#Chapter 44 - With Malicious Intent

Eloise’s POV

I slept alone last night as Xavier left to go to Caspian. I was nervous to be left at the castle by myself knowing what I did but knowing that Xavier entrusted me to look after Noah while he was gone gave me some confidence.

It’s now the next morning and I woke up surprisingly early. I got out of bed and got ready for the day.

After taking a shower and dressing myself up in a simple outfit, I sat back down on the bed and pulled out the magic mirror. With Xavier gone, I now was able to practice my magic in the comfort of our room. I wouldn’t have to worry about someone accidentally stumbling upon me practicing magic in the garden.

I wiped the mirror and called Mona to me. After a few brief moments, she floated out of the mirror and greeted me with a smile.

“You’re up pretty early.”

“I know it’s so weird. I’m usually still sleeping in at this time.”

The two share a laugh.

“So, what’s up? Is something wrong?”

“Well, no. I know you told me you don’t have direct connections to the Realm of Wandering Souls but I was wondering if you were able to sense Mia at all after yesterday.”

Mona sighed. “I know I told you that I don’t have a direct connection but sometimes I can tap into their realm. The only problem is that it drains me of my energy quickly, so I don’t stay there for long at all.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” Mona asks again.

“I just wanted to know if there was any way I could get into contact with Mia again. I wanted to ask her about who in the Leonard family was being targeted and what I could do to help prevent it.”

I knew that souls only ever disappeared from the realm if another person from the land of the living were to grant their last wishes. But since I had only merely spoken to Mia, there was no way that her soul would’ve moved on out of nowhere.

“I did try to look into the Realm of Wandering Souls for a little bit because I was also confused as to where Mia went. Sadly, I couldn’t find her.”

I let out a sigh but smiled at Mona. “That’s a disappointment but I’m glad I was able to receive some of the urgent information. Well, I guess I’ll just get back to studying and do what I can if anything happens.”

Mona smiles and goes back into the mirror as I study.

I started to practice ancient shielding magic. I remember my grandmother telling me that it was one of the greatest types of ancient magic that we witches could learn. If learned correctly, we could summon a shield to surround and protect an entire city or as extra magical armor for a single person.

I was making some surprisingly good progress until a knock came at my door unexpectedly.

I took a deep breath and answered the door.

Standing before me was a rather handsome man. His curly blonde hair complimented his forest green eyes. His smile was wide as he fisted his hand over his heart and bowed to me.

“Lady Eloise? I’m Knight Dylan, one of the new recruits from the Academy of the Leonard Guards.”

I curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dylan.” My stomach started to turn. “Is there something wrong?”

Dylan shook his head and let out a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I simply wanted to come and meet the Lady of the Leonard family, as well as see who I needed to report any suspicious findings to.”

“I’ve heard the tale of your beauty but words don’t compare to seeing it for yourself,” he added.

My cheeks blushed at his words but I shrugged them off. “Well, I hope that all will be peaceful while Lord Xavier is away. I don’t want him to worry so much.”

“You’re very considerate, my Lady. Lord Xavier is lucky to have someone so thoughtful of his well-being.” Dylan bows again. “I’ll leave you to your leisure. Until next time, my Lady.”

Dylan turns around and accidentally bumps into Nora who was holding a breakfast tray. He swiftly catches her and the food in his hands before helping her up.

“My apologies, miss.” He smiles at her before walking away.

Nora walks into the bedroom with our food with her cheeks as red as the strawberries she brought.

I giggle at her expression. “Come on! Let’s enjoy our day, Nora!”

We spent the whole day together. It was really nice to have a friend like Nora. She was the only one in the castle who was truly kind to me and she was always so fun to have around.

I looked out of the window to see that the sun had long already set and that’s when my heart stopped.

“Nora…”

“Hm?”

“Mrs. Leonard was supposed to return today and she’s not back.”

Nora shrugs her shoulders but then lets out a sigh. “As much as I don’t like that wicked woman… she is important to Lord Xavier. Maybe we should check to see if she’s already in her room?”

We both made our way up the castle to Belinda’s room. When we arrive, however, her room is wide open and Dylan is standing outside.

He looks over at me and gives me a cautious smile.

“Knight Dylan?” I asked with a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Where is Mrs. Leonard?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Her carriage came trotting into the city with the bodies of her two bodyguards and driver stuffed inside. Belinda hasn’t been located.”

—––––

Adam’s POV

After leaving the Royal City, I was half-expecting for the 5 men to show their true intentions and rebel against me. I still harbored doubt from Douglas’s words about their allegiance towards me.

My time spent with Douglas in his territory showed me that he couldn’t be so easily trusted.

However, once we got a good distance away, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they remained faithful and took my decree seriously. 4 of them had already shifted into their wolf forms, taking turns in pairs of 2 to go and scout the roads for possible threats.

There was 1 that remained in his human form.

“Tell me what your end goal is,” I stated bluntly, taking care not to phrase it as a question.

The brown-haired man looked at me with blue eyes. “To be free.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Even at the cost of serving a vampire?”

“Your origins mean nothing to me and my men. When we swore allegiance to Xavier, we were promised safety under the wings of justice. But when we were captured by Douglas, he offered us sanctuary from the enemy and a chance to begin anew.”

His eyes flashed with sorrow and hatred. “Both Douglas and Xavier lied to us. They stripped us of our lives and used us as pawns in their own selfish wars. They betrayed our loyalty.”

“You don’t think I won’t do the same?”

The man chuckled. “You’ve taken us as another means to an end. The difference is that your intentions aren’t hidden behind false noble promises. My men and I are grateful to roam the world again, even if side by side with a vampire.”

“You haven’t lied to us, Prince Adam. You’ve made it perfectly clear that our freedom comes with the price of fulfilling whatever agenda you have planned.” He added. “We’ve been lied to for all of our lives–the truth, although harsh, liberates us.”

I kept quiet as we continued our ride.

“If I may ask… Where are you taking us?” The man broke the silence once more.

“You’ll see.”

It was around the middle of the night when we finally arrived at Belfast–an abandoned mining settlement that was just off the border of the royal vampire city of Hastings. As we navigated through the empty streets, we finally stumbled upon an old estate that my family once owned before the Three Families War.

Inside, the manor was cluttered with rubble, dust, and broken furniture.

The other 4 werewolves had shifted into their human forms and gathered in the center of the living room.

“Where are we?”

“Your new home.” I grinned. “However, do make the place livable. I shouldn’t have to tell you that it looks terrible and these conditions are unacceptable.”

I began to walk towards the door when the brown-haired man stopped me. “Thank you, Your Highness. If I may ask, where are you going?”

I snatched my arm out of his grasp and straightened my shirt. “I have some work I need to attend to. No worries. I should be back in about a day or so. I expect this place to be cleaned and in a livable shape.”

The men nodded at me and wasted no time removing all of the broken debris that littered the once great estate.

With a cloak fastened around my neck, I pulled up my hood and started the walk to the place I once called home.

Your throne is as good as mine, father.