Arabella took a step back out of surprised only to see the people who had crawled like a lizard at the ceiling jumping down to the ground one by one. Followed by their appearance was the loud scream coming from Charles and Mrs Rath who they had left above the ground.
Startled she turned to Cassius, "That scream-"
"Let’s go up," he suggested, holding to her waist with one hand before jumping high enough until his arm had reached the wooden floor. With a push, he allowed her to reach the floor while he jumped in turn, following her.
As they reached the wooden floor, Arabella saw the grinning figure that had turned one with the shadow, clapping their hands from below the altar.
"His Majesty was right yet again. He hardly fails when it cos to guessing the next steps our enemies would take," the person who had spoke slowly left the embrace of the shadows, the darkness peeled over, allowing for Arabella to finally look at the face of the man, still youthful with bright green eyes and short brown hair, a face that she had seen before as her eyes widened in shock as she recognize the owner of the face.
"Mr. Owen," Arabella called the man’s na in a frown and turned to Cassius who had raised one eyebrow upon hearing how she had uttered the man’s na, as if knowing who he was. She explained quickly, "This man is my neighbor... the man who they said had left this the village with my mother."
"Ah," Cassius sang, turning to the odd man.
"But he didn’t have a green pair of eyes before," she said with her eyes narrowed, "And... it’s been years then but he doesn’t look any different than the last ti we have t as if... As if..."
"As if ti doesn’t work on him," Cassius finished her words and she nodded to confirm it at once. "Well what a great coincidence."
Mr Owen, the man who had smiled in such a twisted grin looked at Cassius and let out a snicker. "Ah, ah, the vampire is once again so confident that he could destroy us. So many were like you before, and where are they now?"
Arabella frowned, knowing that ti was needed now so they could squeeze information coming from Mr. Owen. Cassius was right after all, just a mont earlier they had been in a pickle, worried as they couldn’t find any lead to continue their information. This chance was both fortunate and unfortunate, fortunate as they could find a lead. Unfortunate as they would have to fight against these dangerous creatures whose hobby was to kill vampires.
"But how could this be?" Arabella asked Owen who had been smiling, "You were supposed to leave this village with my mother."
"Do you still not understand it, Bella?" Mr Owen asked with a sad hum, "It’s easy. I hadn’t planned to run away with your mother. Well, it’s not as if I have a grudge against her and unlike your father I hadn’t helped in sealing her away out of fear or sothing like anger."
"So you were one of those n who had ca that night to bring her away under his order?" She pointed to Charles who had flinched as he could see those n who had helped him burry his wife yet again. But since before, these n had slled like death and he feared that they could be behind sothing so dangerous that would kill him.
Mr Owen turned to Charles before laughing, "That’s not true, Bella. Or should I say... Princess?"
Arabella furrowed her eyebrows as Morpheus had also called her a princess. But what kind of princess would leave in the village without proper etiquette ever taught to her?
"Your look confused so let us tell you," Mr Owen placed his hand on his chest, his expression brightening as though he was honored to be the one to explain all of this to her. "The woman who was sealed wasn’t truly your mother."
Arabella furrowed her eyebrows as this confird the guess that Cassius had made. Not wanting to make it too obvious, she pretended to be naive, continuing her confused and loss expression, "What do you an by that? You’re lying to ! My mother was here, locked in that coffin. There are... traces of it and even those two had told everything, why are you still lying?"
Mr Owen shook his head, "Please listen to us, your Highness. Indeed we have locked the woman inside the coffin but it wasn’t your mother. It was just soone who had pretended to be your mother."
"I don’t understand," Arabella interrupted him. "What do you an by soone pretending to be my mother? If that soone was truly an imposter, how could I, her daughter, would not know about it?"
Mr Owen sighed faintly, "And that isn’t your fault for not recognizing the imposter, your Highness. Indeed, though you would have noticed who she was under a normal circumstances, you couldn’t notice it as the switch happened when you were far still too young. You didn’t found out imdiately that she had turned and pretended to be your mother and since you were still young, she managed to adjust, pretending to be your mother for good without a single soul noticing this change!"
