Chapter 58 - Not Worth It
"You're here again?" Dorothy murmured over a cup of warm, chrysanthemum tea. For some reason, her taste had begun to change over the years. She used to enjoy the tartness of fruit teas, but now, it was plain flower drinks.
Dorothy didn't have to lift her eyes from the teacup to know her grandson was furious. When was he not? Beneath his humored stare and large smile, he was always simmering with rage.
Elias was a ticking time bomb. It wouldn't be long before he exploded.
"I see you're irritated at my meddling again," Dorothy said.
The chair beside her loudly screeched. He plopped down and crossed his ankle over his knees. There was a dark glimmer in his bright red eyes.
Dorothy always found it amusing that the moon followed him. They were both seated by the window, but the moonlight danced upon his features alone. It gave him an air of loneliness, turning his broad shoulders into a thin outline. And perhaps he was lonely, after all these years of ruling by himself.
"I had to do something you know," Dorothy commented.
She placed the teacup down and faced him with an amused smile. "You were acting like a fool, prancing around Addison's daughter as if you didn't know the truth already."
"Her name's Adeline."
Dorothy's smile widened. "I know who she is."
Elias didn't say anything else. He shifted his gaze towards the night sky. It was dim and lacked the glimmer of stars. Thin gray clouds masked the pale, ghastly moon. He preferred it this way. The stars were a distraction for the beauty of the night.
"Now that the Golden Rose has been revealed to half the council, what will you do, idiot grandson of mine?" Dorothy asked. Her thin and leathered fingers wrapped themselves around the warm cup of tea.
It had been a while since Dorothy last tasted the blood of an animal and human. Even though she was a Pure-Bred, she had suppressed herself with the tablets given to the rest of the Vampires. That way, her mind would be focused on speaking to the High Heavens, instead of thinking about anything else.
"Do you plan to go against fate?" Dorothy said in a light voice, filled with mocking laughter. "You already know what happens when to those that defy fate."
Dorothy ran her finger around the rip of the teacup. A single chrysanthemum floated on the surface, but soon, it dank to the depths of the cup. The pale yellow of the tea made her smile in reminiscence. It reminded her of the pretty, yellow-hair family that met its demise.
"After all, you were quite close to a couple who did the same thing," Dorothy vaguely stated.
Elias lazily glanced towards his Grandmother. Wordlessly, he continued to observe the scenery out of the window. He could still see the rat creeping closer and closer to the mousetrap. It won't be long before Elias captured the rat infesting near his castle.
"You're destined to marry or consume the Golden Rose as you deem fit. Only she can aid the recovery of your compassion and love," Dorothy added on.
Dorothy frowned to herself. Speaking of the past left a bitter taste on her tongue. That idiot daughter-in-law of hers! If it wasn't for that woman's meddling, then none of this would've been happening.
Dorothy supposed this was Elias's punishment for acquiring something that wasn't his, to begin with.
Elias's ability to harness the shadows and manipulate them was a skill that he shouldn't have possessed. But after the sacrificial experiment from two centuries ago, the power of the night was imbedded within his blood. His heart was the sacrifice.
Because of this, he would never be able to love or feel compassion for others. Despite the lack of these qualities, he was an efficient leader that lead Wraith into an era of prosperity.
"When the Noble Flower blooms, a seedling will grow in an empty room," Dorothy solemnly said. "That is prophecy fate with the Golden Rose."
Elias clicked his fingers upon the table. Tap. Tap. Tap. There was a faraway, distant look in his eyes. It was as if he knew something that Dorothy doesn't.
"What is it, boy?" Dorothy demanded in a startled voice.
Her grandson was never this quiet and obedient. He often had a lot more to say than this. Her eyes shifted to the direction of where he was looking at. His attention was upon the gardens underneath the tower.
"Who's to say the Noble Flower is the same thing as the Golden Rose?" Elias said with a hardened edge to his tone.
Dorothy opened her mouth, ready to refute him. But she forced herself to pause. All along, she believed the Noble Flower was the same as the Golden Rose. Was gold not a noble thing? Was a rose not a flower? Was her Grandson stupid?
"There is no use in holding onto false hope," Dorothy reprimanded. "Lydia Claymore is your destined one. Adeline Rose is a mere distraction."
Elias quirked a brow, as an arrogant smile spread on his face.
"Adeline will have the same fate as her mother, Addison. It's a hushed secret, but Addison's fated lover was Sebastian Marden. The couple was written in the stars and their fate was sealed. But who's child did she dare to give birth to? Kaline Rose," Dorothy spat out.
Just the thought of the star-crossed lover made her shudder in disgust. She pitied Sebastian Marden, who lost his lover and any dreams of their future together. The day Crown Prince Kaline stormed into the wedding, armed with soldiers and weapons, was the day that everything shifted.
"Kaline Rose had rewritten the fate of not only himself but his wife and daughter. Now, the poor child was left to bear the burden of her parent's wrongdoings," Dorothy added on.
"Perhaps if Addison had never married Kaline, then there would've never been a usurper to Kastrem," Dorothy bit out in a venomous tone.
Dorothy absolutely abhorred those that defied fate. She was the messenger of the gods, and it was her duty to make sure her own family did not make the same mistake.
"If Kaline had married his fated partner, the Princess of a foreign country, then he would've still been alive. It was his fault that the Princess's family never forgave the Rose for their betrayal and gathered a rebellion against Kastrem, knowing karma would take its toll," Dorothy said.
Dorothy tore her gaze away from the gardens. She centered her attention back onto her Grandson and gave him a pointed look. "The tragedy of Addison and Kaline Rose serves as a great warning to all of those who think about disobeying the Heavens. You must learn from their mistake and never make the same ones."
"You're great at spinning their love story to your favor," Elias complimented in a dubious voice.
"It is the truth," Dorothy said with a serious look.
"You don't know their true story, so you don't get to judge them, Grandmother." Elias rose from his chair. He didn't need to hear about the past when he was there to experience it himself.
Besides, Elias had better things to do. His phone inside of his pocket had buzzed. It sensed a motion in Adeline's room. She was supposed to be asleep. Why was she moving so much?
"Elias," Dorothy harshly addressed. "The Roses have deceived you for twenty years! You already know Adeline is not the Golden Rose, and that her parents tried to steal the spotlight from Lydia. Why are you so fixated on that imposter?"
Elias widened his smile, much to her dismay. "Why not?"
Dorothy scoffed at his audacity. "How can you stand by the sides of the sinners? Because of the Rose family's meddling, Lydia Claymore has always thought her birthday was before Halloween! But she was born at the midnight, a minute into Halloween. Yet, all of her life, she was forced to celebrate a wrong birthday."
Elias shrugged. "And I should care, because…?"
Dorothy gasped up at him. She stood up in disbelief, unable to understand this rebellious grandson of hers. She didn't raise him to be this stubborn. Life was not on her side. Like father, like son, once they were set on a goal, they would do everything to succeed.
"The Golden Rose is right in our Kingdom. Every ruler from every corner of this world wants her hand in marriage! We have the perfect opportunity, yet you refuse to seize it? Have you lost your mind?" Dorothy complained.
Elias raised a brow. "Since when was I sane?"
"Elias," Dorothy sharply addressed. "Adeline Rose is not worth it."
Elias turned towards his Grandmother. He had the expression of a tricker. "That's for you to believe, and me to decide."
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