Capítulo 10: Illusion
Author-note: If you want to know more about the King's background of why he is the way he is, please read the first few chapters of volume-2 that starts from chapter 561
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Madeline shivered by his words, and as he pulled away from her neck, their face was close with their masks on their face. Her eyes darted from one eye to another, staring back at him and she heard him say,
"I see you're not scared of the night creatures," Calhoun noticed how she pursed her lips at his question, wetting her lips very subtly.
Madeline knew not to fear when one met a night creature, and they were in a ball. She doubted he would do anything to her that she had to worry about, "Is there something I have to be scared about them?" she asked him, questioning the words he spoke, and the man behind the mask smirked.
"Many humans fear their existence. Stay far away from them while internally cursing and wishing death, isn't that so?" he asked her.
"I don't think I have come across anyone to fear," she replied, feeling his hold on her waist gentle yet firm.
He pushed her away again, playing with her with the music that was played in the corner of the room. When Madeline twirled around, her dress spun along with her, and she ended up back in his arms, her hand locked as her back faced the front of his body, "So brave. I can tell I am the first one you have met," he whispered the words next to her ear.
He let her go from his hold, dancing with her while the girl moved with him, "You must be working here in the castle. Have you seen the King?" she asked him.
She felt his hand move around her waist as she turned to be caught by him again, "The King?" asked the man, "I have, why do you ask?" he asked, his eyes carrying curiosity towards her.
Madeline shrugged her shoulders that had the man glance at her slender and delicate part of her body that looked soft and smooth. He wondered how it would feel to bite into that skin, and the thought had his hand grip on her tightly as he pulled her close once again.
"He invited his subjects to the Grand Ball of Hallow and isn't here. I find it…"
"Rude?" he chuckled.
"I was going for improper," Madeline said to look away from his daunting gaze as it never left her face.
She looked at the people who were dancing on the floor and also others. The men and women who were standing on the sidelines talking, appeared to be curious about who the couple was—some eyes on the mysterious man and some on the woman who was with him.
She noticed her sister Beth who was dancing with another man looking her way, curious about who Madeline was dancing with.
"The King must have his reasons for not showing up here. We all have our problems, don't we, Madeline?" Madeline came to realize how he wasn't addressing her with 'Miss' or 'Lady', but instead, he was using her name as if they were familiar with each other, "Are you interested in seeing the King? Is that why you are inquiring about his presence, I wouldn't judge if you wanted to."
Women often wanted to meet and flatter him in the hope to win his favour, but Calhoun Hawthrone was smarter than them. He complimented them back, spinning and twisting with their own words for his amusement.
"I don't," she replied to him.
"A mere interest then," he replied with a whisper for her to listen.
Madeline then said, "It would have been nice for him to spare a moment. Especially for those people who have travelled from a far distance.."
"People," said the man, "Do you believe they are here for only the reason of having to see a man who they fear? There are plenty of reasons, and most of them are getting filled. Attending a grand ball, food, people to meet and enjoy."
"It seems like you love the King to side with his actions," the words slipped out of Madeline's lips, and she bit her tongue at how the words had rolled out which she regretted now.
The man instead of looking at her with accusing look in his eyes for not kissing the ground where the King walked, he laughed, "Seems like you aren't fond of him," looking at her with intrigue.
Madeline smiled at the man, "I haven't met him to know if I am or not fond of him. I have nothing against him," she added, not wanting to get on the wrong side of the King if ever her words were to reach his ears.
"Worry not, your words are safe with me," he said and finally let go of his hand that was on her waist when the song ended. It was hard to trust with the full mask on his face, thought Madeline to herself but the man had created some sense of intrigue in her which she knew she should not have, "Thank you for the dance, Madeline," he said, and she bowed.
Taking a step back and then two, she saw the way his predator's eyes looked at her every move and action. She turned around to leave, walking a few steps before turning around to take a look to see the man who she had danced with had disappeared like an illusion.
Her brown eyes looked for a second more before she walked through the crowd of men and women. Madeline hugged herself and rubbed her arms as she had moved from the ballroom that was filled with people to a less crowded place where the cold wind of the night moved quickly.
She took a deep breath and exhaled the air through her pink lips.
Beth was busy with a man who wore rich clothes that had her wonder if her sister had caught the King's eyes by any chance. Not wanting to disturb her, Madeline decided to take a look at the castle.
While she searching for her parents, not too far away from the ballroom, Madeline heard someone call her.
"Lady Madeline!" and Madeline turned back to see who had called her.
She saw a man walking towards her who wore a mask on his face like her and her eyebrows slightly drew wondering who it was and her eyebrows raised in realization,
"Mr. Heathcliff?"
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Capítulo 11: Behind the pillars
Madeline looked at Mr. Heathcliff with an expression of surprise as she hadn't expected to see him here. He had told Beth and her on how he hadn't received an invitation from the King that had her wonder how he had come here.
"Miss Madeline," Mr. Heathcliff gave her a bow and Madeline returned it, "You look beautiful. I knew the dress would suit you well," he complimented her, and she had to hold in the blush so that it wouldn't reach up to her cheeks.
"Thank you. You look well yourself," she thanked him.
