blueteamnovel Chapter 185 - 185: Under His Roof
Chapter 185 - 185: Under His Roof
An hour had passed since Lucian and the court officers had left, leaving guards posted at every entrance of the mansion. Right now, Ruelle sat at the dining table with her parents.She could smell the fresh wax on the wooden floor, which made it obvious that the house had been prepared on short notice. Her fingers rested quietly on her lap while her eyes stayed on one of the vases as they waited for the food.
"The seat here is empty. Why are you sitting there?" Her father's voice drew her attention away from the empty vase.
Ruelle looked at him, surprised. She replied, "That is Caroline's seat... And you always preferred I sit beside Mother."
Something seemed to pass behind her father's eyes, which she couldn't deduce as it faded quicker than it had appeared.
"Well, Caroline isn't here," her father said, as if that explained it. "Sit here now."
But Ruelle did not move. Was it easier for him to strike her that he was asking her to sit there? No, thought Ruelle. He was too much of a coward right now. With Lucian in the picture and one of the guards in the dining room, her father was too much of a coward for that. She said,
"I am comfortable here. And I would rather sit beside Mother."
Her father's lips twisted before he spoke, "You must have missed your mother. Fine. Sit there. But from tonight onward, you will sit on this side."
"Why? So you can look at me while blaming your bad fortune on me?" Ruelle's hands clenched tightly, before what she wanted to say this morning came to her lips, "There was no reason for you to insist we live together. You could have stayed in this mansion while I returned to the Slaters."
"Ruelle," her father's voice sharpened. The look in his eyes changed into something she knew well. It was the same look he used before his temper broke. "Do you no longer care to honour the treaty? Or have you forgotten how little humans matter to them? Do you think the courthouse would hesitate to replace us? You? They could find another family just as easily."
Did he think everyone was like him, who would use and dispose of people whenever he saw fit?
"They may find another human woman. But what makes you think Lucian would take another bride?" She trusted Lucian. More than she had ever trusted the man across from her.
Mrs. Belmont quickly placed a hand over her husband's. "What matters is that we are eating together after so long," she said softly. "If only Caroline were here too."
The food arrived soon after.
Warm bread, thick soup, roasted meat. The smell filled the room, rich enough to make one want to eat it, but Ruelle barely tasted any of it. She could feel her father's eyes on her the whole time, and with every bite it felt harder to swallow. If he wanted to say something, she wished he would be done with it.
After only a few mouthfuls, she pushed her chair back.
"Done so soon?" her father asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Sit down and eat more. I would hate for the ministers to think we are starving you."
Ruelle wiped her mouth with the napkin. "I have no appetite. I fear I will throw up if I take another bite." She was about to leave when his voice stopped her again. "Then have dessert. You like sweets, don't you?"
How odd for her father to even remember what she liked.
Beside her, Mrs. Belmont began, "Harold, if she does not feel well, there is no reason to force—"
"Are you the head of this family?" His voice cut through the room.
Ruelle saw the sharp irritation in his eyes shift to her stepmother, and for a second it felt strange seeing someone else receive the look she had grown up with.
Mrs. Belmont's face reddened at once. "I apologise," she murmured.
Ruelle stood there for a moment. The smell of meat, wine, and candle wax suddenly felt too thick. The room felt smaller than before.
"I am unwell. So, I would like to rest for now and eat when I have an appetite." And before he could stop her again, she turned and walked out of the dining room.
It was obvious that he wanted to keep this mansion to himself after he had lost two houses in the past. One from the war and the other by Lucian.
When she entered her room, she locked the door behind her at once.
The firewood in the hearth had burned low, leaving behind only warmth in the stone and the faint smell of ash. The bed was soft beneath her when she lay down, her eyes fixed on the pale ceiling above. Even here, she could not stop thinking of the dining table.
She closed her eyes as she felt her forehead grow warm again. She let out a breath and wished for time to move faster. For the wedding to come.
At some point, sleep took her.
When she opened her eyes again, there was knocking at the door. For a moment, she didn't know where she was as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Beyond the windows, the sky had turned dark and the only light came from the lantern outside her door, its glow slipping through the cracks.
The knocking came again.
"Who is it?" she asked, her voice carrying through the door. But the knocking continued.
Crossing the room barefoot, she finally opened the door. Two arms suddenly wrapped around her so tightly that she froze for a moment and then the person pulled away.
"I missed you, Ruelle!"
"Hailey?" Ruelle stared at her friend, almost unable to believe it. Was this a dream? "What are you doing here?"
Hailey stepped inside at once with a grin. "Lucian went to see King Septimus for work and asked if I could be borrowed for a few days until the wedding." Her eyes flickered toward the guards outside before returning to Ruelle. "So here I am! We finally get to share the same room!"
The fever that had been sitting in her body seemed to fade little by little, as if her mind had finally been given something else to hold.
