Chapter 235 - 235: What Cannot Be Erased

Ruelle heard the sound of the carriage arrive before she saw it.

"...well, it would cause trouble if the Belmonts decided to step away from the treaty," Carnifex remarked as he opened the door, his voice carrying the particular weariness of a man who had been roused from his fire and his books to deal with a child's midnight summons.

"I don't think it is that..." Lady Amelia murmured, fixing her expression to a stoic one as she followed her husband.

The Elder Minister hadn't removed his coat, snow dusting on his shoulders from the short walk between the carriage and stepping inside the mansion.

Daisy scrambled to her feet the moment the minister entered, offering a quick, nervous bow, her eyes fixed on the floor. Ruelle rose more slowly, her gaze steady.

"Take a seat," Lady Amelia urged them.

Back when she had overheard Lucian and Carnifex speaking at the courthouse, Ruelle had wondered if things would have been different if he had known she was his daughter sooner. The question had followed her for days. Right now, she counted on the hug he had given her after Ezekiel was caught. But now that she had turned back time... did that mean there was a chance to run into—

"Are your master and mistress aware that both of you are here?" Carnifex's voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and direct. He looked at her first, then his eyes moved to the maid who had accompanied her.

Daisy's expression crumpled with unease. "N—No, Sire," she stammered. "Miss Ruelle said it was urgent to see you."

"You do understand that by bringing the little girl here, it will cause her family to be distrustful and create problems for the treaty we just made?" Carnifex's voice was not unkind, but it was firm, the voice of a man who had seen too many small troubles snowball into large ones to let one pass unchecked.

Ruelle's hand reached for Daisy's, squeezing it to calm her. The older woman was startled slightly at the touch, as she had gone along with this madness, but she wasn't sure right now.

"Mr. and Mrs. Belmont don't trust vampires since the beginning," Ruelle spoke, her voice small because of the age she had been brought back in. "Even if you were to give them a new residence and help them, they will not change."

Daisy's eyes widened upon hearing the little one speak about her parents.

"Are you saying there's no point in having the treaty then?" Carnifex frowned, his lips setting in a thin line. "That another family should be chosen instead of you?"

"No." Ruelle shook her head. "I am sure it isn't the reason why you even set the treaty in the first place between Lucian Slater and me."

Carnifex's expression did not change, but something in his eyes did. He asked her, "Where did you hear that from?"

'You were the one to tell me,' Ruelle's mind responded. But there was something else she wanted to say before it. She informed,

"Minister Sylvan's mother is preparing for a war between the humans and vampires. It will take place in a few days from now—"

"Why would Lady Sylvan do anything as such?" Carnifex's eyebrows furrowed, staring at the little girl before him. "If your parents said it, there must be—"

"No!" Ruelle was firm. "At this very moment, Lady Sylvan is looking for the last piece of the mirror that belongs to Belladonna. A piece that my mother left for me. There's someone in the market!" She remembered Peyton's words in the church. "A blonde woman who sells ribbons, she's part of it. And there's another person. Marjorie. They are all part of the plan. If you don't do it, the treaty will fall apart and people are going to die!"

Her voice rang through the room, small but unshakeable, and for a long moment, no one spoke.

The fire crackled and the snow continued to fall outside, silent and relentless. Carnifex looked at the girl before him, whose eyes looked desperate.

"Miss Ruelle..." Daisy placed her hand on Ruelle's shoulder to ease her.

A sigh escaped from Carnifex's lips. The day had been long and he had hoped for a quiet evening when he had returned to the mansion. Not expecting the child of the woman he had loved to appear in front of him.

"I need to investigate the matter to see how true it is," he said, without completely dismissing her words. "Minister Sylvan is, after all, an integral part of the council." His eyes lifted to the small girl standing before him, snow still melting in her hair. "Where did you even hear this?"

Ruelle had lived through it. And there was a hint of loneliness in her heart at the fact that she was the only one who remembered what had happened, but in a way she was the only one who knew what the future held. And if she was going to make changes, she was ready to remove the roots before it could grow and cause problems.

"Lady Sylvan told me herself when Belladonna's mirror was complete," Ruelle's words came out in a whisper. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and then said, louder: "I would also want you to take Mr. and Mrs. Belmont under arrest."

The teacup that Daisy held clattered to the floor. It shattered against the carpet, spilling the tea, and she quickly apologised, "Forgive me—I'm so sorry, milord, milady—"

"That's fine. I will have someone clean it," Lady Amelia said, while too invested with what she was hearing.

Carnifex's brows rose, though there was little amusement left in his expression. He questioned,

"On what charge? I don't know where you heard some of the things you've said tonight, and I don't know if it is because you found them through some place or person, but it was entertaini—"

"On the account of them lying that they have only one daughter." Ruelle's voice cut through his, clear and steady. "There's a younger daughter. Caroline. Isn't that breaking or manipulating the treaty?"

