CHAPTER 463: THE DEED

No matter how hard Arabella tried, Irene only spoke when spoken to and kept her eyes on the floor.

The well of topics finally dried up, leaving her internally scrambling for something, anything to say.

It wasn’t until some shivers took over the woman’s body that Arabella leaped on the opportunity to pry another conversation open between them.

"Are you feeling cold?" she smiled, "There will be warm blankets available in the medical wing,"

"You cut him off and left before he had the time to say no," Irene muttered, "You know there will be consequences for that," her hands wrapped then rubbed her arms seemingly to fight the shudders.

"I...,"

She what? What was Arabella thinking at that moment? Did she only care about getting away from him that those chopped off ears escaped her mind?

Once again, Arabella wouldn’t be the one to face the brunt of his fury but someone else caught in the crossfire.

"May I speak freely with you?" the blonde asked.

"Yes, of course!" taking no time to consider her response, Arabella threw it out.

"You are the Arabella Sterling, aren’t you?" not once did Irene look her in the eyes.

"The...?"

"Even though we have never met you and I, before tonight I mean, I hated you with a burning passion,"

Having her utter those words with such monotony sent a shiver down Arabella’s spine. It was as though Irene had long since gotten past their meaning, and the ache they once brought upon her. She was over it but not in the good kind of way. It was more so that the blonde had learned to accept her fate and whatever was thrown her way.

The young woman chose not to say a thing and instead opened her ears for the rest of it.

"You know, he took it out on all of us," a sigh escaped her. That was the most emotion Arabella had seen of her.

"Do you still hate me?"

That finally got Irene’s gaze to rise only to then fall back from whence it came.

"Yes," she said dryly.

"It doesn’t seem like it,"

"Had you stayed, you would have learned to love and hate with the same demeanor on just like the rest of us,"

Like a punch to the guts those words hit, "For how long...," Arabella had to gather more strength in order to get the question out, "For how long have you been serving the prince?"

"I do not remember," Irene paused momentarily, "I stopped counting a long while ago,"

Despite the many words lined up Arabella’s throat, silence fell between them. Those hallways never felt so empty and quiet.

The walls carried the murmurs that escaped the confinement of the ballroom walls but... It didn’t matter in the face of the suffocating muteness that had claimed the space they traversed.

"I truly am sorry," Arabella finally managed to whisper, "I am sorry that you had to and still have to go through that every day and... This will only make you hate me more but if I had to choose whether to run or stay, I would do it all over again. I saw an opportunity and took it,"

her vocal cords were strained by the desire to spill tears.

"I would have done the same but yes, I still hate you," she spoke a tad quicker than before, "My feeling is one of the only things I still hold control over. Reason tells me I am wrong to, but as long as I keep it to myself, I am free to love and hate whomever and whatever to my heart’s desire,"

"Then why share the truth with me?"

"You are free to do with it as you please, but something tells me you won’t be running to report me back to the prince,"

No, indeed. Her words held truth to them. The last thing Arabella would do was exactly that...

Another wave of silence hit the women again, but thankfully, by then, they had reached the door of the medical wing.

Dr Damiana greeted them and inquired about the reason for their visit. As Irene explained the issue, another soul stood behind Arabella.

"Grandfather?" the question escaped along with a little gasp.

"May we speak privately?"

Arabella looked at the doctor and Irene then back at Rubius for a moment.

"We do not have to stray very far from the rest of the living if that puts you at ease, but I hoped we could find a quiet corner to talk,"

"Fair," she said.

Since the medical wing too had a balcony of its own, Arabella invited him to it for their conversation.

Once out, she said nothing and waited for him to start, which he did.

"I do not wish to take a lot of your time, but since I will be leaving tomorrow, I wanted you to have this," he held out a sheet of paper her way.

With some reluctance, she took it out of his hand. The more her eyes remained on it, the wider they grew.

"In short, it is the deed of the house I have been occupying thus far," he stated while waiting for her reaction.

"I can see that but why is my name on it?" her eyebrow rose.

"Since you are my granddaughter, neither your signature nor presence were required for me to transfer ownership of the property,"

"Of course not," she sighed, handing the deed back to him, "Thank you, but I want no part of it,"

In response, Rubius placed his hand on hers and pushed it along with the contract back towards her.

"Have you ever beheld a picture of your aunt Nolina?" his eyes bore into hers and yet were so distant.

Even when lost, she still managed to answer, "I have not,"

"I am not surprised," he pushed a meek chuckle, "I lost her a few years before you were born and your father never bothered to keep any of his sister’s pictures around himself,"

"I heard her death was an accident," after a pause, Arabella added, "I am sorry for your loss,"

"You look so much like her,"