CHAPTER 443: FOR A YES OR A NO

Two small, white boxes in his hands he held, the sly smirk clinging to his features like it belonged.

The only motion Arabella’s figure was capable of as he revealed the secret that lurked behind his back since the beginning of their conversation, was no more than subtle trembles that were completely out of her control.

Eyes wide open, her gemstones stuck with the items flickering between one hand to the other once Cedric held them out in front of her.

"Will you open them or should I do you the honor?"

When the young woman moved not a muscle, he enacted his threat, placing one box on top of the other in order to open them each at their turn.

"Fine then," he murmured.

The prince took his sweet time, relishing every second of the agony he forced upon her.

Arabella’s neck extended as high and forward as it was possible. All so that her vision could project towards the content of the small box without her needing to go anywhere near the man.

Very gradually, and as what rested at the heart of the box was revealed, her facial features started to crumple and twist.

Her guts weren’t doing any better. Gathered together into a clump, they didn’t know whether to press upwards or drop to her heels.

Arabella failed to differentiate between her heart and stomach when it came to determining which of the two was throbbing in her throat.

Instinctively, and under Cedric’s very content demeanor, her hand rose shakily to wrap over her gaping mouth.

"What... What have you done?" her voice quivered more than the rest of her body did.

Instead of a response, Cedric walked over towards the balcony railing and settled the first box in order to open the second at his leisure.

Another, very audible gasp escaped her as he stood to the side, allowing Arabella a full, unobstructed view of what he deemed treasure.

His eyes studied her figure, every inch of her tormented face without ever returning a hint of anything other than unbridled pleasure at the sight.

"Saraline," his hand gestured towards one of the boxes, "And Magdaline," the same limb ushered at the other.

After a few seconds of silence that felt like an eternity to Arabella where only the sound of her voice hitching in her throat came, the prince decided to push further, "You know for supposed twins they looked almost nothing like one another," he shook his head, "I mean, look at their ears. Do they have any trait in common between them at all?" he clicked his tongue against his palate, with zero urgency in his tone.

"Wh...Why?" was all her vocal cords managed to let out in between breaths.

"I had put my trust in them and they failed me," he smirked, "All they had to do was dress you up, pamper you and keep a close eye on you for one miserable night and they couldn’t even manage that so, what other use could I have had for them?" from ear to ear his grin extended.

"You...How could you? You...!" her body no longer trembled with fear but with rage...

Red her eyes saw as she practically growled those words at him. Tears spilled down her cheeks while her attention skipped between the boxes on the railing and Cedric.

All muscles in her body tensed, locking in one position but Arabella fought the bubbling urge to lunge forward and rip his face off.

"Be very careful of what you might utter next!" his expression finally shifted from the taunting smirk to a stern glare, "You no longer answer to me but do well to remember that words very much matter when trying to maintain or shatter the peace between people," his eyes drifted towards the boxes, his voice softening, "Not to mention, this is all your fault to begin with. Nothing would have happened to those poor souls if you had just toed the line,"

Every ounce of strength went into taming the raging fire in her. Every fiber in her being screamed at her not to be brash, to keep her impulses under control.

Saraline and Magdaline... Cedric null doubt only remembered their names with the sole purpose of rubbing their fates like salt against her gaping wounds.

Their ears! He had sliced their ears off their heads then stuffed them into those decorated boxes to display them so proudly. Such a disproportionate response to her escape...

Deep down Arabella was certain none of it was truly her fault, but a part of her dwelled on it, running through all the outcomes that could have been had she stayed, had she gone to the castle as she was supposed to.

Eventually, Arabella managed to swallow the words that demanded to be freed. The insults that suffocated her and the burning desire to wrench his eyes out of their sockets.

"Did you... Did you kill them?" riddled with strain every word was.

"No, of course not!" he smiled, "Dying at the hands of a royal figure is a privilege only a few will ever earn. No, I simply ordered their execution,"

As tears continued to drip, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath in, "Is this the second gift you promised?" she murmured through her aching throat.

Cedric stared at those ears for a moment before answering her, "No, but speaking of the night you were supposed to come to your rightful place...," he trailed off, his eyes going up and down her body, "I had sent with my servants a special gown that I wanted you to don for me,"

"That is still not going to happen," she hissed.

"Really?" his index finger grazed his own lips as his eyebrows furrowed, "I am sure the good people of Umbraria will appreciate you putting their comfort and peace of mind in jeopardy just because you refuse to wear a gown,"

It was twice in their conversation that he threatened to wage war on her new home for a yes or a no.

It had to stop but even that had to come at its own time.