11 CHAPTER 11

The closer she gets, the stronger the tobacco smells.

Their mansion is far from the town and the only neighbors they have are all commoners. Tobacco is an expensive item, and nobles, merchants, or people with lots of money are the only ones who can afford it. This just means one thing, it can be the retired butler of Duke Vresea...

'No, it's too early for him to show up!'

"Can you tell me what's happening!? I can help you!" this time Ruel made his voice louder since the woman in front of him can't seem to hear him.

"You can go back and....wait....Call the knights!" after that Arabella quickly dashed inside where she saw the messy living room, where the fragments of the broken vase were scattered on the ground.

"I-is this blood?"

As she was about to touch the broken vase pieces with red liquid, she suddenly heard clearly a loud thump in her chest. Arabella gasp, she clutched her chest. The air around her seems like it's vanishing, the surrounding is getting blurry and her legs are starting to get numb.

'What's happening to me?'

While she's having difficulty breathing she felt someone was looking at her on the right side.

Arabella turned her head where a man emerges from the dark corner of the mansion. He's holding tobacco in his right hand, with two men accompanying him. She remembered him, he was the man who was beating Scarlet at the restaurant. Arabella glared at him and was about to open her mouth but suddenly hesitated.

Arabella saw a wound on his forehead, it's clearly a fresh wound, it looks like the blood will trickle down his face at any moment.

'Is it his blood that was on the broken vase?'

"Who the hell are you? Where are my children?" although Arabella calmly asked, her insides are turning upside down, she can hardly breathe and she felt like her world is spinning around. She stood her ground and stared at the man, Arabella saw his lustful eyes looking at her chest.

"I'm Count Wen. Let's talk calmly now Baronness, serve me some tea and snacks for me to enjoy my visit" the man licked his lips and looks at Arabella from head to toe.

Arabella's face darken when she heard his garbage words.

"What the fuck are you talking about, you piece of shit?" she asked him with her words full of curses. She tried hard not to curse like how she used to in her previous life since she's raising a child, but this old man truly triggered her sharp tongue.

"You! Fine, I'll let this slide just this once, I like feisty women anyway, hope you won't disappoint me in bed." Arabella frowned at his words, as a woman who came from the modern world where laws to protect women are implemented, she felt nervous. In her past life, calling someone for help was easier, since smartphones are there, but right now she felt cornered. She can even feel her legs trembling.

Laws can't possibly protect her in this world, high ranking nobles and royals are the only ones who deserved to be protected in this novel.

'No! I can't be like this, Blaine and Scarlet are in danger, I need to save them!'

"How stupid of you to even think I'll join a pig in bed." although her legs are about to give up, she stood firmly in front of the man.

"heh! You won't be able to refuse me, I have your children's necks wrapped around my fingers. Come with me and I'll set them free." Lord Wen smiled triumphantly as he licks his tongue non-stop while looking at her chest.

"And if I refuse?" Arabella asked calmly while glaring at him.

"Then I'll kill them." with those words, something rang inside her ears.

"Kill him!"

Arabella's vision darkens and she quickly covers her ears as the words she just heard felt like stabbing her head continuously with poisonous daggers. Arabella shut her eyes closed as the pain she's feeling right now makes her want to die, all of her veins look like it was about to pop out, her nails dug onto her temples as her hands were covering her ears because of the voice that's screaming inside her head continuously. The blood trickled down her temples, she was about to scream when someone grabbed her arms.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Arabella opened her eyes as if she just woke up from a nightmare. She gently put down her hands and looked at it, there was blood on her hands and nails.

"Where are those bastards?" Arabella returned with her fiery eyes while scanning the room to find the pig.

"What do you mean? You're the only one I saw here digging your head with your fingernails." Ruel said with his frowning face.

"That Lord-"

A loud sound of a door breaking gave her another round of scare, without answering Ruel, she ran towards the stairs.

'Please be safe! Blaine! Scarlet!'

As she was about to scream their names, she saw two men in front of her room. The other one is grinning while holding his knife, while the other one was wearing a hood, so she can't see his face. But the moment he saw her running towards them, he quickly ran away and jump out of the window. Arabella didn't pay any attention to him and screamed.

"You bastards! What do you think you're doing to my children!"

Arabella didn't know what happened, a dagger suddenly appeared in her hands and threw it onto the man's forehead, killing him instantly. The man who's inside her room together with Blaine and Scarlet comes out while holding a sword.

"You bitch! What did you do!?" the man with the intent to kill dashed towards her.

Arabella froze when he saw him holding a sword. She quickly roamed her eyes around and saw the painting on the wall, she quickly took It and used it to shield herself. She was suddenly thankful because the picture frame is made out of metal, which made his long sword bounce back. When he was about to strike her again. Two swords clashing resounded inside the mansion.

"Ru-ruel?" Arabella can't believe that one of the people who will soon despise her and lead her to her doom saved her just now.

"Turn around." after saying that Ruel cleanly cut the throat of the man who was about to kill her earlier.

The smell of blood made her head throbbed in pain, she leaned against the wall and covered her ears because once again, the voice earlier came back.

"Kill him! Kill everyone!"

"Stop!"

Ruel got surprised when he heard her scream.

'Was she that shocked? I shouldn't have killed him inside her home.'

"Hey, are you okay? I think the children are okay. We came just in time, they're safe now." Ruel said and was about to touch her shoulders to calm her down when she quickly shoved him and ran towards her room.

Ruel was taken aback by her actions, but he didn't say a word and just followed her.

"Blaine! Scarlet!"

"M-mother?"

Two children's trembling bodies in the corner welcomed Arabella's sight, another loud thump in her chest was heard again. Tears streamed down her face and quickly went towards the two children and hugged them like she won't be able to see them anymore.

When Ruel saw this, he suddenly felt sad for them.

'What an irresponsible husband she has? this place is definitely prone to thieves'

Ruel was about to speak when he saw Scarlet, the rumored witch daughter hugging Arabella while crying hard.

'Is she really that little girl I saw a year ago?'

He can't believe that the little girl with dead eyes can cry like this. The first time they met was when she was accused of killing the pet wolves of a rich aristocrat, also to make sure that she'll get punished, they also accused her of being a daughter of a witch. She was about to be executed when Lord Wen arrived and bail her out. Ruel doesn't want to give her to the dirty middle-aged man, but he can't come out yet. He also saw how the little girl can manage and save her life. The truth behind her killing the wolves is because the aristocrat was her master and they wanted to feed her to the wolves, which she ended up killing.

Ruel sigh, he doesn't know, but the time when their eyes met, he felt scared...

...he felt scared for Lord Wen's future.