Carnifex took in her words. He did not dismiss them, but his expression remained unconvinced, his fingers drumming once against the arm of his chair. "So you have a sister."

"No."

"Right," the minister murmured, his eyes narrowing as he reworked the logic. "It would be a half-sibling."

"No," Ruelle repeated, shaking her head. "It is because my mother carried me before she got married. If that is not enough, then," she pulled her skirt up to reveal the scars near her legs. "And if that still isn't enough," she said quietly, "would you let them walk free if you knew your daughter was being abused?"

Carnifex's eyes widened in shock and he stared at her hard as if he were looking at her for the first time. His gaze moved over her face, her small frame, the set of her jaw, and behind his eyes, Ruelle could almost see the gears in there turning.

Ruelle knew it was hard to believe with how she had flung the news onto him, but she didn't plan on delaying the information. The sooner he would come face to face with the truth, the sooner she could sort things out without having to worry about any harm that could be caused in the future.

There was no way for her to prove her bloodline because right now, she was still a human. It was said that when a human and a witch had an offspring, the child's kind was determined right after birth. But when a vampire and a witch had a child, there were anomalies where the child wouldn't show its true self until after many years.

"Did your father—I mean Mr Belmont—do that to you?" Lady Amelia questioned with a deep frown.

Ruelle nodded. Beside her, Daisy, who was in equal confusion or more than the rest, finally returned from her thoughts.

"Mr. Belmont… He takes his anger out on Miss Ruelle. Those marks are every bit as painful as they look... Please don't send her back there," Daisy's voice wavered. "He blames her for the late lady's death. That she killed her..."

"How awful," Lady Amelia murmured. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes moving over the girl's legs as if she could still see the marks beneath the fabric. "Some look... new. Has it been treated?"

"I did the best I could, milady. Mr. Belmont would never call for a physician. I don't know why he's like that to his..." the maid didn't know what to believe and what to not. When she had agreed to visit the elder minister's mansion, she hadn't expected to hear what she did.

Ruelle caught her father picking up a cookie from the tray, downing it in one bite, and reaching for another while still in deep thought. The sight of the Elder Minister of the courthouse, midcrisis, eating his way through a plate of sweets reminded her of what his wife had said.

Compared to the last time Ruelle remembered him, he looked quite young here and it made her wonder what had aged him that much in just twelve years. After some time, she heard Carnifex asked,

"How old are you…?"

"Eighteen."

Carnifex this time picked the entire tray of the cookies before stepping out of the room with it.

"Cookie monster," she muttered.

Lady Amelia's lips twitched at this. Fixing her expression, she then said,

"You needn't worry about going back to the Belmonts' residence tonight and I am sure Carnifex will get to the bottom of the matter with whatever it is. You too," she looked up to meet the maid's eyes.

"That is very generous of you, milady," Daisy offered a deep bow to the woman.

"Why don't I show you to your room?" Lady Amelia offered her hand to the little one, who stared at the door through which her husband had left.

Ruelle turned back before placing her hand into the woman's, who offered her a bright smile, before leading them out of the room.

While Ruelle was being led further inside the mansion, the Belmont residence was anything but quiet. Mr. and Mrs. Belmont had turned livid upon discovering that Ruelle was nowhere to be found.

"Where did she go?!" Harold's voice thundered through the house. A chair scraped violently across the floor as he shoved it aside, searching the dining room for the third time as though the little girl were hiding beneath the table.

Mrs. Belmont hurried after him, her face pale with worry as she informed him, "Daisy's coat is gone. Her purse too. Should we complain to the magistrate?"

Harold stopped and then his expression darkened. "She took her!" he snapped, rounding on his wife. "We signed the treaty today, and now the girl has disappeared before the night is even over! If people hear about this, it might cause issues. Get your coat. We're going to the Elder Minister."

They got into their carriage and left right away.

The vehicle rattled through the dark streets, the horses' hooves moving against frozen cobblestone as they raced through the snow. When they finally arrived at the gates, Mr. Belmont lowered his window and barked the order to the guard.

"Open the gates. I am here to see the minister. It concerns the treaty."

The guard was the same one who had tried to turn Ruelle and Daisy away an hour before. He was going to shoo the carriage away, but with how the commotion had taken place before, he pursed his lips before opening the gates to let them in.

When they entered the mansion, the Elder Minister was already standing at the hall.

"Minister, forgive the hour. I am Harold Belmont, whom the treaty was decided with," Mr. Belmont began immediately, striding forward with the practiced confidence of a man who had entered noble halls his entire life. He didn't wait for an invitation to speak. "The girl has gone missing. I think my maid kidnapped her!"

Carnifex did not move. He simply stared at the man before him.

"Why do you believe the maid took her?" He asked.

"Because Ruelle would never leave by herself. She knows better than to do that. She's very compliant," Mr. Belmont explained.

Mrs. Belmont noticed the minister's hostility. But she stood quietly behind her husband, the posture of an obedient wife.