They sat on the bed together, catching up on everything that had happened since the auction. By the time Hailey had heard about Caroline escaping, the pudding in her hand was nearly gone and her eyes had widened.
"I can't believe Caroline broke out of the dungeon," Hailey said. "But in some ways, I understand. If you're standing at the gallows, of course you'd run. Still… this makes everything worse. Your parents must be losing their minds."
"They are," Ruelle nodded.
Hailey turned toward her. "What happened? Are they blaming you for it too?"
Ruelle shook her head. "That would have made more sense."
"I don't understand. You're unhappy they're not?" Hailey frowned.
Ruelle was quiet for a moment. She then spoke, "No… it isn't that." She looked toward the dark window. "Something feels strange. They're trying to fix things with me. As if none of those years happened."
Especially her father.
At the dining table, she had felt his eyes on the mark at her neck more than once. The thought made her skin crawl even now. Was he thinking of what he could still gain from her? Because with Lucian's mark there, harming her was no longer simple.
Hailey gave a short laugh. "They're scared of Lucian. I would be too if I treated you the way they did and senior has a reputation to keep."
But that wasn't it. Ruelle knew fear when she saw it. Pushing the thought away, she asked, "How is the castle? I hope King Septimus isn't making your life miserable."
Hailey raised her hands and looked at them. "Not as bad as I thought. My limbs are still attached."
That made Ruelle smile.
"The servants are nice," Hailey continued. "Hermes has helped me a lot. He watches over me. Kevin is doing well too. Prince Edward hardly stays in the castle. He spends most of his time at his own place," while skipping the part where the prince had torn the wedding invitation in two halves.
Ruelle nodded.
"Oh, and I've been given books to study," Hailey said, making a face. "King Septimus said he'll test me."
Ruelle was surprised. "He did?" She heard her friend sigh.
"Maps. Lands. Forests. Mountains. Before I came here, he told me to memorise the streets of Rimebridge. Either from the books or by going there myself. I think he's just bored and is finding other ways to torture a person."
That was an odd thing to do, unless the king was trying to promote her friend from maid to a better position, thought Ruelle to herself. "Maybe he wants you to take Hermes' place one day."
Hailey shook her head at once, as if trying to throw the idea away. "I refuse! I've seen what that job does to Hermes. I might go bald, Ruelle..."
By morning, Ruelle and Hailey were dressed and ready to leave for the soiree at Lady Maxine's mansion. Ruelle adjusted the sleeves of her dress as they stepped into the hall.
"Where are you off to, Ruelle?" Her stepmother's voice made her stop.
Ruelle turned and found Mrs. Belmont standing near the doorway, her hands folded together.
"I have a soiree to attend," Ruelle said. "I will be back before dinner."
"The one from Maxine Valentin?" Her father's voice came before she saw him. He stepped out of the living room with the newsletter in his hand. "That invitation was returned. With your absence marked."
For a second, she thought she had heard wrong. Her brows pulled together and she stated, "I never said I wasn't going."
Her father clicked his tongue, shaking his head like she was the unreasonable one. "No, but you have been unwell since yesterday afternoon and have not gotten better by dinner. It wouldn't be right to force yourself out when you should be resting."
Ruelle's nails dug into the palms of her hands.
Did her father resort to passive aggression instead of yelling or hitting her? She remembered too clearly the days she had worked through bruises and pain, and not once had he told her to rest. And now suddenly he cared?
Ruelle had doubted him, but she had not thought her father would truly stop her from leaving the house.
"Are you worried I will meet Lucian?" she asked, her voice sharper now. She could feel the irritation rising, slow and hot, climbing her spine. "Is that why you have done this?"
Her father looked at her calmly.
"Like I said, you were unwell yesterday," Mr. Belmont replied. "And to hear you fell sick while staying at the Slaters' mansion…" He gave a small shake of his head. "Clearly, you were not being cared for properly."
Ruelle's jaw tightened.
He continued, "If you are to be married in a few days, it is only right that you remain in good health."
"I am fine now and the Slaters have treated me far better than you ever have. I will not listen to you speak poorly of them," Ruelle said firmly. For a moment, she caught the flash in his eyes. It was anger that was sudden and then it passed.
"Then tell me," her father said, "why did you skip breakfast with us? You said you were unwell. Yet this morning you are dressed and ready to leave. That means you lied."
"I do not wish to have a meal with you," Ruelle couldn't get any more direct than this.
"I have been thinking. Especially after Caroline disappeared," Mr. Belmont's face grew heavy with something that almost looked like regret. "I realised I have been too harsh with you and I want to fix our relationship. Do you not wish to fix things?"
Beside her, Mrs. Belmont looked just as startled.
Had someone struck him in the head? Because none of this sounded like him. A month ago, she would have waited for this. For him to look at her properly, to show even a little affection. But now that it was here, it felt useless.
