CHAPTER 15

The three of them are now sitting down quietly, after hearing what she just said, Baron Clayore felt conflicted and Ruel's frustration towards the mystery that surrounds Arabella piled up once more.

"Are these one of your plans to lure me in, your highness the third prince?" this time Baron Clayore called him in his complete title making Ruel glare at the old man in front of him.

"This got nothing to do with this man Baron Clayore" Arabella addressing Ruel like an insignificant person made Baron Clayore look at Arabella in a different light.

Ruel didn't care about how Arabella address him, as long as she doesn't call him names in front of this Baron he clearly hates.

"Then tell me how you know me and the Duke's child" this time Baron Clayore opened up the topic, looking at her eyes that's full of desperation and her voice that's clearly full of worry made him thought that she isn't bluffing unlike the person beside her.

Ruel at the side didn't interrupt Arabella and Baron Clayore's conversation, the information that Arabella will spill won't be a loss for him but a piece of information that may help him right now or in the future.

Arabella narrated the event that occurred five and a half years ago. Her encounter with Duke Vresea who's on the verge of death and how she got a hold of a male newborn baby.

Ruel and Baron Clayore are both speechless after hearing her story.

Seeing the butler with doubting eyes, Arabella took out a coin that's been in her pocket all this morning, she takes it out of the drawer this morning just to see the symbol once more. But Blaine opened her door's office that made her startled and put the coin inside her pocket immediately, this made her forget about the coin until this encounter with the butler.

"Will your doubt go away with this?" Arabella handed the coin with the Vresea estate's symbol to Baron Clayore.

The Baron took it without any hesitation, his hands trembled when he saw the coin that Duke Vresea used to play with his hands wherever he goes. This coin was made by the late Duke himself when he was a kid, this answers the reasons why the symbol is somehow done sloppily.

"W-where's the child?!" the always composed Butler Justin Clayore looks like he's about to cry which shocked Ruel to the core who's watching at the side.

"Follow me."

Arabella leads the Baron to the second floor where the children are. Ruel who's behind them felt like he can't talk anymore, with contradicting aura that the two emits, this is something that prevents him from opening his mouth so he decided to keep it shut. Also seeing the Baron cry who used to beat him up in the past during their class session made Ruel feel scared all of a sudden.

When they arrived at the room, Baron Clayore quickly went towards the bed where the child lies.

"W-what happened to him?" Baron Clayore stuttered when he saw the poor condition that the young master is in.

"They were poisoned, it's the Azula flower" this time Ruel decided to drop the information he's been wanting to tell Arabella earlier. Since it already came to this, this information may be helpful for the two of them to plan to get the antidote.

"A-azula?" the first one who reacted was Arabella, her complexion paled even more, she gently sat down on the chair with a conflicted expression.

Arabella knew that flower of course, but that Azula flower will only appear when the female lead got poisoned by it, and that happened in the middle of the story and Blaine was the one who obtained the antidote to cure his beloved. But why did it appear right now? the flow of the story isn't what it should be.

Right now Ruel's eyes are focused on Arabella, the Azula Flower that's been forgotten for centuries by the people in the Empire of Krekar, and for some mysterious reason, its name was uttered by a woman whom he has known for a few weeks and isn't even related to the imperial family who is the only ones who knows its existence. The way she said the name of the flower it seems like she clearly knew what it was.

Growing the Azula flower got banned due to its poisonous scent and once you touched it, your skin will slowly darken until it reaches your heart and eventually kills you. The people who got poisoned by it died after a day. The poison inside Blaine and Scarlet's body is slowly manifesting, they can see their arms darkened as time goes by.

Arabella opened the envelope that the Baron gave her, she quickly read its content. Her lips quivered when the contents confirmed what she had been thinking all this time. After reading it, her grip loosens and the letter invitation drops on the floor.

"That bitch, she clearly wants to die...how dare she" the words that came out of her mouth made the three men around her flinched. They felt cold all of a sudden, the surroundings turned cold, the children who were greatly suffering trembled before their eyes, as if telling them how dangerous the woman they're with right now, because even them who's unconscious can feel it.

Ruel tried to fight the intimidation he felt towards her and picks up the letter she dropped on the floor and read it. After doing a background check on Baroness Maguire, Ruel quickly understood why she suddenly emits such a deadly aura after reading the invitation. Seeing the little Azula flower drawn at the corner of the letter, confirmed Baroness Maguire's suspicion.

It was from Viscountess Mille, her ex-fiance's sister, the prime suspect of poisoning her children.

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The place is crowded, wherever their eyes land on sparkling things are always present. Men and women flaunting their accomplishments and their recent purchase of jewelry, expecting that everyone will envy them.

Arabella quietly sat down at one of the arranged chairs and tables for the guests, while everyone's eyes are boring onto her. She took a glass of champagne and brought it to her mouth and observe her surrounding.

Seeing these people gathering in front of her with such judgmental gazes, she suddenly remembered her past life. Such people are everywhere, whether it's in her past life or inside the novel she wrote herself, they'll be there waiting to see you fall to the abyss.

Arabella still remembered how she got the electronic company wrap around her manipulative hands, how she used her tactics, and how corrupted she had become in the process of obtaining such power in a world where rich and powerful people are the only ones who have the right to survive.

As she was about to take another sip onto her champagne, a child suddenly bumped onto her chair while playing with the other children. The champagne fell on her lap, making her look like a mess. The guests who were invited snickered after seeing her in such a pitiful situation. The children who messed up her dress didn't even apologize and just continue running. Arabella sighs as she wipes her dress using her handkerchief, but she suddenly stops wiping herself when she heard footsteps coming towards her.

