Claimed by the Prince of Darkness-Chapter 85: A hand extended

"Returning to lessons after the weekend feels tiresome." An Elite vampiress sighed dramatically before deciding, "I am going to skip the rest of the day," she said to another vampiress.

Ruelle watched the vampiress walk away in the other direction.

"Must be pleasant having the world bend for you," Kevin muttered under his breath. His voice sounded tired. "Meanwhile, people like us keep trying only to have no rewards."

Ruelle turned her head toward him. His shoulders looked slumped, his steps steady but his expression looked worn out. She offered softly,

"If you’re tired, you should rest."

Hailey, who walked ahead of them, chimed in light-heartedly, "She’s right. Missing this won’t ruin your grades. No one will hunt you down for missing a ballroom lesson."

But Kevin shook his head almost immediately. He replied, "No. It’s only one class before lunch. I can rest later," managing a small smile.

In the last class of the ballroom lessons, he had partnered with Ruelle and he had enjoyed it, despite his awkwardness. He looked forward to the shared time again.

"I have already stuffed cotton into my shoes today," Hailey smiled wide, "No more damage to my poor toes."

Ruelle felt awful about it, and she said, "You and Kevin should partner this time. We don’t want you spraining your toes again."

Hailey waved her hand and replied, "Don’t worry about it. And just because I am hurt, you shouldn’t be too! Today will be wonderful!"

But as they approached the ballroom, Ruelle picked up on the voices coming from inside. They reached the grand double doors and Ruelle’s footsteps faltered. The room was occupied by other students.

"Has our class been cancelled?" Ruelle asked with a frown, but they hadn’t been informed about it. Maybe it was an end moment change, she thought to herself. Realising, she murmured, "These are the final-year students..."

Her eyes continued searching and finally stopped when she found Lucian standing across the hall. He was talking to one of the Elites. As if sensing her gaze, his head turned and their eyes met. And for a moment, Ruelle felt the room turn quieter with the chatter turning dull.

Confusion flickered in his eyes first as though seeing her there did not make sense. Then, almost immediately, something settled behind his eyes.

"Why are they here...?" Hailey’s hands went cold as she whispered, unease creeping through her voice. It was because the final years were filled with Elites and a handful of Halflings, who took pleasure in humiliating humans. "I don’t think I stuffed enough cotton..."

"What are you all doing blocking the doorway?" The ballroom instructor arrived with a grim expression as she stepped inside the room.

"There’s another—" a Groundling began hesitantly.

"I did not ask for commentary," the vampiress cut in sharply. "Inside. Now. We have a lot to do."

Reluctantly, like cattle guided toward something unseen, the first-years walked inside. The instructor clapped her hands for attention.

"Listen carefully. With the Winter Celebration only three weeks away, first-years and final-years will now train together. Everyone"—her gaze swept across the students—"will participate."

A murmur rippled through the hall.

"And if we don’t want to?" A young man asked in doubt.

"Then you refuse opportunities for employment," the instructor’s eyes slid pointedly toward the humans.

Ruelle’s lines of sight followed and she quickly caught the Crown Prince sitting on a plush chair while he was drinking something. He then stood up, clapping his hands together and stating,

"It is wonderful, isn’t it? At a time when the kingdom must strengthen its bonds, what better way than dance? How can conflict exist when we are holding one another?"

"See?" the instructor said tightly. "Even His Highness agrees. Consider this a gift and do not embarrass me," her eyes were directed at the humans, who had fumbled in the last class. She added, "The Elites are skilled, and it would do you good to learn from them."

"Of course, I understand some of you may feel overwhelmed," Edward’s gaze drifted to the humans, "but fear not. You are in capable hands. A rare chance to learn elegance from those born with it."

Edward continued speaking with the confidence of someone who truly believed the world spun a little brighter simply because he was present. Most of the young women leaned in his direction, hanging on to every word of his.

And while every word left the prince’s mouth, Ruelle silently took a step back and then another. All she had to do was stay out of sight!

