To His Hell and Back-Chapter 261: Similar Wounds

The cold dungeon was far more desolate than its name. Known for how the place lack care from the outside world and the chilling air that causes the prisoners to succumb to all sorts of illness before dying, the dungeon was no less worse than a death sentence, perhaps even slightly worse considering how the prisoners would have to suffer for a long time before they meet their ends while death sentence come as quickly as a chop on the neck.

Arabella was shivering in the iciness as she was kept inside the cell and beside her was Karnala who had took off her outer coat as to cover Arabella in a thicker clothing.

When they met eyes, Arabella felt guilty, "I’ll be alright, Karnala."

Karnala shook her head, "Humans are susceptible to coldness and that could cause illness but for us vampire, the colder the better."

Arabella sighed, "They didn’t have to lock you here with me. They should have known that you weren’t involved in anything."

"I voluntarily entered as His Highness had reminded me multiple times how your life is more important than his," Karnala said politely.

Arabella smiled back at her words and went to quietness as she bask with the informations running around in her head. She died and came back alive. It wasn’t that the stab hadn’t killed her, it did and it did make her heart stop and her breaths halted yet like a monster she managed to come back alive with the sword pierced through her chest. freewebnσvel.cѳm

She... has heard how she could die, how she could come back to life but never did she ever felt dying and returning to life in such way that the pain was still raw and the shock and fear ran through her chest.

She began to grip her arms strongly, leaving a red mark that was so severe that it caught Karnala’s attention.

The maid thought about it before finally speaking, "Not all vampires are welcomed by the vampires themselves."

Arabella turned to see the maid who had also pulled her knees to her chest, leaning over the wall beside her as she spoke.

"Back then most pure bloods does whatever they could to make sure that the bloodline of their descendants would be thicker to guarantee the power that pure blood has. Those families who were greedy even made their own daughters to marry their sons, meaning incest marriages. It was accepted before but soon they found out how horrifyingly grotesque the babies born from two siblings and began to shun children who were the fruit of the marriage."

Arabella furrowed her eyebrows, "But those marriages weren’t something they wanted themselves."

"True the parents were at fault most certainly but that doesn’t mean other vampires could excuse or pity them, instead they were seen as taboo. The children usually bear a flaw. Some were born without their limbs or perhaps too much limb than necessary. But some others were luckier than the rest though they still saddle a flaw," as she spoke Karnala pulled her hair back and lifted the corner of her lips with her pinky.

Arabella wondered what the maid was going to show when she saw how all Karnala’s teeth were jagged like a saw, something which wasn’t too obvious as she always talked slowly with her hair shaping over her face which covered her mouth.

"That’s," Arabella muttered. "Doesn’t look bad?"

Karnala chuckled at her uncertain answer and she shook her head, "These are all fangs, Miss Arabella. I was born with just fangs all over my mouth and it took a whole town to shave down the fang when I was still young."

Arabella furrowed her eyebrows tighter, "But that’s painful if it doesn’t hurt you physically is it necessary to shave your teeth until they’re dull?"

"No," she answered, "But they feared what I was and shaving them down was a punishment they say I should endure as I was born as a sin."

"A sin... no that’s not true," Arabella insisted, "how could someone be brought to the world sinned yet the ones who caused it aren’t the sinners?"

Karnala blinked and she smiled, "That’s the same as you, miss Arabella. From my view, I don’t think that you’re a monster just because you could come back from death. Rather I’d like to learn such a secret. So I could avoid death while protecting you and His Highness."

Arabella who had been frustrated genuinely started to smile, "you didn’t see how scary it was for me to come back Alive?"

"I wasn’t scared," answered Karnala, "I was so amazed that I was at loss for words. I was also happy as I didn’t fail my mission though I promise that shouldn’t happen ever again."

"I trust you," Arabella answered as she clenched Karnala’s hands warmly.

Suddenly Karnala frowned, "Someone is here."

Arabella’s heart thumped and she turned in fear, "Is if the queen?"

"No, it’s..."

"Bella?"

The familiar voice of princess isabelle rang which caught her attention. Arabella stood up to the door which had a small window attached to the door that was then pushed to open. Light finally seeped into the darkness and a bright pair of red eyes appeared from the front of the door alongside the sweet voice.

"Bella! Bella it’s me, Isabelle! Are you there? Are you safe?"

"Isabelle?" Arabella stood up and walked to the door slowly. She met eyes with Isabelle whose gaze was drenched with worries. She relaxed her eyebrows only after seeing Arabella and her voice softened.

"Bella, oh dear are you alright? You- I heard you were stabbed. The queen- How could she does this to you? And why isn’t His Highness there to protect you? What actually had happened?"

Arabella shook her head, "the queen suspect that I was the one who had killed Princess Marissa."

"No way, that could be far from the truth. I know you wouldn’t do that. What about the stabbing?"

"The queen... stabbed me but I survived," she couldn’t say it out loud that she managed to come back from death like a monster.

Isabelle hummed, "I could be your witness. I can tell the queen-"

"A fake witness would make it an admission of guilt," Karnala spoke from behind but her voice and tone was sharp enough to replace whatever idea that Isabelle had proposed.

"Right," Isabelle mutters, "You’re with someone there?"

"Yes the maid," she spoke softly but then saw Isabelle’s face that had turned bitter.

With a frown, Isabelle’s red eyes moved to find Karnala and if narrowed when her eyes landed on the maid. She then scoffed under her breath, "That’s the maid the crown prince left to protect you, what was she doing when you were stabbed? How could his highness and her allows you to be hurt? If I was there I would never allow for anyone to touch or harm even the slightest part of your hair."

Taken aback Arabella blinked to the words, "Don’t say that Isabelle, they tried to protect me but the queen was just a little too forceful and you know how no one here has the power to go against her words."

"Oh I know well but here I am standing to find you even when I knew it would displease her. You’re important thus why I could do this for you but clearly not all the people around you truly cares about you."

"Isabelle that’s too far," Arabella reminded. She didn’t want to scold the only friend who had rushed upon hearing that she was in danger but at the same time it was far too rude to accuse that the people around her didn’t care about her when Karnala had wagered her own life, a decision that she sure wasn’t easy to choose.

"But I’m upset!" Isabelle huffed. "How about I help you to escape, Bella?"

"Princess Isabelle!" Erthand warned but Isabelle snapped at her and hissed.

"Know your place Erthand."

Erthand gritted his teeth before bowing his head down in response, angry but couldn’t show the anger.

"No, Isabelle, I appreciate your kindness but- it will endanger you."

Isabelle pushed her fingers to the small gaps of the window and held her hand, "I do not care. I am prepared to go so far for you, Bella. I am prepared if it means to protect you."

Arabella then met her gaze with Isabelle red ones and for once she felt as if she had seen this gaze before. The burning and passionate gaze but not from Isabelle- rather from Cassius.

A sense of unease filled Arabella’s heart as she gently pushed away her fingers and spoke to the princess gently, "thank you, sincerely, but just seeing that you’re here, just seeing that you care enough to show up for me, I’m grateful. I don’t wish to put you in danger Isabelle and that is because you mean a lot for me. As a friend, I’d never want you to suffer due to me."

Isabelle’s kindness on her eyes slowly but surely disappeared, eaten by the darkness.

She looked back to Arabella with a colder glint, her mouth repeating what Arabella had said, "As a friend."