Conquering His Cold Heart
Chapter 489 - 489: Where It All Began

Anastasia was lying on the bed like a lifeless doll who was stripped of all emotions after getting a taste of how it feels like to be a human.

She was once again locked up in the same guest room from where Ruby had helped her escape. Ruby, on the other hand, was locked back in the cold cell of the dungeon even when Anastasia had begged that Ruby be kept together in her room until she regained consciousness.

"Only a fool would let you two be together after the stunt that you two pulled today." That was what Regulus said as he carried Ruby away on his shoulder.

After everything that happened tonight, Anastasia's mind drifted so far away that she didn't notice the muffled screams and light thudding noises coming from outside her room. She only noticed that something was off when she heard a light click of her door lock.

By the time she realized that someone was about to come to her room and before she could be on her guard, someone had already entered her room and was standing at the door.

Anastasia's heart instantly sank with fear when her eyes landed on that tall figure who was covered from head to toe with a long black cloak. Her mind immediately thought that he was an executioner sent by her cruel kidnapper.

"Don't come near me!" She screamed at that man and hurriedly slipped down from her bed.

The man extended his arms in front of his chest to show that he was unarmed and tried to calm her down saying, "You don't have to be scared. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to save you."

Anastasia had never heard that voice in her life before. So, there was no way she was going to trust that man without even knowing who he was. "Who are you? Did my husband send you here? Does he know that I am here?"

That cloaked man simply ignored all of her questions and said, "I am here to rescue you." He slowly held out his arm and said in a very polite and gentle tone, "We have to get out before anyone senses that I am here."

Anastasia looked at that man's hand and looked back at his face that was hidden underneath the cloak. "I asked who you are." She glared at that man, trying not to show that her legs were trembling underneath her gown.

"We can introduce ourselves later. Please, let me get you out of here first." That man took two steps forward, prompting Anastasia to back away until her back touched the nightstand.

Anastasia scoffed and then said while tightly clasping the edge of the nightstand, "This is some kind of sick trick, isn't it? That man…Regulus asked you to toy with me, didn't he?" She couldn't help but think that this was some kind of stupid test to see if she would try to run away again if she was given the chance.

There was no way she was going to fall for the trap and create a loophole for that kidnapper to kill Ruby.

The cloaked man sighed before lifting the cloak away from his head. "I assure you that this is not a trick. Now please…" He held out his hand once again, waiting for Anastasia to trust him and come near him. "We don't have much time."

Anastasia felt a strange emotion – a mixture of discomfort and confusion – in her heart when that man finally revealed his face. He had red eyes, which confirmed that he was a vampire. But what confused her was his blond hair. As far as her knowledge, in Sorvando, only those with royal blood had blond hair. And she had met those handful of Royals already.

"You are Caspian's relative, aren't you? What kind of relationship do you have with my husband?" she blurted out in a single breath, wanting to make sure that the man wasn't her husband's enemy. She didn't want to fall into another man's trap and make it harder for her husband to track her.

A small smile crept on that man's lips. But instead of answering her question, he slipped his hand inside his coat pocket and took out a letter. He held it out and asked Anastasia, "Why don't you hold onto this letter for me? Give it to your husband when you reunite with him."

Anastasia gulped. Although she was still not sure whether to trust this mysterious man or not, she did walk forward and cautiously grabbed the letter.

She looked down at the envelope to see that it was indeed addressed to Caspian. But what caught her attention was the handwriting on that envelope, for that handwriting was the same one that was engraved in her mind.

It was the same handwriting as in the mysterious letter that she had received on her seventeenth birthday, the very letter that had changed her life forever.

"It was you!" she looked at that man straight in the eyes and exclaimed in realization. "You were the one who sent that letter to me!"

The man looked a little surprised when Anastasia made that connection. But he didn't deny it. "Yes, it was me. But can we please talk about it after we get out of–" He looked alert before he finished the sentence because he sensed some movement outside.

