CHAPTER 447: HOW FAR ALONG

What would she have done if the prince threatened to harm her father or grandfather.

Hate was a strong word to hear, and it was even harder to pronounce.

She did not carry them in her heart with love, but they still claimed a piece of space in it.

After her conversation with Cassandra, Arabella left a word with Carlton that no member of their staff that still had family back in Lustris were to go anywhere near the prince.

Three hours spent on her feet, making sure everything, every little detail belonged in its rightful place in the ballroom.

The next night promised to be eventful. Unfortunately, not in any good manner.

Sore in her shoes, troubles weren’t ready to let go of her just yet as in her room where she was supposed to find comfort, Arabella found yet another reminder of her reality.

Blue that gown was, similarly to the gown he’d wanted her to wear when coming to the castle which never happened.

Hell, Arabella wondered whether it was the same gown at all.

Whether it was meant as some sort of mockery or insult her way mattered very little. For a dress, the peace of two entire countries wasn’t worth risking.

Although even she had to admit that those streaks of silver on that berry blue were to fawn over.

It was clear that much effort was put into each embroidered line of those patterns with the mold-breaking touch of auburn as a tertiary color.

The knock that had landed on the door told her it was definitely not Silas on the other side.

And indeed, it was Ada who peeked through the little crack she made after receiving permission to enter.

"Such a gorgeous gown!" the words came slowly out of her mouth as her eyes traveled along the sheets of velour making the dress, "Is this...?" Ada pointed at it but never finished her question.

"It is," Arabella sighed.

"What will you do?" Ada was careful with her questions.

"It is taking up so much space in my life, both figuratively and... Literally," between her fingers, she pinched some of the fabric of its skirt.

True that was! It was a gown worthy of a queen with much more volume than the puffy dress Arabella had donned to welcome the prince the previous morning.

"But I have to wear it," yet another sigh escaped her.

"Did you tell Lord Silas about-"

"Don’t!"

Arabella cut her friend so abruptly, the action earned a flinch out of Ada.

"I am sorry, but...," she pointed at her ear, "We cannot hear from afar, but he can. I don’t know when he might come in, so, better safe than sorry,"

"Right," Ada nodded, "My apologies,"

"I will wear this one instead of the one Mr Kallum will bring. It might upset him, but well, who knows?" she chuckled, "Maybe this time around I will destroy a dress I do not care to preserve. At least I’ll have that to look forward to,"

Ada’s body was consumed by a wave of shivers, "You say that as though you are sure that something will happen!"

"And something probably will," Arabella glared at the dress, "At this point, it has become inevitable," she took a deep breath, "With Allegra gone, Grace and Katherine falling apart, Dragomir, the prince and my grandfather under the same roof... What can go wrong?"

Another, lighter chuckle escaped Arabella.

"And... You are sure he did not pressure you to do anything else," Ada half asked, biting at her bottom lip.

That got her Arabella’s full attention, "Yes, for now, at least. I suppose I should be grateful that all he wants me to do is wear this...," she gestured at the piece of clothing, hoping to find a negative descriptor but fell short of any, "Beautiful thing," her shoulders slumped.

"This may not mean much in the grand scheme of things," Ada lit up, breathed a little faster and came closer to Arabella, "But I want you to know that I will do my very best tomorrow morning. I will not squander this one in a lifetime opportunity that you’ve given me,"

Those words resonated louder within Arabella’s mind, brushing everything else to the side.

"What possessed you to say such a thing? Of course, I know you will do your best. I never doubted that. Not for a second, Ada," she whispered.

"Well...," Ada shrugged and smiled timidly, "I thought you needed to hear it, especially today of all days,"

She needed to hear it without knowing how much... Those days everything seemed to hang by a single thread, threatening to collapse and bring everything down with it.

"The vampires will rise soon," she said, "So, I expect Silas will be back shortly to switch from the daytime guards,"

"Alright," Ada nodded, "What will you do now? I was thinking we could just take some time to rest," she suggested with a smile.

"Not tonight, I am afraid," Arabella returned a kind expression, but with a lot of effort, "I will spend some time in the map room to study the maps some more and perhaps draw a better search plan,"

"That does sound like a sane plan, but...," Ada grimaced, "Please, try not to overdo it. You still need to rest. It isn’t just a luxury,"

"Yes, I promise!" she chuckled.

As Ada neared the door, more words rose in Arabella’s throat and demanded to be freed, "Ada!"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," after the shortest of pauses, she added, "You were right. I did need to hear it... With everything going on, I barely have the time to breathe, and I forget how far I’ve come,"

After a few more kind words exchanged between friends, Ada finally exited the room, leaving Arabella all alone with that... Imposing dress.

She could have sworn it whispered... Things she definitely did not wish to hear, in a voice she loathed to experience.

Such a waste of a beautiful dress it was because under different circumstances, Arabella would have been impressed by it. In total love with it and yet there it stood... Before her unstirred eyes.