To His Hell and Back-Chapter 283: The Devil Within-I

Cassius slowly pulled his sword from the ground, the finality on his words seemed to make him smile though those smile didn’t once reach his eyes. Instead it was filled with such rage as though if a chance was given to him, he would have torn Morgana apart here and now. He clenched his fists, anger boiling in him like molten lava.

How he hate being constrained in this title of a crown prince. How he despise that he couldn’t just destroy the entire kingdom, burn them to the ground for what they had dared to do to Arabella.

But for today he endures.

The clenched fists beside his hips bled from his sharp fingernails that had dug to her own palms, crunching it until fresh blood dripped down the floor. freēwēbnovel.com

He endures today.

But he promised that this was the last time- the last time he would endure in this god forsaken castle.

"By the way," Cassius said idly, his gaze dropping to the blood-soaked floor where he’d etched something faint with his boot, "It seems your precious little baby is a girl."

Morgana’s brow twitched. Her head snapped up. "He’s a boy," she hissed, the words sharp, unblinking.

Cassius turned slowly, the corners of his mouth lifting in that familiar, dangerous smirk. "Oh? Haven’t seen her yet, have you?" He gave a loose shrug. "How confident of you. But I assume you haven’t forgotten— confidence, dear stepmother, is a double edged sword."

Her wide, furious eyes darted to the midwife. The poor woman had gone pale, color draining from her face as Morgana’s gaze pinned her like a blade.

And when she said nothing, when her head dipped down in silent confirmation, Morgana’s rage ignited.

With a sudden crash, she flung the basin beside her, water and blood splattering across the stone. Her voice thundered, reverberating off the walls, each syllable sharpened by disbelief and fury.

"Explain this! Explain it now!"

But no one dared to answer. How could they? No one could guess the gender of the baby and they had all guessed the baby’s gender by her appetite, by the roundness of her stomach. None of them was as brave or confident as Morgana about the baby’s gender and the midwife- who was about to tell her the gender of the princess- was stopped by Cassius who had came in at once when he heard the baby’s cry.

Morgana pointed to the midwife, her hands trembling with rage, "It’s your fault- Your fault. GUARDS TAKE HER AWAY!"

Outside the room, Cassius let out a low chuckle as he stepped into the corridor, loudly closing the door behind him. But the moment the latch clicked shut, his smile vanished.

The flames lining the hallway flickered violently, shadows stretching across the marble like reaching claws. His expression darkened, eyes narrowing into something dangerous.

The Crown Prince was no longer amused.

By the time Cassius returned to his chambers, the sword in his hand was heavy with dried blood and silence. He loosened his grip carefully, placing the blade on the table with deliberate precision to avoid the echo of steel on wood.

Any noise, even a breath too loud, might wake her.

His eyes flicked to the bed where she lay, Arabella, curled beneath the thick sheets, her breathing soft and even. The moonlight brushed her cheek like a blessing and seeing this, she seemed to be at peace despite her fingers that were wrapped in bandage and the suffering she had to endure because of him the past two days.

Cassius moved slowly, almost reverently, every shift of his coat, every footstep, choreographed in quiet restraint. He didn’t want to disturb her peace. Not tonight. Not after everyting.

In front of the mirror, he began to undress. One layer at a time, stained fabric peeled from pale skin. His red eyes met their reflection— tired, hollow, and lined with old fury. His torso was marked with fresh gashes, some shallow, others torn deep through flesh. Blood had crusted along the edges, sticky and blackened like tar.

Though he could not die, at least not easily, the pain was always real. Agonizing as always.

He sat down, silent, and without a second thought threaded the needle. His fingers worked with such a familiar movement, pushing through torn flesh and tugging it shut. His breath never wavered. No groan escaped him.

It wasn’t strength that kept him cool despite the process, it was practice.

He had grown used to suffering in silence, especially when she was asleep just feet away. He wouldn’t let her see him like this. Wouldn’t let her worry.

Some burdens weren’t meant to be shared.

"I didn’t know that you were back."

Cassius heard her voice and closed his eyes, pulling the towel he had placed around his hips and ready to cover his wound when he could feel her cold small fingers traced on his back, the cold made his skin tingle but his eyes seemed to burn instead.

"Why didn’t you wake me up?" Arabella who had sat on the floor, stared up at him. Her dewy green eyes seemed to be filled with delight as she stared at him, no fear, no awkwardness, just delight.

Cassius turned his body slightly and her head rolled to his thighs. Gently smoothening her head, he spoke, "I don’t want you to see what I was doing," then he added, "You have had such a long day, you should rest even more."

"I don’t feel like resting," Arabella stared at the basin beside Cassius, the one with the towel and icy cold water that had turned red from him using it to wipe the fresh wounds. "You love me don’t you, Cassius?"

Cassius blinked his red eyes. He released the needle he was holding, moving to wash his hands on the other basin and wiped it with the towel before placing his hands under her chin, pulling her face upward, "Are you upset?" He asked.

Arabella smiled, "Upset at?" She asked him, her fingers playfully massaging his palms. "You’re bleeding here," she noted.

Cassius was quiet and just stared at her.

Arabella hummed at his silence, "You mean whether I was upset at you being late?"

She stopped and added.

"Or that you gloss over the fact that I almost died without avenging the people who had hurt me?"

Her green eyes studied how his face that seemed hurt- Hurt.

"Which one?" She asked him.