"You must be surprised to see me here. Lady Catherine asked me to accompany her here," so that's how it was, thought Madeline to herself. For a moment she had wondered if Mr. Heahtcliff had entered the castle without an invitation, "She went with a gentleman to speak over the lands she bought that's having disputes. I thought I would come to look for you," his pale green eyes looked down at her.
"You found me," she said, and he gave her a nod.
"I did," he said, unable to take his eyes off of the girl who stood in front of him. Madeline felt the tiny spark of joy that ignited in her chest, and she was somewhere happy that Mr. Heathcliff took an interest in her. She shared an affinity towards the man and to hear that he came looking for her.
"Are you enjoying your time here?" Mr. Heathcliff asked her, his eyes turning away from her when two guests were passing through the corridor, and he moved back, giving her the space to move towards the wall for people to walk.
"I am. It is a beautiful castle," she replied to him before silence filled between them as she didn't know what to say. The night was cold, and the light in the corridor was soft and gentle on the things around it.
Madeline might not have been to the par of her sister when it came to beauty, but she was pretty enough to hold a man's interest when one took heed to her. But the young daughter of Harris knew the amount of competition when it came to men and women; therefore, she had kept her conversation always to be polite and minimum.
"Lady Catherine might wonder where you are if she were to find you missing," Lady Catherine was one of the women who belonged to the higher society. She dropped by the tailorman's store often enough to see him, which made it quite evident that the lady was interested in the man.
"That's alright. It was important to find you," he said, and Madeline's eyes met his who was looking at another person walking by.
And while Madeline had stepped away from the ballroom, Calhoun had left the room shortly, unable to get her scent out of his head. Like a bee finding the flower that was the sweetest in the garden.
On stepping out of the room, he met his friend Theodore who was with a woman. Theodore whispered something in the woman's ears that had the woman smile and leave his side to get inside the room.
"Did you have your dance already?" Theodore asked Calhoun who happened to look to his left, taking a deep breath he realized he had lost the flower.
"I did. I am looking for something."
Theodore tilted his head to the side to ask, "Hm? You could ask the guards to find it unless you lost it."
"A King never loses what belongs to him. He finds it himself," Calhoun's eyes had a glint that had Theodore give him a look of curiosity. It didn't take the man to know what the King was on about. It seemed that someone had caught his fancy, thought Theodore to himself, "Anyways, you shouldn't keep the lady waiting unless you want to see her dance with another man."
"I am sure she can wait," answered Theodore looking towards the doors of the ballroom and then looking back to say, "I heard Marcel is planning to attack you in the court tomorrow."
"And how is he going to do that?" Calhoun started to walk away from the ballroom to be accompanied by Theodore, "He's already lost the favour of the church. Even if he appeals in the court, he needs a majority of votes to sway the decision. He should know better than stand against me unless it's his last dying wish to spend his time locked in the prison."
With the mask that Calhoun wore, only Theodore knew who was behind it, which made the men and women in the corridor walk past them without stopping to bow. That didn't mean the people didn't take a second glance at him as no one else wore a silver mask that covered the entire face.
Theodore couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips, "That might be the reason, but rumour has it that he found the body of Miss Lipton."
"Miss Lipton," Calhoun remembered the young woman.
She was the daughter of Duke Lipton in the East side of the land. She was a voracious girl who had been too eager when it came to the matter of his business and him. Enough to see what she was not supposed to that led to her demise.
"Wasn't her body buried away?" he asked.
"It was. It would be hard to find her. Marcel must have created a body double to make it look like it was Miss Lipton," answered Theodore dutifully as he was the one who had made to sure to have her body hidden safely. It was nearly three months since that time, "What would you like to do about him?"
Calhoun and Theodore were still walking through the corridor when Calhoun's steps paused. He looked at the other side of the hallways, which was parallel to where he stood. If it weren't for the flowers and other plants that partitioned the two corridors, one could easily look who was standing on the other side.
He looked at the girl who had caught his attention, standing in front of a man who wore a mask that covered his eyes.
"..I have something I have been meaning to ask you," Madeline furrowed her brows at his words, "I have liked you for some time now. Would you like to go out this Sunday?"
Madeline hadn't expected a request like this from him, not that it was bad, but she hadn't been prepared for it.
"I-I have to accompany my sister. We are going to visit my uncle's house."
"That's alright. Maybe some other day," the man laughed with the quick refusal.
Calhoun, who was on the other side, listening to their conversation where even Theodore had turned his head in the direction where the King was looking. He noticed how the girl parted her lips, her eyes looking up at the man in a way that had Calhoun's eyes narrow subtly.
Madeline could tell that it was an unfortunate plan that had been made. If she were to know that Mr. Heathcliff was going to ask her to meet him, she would not have agreed to go with her sister. The man didn't seem to find another date and had only said 'some other day'.
"I should get back," said Mr. Heathcliif and Madeline agreed to it.
She didn't know if she was sad that their dates didn't match or if she was happy that he had asked her. And then he did something more unexpected by taking her hand that was resting at her side, leaning forward he kissed the back of her hand and then pulled away, "I will see you tomorrow," Madeline was too stunned to speak, and she saw him leave her side to go back to Lady Catherine.
"Find out about the girl. Also, the man" came the order.
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