To His Hell and Back-Chapter 29: Layered Man

Inside the carriage, Bella had pushed herself to the corner of the carriage. Each movements of the carriage swayed her, making her bottoms to feel painful but she couldn't think about the pain. Her earlier exchange with the "fake" Ariel that had been shown by the maze still distract her and the thought about her sister make her feel lonely.

She wished she could see her sister, to escape but much to her despair she couldn't get the object Cassius mentioned and eventually lost her chance to escape the castle. At some point she doubted the object was there in the first place but for a beggar, they can't be a chooser.

She didn't have much of a choice but trust Cassius, especially since he was the person who could help her escape, though that doesn't mean she had let go of her urges to hit and stab him. Her anger was at an all time high earlier but the adrenaline in her body have washed off, leaving her to feel overwhelmed with relief that she was alive.

She hugged her knees, drowning in her thoughts when the sharp exchanges she saw between Cassius and his sister, Princess Marissa, replayed again in her head.

Unlike her and Ariel, both of them seemed to have a say against each other, despising one another's actions and words, as if each words they each utter only strike their nerves.

She couldn't understand the bitterness between them. Her bond with Ariel was warm and unshakable; the thought of causing her sister pain was unthinkable. She would do anything to keep sadness from touching Ariel's heart, even willing to die for Ariel's safety and happiness, but Cassius seemed to hold a resentment against Marissa which the latter also held against him.

The clash left her unsettled. Was it their station, their past, or simply their nature that fueled such animosity? Whatever the reason, the weight of their hostility lingered in her mind, stirring questions she couldn't yet answer.

Cassius's crimson eyes watched her, he smiled, "What are you thinking? Still frustrated that I don't allow you to leave the castle?"

Being reminded of his lies made her frustrated, she frowned, eyeing him dangerously, "Your Highness don't you fear that one day this acts of yours will kill you?"

"Dearest me," he sang, sounding impressed. He purred, his voice low and taunting. "Angry that you've lost so much that you're now considering ways to kill me? How adorable. I'd almost commend you if you could at least manage a small stab here," he pointed to his chest. "If you ever succeed, I'll even give you my heart."

She huffed, "What good would it be in receiving your heart?"

Such a trivial thing. Did he truly believe she was like them, creatures who thrived on blood and flesh, that she would ever come to need his heart?

"Oh, darling, this heart is the most coveted treasure in all of this Kingdom," he taunted, a dark gleam in his eyes. "You'll be quite surprised at its worth, and what it could do in the right hands." With a sigh of boredom, he leaned back, resting against his seat. "So, tell me, what were you thinking about if it wasn't ways to kill me?"

She frowned. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about killing him, she had. Countless times even. But every time she tried to formulate a plan, it always ended in a dead end. Cassius seemed invulnerable, his every move calculated, leaving no room for vulnerability.

It was as if he was born without a weakness or flaw.

He wasn't always on guard but it felt as if he was born with eyes behind his back. In almost every situations, people either fear him that they wouldn't dare to harm him. His power was more than physical; it was instinctual, and it made her feel helpless.

No weakness. No opening. The more she tried, the more she realized she needed something he couldn't anticipate. But what? How?

She clenched her fists in frustration, cursing under her breath.

"What did I tell you about ignoring me birdie?" he taunted, his eyebrows raised while he watched her. He truly won't let her off until she answered honestly.

But she wasn't exactly trying to lie either so she sighed and spoke up, "Your relationship with your sister, was it always like that?"

Cassius's expression shifted slightly, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. "What do you mean by that?" He leaned in slightly, as if intrigued. "You mean why it looks like we despise each other's very existence?"

"You know?" Bella asked, surprised. He wasn't denying it.

So he knows?

"Do you hate her?" She asked him, curious. She knew Cassius was someone violent and it's hard to imagine someone like him would ever come to like another person but even to his family? Was he this cruel and hateful even to the people who share his blood?

"I don't hate her," Cassius replied, his voice calm and unbothered. To Bella's surprise, he answered so easily, despite his position where he held her leverage. "We just never got along. We were always opposites. She loved humans."

"Loved?"

Cassius felt as if he could watch Arabella's green eyes filled with curiosity for hours on end. Those lively eyes were truly curious, truly wanting to know about him and he found this extremely intriguing. He didn't mind talking about it but he only did it by giving her small crumbs to pick off, so her interest in him would never disappear.

