like it was nothing.
Samuel raised his eyebrows, "Where are you both going?" he asked before bowing at Madeline as she was soon to be the King"s wife, "I thought I told you before that we are going out? Not that I mind you going with the future Queen."
"I don"t remember you asking me. It must have slipped out of my mind," answered Lucy because she didn"t remember Samuel mentioning anything about going out. Since the time she had found out about Samuel"s affairs, she had started to faze him out in her presence.
The man she thought who was going to love and cherish only her had been going behind her back and doing other girls. And for so many years. The stung she had felt had not disappeared.
Samuel tilted his head and smiled, "That"s alright, dear. You can go with the Queen, and we can go some other day. We wouldn"t want to upset the Queen or the King, considering what happened to the Wilmot"s…"
Madeline didn"t know if it was supposed to be a joke as Samuel had a smile on his face, but Lucy didn"t find it to be funny. Lucy let go of Madeline"s hand and she walked past Samuel. Lucy opened the cupboard and said, "You are right. We shouldn"t upset the King or the Queen, but I think it would still hold the same value when it comes to the King"s parents or sister, isn"t it?"
Lucy was already agitated with Calhoun"s words to what happened in the past, and she was trying to keep her composure.
"Hm?" Samuel asked as if not understanding what his wife said, "Did someone upset you? Tell me, and I will deal with it. Is it that, Theodore?"
Madeline"s eyes widened hearing this, but she tried not to express her shock. She wondered how much Samuel knew about Theodore and Lucy"s feelings. They were never in a relations.h.i.+p, but it could have turned to something, had it not been stopped. She was sure that Lucy was going to deny Theodore"s involvement with her mood, but the vampiress said,
"He sometimes annoys me."
What was going on?! Asked Madeline alarmed. Didn"t Lucy like Theodore?
"What did he do?" Samuel questioned his wife in authority, which he didn"t have anymore. Madeline saw Lucy turn, who shook her head.
"He did nothing," and that was the problem for Lucy. If Theodore had done something in the past, things would have been different, but he had done nothing, and that was her issue.
Madeline didn"t know why Lucy hadn"t kicked this man out of the room after finding out what he was doing. Was it perhaps because she was finding it hard to do as they had spent decades together and without her parents in the picture, she had probably depended on him? As Lucy was the King"s sister, Madeline doubted people would speak badly about Lucy, unlike the other women who were stuck with men who drank and abused them.
Lucy"s face had turned red, and Madeline was unsure if it was because the vampiress was going to cry or if it was because she was angry.
"I will deal with Theodore. You don"t have to worry about it. People like him are nothing less to insects. He is the servant of the castle, of the King," said Samuel, taking Lucy to sit on the bed, who hadn"t spoken another word.
Then Lucy said, "I need some time, Samuel. No, I need time away."
Madeline felt she was intruding on the time between them but knowing how Samuel was, she decided to stay and look after Lucy, at least until the cheating husband of the vampiress was away from her.
"Of course! I have been thinking about it myself. With Markus" death, I am sure you miss home," said Samuel, and he left Lucy"s side. Bending down, he pulled out the two trunks from below the bed and placed them on the other side, "It has been quite long, and you must be missing home which is quite understandable as you never go out anywhere and stay out long." Saying this, he went to the cupboard and started to pull out his and Lucy"s things from the cupboards.
Lucy sighed softly when Samuel went on to say, "I will have the carriage ready so that we can leave-"
"Samuel," she called his name. Without turning, she said, "I meant time away from you. I want some time alone by myself."
Samuel raised his eyebrows, "What?" he then frowned, "That"s ridiculous. Why? Why do you want time away from me?" he questioned her.
Lucy stared at the bare wall in front of her, "I think I got used to spending time away from you," came the taunt about him being spending his time away from her by giving reasons of his extended work time.
"This is not about you wanting to spend time by yourself. It is about Theodore, isn"t it?" Samuel huffed, "Your aunt had mentioned it to me, about you both in the dining room a few nights ago."
Lucy stood up from the bed, going to the cupboard to pull out the remaining clothes of his and putting them in the trunk without replying to him while also taking out her things before she locked the trunk.
"Did you remember your time of the past because of the wedding that is going to take place? Lucy, you cannot be seriously doing this," shouted Samuel, his voice turning louder but Lucy went to the stand to pick up his coat before throwing it at him, "Answer me, Lucy! I am your husband!"
Lucy"s eyes turned narrow at Samuel"s words, "Husband?" she whispered as if the word had been lost, "What kind of husband? Mine?"
"What are you speaking about, Lucy?" Samuel questioned, frustration evident in his voice, "You never behaved like this. Is it because of Markus" death that you have lost your thinking? I knew we shouldn"t have come here. It was only on your insistence that I came here with you," he scoffed.
"Have you truly been the husband you should have been to me?" asked Lucy, giving him one last opportunity to come clean but Samuel instead looked at Lucy like she had lost her mind, "I know you have been sleeping with other women."