To His Hell and Back
Chapter 102: His Heartfelt Promise

Chapter 102: His Heartfelt Promise

Arabella’s eyes were swollen. She had sat at the corner of the room while Cassius had been staring at her all this time.

After they had shown their emotions, the two were still unsettled. Partly it was only Arabella who was unsettled. She couldn’t tell if Cassius was also unsettled considering his expression had came back to his usual poker face. When she recalled their heated exchange, she thought to herself, wondering what kind of relationship she had with Cassius.

A partner? That feels wrong.

A friend? Not quite considering how sometimes they were at odds.

A lov- even worse, a nightmare.

But as she was thinking, he was staring at her. His red gaze almost gave her a burn mark all over her body with how intense it had stared at her. At first she didn’t feel bothered as she was busy with her own thoughts, wondering if she could come to regret this stupid idea of staying back in the castle.

In the first place Cassius was the stupid one, she reasoned.

This vampire isn’t only a vampire but the Crown Prince. Just because she said she wouldn’t leave and he make her promise that she wouldn’t leave, doesn’t mean that she could willingly leave his side.

That being said if things get dangerous she would leave and she still hadn’t forgotten the idea of leaving with her sister.

She cursed herself for being foolish, for making things more complicated.

Tired of thinking, Arabella slumped her head to her hugged knees. She only lifted after a while of growing tired to her busy head and spoke, "I thought I was going to die from drowning."

Cassius went quiet,, furrowing his eyebrows in unhappiness as he thought about how she hadn’t only almost died from the drowning. She had died. Knowing Adele, she must have drowned Arabella and chose the furthest way to enter the castle, knowing that humans couldn’t breathe for long underwater.

"Your heart did stopped," he answered her as he looked at her green eyes, the intense gaze never once dying down. "But it began to move again."

"I died?" She asked him, echoing the odd question, "But for how long had it stopped beating?"

He thoughtfully consider it and explained, "Perhaps forty minutes."

"THAT CAN’T BE!" Arabella dropped her hands from her knees, staring at him, "If my heart stopped for so long then I wouldn’t be able to wake up," she then paused and looked at her body and then touched her mouth.

"I didn’t turn you into a vampire," he cut her thoughts as she searched for any marks.

Flinching, Arabella who had stood up on her feet dropped her arms, "Then.. you.."

"It wasn’t me," he sighed as he patted the empty seat beside him but her eyes narrow in skepticism, "I won’t do anything," he promised and taken aback by his sudden gentle attitude, Arabella hesitated before apprehensively placing her toes near the couch and then scooting over the corner of the couch he had sat on, being as close as to the edges instead of the middle where he stood at.

Cassius slowly broke into a grin without her notice and for once more he realized that he really enjoyed Arabella’s presence. So much so that he didn’t want what had happened this afternoon to occur again. But then he remembered what his aunt had said. How his aunt had also claimed to have seen Arabella before, long ago which mean that now she isn’t the age her appearance made her to look like.

"How old are you?" Cassius asked her and though curious why he had asked she answered without thinking twice.

"Twenty one..?"

He raised his eyebrows at her unsure tone, "You don’t know your age?"

"No, I think it is right," she rubbed her head, "My father wasn’t really there for me and I think my mother should know how old I am but... she wasn’t really there to tell us how old we are. My father never told when our birth date either and I suspect he doesn’t know it as well."

Her mother had left early and before Arabella could remember it, her mother had never spoke about her or Ariel’s age. It didn’t help either considering how she was the only literate person in the family as Ariel was never taught how to read or write. Her mother... no was it a neighbor who had taught her how to read and write? It’s the reason why Ariel never knew their birth date.

"Then what kind of person is your mother?" Cassius leaned forward in interest, his crimson gaze flickering as he had asked the question.

She hummed, "She looks like Ariel. Blonde hair, beautiful face-"

"Blonde?" He echoed, cutting her off and then nodded, "Continue."

She wondered why he was surprised, "My father shares similar hair color as mine. Though darker, more like brown. I remember my mother’s face a little but not in details. Father always says that I never look like her and that only Ariel share her good features."

Cassius crossed his arms as he leaned to the couch, "Then two decades ago you were a baby?"

Chuckling, Arabella grinned, "Of course? I mean, there isn’t anyone in this world who were born immediately as an adult right?"

"There shouldn’t," he smiled back at her smile and for a moment of pause, Arabella felt his eyes that were carving a memory of her smile into his head which made her feel a bubble of heat on her cheeks.

She turned away, "Then what’s wrong with the question?"

"Nothing," he considered, tapping his arms. It wasn’t her, she wasn’t the way she looked now twenty years ago. Nor was it her mother who clearly doesn’t share her features. But he knew his aunt well. Having a great and powerful memory, his aunt wouldn’t have mistaken who she had seen and the fact that Arabella had almost died yet remain alive was odd in itself, as if she was something she didn’t even know.

He considered again of how dangerous her true self could be and the earlier they know what she is, the safer it could be. "Tomorrow let’s leave the castle."

It was the first time Cassius had ever told his plan to someone else and to her. Arabella noted how he usually go and told her to follow but never specify where, why, and when. But this time he did, like a child reflecting on his mistake.

She didn’t want to glorify his kindness, still thinking about the things he did but that doesn’t mean she was going to hold it a grudge for too long against him, she wasn’t spiteful and held grudge for years either.

But she does respect his change which shouldn’t be easy to be done so suddenly.

Curious she asked with a tilt of her head, "Where are we going then?"

"Visiting your sister," he answered and almost immediately Arabella’s green eyes filled with hope, sparkling as if it was going to throw stars over him. Seeing that Cassius was taken aback but at the same time thought that perhaps he should surprise her like this so he could always see that fluttering smile that blossomed on her pink lips.

"Really?!"

"Really," he answered, his tone kinder.

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