To His Hell and Back-Chapter 139: Thrilling Chance

Nora was thrilled! After all, how could she not?! Finally, finally, this was her chance, the very moment she had longed like a gift wrapped in fate so how could she not be excited?

She had heard how Cassius had left the castle earlier that morning, and though Nora wasn’t certain if Arabella had gone with him, fate had been kind enough to offer a clue. Right as she was about to make her way to take a break as the rest of the maids were, she had caught a glimpse of Karnala and Renard whispering furiously in the corridor, their expressions tight with panic, discussing something about the human girl who was burning with fever, catching an illness.

It didn’t take a genius to guess that they had meant Arabella. That annoying Arabella, that human outsider who had somehow caught Cassius’s eyes and favor, making Nora’s stomach to churn with envy whenever she caught a glimpse of that loud brownish red hair of hers.

Now, with most of the servants retired to their quarters and Karnala having rushed off the girl was alone and defenseless, finally a chance for her. Nora’s lips curled into a slow and excited smile, thinking of what she should do now that the world had given to her the perfect chance to pay back the irk and annoyance that had built up ever since Arabella’s appearance.

She didn’t know what sickness plagued Arabella, and frankly, she couldn’t care less. Illness or not, this was the perfect opportunity, and with no one to stop her and no eyes watching, she was ready to teach Arabella a lesson.

One she would never forget.

Nora sneaked into the chamber’s door that had been left wide open. She smiled, her red eyes scanning over the room to find Arabella who was still sleeping on the bed, curled into a ball while hugging her chest.

She was heaving for breath and Nora wondered if the girl was catching a terrible illness. Though illnesses for humans couldn’t contaminate vampires, she was still disgusted by the very idea of an ill human being inside the castle.

"Maybe dying now by my hands would be easier for you, little filthy thieving cat," Nora said, grinning as she stood by Cassius’ bed, eyeing Arabella who was unconscious. Upon noticing something, she raised her eyebrows, "What’s with these odd writings?"

When she looked at the human, Arabella had strange markings all over her. It was letters and odd unknown symbols, things Nora couldn’t begin to understand. Earlier, they had shifted, moved across her skin like they were alive but by the time Nora arrived, they had turned still, frozen in place like they had been carved into her flesh.

But Nora wasn’t aware of that at all, she had come a little too late than Karnala.

What she noticed had changed from what Karnala had first seen. The markings on Arabella’s body were fading now, slowly sinking into Arabella’s milky skin as if being absorbed.

For a moment, Nora squinted her red eyes, curious of what those letters could come from but then she scoffed, brushing it off.

Maybe it was just ink? She didn’t know why it had been written all over the human girl but why would she care? Maybe they were even using the girl to practice curses. Though curses weren’t often used by vampires, they are aware of it as some vampires would write inks all over their body to put a curse. But who could be behind this? Cassius?

Quickly, Nora assumed it had to be Cassius’s doing and that thought alone made her heart lift.

After all, she had been worried that he, the Cassius Crown, who was always known for his cold blooded and ruthless nature might have started to care for someone like Arabella. A human. It was a flaw that no vampire would like from their Crown Prince.

But this? This proved otherwise. Whatever those marks were, if Cassius was the one who had written it over the human girl, it would mean that to him Arabella was just a tool, another one of his pawns in one of his many cruel games.

And that was all Nora needed to know.

She quickly looked for the best way to humiliate Arabella. Maybe by reminding her how Cassius had never truly cared for her?

After all, here she was, all inked and suffering from pain but he was nowhere to be found, nowhere caring about her situation.

Reaching out without hesitation, Nora’s fingers tangled tightly in Arabella’s hair. With a sharp yank, she pulled the girl’s head up from the bed, forcing her face into view. Arabella’s features twisted in pain, her eyes still shut tight, a tear slipping down her fevered cheek. Though she felt the pain, the fever she felt had reeled into her bad enough that she couldn’t bring herself to wake up.

Nora only smiled widely in a cruel delight.

"Wake up, ugly duck," she sneered, giving Arabella’s head a rough shake. But the human girl didn’t respond, her lashes fluttering but refusing to open. Seeing that, annoyance flared in Nora’s eyes. "Oh, don’t be shy now, If I tell you to wake up, you should wake up you’re a pet so you should listen to those who own you properly unless you want to feel their wrath," she muttered, raising her hand high above her head before crossing it down Bella’s cheeks.

The slap came down hard, echoing like the sound of a whip through the empty chamber. Arabella’s head snapped to the side, skin reddening instantly from the blow. As a vampiress, Nora had more strength in her slap than normal humans and considering how frustrated Nora had been with Bella, she hadn’t held back in her slap, doubling the power that had backed the slap.

This was enough to wake Arabella from her unconscious state. Her eyes slowly opening while blood dripped from the cut that Nora caused.

A soft gasp escaped from Bella’s eyes and though her eyes had opened, it didn’t open fully, only half lidded in pain. She remained limp, her body heavy with fever and something else... something darker.

Nora didn’t notice. Or if she did, she didn’t care.

"Wake up you filthy thing!" Nora yelled, raising her hand again to slap Arabella’s cheeks. "I want to know oh so badly how you must feel right now. Being abandoned by our Crown Prince and left alone to suffer! HAHAHA! Wake the fuck up so I can see you cry!"

"Why? Do you feel worthless now?" Nora yelled, the voices she had yelled had chosen the sharpest words she could find in her head, "I warned you didn’t I? His Highness’s interest in a human like you won’t be for long. He had always despised human you know? What makes you think you’re any different?"

Nora saw how Arabella’s eyes suddenly flickered and she grinned as she could see the tears that began to drip furiously from her eyes, clearly caused by her words.

"Let me tell you this: Cassius isn’t capable of loving. Everyone knows how Her late Majesty had made sure of it! So don’t you ever think that you could be someone special to him. And learn how to bow down to vampires before I gouge that annoying eyes of yours!" Nora’s hand raised again for another slap only to suddenly come to a stop-

No...

When the maid turn her head to her hand that was ready to slap Arabella again, it had been stopped by no one other than Arabella herself.

The green eyes that was once closed suddenly snapped open, staring into her soul with its depth.