Lydia Claymore had never been denied something. Her father was in charge of the successful Claymore Conglomerate whose factories were spread across the country with an enormous skyscraper in the heart of the city.

The city, bustling with the modern glow of life was a few miles away from the castle that was located near the forest that had been protected by the Royal Luxton families for centuries. Supposedly, there was a hidden secret in there, but certain parts of the forest had been opened to the public to dispel such rumors.

The address "Duke Claymore" was just a title for the sake of old family ties. The Claymore bloodline had been around for a while now, and being the first family that supplied the Vampire with weapons during the Species War, they received a bountiful amount of land and prestige.

The Claymores' ties with the Luxtons began decades, if not, centuries ago.

It was precisely why Lydia refused to believe His Majesty was so cold towards her. Quite frankly, she couldn't care less. But Adeline was her good friend, and she refused to part ways.

"Addy," Lydia warmly addressed her friend in the same, energetic voice of their youth. "It seems His Majesty is stingy. That's fine, I will take you to the famous patisserie shop in the heart of the city, that's always frequented by socialites."

Adeline warily smiled. "Liddy, that's a kind offer, but I don't think I can go."

"Nonsense," Lydia gently said. She knew exactly what the hell Aunt Eleanor was doing. She planned to reverse all of Aunt Eleanor's wrongdoings, even if it took a century.

"The patisserie was trained in Paris in the most prestigious cooking academy. His family specializes in tart related desserts. They have the most delightful lemon meringue tart. I just know you'll love it, Addy."

Lydia grabbed a hold of one of Adeline's elbows. She smiled up at her best friend with a loving expression.

"Come with me, Addy. My Father's men will keep us safe. No one will disturb our meal, especially a random blackbird," Lydia sniped.

"No, it's truly fine, Liddy—"

Adeline's stomach loudly rumbled. An awkward silence fell over them. She felt Elia's grip tightened upon her hands, his eyes boring a hole through her skull. But she also felt the urgent tug of Lydia's hand on her elbows.

Adeline was stuck between a hard spot and a rock. She glanced from the suddenly affectionate Elias to the suddenly worried Lydia.

"You like lemon meringue tarts?" Elias finally said, his voice on high-alert.

"You're going to marry my Addy and you don't even know her preferences in desserts?" Lydia snickered behind her hand.

"Your Addy?" he coldly responded, with an equally mocking smile. "What? Do you swing for the other team?" "You—"

Suddenly, a sharp knock was heard upon the door. Lydia turned around, already fearing who it might be. She gulped, knowing her parents had all the power in the world to walk into the castle here without prior notice. After all, she did the same thing.

Before anyone could respond, the doors were pushed open to reveal a stern, but a kind-faced woman. Duchess Claymore stood there, in all of her glory. She was wearing a clean-cut white blouse tucked into grey slacks, revealing she had just come from a meeting.

"M-Mother dearest…" Lydia trailed off, instantly standing up with a wry smile. She held onto Adeline tighter, knowing her Mother would never lash out in front of guests--especially the kind-hearted Adeline.

"Daughter dearest," Mrs. Claymore returned with a large, uptight smile.

"A-Aunt Claymore," Adeline softly addressed, hoping to take the burden off of Lydia.

Mrs. Claymore's irritated eyes snapped to the address. Instantly, her expression softened. She glanced at Adeline as a mother would regard their daughter. Goodness, just looking at Adeline alone was enough to break her heart all over again.

Adeline had the eyes of her father, but the features of her mother. She was the perfect blend of Addison and Kaline. It would be impossible to deny her striking resemblance to her parents.

"Adeline," Mrs. Claymore adoringly addressed. "My daughter has placed you in a rough spot again for showing up without prior notice."

"No, that's alright, Lydia's presence is always welcomed," Adeline instantly said.

"Oh sweetheart, you are far too kind. If only Lydia," Mrs. Claymore growled the last part. "Didn't abuse your generosity, Adeline."