When Arabella looks up, she saw the arrogant smile of Viscountess Mille with the noble ladies following behind her.

"Oh my, what happened Baroness? The maids are too occupied right now, I can't ask them for something to wipe those stains." Viscountess Mille's fake concerns reached her ears clearly making her grin at the situation she's in.

"It's alright Viscountess, a mere dress won't be a hindrance for me to enjoy your birthday banquet." Arabella's smiling face brought great annoyance to Viscountess Mille.

"Oh, I see. Then how about this?"

Viscountess Mille poured a glass of champagne onto Arabella's head, this action of the Viscountess made the guests gasp.

Nobody tried to avert their eyes from the show that just started, the guests that were invited to Viscountess Mille's birthday quickly gathered around them waiting for the next scene that will unfold.

While sitting down Arabella gently ran her hand on her wet hair, a gentle smile appeared on her lips which gained another loud gasp from the men that surround them. The men's reaction to the way she ran her fingers through her hair made their partners slap their shoulders for making exaggerated reactions to her beauty.

"It seems like Viscountess's hands are still as slippery as ever" Arabella's words may sound like a simple mockery to the others, but Viscountess knew that it's not.

"and what do you mean by that?" the Viscountess asked with her frowning face.

"Oh, I just remember the time when a betrothed man proposed to me, he must've slipped from his fiancee's hands."

*SLAP!*

"How dare you, you bitch!" as the Viscountess' eyes darken at her words, a proud smile appeared on Arabella's lips as she wipes the blood trickling down from her mouth with her eyes focused on the Viscountess' face that's full of hatred.

Thinking about the invitation that the woman in front of her sent, she can use it as a piece of evidence and tell the authorities that the Viscountess poisoned her children. But who would believe her? Who would believe a woman who doesn't have an ounce of connection?

The Azula flower is already forgotten to the point that it had become a myth, it only resurfaced when the Heroine got poisoned by that flower. All she can do now is get the antidote from her.

Arabella almost lost her sanity earlier, when she realized that Blaine and Scarlet only have a day left to live If she wasn't able to get the antidote for them. She was ready to use force to get the antidote from the Viscountess' when she saw that an Azula flower was drawn at the corner of the invitation, confirming her suspicion.

Ruel bravely blocked her way, even though he knew something's not right with the Baroness that's been living in such a secluded mansion for a long time. He decided to continue the investigation later after making this mess that Viscountess Mille created.

They decided to create a plan to get the antidote from the Viscountess and Ruel decided to mobilize his force to help her.

Ruel knew he should be executing his plan smoothly, that's the reason he went to the countryside, to avoid the eyes of his older brother and to save that 'person'. But it seems like, he can't stop himself from helping this woman in front of him.

Arabella's chest felt heavy the moment she heard Baron Clayore's mission, he'll notify the Vresea estate about finding the missing young master of the ducal house. She knew that a day will come, where she'll get separated from Blaine, she thought she was already prepared and she thought she wasn't too attach to the kid since it hasn't been long since she possessed the body of Arabella Maguire, but she's wrong.

The time the former Arabella spent with Blaine, and the love she has for the child is still embedded deep within her heart, even the soul is different, the mother's love for her child still lingers.

Arabella's eyes quickly thought about how to distract the Viscountess even more.

'Should I pull her hair or punch her?'

While thinking of what she should do to distract the Viscountess and the guests, her eyes landed on the man who's walking towards them, the moment she recognized him, she quickly put on her act and cried. Arabella covered her face and wept. With just her simple action, everyone was already dumbfounded.

"*sob*sob* V-viscountess Mille, I really am sorry if I offended you with my words, tell me what did I do, for you to hurt me like this" Arabella kept on crying, her tears are real, because how did she become a powerful company president in the past if she doesn't know how to act?

"What's happening here?" the voice of a man asks as the crowd gave way to him.

When he saw his wife holding an empty glass while the woman sitting down in front of her is wet and crying, he can already tell what happened.

"I-I really am sorry for ruining your night, I shouldn't have come here." Arabella puts down her hands and looks up at the Viscountess with a pitiful expression.

The crowds' are divided, there were people who are disgusted by her and thought she deserves it and others are pitying her.

"A-arabella?" Viscount Mille uttered her name like it's some sweet candy melting in his mouth.

'We should look even more pitiful'

Arabella quickly stood up, her appearance is a mess but it didn't hinder the fact that her beauty outshines the birthday celebrant tonight. Viscount Mille was the man who proposed to her years ago before he got married to this woman in front of them.

"Go get a dress for the Baroness to change into" Viscount Mille ordered the servant which earns a glare from his wife.

"What are you doing?!"

The Viscountess lost her composure and asked her husband in a loud voice.

"Stop making a ruckus" this time the Viscountess closed her mouth as she saw how her husband glared at her.

Still sobbing, Arabella grabs the hand that the Viscount extended to her. Both of them walk away from the crowds, with their gazes still boring onto her.

Viscountess knew that until now her husband still has feelings for the baroness, all this time she knew, that's why she can't help herself but only feel hatred towards the woman who stole the attention of her man.

She wanted to pull her husband away from Arabella, but she can't, she felt that if she does that, her husband will hate her even more. Viscountess's eyes heated up, knowing that any minute her tears will fall, she decided to run away immediately.

Because of how her husband walks away from her holding another woman's hand, Viscountess turned away with a heavy heart and left her birthday banquet, and walks towards the opposite direction of where Arabella and Viscount Mille was heading.

And nobody saw the cruelty...insanity...

...evident in her eyes.