CHAPTER 436: A COSY NEST

The marigold tint from the candle flames earned the map room its cosy atmosphere. Only their flickering and scribbling of a quill on dry paper kept Arabella’s ears company.

Ada and Abigail remained in the ballroom to carry on with their rehearsals. Katherine and Grace joined Silas as well as Persephone’s search parties for Allegra. As for the fairies and Morgana... Well, they banded together not only to whip the manor up into a shape that would be appropriate to welcome their guests but also to chip in with the forage of Allegra.

Still, none of their efforts yielded the slightest promising result.

There, at the very least, continued to be peace in the manor as none of their staff members had complained about the prince or her grandfather’s behavior. That was one weight off her shoulders at the very least.

They would dare stir the pot under her roof, would they? It was in no way beneath them. The biggest miracle in it all was the fact that Silas had agreed to allow her out of his sight for a second while Cedric and Rubius were in their care.

Then again, he insisted on an all-time escort of human guards by day and vampires by night that would follow her everywhere she went.

Outside by the door they stood and waited for her to pick her next destination.

All was calm until voices started to reach her from behind the door. All of them masculine sounding.

Upon peeking out to glimpse the happening, a breath almost hitched in her throat as Rubius faced the guards who were blocking his path.

"What seems to be the issue?" she inquired.

Rubius opened his mouth to speak but one of the guards beat him to the mark, "He claims he wishes to speak with you, my Lady," the vampire bowed.

"I do," Rubius gave her a small nod.

Her eyes drifted for a moment before falling back onto him. There wasn’t much to share between them. They were never the closest and she had to carry herself with the thought that he worked hand in hand with his son too, her father.

What other trick lay in their book? There was only one way to find out.

"Alright.," she sighed, "Do come in,"

The noises traveling the hallways ceased the moment the door closed shut behind both of them.

"Do you find peace in this room?" he watched as she regained her seat around the desk.

"More than you could ever imagine," Arabella kept her eyes on the paper in front of her.

"When did you learn to read maps?" Rubius’ feet took him around, exploding the room.

"Long before I crossed the border,"

Her answers were sharp, concise and more importantly, uttered in a steady voice.

"You’ve never told me," his fingers grazed the edges of rolled up maps laying on the shelves.

"I never told anyone, and I dare imagine it wouldn’t have pleased you,"

"You would not have been wrong to assume so,"

The quill between her fingers suffered extra pressure at her hands.

"Not back then at least," he added quickly.

That had the merit of scooping her attention. Arabella’s entire body froze as her irises darted towards his figure.

"What’s changed?" her jaws clenched a tad.

Much to her surprise, Rubius stopped ambling the space and looked her straight in the eyes, "In two nights from now you will turn twenty-seven. You...," he did not trail off. It was more that his voice had been cut, "You are alive,"

That was when it hit her like a slap across the face... His voice... It had changed. Perhaps it was just the weight of the years putting strain on his vocal cords, but the shift was noticeable.

Not that the difference was glaring though it could have been in the range, depth or just timbre.

No... It was the edge. His voice had lost the edge that made her chest rumble once upon a time.

It did not become the softest by any means, but it certainly was more bearable to listen to.

"What do you mean by that?"

It wasn’t dread per se, but the room, all of the sudden, felt too small to contain both of them. It was either him or her.

The temperature beneath her seat rose to no apparent end, turning the pale ivory of her face to a stifling scarlet red.

"You’ve grown so much, Arabella," he smiled, "Have I told you that yet?"

The young woman scoured his features for a trace of deception but came up with nothing.

"Yes, you have indeed said that already," her face failed to mirror his expression, "In fact, it was the first thing you’ve said to me after all these years,"

Unable to withstand his gaze any longer, she brought her attention back onto the map before her eyes.

"You’ve built yourself quite the cosy little nest here," Rubius did not press and carried on exploring the room.

"I was very fortunate that the first door I knocked upon for help actually opened. Had the Eleazars turned me away that night, I would’ve been worm food by now or far worse than that," she spared him not another glance.

"Yes, you would have," he whispered, seemingly more to himself than her.

Once again, her fingers froze and refused to move. He stood under her roof which he hadn’t even been formally invited to by her or her husband so why was he the one to lead the conversation?

He may have ruled his family with an iron fist once, but she was no longer under his thumb, so to speak.

Delicately, she settled the quill in the ink box next to her and folded her arms over the table, "Where have you been all of these years?"

In response, he offered her another smile, "I do love that fire in your eyes,"

"Why thank you. It took a lot of effort, but I’ve managed to keep it growing and burning so, where have you been hiding since the death of grandmother?"