"That can’t be," Arabella muttered and turned faintly to look at Cassius who had remained expressionless.
"Then who was she?" Arabella asked and Mr Owen sighed.
"She’s.." he suddenly ca to a stop, turning toward Cassius, "I would be more than glad to explain everything to you, Your Highness. I could tell you everything without lying and that would also make His Majesty be happy as well however," he pointed to Cassius, "We need to get rid of the pest hanging around you first. It would be a trouble if he were to hear everything and considering how dangerous he is, we should imdiately get rid of him first for your own good."
"Just explain to the truth first," Arabella demanded but Owen stubbornly shook his head. Beside him then ca two more people, their face wide with grin as they all stared at Cassius with hungry looks as if they were about to eat him alive.
"My deepest apologies but do not fear," Mr Owen said in such an odd politeness, "We will get rid of him quickly and once we do, you would hear the entire truth from us. No lies. My loyalty lies in the royal blood after all, how could I dare to lie?"
Cassius scoffed, "Fine so I should die first before the answer could co into a light?"
"Cassius," she muttered softly and he turned to her with a grin.
"Chill, birdie. This isn’t as dangerous as the battlefields I have been on," and slowly he took off his coat, placing it to her, "You should wear that and stay back. I don’t think any of these creatures like to play fair and I’d be extrely unhappy if they lay a hand on you."
Mr Owen scoffed, "Unlike you, vampire. We will never hurt the Princess."
"Oh really?" Cassius said with a chuckle, "Then tell , Mr -I know everything- If Arabella is a princess as you said, wouldn’t that make either her father or her mother a Queen or a King? But I doubt Charles is your King. If he is, you wouldn’t have ignored him like a dead rat."
Mr Owen frowned, anger on his face as he said, "Her mother has the Royal’s bloodline though she had stepped down from the royalties, Arabella is still a princess. And we will make sure the princess would not be in harm’s way, especially in the hand of a damn vampire like you."
Cassius’s grin widened at Mr. Owen’s last words, but the amusent in his expression never touched his eyes. He turned, slowly cracking his neck, and his voice lowered into a dangerous murmur, "You just made three very serious mistakes."
Mr. Owen narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"
"One," Cassius held up a finger, "You insulted , which I could’ve forgiven, had I been in a generous mood, which I’m not."
"Two," he raised a second finger, stepping forward so slightly that the wooden floor creaked beneath his boot, "You threatened soone under my protection."
A pause, a glimr of sothing feral in his gaze.
"And three..." A third finger rose as his smile fell into sothing razor-sharp, his fangs glinting, "You’re stupid enough to think you’ll live long enough to explain anything to her."
With a blur of motion, Cassius moved.
The first attacker lunged forward with inhuman speed, claws arcing toward his neck but Cassius sidestepped in a whirl of black and crimson, grabbing the creature by the arm and snapping it backward with a bone-splintering crunch. Before the beast could scream, Cassius sank his hand into its chest and ripped the heart out, tossing the limp body to the side like discarded trash.
Arabella flinched, her breath caught in her throat as blood sprayed across the floor.
The second attacker charged, flanking from behind but Cassius was already gone, a blur of movent as he appeared behind the creature and whispered, "Too slow," before snapping its neck with a savage twist.
Mr. Owen didn’t blink. He simply watched, lips twitching, as the third figure finally lunged and this one was faster, more skilled, blades of shadow forming from his arms.
Cassius was forced back a step as their weapons clashed. Sparks danced where blade t skin, his hand sliced across, drawing black blood from the creature. Arabella felt her stomach tighten Cassius was strong, deadly, but these things weren’t ordinary assassins. They were made for killing his kind.
The third attacker grinned, revealing rows of jagged teeth. "You bleed like the rest, vampire."
Cassius licked a sar of blood from his lip, his voice low and almost teasing, "Then let’s see if you die like the rest."
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