And without giving Anastasia a chance to agree to be rescued by him, he hastily said, "Please excuse me but I am going to have to carry you."

Before Anastasia could process what he said, he had already carried Anastasia in his arms. "Hold on tight. We are going to fly at full speed."

"Wait, what? Fly?"

"Yes. Fly."

Anastasia was now even surer that the man was of royal blood. She hurriedly secured the letter inside her pocket and hesitantly wrapped her arms around that man's neck. She sure wished that it was her husband who came to her rescue instead of this mystery man, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

After making sure that Anastasia was ready, the man stepped out of the room and hovered in the air. Soon enough, the two of them were soaring under the dimly lit night sky.

The cold wind and the high speed made it difficult for Anastasia to properly breathe. She didn't complain though because she quite literally could not open her mouth even for a second. And while fighting to catch her breath, Anastasia couldn't think about poor Ruby who was left behind.

When the speed of the flight finally became slower and steadier, Anastasia finally remembered about Ruby and exclaimed in panic, "Wait! We have to go back! We have to rescue Ruby as well."

"Who's Ruby?" the man asked without slowing down.

Anastasia looked over that man's shoulder and said as her eyes tried to locate the Atkinson Mansion from the air, "She was with me. She tried to rescue me just a few hours ago. But they caught us and threw her in the dungeon. Please, we have to get her out too."

The man, however, was not eager to go back to the wolves' den. "My priority is to save you," he stated in an indifferent tone and did not stray from his path.

Anastasia tightened her grip on her wrist in frustration and begged again, "You don't understand… We have to help her too. If they find out that I escaped once again, they are going to kill her. Please save her before it's too late. Please. Please, help her too. I will forever be grateful to you if you do.

Please."

That man sighed and asked in a mocking tone, "Will you stop saying 'please' if I go and help her?"

"Yes. Thank you!" Anastasia let out a small sigh of relief when the man took a sharp turn and after a while began to descend to the ground.

As there was not a single source of light coming from the ground, it took Anastasia a while to realize that they were flying above what looked like a town.

Noticing Anastasia's concerned expression, the man said, "I know a place here. You can rest until I come back to get you."

Soon, he softly landed in a dark and narrow alleyway and then let her stand on her feet.

Anastasia quietly followed him, hoping that the place where he was taking her wasn't sketchy.

That man stopped in front of a door and said while softly knocking on the door, "Hello? Mrs. Green? I know it's very early in the morning, but it's an emergency. I need a room, please. Hello?"

The man stopped knocking on the door when he heard a grumbling sound and light footsteps coming from inside the guesthouse.

"Dear lord! It's just 3:30. It's not even morning yet!" The owner of the guesthouse opened the door while rubbing her eyes, ready to snap at the person who disturbed her sleep. However, she changed her attitude as soon as she saw who it was. "Oh, Mr. Herald!

What a pleasant surprise!"

The man gave her a curt nod and asked, "Is there a room available?"

"Yes, of course. Why don't you come in?" Mrs. Green stepped aside to let the man enter her guesthouse. But when a woman followed him in, her cheerful expression dropped quite dramatically. "Umm… I-Is she your wife?" she asked while trying to maintain a fake smile on her face.

"Oh, no. Just an acquaintance."

Anastasia pursed her lips when she heard that because the man was as good as a stranger to her.

The owner, on the other hand, quickly became cheerful again and led the two of them to an empty room.

The man stood at the door and scanned his eyes at the interior of the room. After making sure that everything was in order, he pointed at the owner who was still hovering, and then said to Anastasia, "If you need anything, you can ask Mrs. Green. I will go now."

Anastasia locked the door of the room and settled down on the bed. She was in no mood to sleep. She was too restless for that. Besides, she hoped that her rescuer would come to get her soon. She wanted to go back to Sorvando as soon as possible.