"It doesn't matter now…" Ruelle said, though her voice faltered slightly, as if some old part of her still wanted to believe him. "In a few days, I will no longer be a Belmont. You do not have to trouble yourself with any of this."
"Megan," Mr. Belmont said, turning to his wife. Mrs. Belmont still looked caught off guard, as if she too was struggling to understand what had taken hold of him. "Don't you think we should live like an actual family?"
Mrs. Belmont hesitated.
When Megan Belmont had first met Ruelle as a child, Harold had hardly spared his eldest daughter a glance. Back then, she had not cared enough to question it. Not until now.
"We should," Mrs. Belmont replied after a pause. "It is only for a few days."
And the closer they were to Ruelle, the better thought the older woman. With Lucian, with the courthouse, with everything tied to this wedding... there were benefits in staying close. Enough perhaps to find Caroline and save her from the gallows Ezekiel had pushed her toward.
"Megan, accompany Ruelle to the soiree she so much wishes to attend," Mr. Belmont uttered as if he was giving his daughter the permission.
Before anyone could utter another word, the sound of carriage wheels outside interrupted them. Ruelle turned at once and stepped outside, her heart lifting for a moment at the thought that Lucian might have come. But it wasn't him.
Minister Sylvan stepped out instead, placing his polished shoes on the ground and his coat resting on his shoulders.
The small hope in her chest dropped at once and Ruelle's face soured before she could stop it.
"To what do we owe this visit, Minister?" Mrs. Belmont asked quickly, forcing a smile as though the tension from moments ago had never existed.
"I came to make sure the family involved in the treaty has settled in properly in their new home," Minister Sylvan responded with a slight smile. His gaze moved over them like he was measuring each person. "And I need Mr. Belmont's signature for some documents to transfer funds."
"Funds?" Mrs. Belmont asked at once.
Sylvan gave a small nod. "That's right. The treaty has its benefits. Given your family's current state, the courthouse has set aside a sum for expenses. I assume you would want your daughter's wedding to be celebrated properly. Invitations, clothing and such. But it seems your daughter is displeased by my arrival," his eyes settled on Ruelle.
"My daughter is upset with me, Minister," Mr. Belmont said, his eyes moving to Ruelle at once. "I said and did things I should not have. I wish to make amends now."
Minister Sylvan looked between them, amusement flickering across his face.
"Is that all?" he asked. Then he smiled, though it never reached his eyes. "Well, you should forgive your father. I would hate for the public to hear that the courthouse tied itself to a broken household." He laughed lightly, as if it were a small thing.
But Ruelle felt the weight of it settle on her shoulders.
"Why not make peace now?" Minister Sylvan suggested.
When she looked at her father, all she could remember was his hand striking her, his voice cutting her down, the years of silence when she had waited for even a little warmth. Now he offered it when she no longer was looking for it.
"I have no grudge to hold. What has passed, has passed," Ruelle said at last, her voice quiet.
The sooner she was done with this sham, the sooner it would be over.
"Come here, Ruelle," Mr. Belmont called her and she felt everyone's eyes. When she didn't, he walked to where she was.
The next moment, he wrapped his hands around her body. The feeling was foreign, something she had never experienced from him and she stood there rigid. His hold on her tightened before he released her.
"You forgive me, don't you, Ruelle?" Mr. Belmont asked expectantly. "I want to be everything I couldn't before for you. I want to fix my errors."
"How heartwarming", Minister Sylvan commented, even though his words held no depth to it. "Shall we continue what I came here for inside?"
"Please come in," Mr. Belmont offered a bow, while leading the man inside. "Excuse my wife and daughter, as they have somewhere to be."
Ruelle watched them disappear inside the house while they stepped out. Claude had pulled over the carriage in the courtyard. Once they sat inside, the carriage began to move, and her eyes fell on her bare hands.
"Claude, stop the carriage." Ruelle knocked on the glass.
"What's the matter?" Her mother asked with a deep frown.
"I left my gloves. I will be back soon," saying this, Ruelle stepped down from the carriage and made her way to the house.
She was going to head up to her room when she heard her father's voice rise, "It isn't soon enough!"
"Things like these take time. I believe I explained that to you before," Minister Sylvan said. His voice was calm, almost bored. He did not sound offended by her father's impatience. "You have complete hold over her now. The girl will follow every word. You are her guardian and not even the courthouse can question how you handle her."
Ruelle slowed. A frown pulled at her brows as she stopped near the hallway, the cold wall pressing against her arm.
"How long?" her father asked, the patience gone from his voice. "How long before it starts again?"
"Corruption?" Minister Sylvan answered. "A week or two, perhaps."
Ruelle's eyes narrowed.
"Lucian Slater left a soul bond on her," the minister continued. "And with the treaty, it is bound to cause an imbalance. Especially the breadcrumbs."