Smell of dead rat

Theodore's gaze shifted from Vanessa to look at the visitor, who tried to enter the house but was stopped by an invisible wall.

"Let's go." He said this while helping her stand up and leaving quietly.

When they reached where their horses were tied up in the forest, Theodore asked, "How do you feel?" His eyes keenly watched her.

She replied, "Tired. It feels like I'm suddenly carrying a whole lot of burden, and it keeps weighing me down." And as if it were not enough, her eyelids closed, feeling too heavy to open.

"The spell you placed actually worked." He let her know.

"Spell?" She questioned in confusion before realization hit her, and she would have smiled if it weren't for her current state. But at the same time, she was relieved to know that her brother was alive.

"It must be the reason you feel weighed down, because the spell didn't work immediately," as if something triggered it. The thoughtfulness that appeared on Theodore's face was quick to disappear.

Away from where they were, back in Mistleville's main town, and directly in front of the Storm's resident, the visitor stood irritably.

"Did that stupid boy trick me?" His angry voice roared as he violently hit the barrier.

Upon returning to the castle, Vanessa returned to her room, despite the fact that it was only an hour until the servants began their morning work.

She didn't want anyone spreading rumors about her again. "I wonder what happened to them." She was speaking of Rosetta and the other maids.

Dropping the spell book under her bed, she sat on the floor with her back resting on the side of the bed, her legs pulled to her chest, and her knees pointing to the ceiling.

Her thoughts drifted to what had happened earlier with the spell. "Was this what you meant by not playing with things I wasn't sure of?" She sighed and closed her eyes for a short nap.

But not a minute had passed when a knock sounded on her door, making Vanessa wonder who was at her door this early.

As hours passed in the castle, in the Lewis' mansion, Lady Claudette got dressed with the help of her maids.

Apparently, the vampiress had woken up on the good side of bed this morning, where a bright smile graced her lips.

"Good morning, father and mother," Claudette said as she descended the final flight of stairs to the parlor room, greeting her parents, who were sitting and drinking tea.

The couple turned to each other as if on cue, sharing a silent conversation for a moment as they could sense that their daughter was in a good mood.

Duke Lewis replied, "Morning, dear. We were just talking about you." He offered her a calm smile.

"Me?" she frowned. "What is it about?"

"Honey, why don't you join us for tea? Breakfast would be ready shortly." The duchess offered.

The duke and duchess were just happy to see their daughter in such a bright mood. She had been all sulky and didn't eat much since she last visited the castle, which had gotten them really worried.

"That won't be necessary," Claudette said dismissively. "I will be having breakfast with the king."

This time it was her parents who frowned at her, as they did not like the idea.

The duchess smiled fondly at her daughter and said, "Why don't we have a family breakfast today? Then you can go see the king another day." She tried to persuade her child, but the vampiress remained reluctant.

"I'm always at the mansion, mother. We can have breakfast together tomorrow, if you want." Claudette chimed.

"Claudie, your mother and I just want the best for you." Saying this, he placed his left hand on top of the duchess's when he saw her smile falter.

"I know, and that's why you are the best." She went to hug them for a second.

"Marquee Simpson's son will be visiting after a long time. I guess he will be attending the soiree; why don't you try to get to know him more instead of the king?" He watched his daughter, who now had a sour look, and when she didn't reply, he added,

"I don't think the king has any plans for marrying now or taking you as his queen." The duke said truthfully. His daughter was beautiful to look at, but that didn't mean the king was free of quirks.

"But I think differently. Now, if you would excuse me, Father, I have a breakfast to catch up on." She replied with enthusiasm.

Claudette had only walked halfway to the door when she stopped and turned to look at the duke. She said, "You should be proud of me for my efforts. If I get to marry his highness, then you will have him as your son-in-law."

'It wasn't a bad idea, but neither was it a good one.'

Though he knew the king was young, it was what made him so cunning, and anything he wanted, he could take it outright without permission.

And with that in mind, the duke could tell that King Theodore was not interested in his daughter. And the last thing he needed was for his only daughter to cling to a thin rope that already showed signs of cutting.

Reaching the castle's gate, Claudette caught sight of a small crowd of servants, who kept looking keenly at something. Some of the servants murmured to each other while others scrunched their noses in disgust.

Curious to find out what it was they were looking at, she stepped down from her carriage and started walking towards the crowd.

"After all, I'm going to be the future queen of Grey-forest; managing a small crowd of inactive servants shouldn't be too difficult." She smiled at the prospect of standing next to the king.

Lady Claudette had not even arrived where the servants were when she quickly closed her nose with two fingers due to the smell of a dead rat that had drifted to her nose.

She didn't bother to check what the servants were looking at anymore. Instead, she hurriedly picked up the front of her dress and headed back to the castle.

When she reached the castle's door, she was welcomed by Ralph, who gave a polite bow to the vampiress.

Allowing her to step into the castle, he said, "The king is about to have breakfast. You can—"

"Perfect!" She smiled proudly and started walking in the direction of the dining room. Ralph was quick to follow behind, so he could show her the way; as he did not want the lady roaming the restricted parts of the castle.

Just when they were out of sight, Vanessa stepped out of the castle, and she frowned deeply when she noticed the crowd.

Reaching where the servants were gathered, she was about to ask one of the servants what was happening. But following everyone's line of sight, her mouth and eyes opened wide in horror.

She had to slam her mouth shut with her right hand to stop herself from screaming.