The ballroom instructor clapped her hands and instructed, "We will now be dividing into two groups. Choose your partners quickly."

Like moths to a flame, several young women immediately gravitated towards the Crown Prince. As the pairing began, Kevin turned instinctively to his side, as if expecting Ruelle to be there, only to find the space to be empty.

Ruelle had moved to the back. She almost exhaled—

"Ruelle!" Her entire soul left her body when Edward called her. He waved his hand as if summoning a pet he was particularly fond of. "Come here. You and I shall pair. Unless you already happen to have a partner. In that case," he continued with airy delight, "we shall simply behead him and resolve the issue. Simple problems have simple solutions, do you not agree?" he laughed.

Ruelle briefly wondered if she had woken on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Her gaze flicked to where Kevin stood.

Kevin, who had sought her a few seconds ago, now stood with his shoulders rigid from fear after what the Crown Prince had said. He didn’t dare to move as his hands tightened into fists.

She noticed the dread in her friend’s eyes. And for one fragile second, she felt alone beneath the weight of the Crown Prince’s attention.

"No, Your Highness... I don’t," Ruelle replied with a small, strained smile.

"How kind of me to pick someone with no partner," Edward declared proudly as though Sexton would set up his statue in gratitude.

As Ruelle stepped toward Edward, her gaze drifted past his shoulder. Her eyes found Lucian, who stood there composed and unreadable. Whatever warmth had once existed between them showed no trace in his eyes and her stomach sank.

A moment later, he turned toward the instructor, giving the impression that none of this concerned him in the slightest.

Ruelle lowered her lashes.

Lucian had already done more for her than he ever should have. She had no right to expect anything from him—no right to imagine he owed her concern or involvement simply because trouble kept finding her.

What had she ever given in return except inconvenience? His lack of reaction only felt reasonable.

Edward snapped his fingers and music swept through the ballroom, which was dark and intricately layered. The prince lifted his chin confidently, holding Ruelle’s hand, and then took the first step forward as if he couldn’t wait to show his skills. But then he paused, his brows drawing together.

The movement wasn’t obvious, but Ruelle caught him frowning. She asked him, "Is everything alright?"

"Alright?" Edward scoffed with pride. "Why would I not be alright?"

Every so often, his foot paused a fraction too long and Ruelle tried to keep up with him. He commented, "Wow, you really are short."

That was because he wasn’t leading her! It was as if he had somewhere to go, thought Ruelle. This was the second time he had called her short... Maybe if she stayed quiet, he would get bored—

"Are you quiet because my charm has stolen your voice?" Edward wondered aloud, nodding as if answering himself. "Of course it has. It usually does. I try to be considerate but greatness is difficult to contain."

Edward attempted another confident step, almost colliding into a nearby couple, then pretended it was intentional. He continued to speak, 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Normally, I do not mingle with the likes of commoners. I rarely converse with them."

Ruelle encouraged him, "Then you don’t have to—"

"Don’t be absurd," he interrupted lightly. "That would be terribly rude of me after what you did for me. I am surprised you didn’t ask me for a reward."

She offered him a small smile. She replied, "I would have helped anyone in your place too."

The prince blinked at her. He asked genuinely puzzled, "Why though? You need money, don’t you? Humans attend Sexton for money."

Ruelle almost missed a step from his words. Though the prince hit the nail on the head, he wasn’t wrong. When her eyes fell on his feet, she finally figured it out and began, "Your Highness—"

"Edward," he corrected.

"Edward..." she repeated. She leaned forward and whispered, "Do you perhaps not know this dance?"

"Do I—what—of course I know it. I know every dance. I had five instructors to train me," Edward responded immediately while rolling his eyes. His chin lifted in stubborn pride, but his ears betrayed him as they turned a faint shade of red. "Stop looking at me like that!" He turned mortified.

Ruelle bit back a smile before clearing her throat. She almost felt bad for him.

