Bab 26: Rebel
Bg music recommendation: Like You by Rosenfeld
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The butler of Dominick's house opened the door of Vincent to leave his study. He bowed as usual and saw the blood that trickled down Vincent's fingers. Without commenting anything, he offered his Lord a clean napkin, "His Grace."
Vincent took the cloth and wiped his hands, but his eyes looked ahead, squinting at nothing. To think that someone else wanted to keep Prudence away from him was enough to bring out the fury inside the Mafia King. He was already pissed about Prudence's behaviour by making him wait for the breakfast and he had said nothing about it because he did not want her to feel like she was being played a puppet around.
"Is Prudence there for Lunch, Orson?" Vincent asked the butler Orson as they started walking away from the study, making their way towards the dining area.
Orson bowed a little, unsure of how to say it when Vincent was already this angry. "His Grace, Lady Prudence has locked herself in the room and refuses to come for Lunch," Orson broke a sweat at that statement. Although he was the most senior one here and knew how the king's temper never lashed on the wrong person, Orson was still worried about what might have happened if something like that happened today.
One side of Vincent's lips pulled up, hearing what the butler had said. He knew this was never going to be easy, but did not expect Prudence to act this foolishly after he had warned her in the morning.
"Get the dining room set up," Vincent ordered and Orson bowed deep before taking the cloth stained by Vincent's blood and went off.
On the other end of the castle, where the east wing was, the two maids Nicola and Agnes knocked on the door with worry lines on their forehead. "Milady, please open the door, we have to leave for lunch or His Grace would be furious," said Nicola, still holding a jug of water in her hand.
"I am not interested in having lunch with him," came the voice of Prudence from inside the room. It had the two maids look at each other in trouble.
Agnes turned to Nicola and whispered, "She is going to create a problem for us if she doesn't listen." Even though Agnes wanted Prudence to not have any interaction with Vincent, she was also worried about her dear self. Vincent did not have a good temper, and she had seen the heads of many people roll on the floor just because they failed to do some task. She herself had cleaned some of the blood that used to splatter after the head came off the people's bodies.
"Shh, don't talk where others can hear you," Nicola warned Agnes. Nicola had already known Agnes's character, but that did not mean Nicola would be cold towards considering her well being.
Agnes knocked on the door yet again, "Milady, please come out or His Grace would be angry."
But their knocks and calls had started to receive no replies from inside. It worried both the maids as Nicola was quick to order Agnes, "address the problem to the head maid before His Grace decides to come here himself." Agnes nodded and left the door to rush off and find where the head maid Bertha was at the moment.
Inside Prudence's room, Prudence sat on the bed sullen about the fact that she could not leave here or take part in the drafting for the nationals.
She always wanted to do something apart from just being the stable girl and she was good at riding horses. Yesterday afternoon she was still at the horse farm and because of the way Daisy had almost attacked Norma, Prudence had already lost the chance of getting Daisy out during the race as Mr Weasley had strictly said that Daisy won't get the chance to race. More than that, Prudence was currently staring at her cupboard that was left open so she could see the pile of bedsheets on the bottom shelf.
Her mind was racing through so many possibilities and what would happen if she tried to escape in the broad daylight. But Vincent's warning kept ringing in her ears. She did not want to see the consequences after she fled from here and Vincent caught her.
Just for precaution, Prudence had placed a rod in the door handles so Vincent someone won't be able to open the door even if they used the keys from outside. She truly wanted to be at least left alone if she can't escape here.
"Milady, please open the door. His Grace would not be pleased with us if we don't bring you for the lunch," Nicola's voice came from outside the door and Prudence rolled her eyes.
"I already said I don't want to have lunch," Prudence shouted, so her voice could reach Nicola outside.
"But milady-" Nicola's voice was cut midway and Prudence got alert by that. She doubted maybe the head maid Bertha was here to convince her, like in the morning. Prudence stepped closer to the door, but not too close. She could hear faint voices from outside and she heard Nicola say, "Lady Prudence ordered me to bring water, and then Agnes was sent out for some other reason. When we got back, the door was locked."
There was silence outside after that and suddenly she heard the lock of the door click open and just when Prudence thought the rod in the handle would do its job well, the door flew open, breaking the rod in two along with loosening the door handles.
Prudence staggered back on seeing Vincent standing there, all furious. Her heartbeat increased as if she had seen the devil himself enter the room.
Vincent made his way to Prudence with his long strides and caught up to her before she could even find a chance to run away. The very next moment, Vincent dragged her by her wrist and threw her on the bed as her body bounced on the sheets and Vincent hovered over her. He pinned her slender hands on her sides while Prudence struggled against his hold, "Let go of me!" But Vincent seemed like he was having fun with the way his lips twisted looking at her.
His face lowered to her and went past her soft cheeks till his lips were near her ear. "I did not know you were this eager to get on the bed for me when I had just warned you this morning," Vincent remarked.
Prudence stopped moving at the closeness that they had right now. He was so close to her she could smell his scent, and it had a rich texture to it.
But she hated how things had turned out. Vincent had already cornered and warned Prudence twice before and she had felt it uncomfortable and at the same time, it had the right effect on her to subside her rebellious energies. Right now it was the third time and Vincent had truly done as he had warned. Prudence felt embarrassed at the difference in strength and at the way she had helplessly fallen here.
Vincent's face came up to see the red that had risen on Prudence's face and it pleased him to see her like this under him and all flustered with a hit of anger laced with fear in her eyes.
