To His Hell and Back
Chapter 234: Was I Mistaken?-I

Chapter 234: Was I Mistaken?-I

Donna nodded and at this Arabella furrowed her eyebrows. The smell of ground and mud? Scary? What part of Hans was scary? Rather, she found the man harmless as a white fluffy lamb. But had she mistaken it? Had they been lied by Hans?

But there’s no way... She had seen Hans before and he didn’t seem to be the type of person who was hiding his real nature. Even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to hide it from Cassius.

"Someone who smell of ground and mud, are they dangerous?" Arabella asked her friend who looked at her eyes before shaking her head.

"They just smell like graves. Sometimes those smell could occur if that person works near deaths, like graves or maybe in military. But I don’t know, they don’t usually feel scary but he does feel scary."

Although it didn’t seem dangerous, it still needed to be alerted. Arabella hastened her mind to tell this to Cassius before nightfall, after all by then Marissa would leave the castle and they wouldn’t be able to do anything to prevent danger after that.

"Anyway," Donna then said, grabbing her attention back, "You seem like you’re in a hurry so you can leave me here."

"But," Arabella furrowed her eyebrows at her broken arms but knew that time was desperate and turned to the doctor, "Please take care of her."

"Of course!" The doctor answered in a stutter, fearing the blue haired vampire, Renard, who was staring after him like a hawk.

"And Bella!" Donna yelled when she neared the door, "Be careful of Iliza. I don’t know what she plans but she hates you... for no reason, just... because of envy and she is someone who wouldn’t hesitate when chances arrives."

Arabella looked at Donna and broke to a smile, accepting the warning, "Thank you, Donna. I will make sure to keep it in mind."

Donna sighed in relief, watching as Renard and Arabella left but before Renard did leave, he turned toward her, nodding his head in politeness which made Donna to raise her eyebrow.

That vampire was even more odd. He smell like blood and rust, like metal, but also like a fresh laundry under the sunlight.

A harmless vampire... how could that be?

Meanwhile, Arabella who had hastened to find Cassius with Renard behind her came to a stop when a familiar face stood over the hallway.

Dressed in the heavy purple gown was Queen Morgana and beside her was Minister Rueben, hand in hand as the minister had offered his hand for her to escort her.

Seeing it, Arabella lowered her green eyes. She knew that this wasn’t the time to be caught up with these two, especially when they’re an enemy who would love to take advantage of the situation.

Queen Morgana’s eyes stared at her and a humph resounded from her throat. She then stopped in front of Arabella and muttered, "Poor you. Fallen as a toy of that Crown Prince in this chessboard you were never supposed to be in. Soon you would understand that if you had taken my offer you would have been able to leave this place with enough money and your dearly life."

Arabella lifted her eyes, wondering what the woman meant, "I suppose I do not understand what you mean, Your Majesty, forgive me."

Queen Morgana chuckled as she walked three steps forward toward her and stared back at her green eyes for a long minute before she whispered, "I can’t blame you. I have been in your position before and like you I was so naive to believe in everything men whispers in my ears. Promises, sweet nothings, they’re nothing but lies dressed in lovely words, dear. When you serve no more purpose and once you are on their way to reach to their goal, they won’t have a second thought before getting rid of you."

Arabella saw the Queen’s fiery eyes and her expression turned concerned. She sincerely looked at the Queen, not in mockery or not to retort to her, but an honest question, one that slipped out too innocently from her mouth, "Is this the reason why you have turned the way you are, Your Majesty? Because a man carved a deep wound into you?"

For a moment, Queen Morgana’s proud eyes flickered. She gnashed her teeth, her eyes turned fierce but she managed to held back and turned into her snake like smile, "I say this as someone who had once been in your position, human girl. That crown prince of yours need to use you as a pawn. To prove my words, if he really does fancy, cares, or even loves you, why hasn’t he turned away all the princess from the castle?"

Arabella narrowed her eyes. The woman herself knew that Cassius wasn’t in the position to chase away all those princesses, not when the King is still alive and that would put his position in jeopardy.

The Queen’s voice turned smooth, almost wistful. "Once, someone made that same promise to me, that he’d marry me once he became Duke. And do you know what he did instead?" Her tone sharpened, venom creeping in. "He threw me out. Called me a thieving whore in front of the whole household. I was left to rot in the streets, scraping by in the slums, fighting hunger like it was my only companion."

She leaned in slightly, eyes glittering. "So don’t come crying to me later, girl. I’ve given you your warning."

Arabella watched as the Queen’s shoulders lifted, her lips curling into a smile far too wide to be kind.

"How funny, isn’t it?" she purred. "A woman will wager her whole world on a man’s promise. But tell me, how many of those promises have ever been kept?"

Arabella felt those words haunting her. Though she believes in Cassius, the Queen’s words held her heart in a vice for a moment, causing for her anxiety to raise.

Renard who saw Minister Rueben looking back at them and stopped his gaze at Arabella could tell how the minister had turned into a smirk, looking at her as if she’s a piece of meat he was going to devour.

Stepping forward, Renard shielded her from the minister who turned away, still laughing like a maniac.

"His Highness isn’t such a-"

"I understand Renard," she turned back at him smiling, "That isn’t our priority, I’m sure that the Queen just wanted to sow discord and I won’t let her succeed in it. Let’s find Cassius instead."