"Your Highness," the instructor interrupted, coming near them and catching the prince’s attention. "We aren’t going to have the Caydence Taps for the Winter Ball."

Edward’s footsteps came to a halt. Irritation flashed across his face and he demanded, "Why didn’t you tell me that before?"

"...I thought it would be rude to interrupt when you had already begun," the instructor murmured to herself. Then, cautiously louder, "The dance chosen for the Winter Ball is Belle Morte."

"I don’t think I’ve heard of it," Edward said frankly, brows knitting together.

"That is no problem," the instructor replied, clapping her hands once. "The final years are already well-versed in it. They will partner with the first years to demonstrate and guide them through the steps."

The pairing had already begun with the Elites moving first, as they always did, while the humans hesitated because the vampires looked like a group of menacing folks who were waiting to pounce on them.

A young woman, who was a human, squeaked when a tall Elite seized her wrist and tugged her forward. Another Groundling was pulled by the elbow, and the other vampires found humour in it. On the other hand, Hailey who had learned what standing like a statue did, she quickly walked to where Sawyer was and politely requested,

"Duke Ravencroft, can I learn the dance from you?"

"Why not?" Sawyer grinned, completely unbothered. But Kevin wasn’t fortunate enough, as a vampiress came to stand before him.

Ruelle was left standing amidst the shifting chaos.

"His Highness will observe for now. We cannot risk injury on you," the instructor ushered the prince to take a seat. Edward shook his head upon seeing Ruelle alone and he murmured, "Looks like she needs my help."

The hall was loud with aristocratic laughter and shuffling feet. Ruelle swallowed and looked around. Most pairs were already formed. Noticing a vampire nearby, who looked tolerable, she gathered courage and stepped towards him.

"Well now. If it isn’t the famous Ruelle Belmont," the vampire greeted smoothly, lips curved in amusement.

Did he mean infamous? Ruelle then asked, "If you don’t have a partner... would you like to partner with me?"

The vampire’s name was Philip Caine, who looked delighted by her question with his lips twisting in a cruel smile. He opened his mouth to speak when his attention slipped past her shoulder.

His smile suddenly slipped, a flicker of nervousness passing through his once confident eyes. He didn’t meet her gaze again. He murmured with a smile, "I like my teeth exactly where they are."

"...pardon?" Ruelle turned confused. She was asking about dance, why did he talk about teeth? Vampires were truly odd at times, she thought.

Without another word, the vampire turned and walked in the other direction.

What had scared the Elite vampire?

Ruelle turned over her shoulder. Her gaze paused on the rolled sleeves before lifting to catch Lucian standing behind her.

Lucian stared at the vampire, whom Ruelle had spoken to seconds ago. The air around him carried a quiet threat. Something unnamed, something dark flickered in his eyes before his gaze returned to her.

"You seem to have a talent for attracting strays. At this rate, you may as well open a shelter," Lucian remarked. His words were deceptively gentle yet she could sense the jab beneath them. She blinked at him, her brows knitting together.

"Huh?"

Had her mind rusted in Prince Edward’s company? Because nothing anyone said right now seemed to make any proper sense. She had expected him to be somewhere else in the room... beside a vampiress, perhaps, someone who belonged in his world.

The ballroom instructor clapped, her voice rising above the music that floated in the room, thrumming like murmurs against the surface of windows and walls.

"The first half will take this side of the hall. The second half will move there. Keep your spacing so that you don’t collide into another’s space." Noticing the pair on the other side of the room, she lightly scolded, "Belmont. Slater. What are you doing standing like that? Take your positions."

When Ruelle looked back at Lucian, whose eyes hadn’t left her. With how awkward things had turned since last evening and not wanting to burden him, she offered,

"It’s okay if you don’t want to..."

His gaze didn’t waver from her but sharpened. Tilting his head slightly, he asked,

"When did I say I didn’t want to? Unless," he added lightly, though his eyes didn’t share the sentiment, "you mean to save this dance for the prince."