"She loved them more than me, that's for sure, until they betrayed her. It was foolish of her. Despite how much she resembled me, deep down she was naïve. She believed that there were good humans out there. I could never understand that. Words are just words—evidence is everything."

Bella watched him closely, sensing a flicker of something more in his voice. Was there a part of him that wished he could understand humanity? His tone held more than just mockery—it seemed almost wistful.

"Her foolishness led to what happen afterward. I have warned her so many many times, tried to help her get rid of that sly bastard by opening her eyes to it, but instead, she got angry with me. And after that, she left the castle, she must have hated living with me," Cassius said, his voice softening as he closed his red eyes. He could still see his sister's tear-streaked face, begging him not to kill the human. But in the end, he had used his own sword, severing the man's head without hesitation.

Since then, their relationship had been shattered. Marissa chose to live far away from the castle, unable to bear the sight of her brother any longer.

"Is that really the case?" Bella whispered, her voice almost too soft for him to hear. When his sharp black eyebrows were raised, she could feel herself gulping and wished she should have shut her mouth tighter.

Cassius's eyes snapped open, his sharp gaze locking onto her with intensity. "Explain," he demanded, his tone laced with curiosity and warning. He saw she was trying not to speak again so he moved forward, "Speak and maybe this owner of yours will give you a sweet treat."

Her eyes sparkled, "You promise."

"Of course," He grinned, wondering how silly she was to keep believing in him. It was her humane trait he supposed which was odd as the humans he knew would do anything even if it means selling their own daughter for their own desire, yes much like Arabella's own father.

Not knowing what the trickster crown prince in front of her was thinking, she answered in steadfast attitude, "If your sister really hated the idea of living with you, she wouldn't have sent you so many tea parties invitation."

She looked up to check his face, finding him who had gone completely silent while placing his hand under his chin and leaning to the plush seats.

"But I know how it is," she pressed on, her voice steady but soft. "I have a sister too. I wouldn't hate her, not after she tried to protect me from harm. Sometimes, anger can cloud our judgment, but that doesn't mean we can't fix things. It seems like she's still trying to reach out to you, even if she's angr-"

"You speak as if you know everything in people's heart," Cassius then cut her words sharply.

Bella's stomach tightened. She had said too much, and she saw the coldness in his eyes that made her wish she had kept quiet. Cassius turned his face toward the window, his posture stiffening. He was lost in thought, and Bella couldn't help but feel that she had just touched a nerve.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

But she was still getting her reward right? Maybe if she beg, she could be allowed to find her sister and look at her for a while?

However she felt that she still need to say one more thing and although he had gone quiet, she continued with her words, "You don't know what you got until you lose it, so you have to take care of the people around you."

Hearing this, he turned his face back at her. Much to her surprise, his face didn't seem bothered. Was she imagining the melancholic that settled on his back earlier?

"You are weird. Odd. Fascinating. Despite almost coming into contact with death today, you could get in this carriage so bravely don't you?" Cassius then started talking again, his eyes focusing on her. "Maybe that's why you're a human? But the humans I know aren't quite like you. Are you sure you're a normal human?"

He poked her cheeks and she frowned, glaring at him.

"I am normal," she answered, "Unlike you and that might have felt abnormal to you." she then added in a brief whisper and heard him laugh beside her.

He was back to normal again. So quick. He seemed sad earlier but was she imagining it? She must be, a vampire like him, a crown prince no less, would never feel such small feeling of sadness for someone else.

"By the way, birdie," said Cassius then as if he remembered something, "Tomorrow I have to go somewhere far that would take me a day. You will be inside my room and do nothing, alright?"

"What about my treat?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Not even a question about where I'll be going? That hurt my heart."

She stared at him passively, unimpressed and he chuckled again.

"Tomorrow hungry bird. You seem to have so much wants and needs aren't you? Poor owner like me will get drained in a second," he said as she saw the castle coming into full view. Then she saw as Cassius's back faced her, her green eyes watching how those red ones stared at the window and how the air around him was different than the time he was in the castle. It was quiet as if a solemn air had rested on his shoulders.

But when he had looked back to meet her eyes, the glint in his eyes were replaced again with malice which made her hug her knees tighter, sighing softly at the dangerous vampire who is both her source of hope and also despair.

That evening was as Cassius had said, he left the castle, leaving her alone in his room. She was so relieved she didn't have to stay in one room with him as she feared he would suddenly come to bite her or annoy her but she didn't know that the next morning she would instead come to appreciate Cassius's presence than the rest of the vampires in the castle ground...