To His Hell and Back-Chapter 18: Punishment Day

Her heart was racing for an answer when she saw how effortlessly Cassius had lifted the blanket and then pushed himself inside. His eyebrows then furrowed and his gaze landed back on her which caused her to dart her eyes all around the room while her entire body wince from startle.

"W- what?" Her tone turned smaller in seconds.

"Move," Cassius demanded with ease. He then put the thick quilt over his body and leaned his back on the headrest, reading the book with one hand, still focused on it. "For a pet, you're quite brave and brazen aren't you?"

W- what? That's all? He's telling her to leave now?

Arabella didn't know what to do as she was much too surprised to the point she was at a loss for words. Sure she was relieved, but she also knew what could happen when a girl lies defenselessly on a man's bed. Unfortunately for them, when a man is near a defenseless woman, they wouldn't think twice before bedding them. Especially when Cassius is a cruel person who could kill and a vampire who is thirsty to stay true to his desire.

But what? He didn't even look at her and that somehow made her so surprised. She was so happy but at the same time so baffled as the villain in front of her seems to be slightly human.

"Don't go back to the dungeon," ordered Cassius. "Sleep on the floor."

Blinking, Arabella turned her head to the cold floor.

She took it back. This man isn't kind at all! Was he so horrible that this one small gesture of him seemed to turn him kind for a brief moment to her?

She was so baffled by how low her expectation of kindness was now that she even began to think of this man who had just killed someone in front of her and then brazenly blamed her death on her hands.

Arabella was dead sure he simply wanted to see her squirm even more under his grasp for his enjoyment. She moved over to the very far corner of the room, where she could still see his entire figure and the door to escape for her safety. When she pulled the small carpet on the floor toward the corner, she noticed a golden birdcage that seemed to be broken.

Bella's gaze fell on the small birdcage, its delicate golden bars gleaming in the low light. Intricate flower ornaments wove through its frame, each petal a testament to meticulous craftsmanship. It was an odd sight, a fragile beauty nestled within the stark opulence of Cassius's room.

Everything else spoke of dominance and shadows. The rug beneath the massive bed was the skin of a snowy white tiger, a stark contrast to the crimson canopy that hung above. Meanwhile, the pillows were in deep black and red covers, the colors an unspoken authority and madness.

Even the furniture seemed to echo his nature— tables carved from the darkest wood, polished to a gleaming abysmal black hue.

'As black as his heart,' Bella thought bitterly. Yet, despite the overwhelming darkness, there was something unsettlingly fitting about the room. It reflected him perfectly: grand, imposing, and untouchable. But beneath the surface, in the empty spaces between the shadows, it felt unbearably lonely.

Not that it was any of her business, she thought.

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"What are you doing?" Came his voice again, startling her. "You need sleep birdie. Tomorrow is your punishment day."

Holding her grumblings and annoyance to her heart, she squeezed her body until it was small enough to escape his gaze. She tried to sleep but she couldn't and found herself staring at the vampire who was reading a book. She questioned why was he so interested in her. Because of her defiance? She knew she could never understand him but couldn't help to uncover this man's secrets.

After all, the better she understood him, the easier it would be to craft an escape plan— a plan so meticulous, so foolproof, that not even this clever vampire could anticipate it.

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep but she woke up quite late upon hearing the whispering of maids who had suddenly gathered in Cassius's room. Surprised, Arabella jumped to her feet. The maids who had been meticulously dusting the tapestries and arranging the chamber now stood still, their gazes fixed on her like she was a rat who had sneaked in.

They were all dressed in a black dress with white apron. Most of their hair was braided and then pinned on the back of their head cleanly except one who seemed to have a face familiar to Bella.

"What is this human doing here?" One maid said, their eyes looking down at her like she was a rat that had sneaked in.

Arabella didn't have to say anything or defend herself as someone had pitched in. It was the maid who had stomped on her foot last time. Nora, the maid who had been assigned the longest to Cassius eyed her, "That's His Highness's new pet."

"A pet? The human one?" another maid whispered, her disbelief evident. "But I thought he disliked the human pets idea."

"I don't know what he sees in this ugly little thing," Nora scoffed, her lips curling in contempt. "But looking at her irritates me too." She turned her back to Arabella, resuming her task of adjusting a gilded vase.

Well see that, she did stomp on her hands last time on purpose, didn't she? It would have been foolish to protect this maid after seeing how Nora had openly mocked and berated her but if she forgo her humanity she would be no different than the vampires in this castle.

