The Crown's Obsession

Instead of sticking to stay inside the room which Madeline had been eager to do before, she walked in the corridors of the castle to receive the quiet looks that were passed on from the servants who walked by. Somewhere she felt that the maids were curious to know and see who the human was, who was freely walking in the castle. Though their gazes were not direct, she could feel them.

After she had spoken to the man who was in the dungeon, she had come to find out something which wasn't too obvious of a hint, but she felt maybe it could lead her to something—the bulbous bottle. Four years ago, when both she and her sister Beth, had gone to visit the fair that had been set up in the village, she remembered her sister whose eyes had fallen on the different shapes and sizes of bottles. 

'How much are these?' asked her sister, who was a year older to her. Beth's chin had been tipped up as she looked at the vendor. 

'They cost twelve nickel coins,' the vendor answered, not paying any heed at first to the voice but after seeing the beautiful young girls, he stopped what he was doing to pay attention to them.

'Twelve?' Beth had huffed at that time, 'For a single little bottle? Don't you think it is too much?' she questioned to hear the man laugh.

'You can pick the cheaper ones that are for four nickel coins. These are rare,' he picked up the bulbous looking glass that looked like a miniature bottle, 'These are made by a person who once used to live in Yorkshire and by a particular person. Almost five decades old and you won't find them being sold anywhere else.'

Madeline who had recollected the memory wondered if there could be any duplicates that were created that looked like the original ones. After all, people liked to copy and sell them by calling it their own. But at the same time, she hadn't come across such a bottle after that. She wondered if she should ask the King to allow her to take a look at the bottle because she would know what kind it was and if it was the same, all she would have to do was check who came from Yorkshire.

Continuing to walk, Madeline stepped deeper inside the castle. To the parts, she had never once stepped into until now- the kitchen of the castle. 

The servants who were working there turned to look at the lady before they continued to work, and the man who watched over the kitchen came forward. 

"Is there something I can help you with?" The man was bald, and he had cleaner clothes than the rest of the servants in this room. His eyebrows were raised, and red eyes stared at her. 

"Are you the head cook?" Madeline asked, and the man gave her a nod, "I was looking for the recipe you made today for breakfast. Would you mind iterating it to me?" her tone came out to be polite. 

The head cook would have questioned her on her identity if he didn't notice the clothes and the jewels on the lady, "Which one would you like to hear?"

Madeline raised her hand and wiped the back of her hand over her forehead because of the heat that was filled in the kitchen. 

The man who noticed this, offered, "Let's step outside. It is hot in here because of the fire," and Madeline gladly stepped outside the kitchen room to be followed by the cook. For a person who lived in a small home where the kitchen didn't have enough windows to release the heat from the fire, she was used to it, but she had to get the man outside so that she could ask him questions.

Madeline didn't want herself to be heard or told as the person who was snooping around this place. But then, she didn't have any plans to stay back in the castle, and the goal to go back home was still there in the back of her mind. She just happened to feel sorry for the man who was behind bars for something he had not done, at least that is what she felt, and she asked,

"How do you make the broth from the lamb? There was pepper in there, but I felt something more."

"Lady Madeline, what are you doing here?" came Sophie's voice. Sophie had asked the maid to keep an eye on Madeline, and after getting the information about how the human was roaming in the castle, the vampiress had made her way out of the room.

"Lady Sophie," the head cook bowed his head at the vampiress, and the girl only smiled.

"I thought you would be resting, which was why I didn't come to bother you earlier. If I knew you were outside, I would have avoided from boring myself," Sophie said, the smile still on her lips. 

How strange that the girl was bored with her own company and was here only to kill time, thought Madeline to herself. 

"What are you doing here?" asked Sophie, her eyes holding curiosity. 

Madeline returned Sophie's smile, "I was looking for some recipe that was made by the castle's kitchen today."

"Hm? You don't know how to cook?" Sophie raised her brows as if Madeline had sacrificed an animal, "I thought girls from the village knew how to cook. What a shame that you were not able to tell after tasting it."

Madeline knew what Sophie was trying to do. The vampiress didn't leave even a single opportunity to look down at her and remind her where she came from, "You know it?" she asked Sophie who rolled her eyes. 

"Of course, I do. Did you think I wouldn't know how to cook? I come from a high standing family, we are taught to learn those simple things," answered the vampiress with an air of attitude in her voice. 

"That is good to hear," praised Madeline, "Because mostly with what we hear in the villages and towns, it is that girls and women from high social standing families only know to dress up like a doll and look pretty without knowing how even to comb their hair." The smile on Sophie's face faltered, but she couldn't go to punish her as the human had not pointed her finger at her but had spoken about the other people which might or might not have included her. 

Sophie was going to be in a much higher position one day, and when that day appeared, she would make sure to teach this human her place. 

"Now that you know, you don't have to carry wrong assumptions about the females who belong to the high class," Sophie smiled like she meant no harm to Madeline when in truth she just wanted to get rid of this girl from the castle. The vampiress didn't stop there but continued to say, "You should be careful while hovering over the kitchen though. Especially with the attempt of poisoning that took place. You wouldn't want the suspicion to fall on you now, would you?" 

Saying this, Sophie walked away.