To His Hell and Back-Chapter 31: Dragged Out!

By the time Bella woke up, she was left inside Cassius’s luxurious room all alone. Lights entered through the gaps of the black curtain behind her, waking her up as the light had blinded her eyelids, causing her to be shaken and woken up from her slumber.

She slowly, pushed herself from the ground, the carpet wasn’t the best in making her feel warmer to sleep on the floor, but it work a little and that was enough.

After checking the time from the old clock that ticktock slowly on the corner of the room, she realized that she had woken up the same time as yesterday, not too late but not too early. Yet the maids didn’t come today and she suspected it was because they didn’t want to bother cleaning the room as they had already done it last evening. freewebnøvel.com

Perhaps they even hope that it would be dirty so they could then push the blame on her for being an unkept lowly humans. She could suspect this happening as she had heard them saying how they would show her the "nightmares" of living in the castle, especially by that maid who seemed to despise her the most, Nora.

But Bella doubted that Cassius would even care that she destroy his room, in fact, he seemed to enjoy her suffering thus he would laugh if she did make a mess out of his room and then give her a "punishment" like last time with the maze.

She didn’t want to face another hungry maze ready to eat her so she decided to keep herself at her best behavior. Perhaps by being at her best behavior and quiet, she could learn about the castle and find ways to escape.

She surely couldn’t escape at once, but she could find a path of escaping.

While thinking so, Arabella made her way toward the door. Her fingers hung when she recalled the words that Cassius said, warning her that she shouldn’t leave the room as willfully as she wants which made her frown.

She couldn’t tell how dangerous the outside place is, so perhaps she should rethink her choice of going out with her attire. She would stand out like a sore thumb in the white one piece that was mostly used for the human toys. The last thing she want to happen was for someone to hurt her because she’s a human toy.

Although she didn’t want to admit it out loud, without Cassius, she fears that the vampires would be all like Minister Rueben, ready to eat her, ready to kill her.

Sighing, Arabella removed her hands from the door, she was about to turn her body, wondering if she could find a dress in Cassius’s room that would fit. Judging by the rumors, Cassius is someone who is true to his desire so by chance he had slept with a lady before and have a piece of gown somewhere in his cupboard?

It would make sense, she thought to herself, nodding to her mind when the door behind her suddenly burst open.

Bella who was standing right near the door had her back facing, thus she didn’t know that the round door knob had moved and that someone had pushed the door open with a kick. Her back was immediately hit with the sharp pang, causing her to cry out.

"Ouch!" she yelled, her back aching. She had just healed her broken wrist not long ago, and yesterday because of the monstrous maze, her body was filled with scars, especially her ankles. She had wrapped them with bandage that she found laying around on Cassius’s bed and yet before all those wounds could ever receive a proper rest, her back was already hit with a pain that would surely leave a bruise.

She turned her head, frowning deeply as tears caught the corners of her green eyes.

Then she met the brownish red eyes of the maid who despise her, Nora.

Just seeing the woman was enough to put Bella at ill ease, especially since the maid had came here right when Cassius was gone, as if knowing well that this was the only chance for her to bear her ill will against her.

Trying to stifle her sigh, she could feel Nora’s eyes that were looking up and down at her. The expression Nora wore was clear, mocking and berating her, as if questioning how could someone like her be so palatable to their precious Crown Prince.

Nora huffed, "You don’t smell good, don’t look good, and isn’t obedient, what is it that His Highness look from you?"

To that answer, she doesn’t know herself.

Maybe because she acts against Cassius’ imaginations that she interest him?

"Tsk, why am I wasting my time talking to a pet like you," Nora crossed her arms, her black dressed crumple as she tightened her fists, "You have been called by Her Majesty so step out."

Her Majesty? The Queen?

Cassius’s mother?

But why? She could already tell that this wasn’t a good idea and immediately reacted to it.

"I can’t," she answered the maid with a firm tone. Not too haughty but enough to tell that she won’t be moving a single step away from the room. Never would she imagine that this cold room would become her safest place, but she wasn’t going to leave if Cassius hadn’t told her.

Though just a commoner with basic skills in reading and writing, Arabella wasn’t naive. She knew the castle was a den of danger, and survival meant siding with the most powerful person in it.

Her only goal was to see her sister and escape the ruin their father left behind. Pride didn’t matter. Shame didn’t matter. If it meant clinging to Cassius, the ruthless Crown Prince, so be it.

"What?" Nora demanded, as if surprised by her tone.

She repeated politely, "I cannot take another step outside the room. That ba- His Highness have warned me if I take another step outside his room, he would be beheading me and he would have the neck of the person who would also take me out of his room."

Lies. It was all lies. But even Nora couldn’t tell what came out from her mouth were lies by how smooth she had replied to the maid, it clearly caused for the woman in front of her to turn flustered with a deeper frown.

Her voice cracked with fury as she shouted, "Do you even realize who’s demanding your presence? Her Majesty, the Queen! Forget His Highness— if you dare defy the Queen’s order, you will face something far worse than death!"

"Thank you for your concern," Bella answered passively. She noticed how Nora seemed to be trying to pull her from the safety of Cassius’s room but didn’t dare to pull her out of it. This was enough to tell her that unless she leaves on her own, she was still safe as no one dare to take away anything from Cassius’ room.

Even though her threats were empty, Nora seemed to be also very careful, fearing that Cassius’ wrath would also cause her head to roll next.

But even then there were people who doesn’t fear Cassius, the man whose voice immediately brought chills down Bella’s spine when she heard it.

"What are you waiting for? Drag the human out! The Crown Prince may have ordered her to stay, but the Queen’s command outweighs his," Minister Rueben barked, stepping forward. Bella caught sight of his bandaged neck and head— her handiwork— and a shiver ran through her.

Rueben’s crimson eyes locked onto hers, his gaze turning venomous. The malice in them was unmistakable, a promise of retribution. She had dared to defy him, had nearly killed him, leaving him humiliated and seething. Ever since he had clawed his way back from death’s door, he had sworn to make her pay.

"Drag her out, now!" Rueben demanded, his voice sharp and commanding. Bella’s head snapped up just as a group of maids rushed into the room. Each grabbed hold of her, their combined strength overwhelming her attempts to fight back. Her struggles were futile against five pairs of hands, some of them belonging to vampires. One of them shoved her head down, slamming her chin against the hard floor. Pain shot through her, and her vision blurred for a moment.

When she managed to lift her face, Rueben was crouched before her, his smirk dripping with malice.

"Fear finally caught up with you, human?" he sneered, his tone twisted with a sadistic pleasure from seeing her fear. "You should have been more careful about whose life you tried to take. I don’t forgive easily, and I promise you this— what I have planned for you will make you wish you hadn’t survived that night."