Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56: The Weight of Small Things

Ruelle could still feel the dull throb and heat emanating from her ear—and it wasn’t from the needle. It was from where Lucian’s fang had sunk in.

Her fingers hesitantly brushed against the spot, feeling the faint, lingering warmth. It wasn’t painful, yet something about it felt... different. Like a whisper of something foreign beneath her skin, something that didn’t quite belong to her. freewebnoveℓ.com

Outside, the rain drummed softly against the windowpane, a steady rhythm against the cold stone walls.

She hadn’t expected him to bite her. Had it been necessary? To scare her, maybe. A flush crept up her neck, and she forced herself to shake the thought away. It wasn’t a big deal. Vampires bit people all the time. Still, she found herself watching him as he stood.

Clearing her throat, she murmured, "Thank you."

Lucian barely glanced at her.

"Don’t mention it," his tone was so nonchalant that for a brief moment, she wondered if it had even happened at all.

The candle on the chair flickered as he moved away, his presence still heavy in the air.

Ruelle exhaled and turned towards the long mirror. Opening the small velvet box, she studied the earrings her instructor had given her.

Tiny diamonds. Small enough to be unassuming, yet still undeniably expensive for someone like her. How generous though, she thought to herself. For all that Sexton demanded from humans, its generosity in return felt almost calculated.

Would they even be allowed to keep them after the assignment was assessed? Or was this another reminder of their place—something to give, something to take away? She sighed internally. It didn’t matter.

She reached up, guiding the first earring toward her ear—

"Don’t."

The word sliced through the silence of the room, sharp enough to make her fingers still mid-air. She blinked, her gaze snapping toward Lucian in the mirror. Slowly, she turned to face him fully.

"...What?" Ruelle asked him.

Lucian leaned back slightly in his chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him, his posture impossibly unbothered. His dark eyes flickered briefly to her ear before settling back on her reflection.

"The piercing is fresh," he said, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather. "It could get infected."

Ruelle blinked, thrown off by the unexpected concern. No, that wasn’t the right word. For a moment, she almost nodded in agreement. It was true—some of the other students had been dealing with bruised, swollen piercings. Some had even had infections.

"But I need to wear them for the test," she pointed out.

Lucian, whose fingers had reached for a book near him, paused. He didn’t look at her. Instead, he let the silence stretch between them, before he finally asked, "And?"

Ruelle frowned slightly. "And... everyone else is wearing theirs."

She heard him exhale, before swivelling in his seat to turn in her direction.

Then, like stating an undeniable fact, he flatly said, "Isn’t it simple? You aren’t worthy of it."

The words landed no less than a slap on her face. She stiffened. Her fingers tightening around the earring in her palm. The insult crawled under her skin, burned its way through her chest, leaving a dull ache in its wake.

"What?" she uttered, the disbelief sitting heavy on her tongue.

Her face burned from the sting of humiliation. She knew Lucian held humans in contempt. But this was uncalled for.

"You heard me," Lucian replied calmly.

It wasn’t just what he had said—it was how he said it. There was mockery woven beneath every syllable. Like she wasn’t even worth a proper insult. Not worthy. Not good enough. Her nails dug into her palm, pressing into the tiny, expensive diamond she still clutched.

She swallowed, trying to force it down. She demanded, "So then why did you even bother?"

"Bother?" Lucian blinked, as if mildly amused. She saw him lean back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other, his expression unreadable.

"If you despise humans so much, why help me with the piercing at all? Why not let me fail entirely?" She questioned him.

"And deny you the pleasure of thinking you had a chance?" He taunted her, with his gaze flicking up to hers. "Now where would be the fun in that?"

How cruel... Ruelle thought to herself. The worst part was that he said it so smoothly, that she couldn’t even tell if it was a lie. Or if he truly meant it.

"Then I suppose I should be grateful, shouldn’t I? For your generosity in watching me suffer," Ruelle shot back in response to his words. Feeling hurt, which she tried to hide while her voice quivered in the end. "Thank you, for reminding me of my place."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed toward the door so that she could stay away from him. At least for the night.

"By all means, run along," Lucian remarked from behind, "I hear the hallways are particularly safe this time of night where a Groundling doesn’t get attacked."

"I’ll make sure not to get attacked. I wouldn’t want to give you another satisfaction," Ruelle muttered before stepping out of the room.

The door clicked shut behind her, while she stared into the empty corridor. The feeling of humiliation didn’t disappear. Lucian’s words shouldn’t have hurt, because he didn’t know her. But those words had been uttered in the past.

"Always trying to bring us shame, you aren’t worthy of being a Belmont," her father’s voice echoed in the back of her head. "A girl like you should know when to be grateful."

Her steps faltered slightly, breath coming unsteady. Her eyes prickled, but she fought the familiar ache in her chest.

She had thought Lucian was different.

Not that she expected kindness from him. She wasn’t foolish enough to think that. But after he had helped her most of the times, some part of her had believed that maybe, just maybe he wasn’t like the other Elites.

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