“Keep it to yourself.”
An unpleasant tension stuck in the air for a few seconds before the chair scraped the floor and Dante roughly left the table.
And with words “We should go” he strode out the room, leaving Violette sitting alone. She felt a sour aftertaste and holding to this feeling, she drew to the door – they had a long night ahead.
Chapter 20
QUITE UNUSUAL INVITATION
The stars hung bright in the sky, the cold air filling Violette's lungs and the warm light of the lantern lightning up her and Dante’s silhouettes as they made their way through the trees.
They didn't talk all the way to the crypt. The sound of boots, squeaking in the thin layer of snow, filled the silence between them instead. Whatever good mood Dante had in the beginning of the evening had disappeared and it didn't look like it was coming back any time soon.
Not much time passed until their feet crossed the threshold of the crypt they had already visited a few moons ago. Fate seemed to be laughing at them as they got to the point they'd started from.
Nothing had changed since they left this place – the same cold, dark walls, the same painting of the Queen, the same stone grave in the center of the room, covered in the thick layer of dust.
Dante stalked forward and passed the lantern to Violette.
“Hold this,” the first words that came out of his mouth since their conversation in the dining room. The harshness still lingered in his tone.
Pressing hands onto the stone surface, he pushed the grave cover. The loud sound of a stone moving from its place echoed throughout the hall, awakening every inch of the crypt. Violette with caution came closerand peeked in.
Empty.
It was empty. No sign of someone being there. No body. No bones. Nothing.
It didn't look like someone ever was in this grave.
All color from Dante's face vanished. He stood there, unusually still, with his eyes fixed on the empty grave. Then he finally breathed a curse into the air.
His restraint was impressive for someone whose hopes crashed in a moment of time. He shut his eyes, gripping the edges of the open grave, and bowed his head.
Violette took a glance at him before tracing to the wall. She sat on the ground and leaned on the cold wall, thinking how stupid her head was to get herself involved in all of this mess. After all, the Queen indeed tricked them as it should've been expected.
A sigh released from her throat, her eyes trailing the pattern of the ceiling, following it to the portrait. The Queen was indeed a beautiful woman, however the more she looked at her the more she started to realize she wasn't as kind as she seemed at first sight. Her blue eyes weren't as kind as cunning. Her soft smile wasn't that innocent either, and her overall expression was more arrogant than admiring. Could it be true or Violette just started to see her not as a queen but a big obstacle who kept her away from the cure for her father, she couldn't say.
Standing up, she came closer to the painting, scrutinizing it very carefully, from the bottom to the top. And then it hit her like thunder –the stone on her crown looked slightly different than the whole painting.
“Dante,” she let out brightly. “Can you lift me up?”
He drew a side glance her way, his face twisted with confusion.
“Don't ask, just help me,” she said.
He didn't ask questions, instead he stalked closer. She felt his breath above her head as he put his hands on her waist and then easily lifted her into the air so she was able to reach the stone in the center of the crown. It was weakly shining in the dark, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye. Violette held out her hand, plucking it out, leaving a small pit in the painting.
Then her feet reached the ground. Her gaze studied the stone before holding it up to the vampire.
“It was here all along,” she gasped.
“I'm impressed,” he admitted. “I was starting to think you just sought a reason to keep me closer.”
Violette speared him with a disapproving look.
“By the way, you don't need a reason. You can just ask.” The mischief got back to his voice as he flashed his dimple at her. He lifted the moonstone into the air to examine in the light of a lantern, its beautiful effulgence playfully shimmering with blue and white hues. Then Dante lowered the stone, lost in his thoughts.
Violette broke the silence, “Should we look for another riddle or some other kind of clue?” She looked around.
