Madeline, who was sitting in the carriage, looked outside the window where the buildings passed one after another as the carriage pulled through. She saw the people walk up and down the streets while some of the carriages moved past them.
"The town seems so peaceful," murmured Madeline under her breath, her brown eyes leaving the sight of the outside world and looked at Calhoun who was looking at her with a faint smile on his lips. "What was the paper that you wanted to collect?" she asked curiously.
"It was regarding the land dispute that was taking place not too far away from the castle. Were you bored while waiting for me?" asked Calhoun, his eyes slightly lighter than the usual dark red she was used to. She wondered if it was because they were out now.
Madeline shook her head, "I would have been bored by sitting in the mansion too. For a change it is good to be out here with you."
Calhoun nodded his head, "True. We barely stepped out of the castle together since our marriage. The place where I am taking you, you will love it. It will be the most memorable place you have ever stepped into," he said to her and Madeline wondered what surprise he had in store for her.
"I hope it isn't anything like the cliff you took me to in the past ," her lips stretched on both the ends. She wondered how one could consider jumping down the cliff as an adventurous sport. Maybe only Calhoun because he had wings, while the rest would be squashed like melons thrown on the ground.
Madeline still remembered the time she had with him there near the edge of the cliff. In the past, she had concluded that Calhoun was a mad King and she had consoled herself that it was alright to die than being caged by a man she didn't love. How strange the events and their lives had changed in a way where now Madeline sought for Calhoun's hand.
"Do you want to go to the cliff? I doubt there's one in the vicinity, but I heard from the people that there's a beautiful forest where many stag's come to drink water from the stream," proposed Calhoun, his eyes looking at her calculatingly.
"Maybe if we have time. Are we leaving from here to go back to the castle tomorrow morning?" she inquired.
"You are in a hurry to go there," commented Calhoun with a calm expression in his eyes, and Madeline blinked at him.
"It is our home, isn't it?" questioned Madeline, but then she thought wherever Calhoun was, that was where her home was, and she knew it was the same for him. "I don't want to burden mama and papa with our presence, not to forget how nervous mama is by the mention of the Devil under the same roof."
This caught Calhoun's attention, and his eyes subtly narrowed which Madeline missed as she had turned her face to the front, looking at the road ahead of them.
"What do you think about him staying in the mansion? The Devil," he questioned, and Madeline wondered if Calhoun was asking about Vladimir's presence in their lives.
"If he wants to be part of our lives, I don't think that is a problem. He is after all family, and I know he would like to be involved. It would be rather sad to deprive him from the joy of knowing and feeling how a family is," said Madeline with a thoughtful look on her face. "He didn't appear today. Do you know where he is?"
When both their eyes met, Calhoun shook his head, "I wish I knew it. He didn't say anything."
Madeline nodded her head, "It is good that he's given you access to Hell. At least now we know he won't try to hold either of us back in there."
Calhoun only nodded his head, and when Madeline looked away again, her eyes briefly moved towards the window, the smile on his lips fell, and the light in his eyes turned dull and dead.
The coachman continued to ride the carriage until they were away from the town and entered the deserted forest. The carriage came to a halt and the horses' hooves stopped. Madeline looked around and noticed trees surrounding them. The coachman got down, and he opened the carriage door for them.
Calhoun was the first one to get down, and Madeline followed him next with his hand holding hers firmly without letting her go.
"You can leave," said Calhoun to the coachman and Madeline didn't question it because they often flew back, and this time, she had wings too. The coachman bowed his head to Calhoun and Madeline before getting on the front seat and riding the carriage away. "Let's walk," Calhoun tugged her hand and Madeline followed him.
"Where is this place?" questioned Madeline, her eyes taking in the number of tall and wide trees that surrounded them. Snow covered the leaves of almost all the trees and the ground as it had snowed last night.
"It is a place which is precious to me," answered Calhoun without looking back at her. His red eyes fluctuated between red and black before it went back to look bright red colour. "I hold very dear memories in here."
"Did you come here with your mother?" asked Madeline. Most of Calhoun's memories held dear to his heart were of his mother and him, and it made her smile internally. "It's so quiet here."
Calhoun who heard her question muttered under his breath, "Your mother," in a low tone that Madeline didn't quite catch.
"Hm?" asked Madeline, and Calhoun offered her a smile.
"This is an important place in my life, Madeline. It is a special place because of what happened and took place that I cannot forget," explained Calhoun as they made their way inside the heart of the forest. "I have been coming here for some time."
"What happened here?" Calhoun had told her that they were going to some nice place, but it seemed like this place held some sort of painful memories. She stopped walking further, and Calhoun stopped too, "Cal?"