Claimed by the Prince of Darkness-Chapter 104: There Is No ‘We’

Almost a week passed in the Slaters’ Mansion and Ruelle spent most of her time in the library. As if idleness might invite fate to notice her and take back the peace she had received.

There had been hours when she followed Maude through the corridors while trying to be helpful. Right now, the housekeeper wore a stern expression and said,

"Miss Ruelle, please sit in the drawing room. The back of the kitchen is unsuitable for you."

"But I am used to that side. I used to work back at home," Ruelle reasoned.

"If you require anything, I will bring it," Maude said firmly. The housekeeper guided Ruelle toward the other wing of the mansion and had the young woman sit on a plush chair beside the tall window where she could admire the garden.

Ruelle added, "But Brother Dane said I am family."

Maude paused with her mouth pressed into a thin line as if she could tell what Ruelle was trying to do. She replied,

"Then that is more the reason to avoid it." After a pause the housekeeper informed her, "Lord Azriel will not be returning until night. If you wish to walk in the garden please wear a shawl before stepping out. The wind today is chillier than it was two days ago."

Maude must have noticed her slipping away whenever she heard Lord Azriel’s heavier footsteps echo through the halls.

"That won’t be needed as it is time we will be heading back to Sexton," Dane informed, standing at the doorway with his warm and bright smile that made one forget the gloominess that had settled outside the walls of the mansion.

Maude lowered her head in a respectful bow.

"Ready to leave?" Dane asked Ruelle to which she nodded.

The bruise along her cheek had faded to a faint shadow, and the deeper aches that had once throbbed through her shoulders and ribs now lingered only as dull reminders when she moved too quickly.

Finally it was time to return to Sexton.

When her trunk was loaded at the back of the carriage, Maude brought Ruelle a little box of snacks to eat on the way. The gesture warmed her heart.

Ruelle had known more comfort here than she had expected, and she was grateful for their hospitality, even though Lord Azriel’s words sounded like a warning. Once they sat inside the carriage and it began to move, Dane asked her,

"You look troubled. Something on your mind?"

"It isn’t important," Ruelle assured him with a smile. But when he continued to look at her, waiting, she gave in, "It’s just that a few days ago, Lord Azriel said something to me. I think he meant more than he said but I was too slow to keep up with what he was saying."

Dane looked at her quietly before bursting into laughter. He waved his hand.

"Pardon me. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because that sounds exactly like my father." He shook his head, still smiling as he tried to contain his laugh. "He and Lucian are alike in that sense. My brother inherited that from him."

"I see..." Ruelle murmured. She hadn’t seen Lucian in days, as he had returned to Sexton. She asked, "Then, did you inherit your mother’s qualities?"

"Not really," Dane hummed with a thoughtful expression. "I think I am more like my paternal grandmother."

"She must have been a charming and kind woman," Ruelle guessed, because that’s how Dane appeared in her eyes.

The corners of Dane’s eyes crinkled with quiet amusement. His paternal grandmother was a person, who had a habit of feeding until a human was at the brink of death.

The carriage ride felt shorter than she remembered. Perhaps it was because Dane had kept her company by talking about the most mundane things. When the carriage finally arrived at Sexton, the horses came to a halt and they stepped down from the carriage.

"You should go ahead. Your things will be taken to your room so don’t worry about it," Dane told her.

She nodded, offering him a small smile. "Thank you for the ride."

"Always," Dane said with a grin. "I have some matters to attend to. I will see you tomorrow," and with that he made his way towards the building where the main office was located.

[Music Recommendation: Never Meant to Belong: Shiro Sagisu]

When Ruelle turned, ready to make her way towards her room, she stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing Caroline standing a couple of steps away from her.

"Ruelle!"

What was Caroline doing in Sexton at this hour?

Caroline hurried towards Ruelle, with her hand gathering the front of her skirt and a smile stretched too wide across her face. Her eyes flicked left and right before settling on Ruelle, relief flashing there as if she had just escaped from someone.

Before Ruelle could step back, Caroline threw her arms around her elder sister and the younger one exclaimed,

"It’s so good to see you!"

