The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 252: The Incomplete Name

Chapter 252: The Incomplete Name

Later in the day, Madeline, who was tired of just sitting on the bed doing nothing, gently got to her feet to avoid triggering her dizziness. She felt grateful to everyone for showing her such care and love while she was too weak to move out of bed. They had kept her company despite dealing with their own crises, and this time, Madeline felt she’s had enough resting.

Making her way to the secret library passage while everyone else was in the living room, Madeline was back to practicing the ancient spells on the walls again. Although her body hadn’t healed completely just yet, she couldn’t sit around and watch everyone strive for her sake, she had to do what she was destined to do to ensure she loses no one due to those creatures, or Jeremy’s kind.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Madeline tried to call upon her powers by placing her right hand to her chest where the slight scar was visible, and she raised her left hand up mid-air, as if taking a pledge. Chanting the silent spells she had practiced, the tip of her fingers began to light up in a dazzling white glow.

When Madeline opened her eyes, she looked at the glowing tip of her fingers with a smile that reached her heart. No matter how many times she did it, the feeling of awakening her powers will always remain foreign to her body, and it still amused her greatly to the point she was tranced, but it was only for a few minutes.

Going on her knees, Madeline placed both palms to the surface of the cold ground. She could feel a slight rumble coming from underneath, but she didn’t move her hands away as she was curious to see what would happen. In the next second, the sight of germinating flowers began to erupt from the ground in dozens, and they didn’t stop until they bloomed brightly in all sorts of colorful flowers she could think of.

Feeling more confident in herself, Madeline decided it was time to take the patterns in the wall into practice. At first, she had grown confused on how she was supposed to take the patterns since they were only hand prints, but with constant failed practice, she had come to understand that it was a dance pattern, showcasing how she was supposed to move her hands while also moving her body in ways one could only picture to be a slow dance.

Knowing this, Madeline didn’t hesitate and started practicing the hand patterns.

The little scar in her chest lit warmly, and the more she moved with graceful steps while doing the hand patterns on the wall, the more her body glowed to the point the dark cave was gleaming with the light that shone from her. Staying focused in the hopes she could finish the pattern and see what happens next, she had barely made it to the middle when her eyes instantly spun, and she dropped to the ground when the energy in both her legs drained.

"Aishh..." she hissed out.

The dull pain in her head returned, and she felt light-headed. No matter how hard she shook her head, the dizziness she felt refused to fade away, and her vision was a blur. Muttered inaudible words, Madeline rubbed her temples and wisely stayed in her position till she regained her full vision.

Luckily for her, Cassian showed up in the secret passage, and he halted in his tracks when he spotted his wife. His troubled expression automatically calmed as though he had been searching for her, and a heavy weight was lifted off his chest after finding her.

"Maddie." Noticing how she rubbed her temples, Cassian hurried to where she sat, and without waiting for her to say anything, his hands went underneath her thighs as he lifted her in his arms, baffling the woman who looked at him with wide eyes.

"I won’t ask why you came here, it’s quite obvious." His tone sounded anything but happy, and Madeline quietly kept shut as he carried her out of the secret passage, bringing her to the main library and making her sit on one of the armchairs close to the reading table.

"Wait here, I’ll get you water."

"Cassian." She held his hand when he turned to leave the library, stopping him. When he looked at her, Madeline took a deep breath, expressing her restlessness and worry.

"I’m starting to get frustrated." She said, lowering her gaze, "no matter how hard I try, I can’t complete the steps without getting cut half way, and I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do about it."

"You’re not fully healed, Maddie." Cassian answered, making it sound obvious. "It’s not safe to try those steps in your current situation. Wait until you feel better and focus on retrieving your stamina first."

"But I am taking too much time, and it’s starting to get dangerous."

"What are you going to do? Kill yourself?" Cassian retorted simply out of worry. Crouching down so he could be the same level with his wife, he softly said. "I understand what you mean, I really do, but forcing yourself to complete the steps might bring consequences, and I am not ready to lose you Maddie. After seeing you in that condition, I’m afraid of putting you in danger, and I don’t mind taking things slow."

Hearing him speak, a bit of her annoyance faded away, and it would be wrong to get angry when he only meant well for her. She met his Amber-brown eyes, and he held her hand in his.

"However, Abbot already explained the deal he made with Elijah in order to bring Jeremy back as a Vampire."

"What?" Her pupils dilated, and Cassian nodded.

"Abbot knew everything about Jeremy’s death, which explains Jeremy’s return. He was a pure-blooded Vampire, I would have been one too, but the mark on my back saved me from becoming a full Vampire, according to Elian."

"What about that book late William owned?" Madeline asked Cassian, reminding him of those books with names they had found in his study, and Cassian clicked his tongue before saying. "From my understanding, I believe he gets visions, Maddie. Remember the last name that wasn’t completed?"

"The name that starts with an M?"

Cassian nodded, "the last name he wanted to write was your name." Cassian revealed, making Madeline’s face blanch. "Think about it logically, every name on that book belonged to dead people, Maddie, and he wanted to add your name cause you were supposed to die that night of the accident, but... you didn’t."

"So he never completed my name." Madeline whispered out the rest, and it finally made sense!