CHAPTER 343: GNAWING ANXIETY-I

Cassius backed away, pinching the space between his eyebrows. He always knew how special Arabella was, how powerful she is in spirit and perhaps even more than what meets the eye.

When Lastor told him of her power that could erupt, he understood that finding a solution was the first thing they had to do and he thought that solution was close to his fingertips... but now?

"You told me before that the curse was meant to kept her power hidden by her birth mother, that it was done to protect her. Weren’t you so certain that as long as she isn’t in danger and lose her life six times that she would be alright?"

Lastor could only looked down, his face dropping with guilt.

"The curses were similar, it was the same base of curse but used for different purpose. One to protect and one to contain," he could only look at Cassius with fear, "How many times has Lady Arabella lost her life?"

Cassius gritted his teeth tight, cutting his own cheeks in the process for blood to drip on the corner of his lips.

How many times? She was drowned, hit by a vase on the back of her head, and stabbed to the heart.

Three.

That was already three.

Cassius realized the frightening truth. One more and the curse will break. If the curse break, to hell with Versailles’ being wiped out off the map, Arabella would die and how could he ever accept this fact?

"One more," Cassius said, the words tasting like ash. "One more, and the curse will break. And if it breaks—" his voice hardened to steel, "—Arabella dies. Versailles can burn for all I care, but she will not."

He glared back at Lastor, "And have you really found a way to fix the curse?"

Lastor wet his dried lips, looking down at the burnt scrolls, "I.. don’t."

But that hesitation, Cassius’s crimson eyes could almost caught it instantly. The nervous jitters and his complicated expression meant that deep down he knew for a way to fix the curse, or perhaps to prevent Arabella’s own power from blowing up.

Yet the way Lastor didn’t want to say it meant that the sacrifice to protect Arabella was something not easily affordable.

"Lastor," Cassius’s commanding voice lace with threat, "You do know that I am barely holding back my anger and you still dare to lie in front of me."

Lastor’s fingers flinched as he immediately plopped to his knees on the ground, holding his hands into a prayer while nervously looking at Cassius.

"Your Highness... I know, I know that you wouldn’t want Her Highness’s death. I also know that no matter what it is required to protect her you would do it without batting an eye."

Cassius became even more frustrated, "You also care about her, don’t you? Then tell me what it is now while we still have time!"

Lastor’s mouth opened... and closed. Whatever answer he held seemed to rot on his tongue.

"I do. I care about Her Highness. I do want to protect her and stop whatever-"

"SHUT YOUR EXCUSES AND SPIT IT OUT!" Cassius slammed his hand and walked forward, taking his blade that had quivered from his rage.

"But to Her Highness there are things more important than her own life," and Lastor’s eyes fell on his eyes, his expression became colored with tears and sorrow as he looked to the floor, "There are things that I know the princess would choose to protect over her own life. She would rather die and have her power go awry rather than sacrificing the only reason for her to live."

Cassius’s anger was still taut in his expression but slowly, his eyes turned knowing.

The only thing that Arabella cared.

Her sister?

No.

Him.

"But it’s not necessary for us to break fix the rupture of her power," Lastor quickly said as he wiped away his panicked tears, "As long as Lady Arabella is protected and as long as she is away from any danger or death, it’s not necessary for us to try and fix the power or break it."

"But there must be a reason why you were scared," Cassius pointed.

Lastor flinched, "That is because... humans dies quickly and even if she is protected with the rank she is about to become after marrying you... I fear that she would be a step closer towards death."

"And that nothing can protect her anymore," Cassius released his hand and his sword disappeared from his hand at once without a trace.

Then he marched toward his chair, sitting down with his hands covering his forehead.

When Arabella becomes the queen, death will certainly be more familiar to her than now. As much as Cassius has always been confident with himself and knew he could do whatever it takes to protect Arabella, what about illness?

What if she falls ill?

Their path toward fighting Morpheus next was going to be even more deathly.

He can protect her, he can.

But something was gnawing in his heart as if the one last life given by the curse was hanging by a loose thread, about to snap.

This kind of worry didn’t just stem from anxiety. It was something even worse, something that felt like an ill omen.

"Tell me more," Cassius then looked up at Lastor, the crimson eyes that were always bright now darkened with horror, "Why does fixing the curse meant losing me?"

That night in the castle, Arabella who had been waiting for Cassius to come back leaned on the window. She reached out her fingers, letting for the wind to pass through the gaps.

Then a bright idea appeared in her head as she whispered a spell and a ball of wind slowly turned itself on her palms, forming into a white parrot with a long feather trail behind it.

The parrot whimsically played with her, smiling before suddenly it seemed to have seen what was so frightening and disappeared with a poof.

At the same time, she felt Cassius’s strong arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back gently from the window.