He held both her hands single-handedly and used his other free hand to hold her chin in place. "It seems you love to test your luck, but be vary when you poke a lion, it is going to come to bite you." Prudence could not believe that he actually had her place in such a compromising position.
"Please let go of me, His Grace," Prudence talked politely. She tried to wiggle out of his hold, but his grip on her only tightened. Vincent saw Prudence glare at him with her blue eyes, and it only made his smile broaden. Seeing that wide grin, Prudence gulped in fear as Vincent's eyes moved down to see her throat bod up and down and then his eyes trailed up to her soft lips, which had parted themselves. Prudence saw his crimson eyes from this distance moved to her lips and back up and it made her hands sweat in fear.
Vincent left her chin and brought the back of his hand to trace her cheek when Prudence closed her eyes, moving her face away from his touch. "Prudence, why do you have to test me so much?"
Prudence's eyes, which were closed, snapped open, and she glared at him, "why do you have to keep me here when I refuse this life?"
Vincent chuckled at her words and let go of her hands. He got down from the bed and set his hair back as he usually kept them, slicked back, where some of the strands fell on his face now. "The life here is not that bad, Prudence. Why do you already hate it so much when you haven't even had the chance to witness it?" Vincent asked as he extended his hand ahead for Prudence to get up from the bed.
She had already sat up straight the moment Vincent had let go of her, and now she stared at the hand that he had extended forward. "I don't need to see it when I already know how death always stands at the door for people involved with you."
Vincent smirked at her answer. It was true and for her to have realised it this early meant Vincent had no problems with keeping his proceedings a secret. Besides, he already had plans for tomorrow, which involved something similar to what Prudence had said, and he had already decided for her to be there.
"I am not an unreasonable man to go on a killing spree, Prudence," Vincent said, and he showed with his head for her to take his hand. "Come, let's go to lunch. If you refuse to eat with me, you will starve yourself like this." Prudence clenched her fist before she released it and slowly placed her hand in his. Vincent helped her get up from the bed but, realising how red she had turned, let go of her hand to comment, "Did you like what happened on the bed between us?"
Prudence gritted her teeth as she ran her hand over her skirt to neat it. "Nothing happened between us. Please don't frame it in a wrong sense, His Grace."
This man was utterly shameless when it came to pointing those things out. Who talks to a lady like that? There was a bit of control to his tongue and neither the way he walked around like a king. Prudence closed her eyes, remembering he was the king. Living in a country that had come under government care, it was taking Prudence some time to adjust to the fact that she was brought here by the king.
"You are apple red," Vincent commented, and it only had Prudence more embraced and turn redder than before. "The colour on your face made me assume you liked it."
Prudence did not choose to comment anything to that. She realised it was only her answers and her mouth that created more trouble for her, so she rather shut it up than talk where it can cause more embarrassment to her. Prudence was not someone who would have gone starving herself just for this man, but today could have been an important day for her and that had her sullen.
The big problem was that Daisy was not paid for in full. There were still eight months of payment that was left, and Prudence worried someone else might persuade Mr Carswell into taking Daisy away.
Vincent made his way out of the room, followed by Prudence, and saw Nicola was standing right there with her head bowed low.
Vincent stopped in his track to look at the maid who had her head held low and spoke, "Get the door handle fixed here and whenever Prudence is being tough to handle, come straight to me." Prudence could help but pass a sympathetic look to Nicola before she stared at Vincent with a fire in her eyes. Vincent met her eyes and smirked, continuing his sentence, "I think you would not have to worry about next time. I am sure Prudence has learned how to keep her door unlocked from now on. "
Nicola bowed to Vincent, "Yes, His Grace." The maid had agreed with him easily, and Vincent liked that fact. If only Prudence had some feminine decency of being like her, but then Vincent would not have even spared her a look.
It was the fire in Prudence that he liked and he knew, irrespective of the fact that he was the king, she was going to be hard to handle.
Prudence had her head low as they made their way to the dining area where the food had already been brought and the servants were now arranging it on the head table for Vincent and Prudence. The long table was left empty today, and Prudence wonder whether Drakos had gone back to his home.
She wanted to ask out of curiosity but decided not to, as that would look like she had some interest in this life.
Her curiosity was already brimming when came to Vincent's eyes colour that had changed last night. She had never heard or read about anything that can help you change your eye colour like that and back again. But then again, she had not heard about the Vampires until a few days back.
Both of them took their seat just like yesterday, adjacent to each other. Prudence did not try to take another seat or run away now. What Vincent had done already had her alert about his status.
When the maids were done serving, Vincent dismissed them so he could have some alone time with Prudence.
"You look sullen, Prudence. Do you not like the meal?" Vincent questioned as he casually took a bite from his steak. Prudence could not even bring herself to look at him. It was because of him she had missed out on the chance to race and worst she did not what must have happened to Daisy right now. She wanted to leave, but rather Vincent had pinned her on the bed and showed her that he won't hold back next time.
"The meal is fine," Prudence replied. She did not want to talk to this man, but she also did not want anything like what happened in her room a while back.
Vincent looked at her as he brought the wineglass to his lips and took two sips before saying, "You look like you lost someone. I don't remember killing anyone as far as my memory goes."
Prudence glared at him as she gulped the morsel of food in her mouth. Till now what Prudence had seen, Vincent had actually never actually killed anyone in front of her like people that mattered to her. He rather kept them safe. She wanted to say she missed her family, her mother and Daisy, but right then she remembered something and thought of using it as an escape from here, "I want to be with him, I miss him."
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