Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 91: What to do?

The world spun, weaving a new stretch along the fabric of time. The hours ran by fast, a little too fast for Arabella’s taste.

Hunched, leaning over the window seal, she’d nested her chin between her folded arms, watching the garden darkening by the minute.

From time to time, Edgar would pop behind the hedges and the trees, going back and forth with various tools in hand. It was clear he was getting ready to wrap his shift up as the sun drew closer towards the hills painting the horizon.

"Won’t you eat anything, Miss?" Ada’s voice brought her attention back into the already illuminated room.

Arabella turned her head slightly around to stare at the full and untouched dishes garnishing the table behind her.

"I don’t feel hungry," she whispered, "I am sorry," she added even quieter than her first sentence.

"Yes, but...," Ada started but trailed off, finding no convincing argument to use.

Not even one bite would do. The sheer thought of food made Arabella’s stomach heave, chasing any desire to eat away.

"Miss...," in a very sheepish tone, Ada broke the silence once more.

That time around, Arabella turned to face her which triggered a deep urge to rush forward and take the young woman in her arms. To hold her in a warm and tight embrace, letting her know that everything would be alright.

Indeed, the expression on Arabella was void of any hope, for lack of better words. One could be led to believe every last drop of joy had been sucked out of her.

Face drained of almost all colors and eyelids heavy, but not the sleep induced kind, and more so the utterly defeated type.

Although, the maid wrestled the impulse and kept herself together. The last thing she wished to do was suffocate her already fragile heart.

"Yes?" the young woman asked in a little voice.

"Did... Master Silas say something upsetting to you?" Ada’s timbre cracked in the middle of her question.

"He did," she muttered.

The way Arabella had answered without stalling was almost uncanny. Whenever Ada had asked her questions relating to Silas, Arabella would grow bashful and hesitant, stuttering when squeaking any attempt at a reply in most cases.

But at that moment, she did none of that and instead responded as dryly as her vocal cords allowed.

"Please let me know if I am overstepping, but was it because he saw us in the gardens?" Ada stood from her chair and neared Arabella’s figure who’d already turned her attention back onto the window.

From there, the maid started following Edgar’s actions as well.

When no answer came, Ada tried to replace the quietude filling the crevices between them, "Because vampires tend to be a bit... How should I put it? Possessif?" she marked a very short pause, "When something or someone gets their attention they can react in a displeasing manner. Perhaps he is not a big fan of you spending time with Edgar and-"

"My father knows I am here,"

Ada’s next words had hitched in her throat with no hope of ever coming out. Arabella’s statement damn near knocked the breath out of her.

"And... No. You are not overstepping. I do consider you my friend, Ada. Even if you see things differently,"

There was no sign of struggle from her to speak. The words weren’t distorted or forced out. On the contrary, she sounded calm. Way too calm after her recent announcement.

"But... How?" Ada stuttered a few times.

"My father is a well renowned and distinguished businessman in Lustris. Mainly because he is competent which earned him the immense success he basks in today," Ada merely listened, eyes strictly on Arabella, "He does business with many vampire Lords and Ladies. I suspect one of them relayed the information back to him,"

"Has he sent word out for you already?" Ada finally found her voice again.

A long sigh that ruffled the bit of hair in font of Arabella’s face told it all.

Deafening silence followed after that, sending chills beneath Ada’s skin, but what rattled her even more was the very slow manner in which Arabella had turned to look up at her, revealing the miserable tears that had gathered around those glistening green eyes of hers.

They seemed to grow heavier, too heavy for her sockets to contain until the first in line finally spilled before a second trickled along her cheek.

"He is coming for me, Ada," she stifled a cry, "What am I to do?"

Combined with the pleading look on her, the little gasps for breath she took between whimpers broke the maid who completely dropped every attempt at giving her space.

"Oh!! Dear..." Ada bent down and wrapped her arms around Arabella’s trembling body.

The dam flooded as the young woman was no longer able to maintain her poise.

"You are not to do anything, Miss," Ada managed to chime in between the unrepressed sobs, "You are to trust the Lady,"

Those words appeared to work. Arabella peered up at her with wet and wide eyes, the sharp little sniffles permeating the candle lit room.

"Lady Persephone would never allow any harm to come to you," Ada affirmed in a steady tone, choking down her own tears, "She made you a promise, and she will keep it,"

"What if I become too heavy a burden to handle?" through sheer agony, her question had come out in shallow breaths.

"You are forgetting that she does not stand alone and thus does not need to carry anything or anyone on her own. We all stand with her and...," she trailed off very momentarily, "I know I am a mere maid, but I will fight tooth and nail for you," Ada brimmed with more confidence than ever before.

For a split second, Ada could’ve sworn a smile had appeared on Arabella right before flickering away.

The young woman buried her dampened face in Ada’s hold again and carried on weeping.