Caroline pulled back, breathless and with a nervous smile. She continued, "I was so worried when you didn’t come to Sexton or didn’t see you in any classes. I thought—" She reached for Ruelle’s hands, but Ruelle pulled them out of reach. "But you look well. You’re safe and that’s all that matters."

"What are you doing here?" Ruelle asked. Her voice was calm but the softness Caroline had grown up with was gone. It was the tone used for acquaintances and not for siblings.

Caroline blinked, thrown off by the distance more than the question. She whispered,

"Why are you being like this? Do you know how terrible this week has been for me? The vampires here are unbearable. I was locked in a washroom for almost a day and made to scrub their mess. I couldn’t catch hold of Ezekiel—" Her eyes darted over her shoulder. "And after that vampire said I had to be bought because of these earrings—if it weren’t for your mistake, I—"

Caroline’s voice continued, tumbling over itself in complaint and fear, but the words faded together in Ruelle’s ears.

"Do you understand what I am telling you?" Caroline asked, her brows lifting in impatience.

Ruelle stared at Caroline without uttering a word. All these years, she had turned a blind eye for her sister’s actions or words purely out of the love she had for her. But she didn’t have the energy to continue to make excuses for her sister anymore.

"So what I am thinking is we go together—"

"There is no ’we’ here, Caroline," Ruelle murmured softly.

"What do you mean?" Caroline blinked. "But you’re the one who—"

"They were earrings given to me, yes. I brought them home," Ruelle said, holding her sister’s gaze. "Like I said before, Mother took them without asking and you chose to wear them. If you’re looking for someone to blame, you should look at yourselves."

Caroline stared at Ruelle before letting out a tired sigh and agreed, "Fine. My fault. Mother’s fault. Whatever you want to call it. But I need your help—"

"It’s strange," Ruelle muttered, interrupting her sister’s words.

"What is?" Caroline frowned.

"You say you were worried about me," Ruelle’s gaze dropped for a moment before raising again as she continued to speak, "But you never asked where I was. How I was. Whether I was hurt or if I was alone. In the past I kept thinking if it was truly bad you would have said something..." and it made her feel she was only imagining it to be harsh.

Caroline started to protest, "You had already left, Ruelle. Besides—"

"I was at the carriage stop for an hour," Ruelle reminded, her words almost a whisper. "I thought you might come."

"Mother was furious. After what happened with the debt collectors, what did you expect?" Caroline defended herself, her mouth tightening. "Look at you riding in carriages with vampires of Sexton. Of course people would think you’re doing well. Look at that scarf."

Ruelle stood there quietly, while some local carriages arrived and dropped the students. A small smile appeared on her lips which didn’t quite reach her eyes, and this had Caroline’s eyebrows furrow further.

"You are right, Caroline. It is my mistake..." Ruelle remarked, the wind around them ruffled the pieces of her hair. "You were once upset with me when my name was enlisted in Sexton. Now you have the opportunity. You are the daughter of the Belmont family too."

Ruelle’s emotions had calmed compared to how she felt the last time they had met each other. Her gaze didn’t leave her sister’s as she stated,

"If you believe this place is so kind to me... then perhaps it is your turn to help the family out of debt."

She had truly tried.

She had tried to be the good daughter, the patient sister. The one who bent first and spoke last. She had followed every rule placed before her, overlooked every disrespect and told herself that love would come if she simply endured long enough.

Instead, she had learned that a person could do everything but still not be accepted. And that truth hurt more than she would ever admit aloud.

Ruelle turned away, ready to walk away while Caroline’s hands curled. The younger Belmont informed,

"I’ve been given the room June used to occupy. Come stay with me. It will be just like the old times."

Ruelle turned her head just enough to look at her sister over her shoulder. She responded quietly, "I don’t think we should. If we stay near, I fear you will blame me for whatever misfortune comes next."

Caroline stiffened as though the words had caught her off guard. She demanded, "Do you hate me now, Ruelle? Because I married well? Because my life turned out better than yours while you were sent here?"

How small her sister’s world must be, Ruelle thought to herself, to measure love only against advantage. To think Caroline could think so little of her. She answered,

"I could never hate you," and that was the tragedy of it. "I only wish you had cared for me half as much as I cared for you. But right now... I cannot keep being who you expect me to be."