After spending a whole minute looking at the closed door and constantly tapping her feet on the floorboard, she let out a deep sigh and mumbled, "So, his name is Herald, huh… Is he Caspian's secret cousin or something?"

---

Ruby slightly scrunched her brows and nose when she heard something clanking in the distance. She lightly groaned when she heard some clattering noises yet again, along with continuous sneezes far away. She slowly fluttered her eyes open to find herself in the cold cell of the dungeon, accompanied by nothing but a splitting headache.

She grabbed her head and then tried to get up. But she gave up when she felt her whole body aching with pain. So, she just felt her body with her palms to make sure that her wounds had healed. Thankfully, all of her open wounds had closed up by now.

'Wait!' She widened her eyes when a realization suddenly hit her and she remembered what had happened before she had passed out. She got up with a jerk and looked around her cell, only to find no trace of the Queen. She held her head with both of her palms and began to panic. 'Uh! Where's she? In another cell?'

Ruby grabbed the thick bars of her cell and screamed anxiously, "Your Majesty? Are you here? Queen Anastasia?"

Ruby's heart shuddered when she heard a set of heavy footsteps approaching her. She was afraid that Regulus was there to punish her.

However, when she caught a glimpse of a pair of red eyes, she backed away from the bars in utter panic.

As if those red eyes weren't enough to scare her soul, the man emerged from the dark and pushed his cloak away from his head, revealing a head full of blond hair, giving her a flashback of the most traumatic experience of her life.

"W-Why are you here? W-What d-do you want from me? G-Go away!" Ruby was tightly closing her eyes and shivering like a leaf. She was terrified thinking that Caspian was there to take her life.

"You must be Ruby. I was not expecting you to be a werewolf but…that's that," the man said in the calmest voice ever. Disregarding what Ruby just muttered, he said to her, "Queen Anastasia asked me to rescue you."

Ruby shot her eyes open when she heard the loud creaking noise of the metals. She was shocked to find the whole door missing.

The man elegantly gestured for Ruby to step out of her cell and said, "After you. Don't worry about the guards, they are already taken care of."

Ruby gulped and slowly looked at that vampire's face again. She was somewhat relieved to see that he wasn't the cruel King. She also noticed how this vampire wasn't showing any signs of malice. But that didn't mean that she didn't fear this vampire too.

"W-Where's Queen Anastasia?" Ruby asked, refusing to take a single step toward her natural enemy.

"Somewhere safe. Now, hurry up, please. I don't have any time to waste. You don't want her to get into trouble while you dillydally here, do you?"

Ruby would have loved to stay in the cell rather than follow a vampire. But she didn't want Anastasia to get into any more trouble. Thus, for the Queen's sake, she walked out of the door and tried to rush down the dark corridor.

However, because of the beatings that she got from Regulus earlier, her legs refused to cooperate with her and she stumbled to the floor. Although her wounds had healed, she had lost too much blood and there was no trace of energy left in her body.

The vampire shook his head and mumbled to himself, "I guess I will have to bear with the stench for a little longer."

He then stood next to Ruby and said, "I will carry you out of here." Noticing how Ruby's expression suddenly changed to that of disgust, he further added, "Don't worry, I am equally repulsed as you by the very thought of you clinging onto me. But I would like to get out of here as soon as possible. The stench around here is utterly unbearable."

Ruby was simply dumbfounded by what he said and just kept on staring at him with her jaw dropped.

The man covered his head with the cloak again and carried Ruby in his arms. He then said with quite a serious tone, "Try not to test your canines on me. I don't have an antidote on me right now."

Ruby frowned at the straightforwardness of the man but didn't say anything in response.

Soon, the two of them were out of the dungeon and were flying above the mansion. Ruby noticed how only the guards in the dungeon were unconscious. Everywhere else seemed quite normal, except for the fact that everyone was sneezing in harmony.

"How did you get in without anyone noticing?" she couldn't help but ask.

