To His Hell and Back
Chapter 43: Standing On Grounds

Chapter 43: Standing On Grounds

When Arabella woke the next morning, Iliza was nowhere to be found. For a brief moment, she wondered if the events of the previous night had been nothing more than a strange dream. But she trusted her own senses too much to doubt what she had seen and heard. Though she didn’t have any evidence to back her senses now, she felt that she needed to keep tonight’s incident in her mind.

Donna, however, had been unusually quiet. When the guards arrived to retrieve her, Donna clutched her arms nervously, her face pale with unease. Arabella could only offer a few words of reassurance, though they did little to soothe the older woman’s fear.

"You shouldn’t go near him," Donna whispered, voice laced with worry.

Arabella gave her a small, forced smile. "I’ll be fine, take care of yourself, Donna."

Donna looked unconvinced, her lips pressed into a thin line. But she said no more, only murmured a quiet prayer under her breath as she reluctantly let Arabella go. Despite her terror, she knew one thing: if Arabella had to be anywhere near a vampire, Cassius was the safest option.

After bidding goodbye to her friend, Bella’s shoulders feel heavier as they approach the familiar gates to the upper floor, she then sees the bright chandeliers and the familiar view of maids around the castle which makes her heart to feel heavy.

As Bella was making a turn, she then saw a familiar figure standing with his hands on his back, his face marred with a certain look of disgust as well as a familiar taste of violence. When she lifted her face, Bella found herself standing right in front of Minister Rueben, the same bastardly vampire who almost feasted and assaulted her.

Her bright green eyes shook under her eyelids, fear caught her straight in her heart as she felt the urge to run away, quickly, as soon as possible, away from this monster. But she found herself unable to as she saw a human slave crying on the floor, none other than a familiar figure which was Iliza herself.

Her eyes widened, finding Iliza, her face marred after being slapped, blood dripped to the carpet underneath her knees which seemed to have turned even the nearby vampire guards to eye her like a delicacy.

"How dare you place your hand on my body?" Minister Rueben scoffed after he had hit Iliza. His words were sharp and deadly but his smile seemed lustful for the blood that had been spilled by the girl.

Arabella’s breath hitched as she took in the scene before her.

Iliza was on her knees, shoulders trembling, tears spilling silently down her cheeks. She had pressed her lips together, as if ashamed of her own weakness, as if furious at herself for breaking. Her head remained bowed, strands of silver-blonde hair slipping forward to shield her expression.

But Arabella’s gaze flicked away from her and landed on the man standing over her. Minister Rueben.

That bastard.

Her stomach churned as the realization set in. He had struck her.

And yet, Iliza wasn’t fighting back. Why was she here? Why was she with Rueben that bastard out of everyone else?

Questions burned in Arabella’s mind, but they paled in comparison to the most pressing one, the warning Donna had given her before she left: "I can’t trust her."

Arabella had wanted to brush it off, to believe Iliza wasn’t an enemy. But now, doubt gnawed at the edges of her thoughts, whispering that she should stay out of this.

And yet—

Rueben moved.

His hand lifted, but this time, it wasn’t just a slap. His fingers extended, nails sharpening into curved claws. The air crackled with the promise of violence as his hand slashed toward Iliza’s exposed throat.

Iliza was frozen. Her wide, tear-stained eyes followed the deadly arc of his claws, her face drained of all color. She didn’t even move to defend herself.

As if she had accepted this as her final sentence.

Arabella’s heart pounded. She had mere seconds to decide.

"Stop!"

Bella’s body had jumped in front of Iliza before anything could happen. She shut her eyes, regretting that she had a body that seemed to just pull every disaster around her, like a magnetic force of some sort.

Minister Rueben’s reddish brown eyes stopped at her and his gaze narrowed. He scoffed, looking away, "Good another pet to ruin my day."

Arabella gulped when Rueben’s height tore her. She was always smaller than everyone, partly because she always lacked nutrients to grow up but now she wished she had been a bit taller or a bit bigger, maybe that would have made her feel slightly more secure standing in front of Minister Rueben who had tried to assault and kill her.

The thought of what had happened in his study room haunted her, scared her, and scarred her. She wished she could just walk away as her legs and fingers began to tremble but she decided she had to stay here until she saw Iliza saved from this dangerous monster.

