Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 560: A figurative sword

Collared again, Arabella returned to the filthy rag that served her as a bed back in the training room.

She kept her head down as some of the girls were there, either cleaning a part of the room or... Training in order to offer better service.

The sight of them in those less than graceful positions or with the tools inserted in them did not leave the young woman indifferent.

So, despite the smiles they gave her, she only returned very curt ones before averting her gaze.

Their voices as they conversed among each other or moaned went straight to the back of her mind, as the many questions that hung without any answers within her threatened to burst out.

First, on how to get Silas back... Perhaps their best bet was to revive his senses. To remind him of his true nature as a vampire. Perhaps the simple act of having him consume her blood would suffice.

Secondly, there was the ever-growing pit in her stomach that started the digging ever since that morning after her encounter with Ada before the Arrival of Zarah.

And thirdly, of course... The memory of Atticus, his image stuck to the inside of her eyelids, refusing to vanish despite all efforts.

Should they fail their mission, he sure was there to stay as that was going to be her life from then on.

To serve him and his twisted idea of what love was.

It was almost as though the man genuinely believed treating her like Silas did would make her forget her husband and turn to him for affection.

Her hands instinctively wrapped around her arms and rubbed them for some warmth. The training room wasn’t particularly colder than its usual but, as it appeared, the effects of the hot bath Atticus had made her take still lingered. Even her hair was still wet after the fact.

The cool air was just a small reminder that the cocoon that provided her with warmth an hour before that was no more.

Arabella only looked up when jostled by a body that settled right next to her, but then came the words, "You look fresh... Cleaned up and all," Luiza rested her arms over her own knees after sitting down.

"Yes, the General ordered it," she murmured.

"He seems to have taken a liking to you," Luiza stared ahead, at the other girls, "That’s a good thing for you," she nodded.

"How so?" Arabella’s eyes widened a tad, somewhat taken aback, failing to understand how that was the case.

"Well, I haven’t seen a lot of him, but how do I even put it? Hmmm," she hummed, looking up as though seeking the words out visually, "From what I’ve gathered on him, he’s quite reserved when it comes to intimacy and not so greedy either,"

If he truly was reserved, it had to be due to his weird need to try and win the love of a woman through moonlighting as her husband... Absolutely nothing else justified that.

"But that’s not very important for now," Luiza siphoned her attention again, "Your friend, the nurse from this morning, she came here with you, didn’t she?"

"What? What friend?" if only her body did not have the habit of giving her secrets away.

Indeed, Arabella’s face instantly turned red, eyes threatening to pop out their sockets.

"I do not know what you are talking about! She... She merely felt sorry for my pathetic state and decided to stop and ask if... I was doing alright," she hurled everything out so quickly.

"Oh, your state is pathetic alright!" Luiza’s eyes went over Arabella’s figure, "But don’t bother denying it, I heard everything you said to each other before Zarah came in and... I can certainly say, she isn’t built for this kind of mission. She is very sloppy,"

Arabella’s face went through a string of expressions, communicating many emotions before settling on resignation.

She’d heard it all so, what was the point of denying it?

"Did you tell anyone else about it?" she murmured.

"It isn’t necessary for me to do so yet," Luiza shook her head.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means, we weren’t pushed into a corner yet, but if that happened, I would know who to talk to, don’t you worry,"

"I have nothing to give in exchange for your silence, Luiza," Arabella’s hands clung tighter to her arms as her face crumpled.

"Oh, I am not threatening you so, again, worry not about it," Luiza finally turned to face her, "Believe it or not, the return of the king is in our best interest as well. Our conditions weren’t this depraved two months ago. Zarah did not have full power over us, and he certainly would not have agreed to declare war against Umbraria,"

"No," the young woman finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it was a small one, "I agree. He wouldn’t want a war, but Cedric is young and foolish. He does not realize that even if he wins a few battles in the begging, humans aren’t going to last very long as the great war proved it before our time,"

Luiza scooched closer to Arabella and smooshed her lips into her own knees, "What do you know about the great war?"

"I know that the only reason humans stood a chance at all was due to the technology they have acquired from the inter-nation hubs, such as Belchatta... Not to mention the invention of my great, great grandfather that allowed our kind to stand for more than a century. Unlike us, many vampires and wolves from that era are still alive. They are not going to fall for the same traps again,"

"Unless...," Luiza’s brow rose, "The prince has had the time to think about new ways to overcome our weaknesses in battle,"

"The great war had been brewing for over a century before it ever happened. I doubt Cedric could manage such a feat within a few months or even years,"

"I don’t have much power to fight," Luiza nodded slowly, "But should the opportunity arise, know that you will have my figurative sword. I won’t allow my emotions to control me again like I did before when you first arrived. I do hope you will someday truly forgive me for treating you the way I did," at those words, she refused to meet her eyes and merely looked down in Arabella’s general direction.