"But Mother I haven't seen Adeline in weeks! Aunt Eleanor kept her confined in the estate, saying she got sick and this was the first opportunity for me to see her!" Lydia exasperated.

Adeline turned to Lydia, surprised that she had come over. Aunt Eleanor had never told her that. But she suspected as much. Aunt Eleanor always believed the infamous Lydia Claymore would be a bad influence.

Everyone always wanted to be Lydia Claymore's friend. She had friends in every area code and was always the life of the party. The party didn't start until Lydia Claymore walked in.

Known to be a "wild child," despite Mrs. Claymore's strict teachings, Lydia had everything she wanted in life. Friends were aplenty, jobs were aplenty, her social network was promising.

Even so, Lydia always clung to Adeline. Their childhood story was the reason behind it all. Everyone always wanted something from the wealthy Lydia, everyone except Adeline.

"Mrs. Marden has her reasons. You always cause a ruckus when you go to the Marden's house, demanding to take Adeline from their estate! Of course, she would ban you from seeing Adeline," Mrs. Claymore seethed.

Mrs. Claymore had received multiple complaints about her daughter from Aunt Eleanor. She could not deny it, because all of the incidents sounded like something Lydia would do.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, her phone buzzed. She let out a small sigh and checked it. Another meeting was going to start in thirty minutes. She had to wrap this up now.

Finally, Mrs. Claymore addressed the enormous elephant, or should she say bat, in the room. "Your Majesty," she stated. "My daughter has disrupted your schedule. I apologize."

Elias briefly glanced at Mrs. Claymore. She only became more strict with age, but her face showed no signs of aging. There were no wrinkles on her face. Her blond hair was pulled back into a bun, without the hint of white in the sun-kissed color.

It was a wonder that the troublemaker Claymore would fall in love with someone so uptight. But he knew there was more to what meets the eye.

"It's no trouble, Mrs. Claymore, however—"

Adeline's grip tightened on his hands. She looked up at him, with silent eyes.

"—she did not cause too much of a ruckus."

Adeline let out a small sigh of relief. She felt like he was going to initially complain of disrespect. When she glanced back at Elias, her heart quivered. There was a look of expectancy in his eyes. He wanted something in return.

"You're too kind, Your Majesty," Mrs. Claymore stated in an appreciative voice. Then, she turned towards her daughter. "You've overstayed your welcome. I have a meeting to attend. You must be present."

Lydia opened and closed her mouth. When her mother shot her a warning glare, her shoulders dropped in disappointment. She was twenty this year, but was still being reprimanded.

When will mothers stop babying their children? She hoped it was soon!

"Addy," she softly said.

Suddenly, Adeline pulled her hands back from Elias. She turned towards her friend and embraced her dearly.

"It 's so pleasant to see you again, Liddy," Adeline gently said. She pulled back, just as Lydia grabbed her hands.

Adeline was surprised when something cold touched her palm. But she pretended nothing happened and smiled.

"You will see me again, Addy," Lydia firmly said. She cast a side glance towards the King. "Definitely."

Adeline nodded. She knew Lydia had no choice but to leave. The heiress was being trained to take over her Father's company, despite having an older brother.

It was interesting that Mrs. Claymore trained her daughter, whereas Mr. Claymore trained his son. The final decision would take place in the shareholder's meeting.

"I'll see you soon," Lydia added on. magic

Lydia shot a warning glare to his Majesty, much to her mother's dismay. Public disregard for the King was disrespectful and could warrant suspicion to commit treason.

When Adeline gave a soft nod, Lydia strolled towards her mother. Her stride was powerful, and everything Adeline wanted. That is, until she made it towards Mrs. Claymore who grabbed her daughter by the ear as she howled in pain.

"Ow, ow, Mom not the ears!" Lydia complained, just as she was dragged out of the room.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," Mrs. Claymore said whilst leaving the room. Her bodyguards closed the door behind them.

Finally, it was just Adeline and Elias in the room.