To His Hell and Back
Chapter 285: Prince Taken Away

Chapter 285: Prince Taken Away

Arabella woke up with a large yawn. Staring at the window, she stayed in a daze only until she felt the firm arm wrapped around her hips. Turning around, she found Cassius and smiled widely.

"Good morning," she whispered and Cassius stood up, still hugging her by the waist.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" He asked and she nodded.

For a moment Arabella was quiet, she recalled what had happened yesterday. She recalled seeing Isabelle protecting her as she fell from the horse, how she had used the gun to kill the vampires who had wanted to hunt her.

Then Cassius arrived, wounded but he prioritized coming back for her first. After that perhaps due to the shock or the stress, she had fallen deep into sleep, unable to wake up for a long time until now.

"About yesterday," Cassius whispered to her and she looked at him, holding to his arm.

"If this is about the hunt, I understand," she would rather forget that this had happened for good. In the first place, the hunt wasn’t anyone’s- especially not his fault, so how could she blame him?

"Yesterday night you talked about it, I know that perhaps you think that you don’t have the right to be upset, but I understand if you do and I promise it would never happen again," Cassius whispered while burying his face on her shoulders, "I promise."

Arabella blinked, "We talked last night?"

Cassius briefly was stunned then he nodded his head to confirm her that he did talked with her last night. Arabella frowned as she didn’t recall this and he gently patted her head, "I think you were half asleep as you talked to me. You were quite odd last night."

"Hmm," Arabella then turned back at him, "So what did I say?"

He smiled softly before plopping to the bed, "That’s a secret me and last night’s Arabella knew."

"Huh?" Arabella narrowed her eyes playfully while placing her hands on his side, "I see so now you’re keeping secret at me?"

"Hahaha, not the sides," Cassius pretended that he was ticklish and the two play fight for a while until he pulled her to his embrace. He let her snuggle on his chest, his eyes staring at the canopy of the bed as he thought about how it haunted Arabella so much to be sent to the hunt that she began doubting whether the throne was important to him or her.

A part of him felt terrible and guilty. He knew that Arabella always wanted to support him but if it was at the cost of her own heart, he couldn’t have that.

"It will be a little tougher from now on," he whispered to her. His red eyes slowly moved to her face as he gently lined his fingers around her cheek, "But I promise you, only now. Soon, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore. You don’t have to endure, and you don’t have to worry."

Arabella stared at Cassius’s solemn face and smiled.

"I trust you," she whispered, "I trust that you will always be there for me."

He smiled, "And I promise that I will be there on time from now on."

"Mhm," she hummed while leaning against his chest that lack the sound of heartbeat.

Before they could relax a little longer in the room, a thunderous knock had arrived on the door. The knock was heavy and demanding which was enough for Arabella to know it didn’t come from Karnala or Renald.

Cassius’s face also darkened and she could see how he seem to have guessed that these uninvited guests would be knocking on his room, as if knowing that this was about to take place.

Turning his head slightly, he kissed her forehead. He then stood up, slipped the robe over his body and whispered to her, "Hang in there. I promise, it will be quick."

"Cassius?" She questioned as a terrible premonition entered her heart.

Something was...

Something was wrong.

Deadly wrong.

Sure enough when the door was opened, Cassius was met with guards standing in front of his room.

It wasn’t just one guard or two, it wasn’t a handful or a hundred of them, no.

It was as if the entire castle’s guards had been pulled to stand in front of his chamber, all holding to their weapons with bated breath.

The head of the guards, the man who was most familiar with Cassius as he had always been there in the battles to fight alongside him seemed to be torn by his mission.

He knew that he was to come here to apprehend Cassius- but if he could, he would have left this place and washes his hands off this problem.

He didn’t want to go against Cassius, not when he is powerful but most of all, when this man had once saved him in the battle that would otherwise cost his life.

To bite the hands that feed you was abhorrent. But to bite the hand that saved you? Not once, not twice, but the entire battle?

The King had always demanded new place to conquer, he never cared how it should be done or how many lives would be sacrificed on it, only wanting the perfect result. The soldiers had no choice but to endure their suffering in silence, after all they were nothing but pawns on chessboard for the King.

But their only source of hope was the crown prince who would always be there to help the war. Even when the battle turn against them, Cassius would instead demand his men to run away, unlike the King at his first battle who sacrificed all the men to run away and safe himself.

So to all these guards- standing here, waiting with their weapons to apprehend their crown prince- it was a decision they would never wish to take.

Some of them had even dropped their hands, giving up at the idea of bringing the crown prince from his room like he’s a prisoner.

But the head soldier knew that if he stopped here, the fault would fall to his underlings, those more innocent than him.

He parted his lips with a heavy sigh, "Your Highness," he said, holding his breath, "You are apprehended here for the death of the newborn princess."

Cassius remained still, unsurprised by this all.

But Arabella stirred from her bed, her lips parted in shock as she tries to understand what happened. When she walked down from the bed, rushing toward him, she saw Cassius’s hands that had reached out to her.

He looked at her then, really looked. And though his face was calm, his crimson eyes held a storm. There was no surprise in them. No panic. Only a quiet fury. A disappointment that reached far deeper than this moment.

"You knew," Arabella whispered, her voice so low it barely carried. "You knew they would come."

Cassius nodded once, just barely. "The moment Morgana lost what she wanted most," he said, "I knew she would use it."

The soldiers didn’t move. Some had bowed their heads, too ashamed to meet their prince’s gaze. Others simply stood frozen, unsure if they should pray, or run, or turn their blades against their own command.

"Your Highness," the head soldier spoke again, quieter now. His voice cracked under the weight of it. "You are to come with us. Peacefully."

Arabella looked up at Cassius, her heart thundering against her ribs.

"They are going take you away," she said, as though naming it would somehow stop it. "No. He was with me last night, He didn’t kill anyone- which princess.... he didn’t do it- there’s no evidence."

"I won’t resist," he replied, thumb brushing gently over the back of her hand. "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing," he whispered to her, seemingly sure but how could she nod? She’s been in the dungeon- she knew how it was, how it felt- especially when you’re innocent.

Arabella opened her mouth to protest, to cry out, but his other hand came to rest against her cheek, warm and firm.

"I’ve already sent Renald," he whispered, leaning close to her ear. "He knows what to do. You’ll be safe. No harm will ever reach to you, I promised didn’t I?"

Her breath hitched. Her lips quivered.

"But what about you?"

Cassius smiled softly. "I made a promise, didn’t I? I’ll be on time, next time."

Tears welled in her eyes, but before she could speak, the head soldier cleared his throat, ashamed, awkward.

"My prince," he said again, "Forgive me."

Cassius turned his head slowly, letting go of Arabella’s hand.

"There’s nothing to forgive," he said. "This isn’t your will. It’s the King’s."

And with that, he stepped forward into the corridor, past the guards who parted like sea before a storm. No chains. No force.

Only silence that accompany the rest of the soldiers who were far too ashamed of having to bring their crown prince into their dungeon when they knew this was all a ruse coming from Queen Morgana. But what could they do?

Cassius himself had come quietly with them- and this left them to only hung their head low as they brought him away.

Arabella stood in the doorway, her hands pressed to her lips, trembling.

Cassius didn’t look back until he reached the end of the corridor. Then, he turned his head, crimson eyes locking with hers once more.

"Wait for me," he mouthed.