CHAPTER 333: THERE IS YOU-I

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion cracked through the air.

Both Atlas and Arabella snapped their heads around, startled by the sudden noise. Arabella’s heart jumped as she instinctively reached for her bag, her thoughts racing. Had the sorcerers broken through?

But Atlas caught her hand.

His grip was firm, his eyes locked onto hers as he shook his head, "Don’t," he said lowly. "We need to focus. Here, first."

He nodded toward the flask she had just pulled out from her satchel.

Arabella hesitated, her gaze darting toward the castle walls, but then remembered: the sorcerers still couldn’t breach the barrier. Not yet. With effort, she forced herself to focus.

Her eyes lifted to the second floor where Cassius was.

He stood at the edge, his breathing ragged, blood glistening on his black sword. His attack had torn a wound more than three meters deep into the monstrous creature’s neck, yet still, it wasn’t enough. The thing was too massive to be fully beheaded in one strike.

Bubbly, his sword, began to shift, transforming from a sleek blade into a jagged, thorn like weapon, wicked and sharp.

Cassius exhaled harshly, taking just a heartbeat of rest before diving back in.

Only after Arabella saw that he was still standing did she close her fingers tightly around the flasks in her hand, her mind sharpening like a blade.

"I’ll help you," Atlas said, reaching out.

"Thank you," she muttered quickly, pressing a flask into his hand.

Then, without waiting, she dashed toward Iliza’s feet.

Thankfully, the monster was too focused on Cassius to notice them. Its massive limbs trembled with each movement, but its head remained locked on the prince who was hacking at its neck.

That gave Arabella and Atlas just enough time, to move undetected beneath its feet, the potions gripped tightly in their hands, their every step purposeful and silent.

Not long after, Helena appeared, leaping across the seats with effortless grace before landing beside Arabella.

"Let us help as well," she said, extending her hands without hesitation.

Arabella glanced at her, surprised by the trust in Helena’s eyes. Despite knowing the flasks were merely potions, no miracle elixir, Helena believed in them, believed in her.

A quiet gratitude bloomed in Arabella’s chest.

She handed over one of the potion bottles. "Thank you," she whispered, the words thick with emotion.

Helena took it swiftly, then snatched up several more flasks before turning toward the others.

With precise aim, she hurled the bottles one by one toward the seven ministers, who until then had been frozen, silent and wide eyed as they watched Cassius battle the towering monster alone.

They had stood idle, not out of cowardice, but because they knew: entering the fight would only hinder him. They would have become burdens, not allies.

But now, now they had a purpose.

As the potion bottles landed at their feet or into their hands, something sparked in their eyes. They finally had something they could do

.

And with renewed determination, they moved, no longer spectators, but the ministers rising to support their Crown Prince.

As Arabella emptied the bottle until all of them were safely empty, she walked backward and yelled at Cassius, "Cut its feet first!"

Cassius’s nose twitched as a sharp, familiar scent laced with something new drifted through the air.

A slow, wicked grin curled on his face the moment his eyes landed on Iliza’s legs, now drenched in the shimmering potion his clever little witch had brewed.

"That’s the privilege of loving a brilliant woman," he murmured, voice low and mocking as he looked up at the towering creature.

Iliza didn’t understand what he meant. But she would, soon enough.

Cassius leapt down from the ledge, his black sword shifting midair. The jagged thorns receded, reforming into a sleek blade. This time, fire licked along its edge, coating it in flickering flames like a predator baring its fangs.

And then he struck.

The blade met Iliza’s leg with a hiss and a sizzle, slicing through her thick flesh like it was nothing more than butter. The combination of searing heat and Arabella’s corrosive potion made the cut effortless, clean, deep, and enough to severe each nerves and the thick flesh.

Iliza shrieked, the ground trembling beneath her.

Cassius didn’t flinch. If anything, his grin widened, eyes gleaming with pride and wicked delight.

"Perfect," he breathed, watching her stagger. "That’s my sweet girl."

Black blood splattered across the pristine courtroom floor, staining silk shoes and polished marble alike. The sound that followed, a shriek so raw, so piercing, sent a ripple of unease through the ministers watching from above.

Iliza’s scream wasn’t just pain, it was grief, betrayal, and agony fused into one unbearable wail.

Her severed legs hit the ground with a sickening thud, and the rest of her followed. She collapsed backward, crashing through the wall with a thunderous roar, debris and stone raining around her like a final, crumbling crown.

Gone was the delicate girl they once knew. In her place writhed something monstrous—twisted by rage, corrupted by power. But still, something in her cry felt human.

A few ministers turned away, their expressions tight. Even the most hardened among them faltered.

She may have become a beast, but to hear such sorrow from a creature so young, so close in age to their own daughters, made it impossible not to feel a flicker of discomfort.

Sure enough without both leg, Iliza fell backward, destroying the walls in the process.

Arabella’s green eyes watched as tears wet the corners of Iliza’s face and though what Iliza had done to her had been extremely vicious, seeing her in such state only filled her heart with a sense of pity.

She stood in silence for a moment, unmoving.

Though Iliza was the one suffering now, Arabella knew she wasn’t the only one who ought to pay. The guilt didn’t belong to her alone... and yet, she was the one bleeding for it.

A thud echoed from above as Cassius landed beside her, his black cloak flaring behind him. He extended a hand toward her, voice low but resolute.

"Let’s end its suffering."

Arabella’s gaze drifted from the crumpled figure of Iliza to the man before her. Her expression wavered, somewhere between compassion and certainty. Seeing it, Cassius’s eyes softened. A rare, almost tender smile touched his lips.

He stepped forward, reaching out. His hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her gently into his chest.

"I promise you," he murmured against her hair, "it’ll be painless."

Then, lifting his chin, he called over his shoulder, "You can take her somewhere safe, can’t you?" He didn’t want to hurt her heart further.

Before Atlas could step forward, Arabella pulled away. She shook her head.

"I’ll be fine," she said, reaching into her satchel. Her fingers closed around a small vial, this one shimmering faintly with a lavender hue. "It works like the last one... but this one numbs the pain. She won’t feel it."

Cassius took the potion, studying her face for a long moment. There was no fear in her eyes, just quiet resolve. Compassion, even now. For a monster.

He didn’t understand it.

But maybe that was why he needed her.

That strange, infuriating heart of hers... made him feel a little less like the monster everyone believed he was.

Turning away, he walked toward Iliza with the potion in hand, his grip tightening around the vial. He couldn’t comprehend Arabella’s mercy. But he would carry it out—for her.

And somehow, that made the blade feel lighter.