To His Hell and Back-Chapter 122: Awaited Meeting-I

Ariel looked the same as how they had last met. No wounds over her body, her complexion though on the paler side was rosier than she imagined. Arabella gently brought her sister to sit down, brushing her blonde hair with a smile.

"Anywhere that hurts?" Arabella asked softly, searching for any hidden injuries.

Ariel shook her head, a small, reassuring smile gracing her lips. Instead of answering, she reached forward, wrapping her fingers around Arabella’s own, holding on as if afraid to let go. "I’m fine. Nothing happened to me," she murmured. "Courtez took care of me while I was here."

"Courtez," she repeated the name and was going to ask for information regarding their savior when she saw Ariel’s green eyes peeking behind her, staring at the tall man with the inky black hair and crimson eyes leaning near the door in silence.

"That man?" Ariel asked warily, her grip on Arabella’s hands tightening. novelbuddy.cσ๓

Arabella hesitated, glancing at Cassius. How was she supposed to introduce him? The crown prince? The man who had promised to help her? Her... owner?

All were technically true, yet none felt like the right answer.

Cassius, as if sensing her struggle, stepped in smoothly. "Her savior," he supplied, the corners of his lips curving into a polite smile, one so unexpectedly gentle that it even caught Arabella off guard. "I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Miss Ariel. Your sister was desperate to find you."

Arabella blinked. He was...helping her? Hiding the truth to ease Ariel’s worries?

Ariel’s smile, though grateful, was tight with unease. "Bella’s savior," she repeated, testing the words. "Then... I must thank you, Sir Crown. If not for you, I wouldn’t be seeing my sister again." She swallowed, her voice wavering as she turned back to Arabella. "When you chose to go to the castle instead of me that day... I was devastated. I thought I’d lost you. I could only—" She broke off, pressing a trembling hand to her face, her breath hitching.

Arabella immediately panicked, reaching for her. "Sister—"

"I could only pray," Ariel whispered. Her fingers clenched into the fabric of her skirt. "It’s my fault, Bella. If I had been stronger, if I could have protected you, if I had the power to crush those who tried to take you from me, we wouldn’t have been separated at all."

"Don’t say that," Bella whispered as tears welled up on her eyes upon seeing Ariel who had began to sob. She hugged her sister tighter, rubbing around the back of her head, "You can’t blame yourself for what had happened. It’s never your fault sister." The one who was at fault was their father, that scumbag oh how wish she could just hit him once. She had always respected him despite everything because he was still her father but the last straw had been broken when his father had cold heartedly decided that selling his daughters for his debts was the greatest idea he his head could ever produce.

Cassius watched the two sisters hugging things out in silence. His eyes then swept around the room. The bed behind them that was unused for a long time, the mirror on their left that was covered with a cloth. He stood up quietly, reaching out his hand to the mirror when Ariel’s voice cut through, "The mirror is broken, sir, it’s known that a mirror which is broken shouldn’t be left uncovered."

Cassius turned to her green eyes that was crinkling sweetly while she had placed her hands on Arabella’s back to draw a smooth caress. Seeing that, his eyebrows furrowed but he didn’t say anything as Ariel continued, "May I know your name, good sir who helped my sister?" Ariel asked.

Cassius inclined his head. "Cassius Crown." He turned his gaze to Arabella. "Are you happy now that you’ve found her?"

Arabella nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

Cassius seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second before settling back into his seat. He picked up the teacup beside him, then, under Ariel’s watchful eyes, placed it back down without taking a sip.

"Cassius Crown," Ariel repeated his name softly, humming as if turning it over in her mind. "How did you help Bella, Sir Crown?"

Cassius exhaled, leaning back against his chair with ease. "It was simple," he said smoothly. "I saw her being pushed into a carriage and intervened."

That wasn’t... what had happened.

Arabella looked to him and though knowing he was spouting white lies for her sake, she didn’t feel comfortable to lie about their situation. One lies news hundreds more to keep and she was worried this would cause further lies for her to make to Ariel.

"I see," Ariel murmured. If she noticed the inconsistency, she didn’t show it. Instead, her lips curved into a warmer smile. "You’re a good man, Sir Crown. If not for you, Bella and I would still be separated, living in fear for one another. I can’t imagine what would have happened if..."

"Sister," Arabella interrupted quickly, squeezing her hand. "Let’s not dwell on the past. We can look forward now, right? We can leave here—" She hesitated, glancing at Cassius. "We... can, right?"

Cassius studied her for a moment, then gave a slow nod.

Arabella beamed. "See? Cassius is helping us."

Ariel’s brows knitted together. "Oh dear, wouldn’t that be too much to ask of you, Sir Crown?"

Cassius arched a brow. "I’m rich."

Ariel let out a startled laugh, covering her mouth with her fingertips. "I suppose that does solve many problems, doesn’t it?"

"Most of them," Cassius murmured. Then, after a pause, he hummed thoughtfully and tapped his fingers against the teacup. "Miss Ariel, Arabella has told me a little about you, but I have a few, very interesting yet unanswered questions."

"Questions? Please do ask," Ariel said openly.

Cassius’s crimson eyes sharpened slightly, though his expression remained pleasant. "Tell me about Courtez."

The air shifted.

For the first time, Ariel’s posture stiffened. The polite smile on her lips didn’t waver, but there was something almost too controlled about the way she set down her own teacup.

Arabella felt it immediately a subtle tension forming like a web in the air.

Ariel’s lashes lowered as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Oh? What would you like to know?"

Cassius’s gaze remained steady, unwavering. "Everything."