"I have my ways." The man didn't bother elaborating. He then asked Ruby in a monotone, "Where do you want me to take you?"

Ruby suddenly felt her heart sinking to her stomach. 'Where? I have nowhere to go…'

"Tell me, or else I will just drop you right here," he repeated when he didn't get any answer from Ruby.

Ruby was about to agree with him when she suddenly heard a voice in her head, 'Ruby? Why aren't you answering me? Please, tell me you're okay. Please, be okay until I come and get you out of there.' A great sense of relief washed over Ruby's face when she heard from Everard.

"Give me a moment, please," she said to the vampire before mind linking with Everard. 'Ev– Your Majesty? Can you hear me?' she asked, her heart full of anticipation.

'Ruby! Yes, I can finally hear you! Are you okay? Where are you?' Everard sounded relieved as well as worried about her.

Ruby replied as her eyes welled up with tears, 'I'm alright.'

'Okay, good.' Ruby heard him sighing in relief. 'Where are you? Is it true that you are being held in the dungeon by Regulus?' He sounded worried once again, and also a little out of breath.

'Er… I was. How did you know?'

'It's a long story. Cillian told me you were there. But what do you mean by 'I was'? Where you are now? And don't you dare disappear again! Tell me where you are.

I am coming to get you. In fact, I am on the way to the Atkinson mansion as we speak.'

'What?' Ruby widened her eyes in panic. 'No, no, no… You can't go there! Stop right where you are, please. I will come to you. Where are–'

Ruby stopped midsentence because felt a tug in her heart. She looked around and immediately spotted countless soldiers rushing in the direction of the Atkinson mansion from the sky. 'Are you with your soldiers right now?'

'Yes.' He sounded breathless all of a sudden.

'Please, stop right there. I am coming to you.'

'Wait, you can see me? Where are you? I can feel you but why can't I see you?' He sounded even more desperate than ever.

'I'm still quite far away, but yes, I see you. So, please, if you are going to the mansion just to rescue me, I already escaped. You don't have to rally your soldiers there. Even if you have some other reasons to go there, please don't. Regulus is plotting against you and I don't–'

'You are the ONLY reason I was going there, Ruby. So, please...don't disappear on me again.'

Ruby felt a gush of warmth rushing to her chest when Everard said that. She couldn't hide her smile when she requested him, 'Then please wait right there. I will be there soon.'

Ruby then pointed in that direction and asked her rescuer, "Will you take me over there?"

The vampire narrowed his eyes and grunted, "I can drop you somewhere near. I don't want to step right in the middle of your kind. I hope you understand."

Ruby gratefully nodded her head. A vampire rescuing her and carrying her in his arms was already a surprise for her.

"Where is the Queen right now? Is she already back with her husband?" Ruby asked to make sure that Anastasia was already in safe hands.

The vampire replied quite confidently, "She will reunite with him soon."

After flying in silence for a while, he spoke sincerely, "You have my gratitude for trying to rescue her."

Ruby smiled wryly and mumbled, "It's not like I was successful."

"Still… It's the thought that counts," he said as he slowly began to fly closer to the ground.

Ruby looked in the direction where Everard and his soldiers were waiting for her. She got off from the vampire's hold and then politely said, "Thank you for coming to my rescue even though you weren't really obliged to."

"Frankly, I wouldn't have come if it wasn't for the Queen." He hovered in the air and then said before flying away, "So, I will deliver your gratitude to her instead."

Ruby watched the vampire disappear from her sight in an instant and then turned around. The constant pull that she was feeling in her heart was only getting stronger by the second. She knew that Everard was running towards her. Every part of her body could feel him getting closer and closer to her.

Nervously, she heaved a deep sigh before walking towards Everard. Her speed gradually increased when her body gave in to the pull. By the time Everard came into her view, she had forgotten about her pain and was already running at the top of her speed, eager to fall into his open arms that were inviting her.