Mr. Belmont pressed on, mistaking the minister's stillness for careful consideration. "I am worried the treaty you arranged for will collapse if this matter is not resolved swiftly. If the girl is harmed or lost—I thought I should come to you right away."

"I will take care of it. Everything will be resolved by tomorrow," Carnifex said, his voice flat. "You can go home and rest?"

Mr. Belmont's concern seems soothed in an instant. He bowed before saying,

"Thank you, Elder Minister." After crossing the threshold and getting inside the carriage, he said to his wife, "See, I told you the problem would be solved. Our problem is now theirs."

The Elder Minister watched the carriage leave until it completely disappeared from his sight, the sound of its wheels fading into the hush of falling snow, the lanterns swinging on its sides shrinking away completely. He wore a solemn expression.

Several minutes passed while he stood there unmoved, his hands still clasped behind his back, his eyes fixed on the empty courtyard as though he expected the carriage to reappear.

"Karl," he called at last.

A servant appeared from the shadow of the entrance hall, moving quickly despite the late hour, and dropped into a deep bow the moment he reached the minister's side. "Sire."

"Inform Minister Gaile to prepare warrants for Harold Belmont and his wife. They concealed material information while entering a treaty sanctioned by His Majesty. Have the treaty documents reviewed for fraud and treason. And send a physician to document the girl's injuries," Carnifex ordered, his words calm and clear.

"Yes, Sire," the servant bowed once again before leaving the place.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him. Carnifex turned his head slightly and found his wife approaching.

"She fell asleep," Lady Amelia informed him. "Her body is young, after all. You seem quite shocked."

"And you seem to be taking it rather well," the elder minister sighed.

To think he had a daughter with Mira... and he had lost six years of hers, he frowned. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask, but the news had rattled him. He had never believed reversing time was possible. Then again, Ruelle carried the blood of Belladonna.

Amelia came to stand beside him, following his gaze towards the gates through which the Belmont carriage had disappeared.

He should have done it the moment Harold Belmont had jumped into a second marriage only a few days after Mira's death. His jaw clenched at the thought. When he picked up his coat and headed towards the threshold, he informed,

"I will return later."

Back in the room where Ruelle had fallen asleep, the fireplace continued to burn, a low, steady flame that painted the walls in shifting shades of amber and gold, keeping the cold of the winter night at bay. The blanket had been pulled up to her chest, tucked with care and attention. Her chest rose and fell softly, her breath slow and even now, with her lashes still against her cheeks.

After a few hours, when the moon had reached its peak with a silver lining of red on it, the log of wood in the fireplace crackled, sending a small shower of embers up through the flue. For a moment the sound of it was the only thing that moved in the dark and then, without warning, the wicks of the untouched candles took flame on their own.

One by one they caught, each wick popping alight as if touched by an invisible hand. On the bed, Ruelle stirred softly in her sleep. Slowly, delicate vines began to ink themselves across the pale skin of her neck.

In the Slaters' mansion, at the first light of dawn, Lady Irina was passing the dining room when she noticed someone already seated inside. She asked,

"Having trouble sleeping?"

Dane looked up from the warm cup of blood cradled between his hands. He smiled, responding, "Not anymore. My favourite person has arrived."

"Flattery before breakfast? You must be troubled." Lady Irina's lips curved as she took the chair opposite him. Her gaze lingered on his face for another moment. She asked, "What happened?"

Dane's smile did not move, and that was answer enough. He hummed, giving a small shrug as his gaze dropped to the warm blood in his cup.

"Frankly, I'm not sure. It must have been the dream," he answered, his fingers turning the cup idly. "It felt as though someone reached into my chest and took something with them. I woke up feeling rather... empty."

"Does it hurt?" Lady Irina asked, her brows drawing together. Before Dane could properly answer, she turned towards Maude, who had only arrived. "Good that you are here, Maude. Fetch the physician."

Dane laughed at it and replied, "Mother, I'm not dying."

"Good. The physician can confirm it."

Noticing the head of the housekeepers stand there, she asked, "Yes, Maude?"

"Forgive me, but I thought you should know. Master Lucian has not been in his room or on the estate since early this morning. One carriage is missing from the stable."

When Lady Irina turned towards her eldest, Dane raised both hands in surrender and his smile widened,

"Don't look at me. I had nothing to do with it. I was far too occupied being terrorised by my own dreams, Mother."

"Where did he go then?" Lady Irina murmured with a frown.

Far from the Slater estate, the Belmont residence had already lost what little peace remained within it.

Harold Belmont stood near the entrance with his jaw clenched, while Mrs Belmont and a young Caroline lingered several steps behind him.

"Y—You, I am going to report you if you don't take it back, boy!" Mr. Belmont's voice shook on seeing the black tendrils inch towards them, which looked nothing less than octopus tentacles. "What is wrong with you? What are you even doing here?!"