To His Hell and Back-Chapter 165: Sound of Shatter-I

That morning, Arabella woke up finding that Cassius who had left. She stared at the chair beside her that slightly felt warm as though the person who had sat there the entire night had just left seconds ago that she had missed. A sense of peace filled her heart as she closed her eyes to feel the gust of the wind that had slipped from the slightly opened window. Then she turned, finding a small paper that had been torn and a cursive handwriting that looked so neat and rather pretty to look at, ’Sorry that I have to leave you alone as soon as you open your eyes. The envoys for the hunt has arrived and they need my attention. But I’ll be back soon.’

Arabella hummed, her lower lips puckering which she noticed belatedly. Surprised by her own pursed lips, she blinked, wondering if she was slightly regretful that she hadn’t been able to catch up with Cassius before he left.

Thinking so, her cheeks reddened and it felt hot when she cupped them together.

"Something is wrong with me," she muttered under her breaths when suddenly a growl appeared. It didn’t came from a monster but from her stomach, enough to make her feel embarrassed at herself.

Quickly though, she pushed herself to stand and turned to look at the bed which she patted slowly and then decorated as she remembered how the other maids had usually done, not wanting to use the bed only to leave it untidy when she had been lounging around like a cat, doing nothing.

Then she moved out of the room, leaning her head forward first to check if there was any maid around and sure enough she found one who was brushing the floor, polishing it with a cloth.

"Excuse me," Arabella called the maid’s attention and saw how the latter was surprised by her, quickly bowing her head without meeting her eyes as if she was going to be eaten for looking into her eyes for far too long. "Is there a place where I could get some food?"

"I should bring it to you," the maid said but Arabella shook her head, "You seem to have work yourself, it’s alright. You can just tell me where to go."

The maid studied her face under her curious lashes. She was warned by Karnala not to ever interact with Arabella unless and until Arabella had started first. She was also told that the Crown Prince was quite fond of the human and to avoid being on the ill side of Arabella, she knew she had to provide whatever things that had been requested by the human pet.

"There is a pantry near the servant quarter. The quarter is located on the South East side tower on the first floor, over that side," pointed the maid with another bow.

Arabella smiled, "Thank you." and then she turned away, ready to venture for herself. She knew she could simply ask for the maid to bring the food but she wasn’t always used to living in such a castle. Back in the village, if she needed to eat she would have to work for it. She grew up not knowing how to simply being served by someone, especially for such little things like food and whatnots.

She also heard that most nobles were bathed and dressed by servants, something she could never grow to understand.

The castle was as magnificent as she had remembered and while walking, her mind had wandered of into thinking about the dream that she had last night. That odd and weird nightmare where her mother was killed in front of her when she was still so young.

How could that be possible?

Like everyone else who lives in the village, she had thought that her life was as normal as everyone else in the world. Just a simple mother who ran away with another man, a gambling father, and a kind older sister. She never tried to look into her family tree, after all how could it ever matter when she’s just a village girl?

She knew her father’s side of the family, but never much about her mother. Just looking at Ariel and her face reminded her father of her mother so much that he would throw a fit of anger. So how could she ever ask him anything about her maternal family?

But her grandmother did say that her mother was an orphan... not that information was enough to fill her confusion.

After meeting Morpheus, Arabella became more certain that her family was hiding something far worse than just gambling debt. Something about her and Ariel, about their birth, and about what they could do which scares her.

How could anyone ever feel comfortable not knowing something about themselves, not her of course.

She sighed, pressing her hand on her forehead.

Who could she ask for help? If alone, she didn’t think she could easily dig up the past and find any crumbs about her family or her.

But dawdling around was only going to be more dangerous, especially when Morpheus had somehow taken Ariel away.

"Damn it," Arabella cursed under her breaths, "Why is it that one bad thing leads to another?"

"Because it’s life isn’t it?"

Startled, she snapped her head backward, finding the smiling face of a man with brown pair of eyes and a gentle boyish deposition. The young man was dressed in a noble clothing and though he looked no different to other young man of his age, his air exuded something that only royalties and nobles would have, an odd air that make someone tense up.

She had seen this man before. Ah! In the dining room.

"You must be..." she drawled and the young man smiled.

"Oh so you do remember seeing me before," he took a step backward and bowed his head slightly as if to show his politeness to someone of a lower rank of him, "The name is Malvo. Malvo Crown, Cassius’s younger brother."

Right. Cassius’s human brother, the one that was born from Morgana’s previous marriage.

Arabella schooled her startled expression, gathering her own self as she greeted Malvo with politeness she knew she had to show to nobles, "Arabella, Your Highness. Pleased to meet you."

"I’ve been looking forward to see you!" Malvo clapped his hand. "But you rarely step out of the room on your own accord and besides brother Cassius wouldn’t let me see you no matter what so I was about to die from curiosity."

Curiosity? About who? Her?

But why? freewebnσvel.cѳm