Bella heard the maid who had asked about her gossiping with the third maid in the room. "Rumor has it," one maid murmured to another, her voice dripping with curiosity, "That His Highness would even kill Lady Blair for her."

Nora who had moved the vase rolled her eyes. She let out a harsh laugh, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "That's nothing but foolish talk. Lady Blair's father is a corrupt noble, stealing from the royal treasury. His Highness would crush her family for treason, not for this... thing." she trailed her words into a chuckle which the other maids followed.

Turning her gaze back to Arabella, Nora's eyes gleamed with a touch of dark sarcasm, "Hear that, ugly duckling? Don't let it go to your head. His Highness doesn't want you, doesn't care for you. The last pet who thought they mattered didn't survive their first week here."

Bella simply kept her mouth shut. She had learned that her words brought more problems and although she itched to tell Nora that Cassius didn't care for her either and she shouldn't be too happy about being beside him as he would have killed her without hesitation, she decided to keep those thoughts in her head and remained mute.

Suddenly a knock resounded from the door near Nora, startling Arabella who thought that she was about to see more death. But surprisingly, she found a maid who seemed to be dressed in a darker shade of black uniform while her apron was in the color of red that matched her eyes. Her presence seemed to shift the air in the room almost immediately as Nora herself who had made it clear that she was above everyone in the room seemed to falter seeing the new maid.

"His Highness had ordered me to bring his pet bird to the carriage with him," announced the maid who then ignored the rest of the human maids before staring at Bella who was just awake, still in a state of confusion from opening her eyes. The maid was impassive, unlike Nora though she didn't look down at her like she was a mouse, "His Highness said: Sleeping is only for those who deserve it Birdie, it's time for your punishment."

Speechless beyond words, Arabella wondered if she could close her eyes and pretend to go back to sleep but saw she couldn't as the maid had already arrived, and denying him would perhaps make him angry. Her promise was for him to ensure her safety while she entertained him so dismissing his words would also be a foolish decision.

She reluctantly stood up, squeezing her eyes and mouthing any grumble of anger she had in her heart against that heartless vampire, "What punishment... I thought one entertainment a week is enough... no- does he want that said entertainment every day?"

If that's the case- he will drive her crazy faster than her own death!

Just as Arabella walked past, Nora had slyly placed her foot to trip her but Arabella caught this in sight quickly and avoided falling from being tripped. She sidestepped smoothly, avoiding the fall, her patience snapping under the weight of constant hostility.

"You don't have to be so eager to see me dead. Perhaps you should worry more about your own fate— you might see it arrive sooner than you expect."

The room fell silent, the tension crackling in the air as Arabella's defiance hung in the space between them. But the vampire maid had cut through the tension like a knife, "We don't have time. His Highness despises waiting."

Arabella saw Nora who seemed to be fuming and marched past them, ignoring the anger that was directed toward her as she had to worry about her own safety first. She then followed the vampire maid, making their way to the hallway while she looked at her feet as she was barefooted while leaving. She doubted if she asked the maid for shoes she would be given but she tried regardless,

"Uhm, excuse me, do you maybe have spare boots?"

The vampire maid turned around and repeated her words like it was etched in her head with ease, "His Highness is waiting for you. He despises waiting therefore we will hurry."

She gulped down her sigh and decided to look around the castle to get more knowledge of the layout. When she was brought to the castle, she was pushed to the dungeon therefore it surprised her to see the beauty of the castle.

The high vaulted ceilings were adorned with intricate frescoes, the vivid colors seemed to have come alive when shades of light from massive stained-glass windows entered. The floors gleamed with polished marble, each step echoing softly in the vast, open halls. The maids all around the castle were countless, each cleaning every floor to make sure it was spotless for the royalties in the castle as if a small mistake or flaw were unforgivable.

Gilded chandeliers hung like frozen stars, the scent of fresh flowers mingled with the faint aroma of burning candles, adding a sense of warmth to the grandeur. Despite this, they still couldn't get rid of that bloody fragrance that had filled the entire castle. This was something that no matter how long they tried to wash and polish the entire castle from floor to that sky-high ceiling would never happen.

They walked out of the long staircase to the outside of the castle, standing right in front of the white carriage that was filled with tapestry and when she lifted her head, she found Cassius, his face a bore until he turned to her and his smile curled his bright red lips.

"Took you so long, birdie. I know you can't fly but do you really have to make the crown prince wait for you for such a long time?"