"How bold of you, little human," Minister Rueben’s words were the opposite of his deadly tone. "Being fancied by His Highness must have made that head of yours bigger than you can handle. Why throw yourself into a fight that isn’t yours? Do you fancy yourself her savior?"

"And do you strike people because you feel weak?" Bella snipped. She schooled herself but Rueben didn’t dare to get close to her. It’s because of Cassius’s power that was high up above everyone in the room. They know that no one could ever lay a hand on her and no matter what she does, no one could ever punish her action in place of Cassius.

It was a blessing and a curse. Today she uses it as a blessing.

Rueben’s eyes twitched, "Brave! Brave indeed. His Highness’s pet is always so brave, wait until you see his patience run thin to you. Do you know what this pet had done that enraged me and what you’re doing is none other than disrespecting the Queen’s authority?"

"I don’t see the Queen here," she responded and Rueben scoffed coldly, patting his chest.

"I am the Queen’s eyes. This pet, she had harmed me," Rueben shrugged, "While you are His Highness’s pet. She belongs to no one but me, so what I’m going to do will have no business on you and His Highness won’t be able to have a say otherwise."

She glanced at Iliza who was quiet as her eyes looked at the carpet, her lips bleeding by how she had bitten on it tightly. How did Iliza became Rueben’s pet? To this mad vampire who clearly dislikes humans and would do anything to make them suffer under his palms?

Seeing how Iliza refused to look at her, Bella was left to answer Rueben alone. She held her hands, hiding the trembles, and smiled, her green eyes sharply eyeing Rueben, "But I dislike seeing violence. Only weak men strike women who cannot fight back."

"Careful now. You may think yourself brave, but that mouth of yours could be your downfall. You should be grateful I don’t punish humans as I do insolent vampires," His glare caused her to flinch but her smile didn’t falter she stood straight, her eyes meeting the vampire straight to his soul, something other pets feared.

"Then do it. Strike me."

Rueben paused.

"You won’t, will you? You only raise your hand when your opponent kneels. But I am standing, Minister Rueben, do you think you can strike me?" Bella eyed him, her voice mocking him that clearly caused Rueben’s eyes to snap, anger flared his nose, and his reddish brown hair turned small while his glare burned brighter.

"Do you believe His Highness will come running to save you?"

Bella gulped. Honestly, yes. After all that man knows whenever she is in danger, right?

"I do not need saving. Least of all from the likes of you," she snapped and Rueben moved forward, letting a loud laugh that felt cold to her ears. She could see his anger was burning brighter than ever even when his laughter left his mouth.

He pointed his hand at her and nodded, "You should be careful, pet. You have to remember that your pet is all you are to him and how your position is so fragile and that it could change the moment his heart suddenly feels your company as boring. There will be a day when he will not be able to come and help you and when that happens, you will regret this."

Angered by her, Rueben turned around, leaving one lasting glare that seemed to swear that he would one day kill her with blood on his hands, making sure that HE would be the one to enjoy her suffering to the fullest.

Arabella felt her knees weak when the vampire left along with the rest of the guards, her heart raced and she found her hands that were clammy with the intense sweat. She patted her chest, telling her heart to calm down as the storm passed, and thought that while she could have been brave earlier, she didn’t think she could feel brave for long. Deep inside, her bravery was only a mask to cope with dangers that always haunted her or Ariel, yet now pushed to be alone, that reason for her bravery was slowly crumbling.

She then looked at her back, finding Iliza who was trembling and crying. Tears ran down her eyes while Arabella watched her sobbing.

With a sigh, Bella called, "Stand up Iliza," and she reached out her hands only to see Iliza who refused her help and pushed herself to stand up.

Staring at her, Iliza clenched her jaw, muttering, "Isn’t it so good to be you? How lucky. Don’t you know how many would kill to be in your position?"

Struck by the sudden question, her green eyes blinked. Iliza had stared at her angrily, the girl’s brown eyes were filled with a certain color of anger and the green of envy, she had spoken through her gritted teeth, shame, as well as anger, colored her face while Arabella found her words completely baffled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Arabella frowned. She didn’t wish to be thanked but she didn’t expect to be suddenly resented either.

"How did you become the Crown Prince’s pet, Bella?" Iliza then changed her tune, "Why is it that you can do it but all of us- can’t? What makes you so different from us? Is it because you’re pretty? But I’m also pretty."

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