To His Hell and Back-Chapter 211: A Grave Situation-II

Arabella’s eyes turned frozen at the couple of maids who had spoke the gossip loud enough for even her who was numerous steps away from them to hear what they had said clearly to her ears. Without her notice, her hands had clutched so tightly on the door until she heard a chip and saw that she had broke her own nails.

Seeing how the nail had slightly chipped to the side, Arabella felt somewhat embarrassed... or perhaps guilty? She didn’t know what the exact emotion she had felt now but she does feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she had just seen someone place something so important to her yet so fragile at the corner of the table, about to collapse and break as it hit the ground.

"If you don’t trust me, you can simply check His Highness’s study office. It’s located on the first floor’s eastern wing."

She didn’t know what had gotten over her as her feet had left Cassius’s chamber before her notice. Her footsteps, as though guided, made it way to the eastern wing where she could see Karnala conversing with Renard.

The blue haired knight seemed as polite as usual though there was a large bruise over his eyes which made Bella to wonder who had dared to hurt Cassius’s knight? It’s difficult to imagine someone would be able to defeat or even cause such wound to Renard other than Cassius... it couldn’t be, right?

From the corner of her eyes, she then shifted her gaze at the wooden door where she guessed to be Cassius’s study room as it was where Karnala and Renard had stood in front of. She waited for anyone to leave but even as she stayed there for longer than ten minute, nothing happened. No trace of Cassius nor Princess Isabelle.

"You’re curious too I see."

Arabella who didn’t registered who had spoke from behind her had simply stared at the door until it struck to her that the voice didn’t come from her head but someone standing on her back. She turned her head back, her neck snapping and in a startle she almost let out a yell after seeing Malvo who had stood behind her.

In time before she had let out the loud noise, Malvo reached out his hand, covering her mouth. His expression was as startled as she was and she could tell he also let out a cold sweat from startling her.

From outside Cassius’s room, Renard who had heard something on the hallway turned to stare and narrowed his eyes, "Did you hear something?"

"What?" Karnala answered as her blood red eyes moved to the hallway, noticing no one. "Must be one of the nosey maids."

"Must have been," Renard sighed. "Hey, Karnala... do you think His Highness is still mad at me?"

Karnala shrugged. "I warned you to keep your mouth, and your thoughts, to yourself. You have a terrible habit of speaking whatever foolish thing passes through your head. And considering how lenient His Highness has always been with you, you probably assumed he’d never strike you."

Renard winced, gently touching the bruise on his cheek. "I suppose I overstepped. I only meant to advise him... not as his knight, but as his friend. I didn’t mean to offend him by suggesting he keep Miss Arabella as a mistress."

Karnala turned away, her tone sharp. "And yet, you did. You should have known better. His Highness has never flinched when insulted himself, but if it’s Arabella’s name on someone’s lips, he won’t show the same restraint."

"Yes..." Renard murmured, guilt replacing his usual cheer. "I’ve always been proud to have his trust. But after last night... I wouldn’t blame him if I lost it forever."

Seeing how upset he was, Karnala sighed. With her arms crossed, the raven haired maid merely said a few sentence out of a sense of camaraderie, "As long as you show your sincerity and never to repeat the mishap last night, you can rectify the trust that had been broken. Besides, His Highness himself isn’t one who would hold a grudge, let’s say that he does have a soft spot for those who shows him loyalty."

"Do you think so?" Renard leaned forward, placing his head on her shoulder and though Karnala appeared displeased, she had allowed it as she felt bad for kicking a puppy that had been rained all night.

Arabella who had watched this from afar couldn’t hear what they had said but she could see how sincere Karnala and Renard was to each other. They didn’t seem like the type of people who would mix, both having the opposite personality and yet they do seem close, as if understanding each other better than everyone else due to their long year of being an ally.

"Brother always has the power to attract sincere people towards him," Malvo spoke and only then did she remember his presence.

She turned and tried to remain as polite as she could, answering stiffly, "Why are you here?"

"The same reason why you’re here," Malvo said in a hush whisper, "Brother brought princess Isabella to his study room, I’m sure you must have heard about it."

"He was the one who brought Princess Isabelle into the study room?"

"Well, no, I heard it’s the Princess who had knocked on his door very late at night," answered Malvo with a look of awkwardness. "Anyway, I heard this from my mother’s handmaiden so it shouldn’t be a false rumor. I wanted to check for myself if brother had decided on the woman he would be marrying."

"The woman he would marry..." she repeated, her throat dry and her voice came out trembling.

Malvo studied her expression and seeing the sort of shock that turned her face gray, he felt a sense of pity to the girl who is also a human like him. Malvo himself didn’t have that much friend must less a human friend. Thus when he saw Arabella, whose age are closer to him, he felt a sense of friendship even if he didn’t try to befriend her.

"What do you expect?" Malvo said with a shrug. "Those women came to Versailles with one goal which is to win his heart and marry him. That was always the plan. Still, we don’t need to panic yet. It’s not as if he has made a public decision or announced his choice."

"But to spend the night in one room with her," she said, clutching her skirt tightly, "that’s as good as choosing, isn’t it?"

Malvo gave a dry laugh, his eyes narrowing with a touch of sarcasm. "Oh please, this isn’t the dark ages. No one fusses over a woman’s virtue anymore. These days, people sleep together before deciding if they want to waste their whole life on someone. After all a good marriage comes from the bed. Besides..." he leaned in slightly, tone lowering, "Do you really think Brother Cassius is some saint who’s never touched a woman? If anything, he probably has an entire book of names. No, make that a dictionary. Maybe he just wanted to test the waters with Princess Isabelle. See if there’s any real spark before making it official."

Arabella couldn’t bear listening to Malvo’s words anymore as each of the word he uttered seem to have pricked her in the sorest wound.

She turned to him, "Then why are you here? To see whether they are really going to choose each other?"

Malvo smiled, snapping his finger, "Yes. I want to see what kind of woman Princess Isabelle is as well. You know, as a brother, I have to make sure he has the right woman with him, not someone who would instead dig him closer to grave."

Although he was smiling, Bella could feel that his words were somewhat directed toward her, making her to frown.

"Then what about you?" He asked, "Why are you here? To see whether the woman my brother choose would be kind to you like he does as well?"