CHAPTER 25: The Suspicious Frock

'F-Father?' Aella called as she stepped into the dark room. She couldn't see anything from where she stood so she went in further. 

She recognized this as her parents' room but it seemed different from what was in her memories.

It seemed cold and gloomy, as though an unknown doom awaited her.

'Father?' She raised her voice, hoping to get an answer.

Suddenly, a flash of light blasted into her face which made her squint her eyes due to the abruptness.

When she opened her eyes again and adjusted to the brightness, what she saw made her whole body freeze with shock.

'H-Help. Help me, Aella,' the old man sprawled on the floor held his hand out for her.

She could see he was in obvious pain as his face was scrunched up in a grimace and it tore her heart apart.

'Father!!' Aella screamed and tried to reach out for him but she was stopped short by something invisible.

Her body was surprisingly unmovable. She couldn't move her legs at all.

'What is this?' She hissed as she pulled her weight with all her might but it was all futile.

She couldn't go an inch. Neither backward nor forward.

'Aella,' her father called out once more, this time, his voice more hoarse than ever.

'Father, I can't move. I do not understand this. Father,' she stretched her hand out as tears spilt from her eyes.

'Aella,' he cracked out and her heart broke to see him in such a state. He was hurting so much but she couldn't even do anything to help.

'Hello? Anybody? Help!!' Aella belted out in an attempt to call anyone in the house.

This is a dream. Another nightmare.

Her subconscious said in her head but her body was acting on another level.

She kept on screaming for help as her father cried out in pain on the floor.

It's merely a dream. Wake up now!!

Wake up!!

Aella's eyes popped open with a jolt as her lips parted with a gasp.

She could feel her entire form trembling violently from the nightmare she had again but all her mind could register was one thing.

Why was there a pair of lights staring down at her?

A frown came onto her face. Then the light blinked and it was only then she realised that it was a pair of eyes.

"Goodness!!" Aella screamed and jumped up from the bed.

She dragged the duvet closer to her body and looked around the empty room which was more familiar than at the male standing just a few inches away from her.

Her mind was flooded with replays of how she woke up in an unfamiliar room, being watched by a stranger male and her futile attempt to escape the labyrinth last night.

It was only then she relaxed a bit but her guard was still up as she turned her incriminating eyes to the man who was looking down at her emotionlessly.

"Are you sure all the screws in your head are placed rightly? What is the meaning of this?!" She dragged the blanket up to her neck as she blinked up at him.

"Meaning of what exactly?" Bane spoke and his deep voice reverberated around the room.

His long black hair fell to his face and his huge figure was in a black tunic and matching pants. She noticed he was also barefooted.

"How chivalrous are you to just barge into a maiden's room without requesting permission? I could have been naked or God knows what!" She hissed at him, outraged by his audacity.

Instead of showing remorse, she noticed he was slightly amused by her words.

"Point of correction, one," he raised a dainty finger in the air.

"This isn't your room and I have the right to every room in my habitation. Two," he raised another finger.

"Even if you were naked, it is actually nothing new," he muttered and dropped his eyes to her body which made Aella inch closer to the bed with agitation.

She just woke up but she was already boiling with anger. What kind of male was he anyway?!

Nothing new?! What does he mean by nothing new?! She knew he had seen everything she possessed due to his profanity of yesterday but he had no right to talk about her body in such a degrading manner!!

"Nevertheless, it is completely mannerless to stare at a person while sleeping. What are you, a boogeyman?!" She huffed, her face already heating up.

Bane's eyebrow raised a millimetre before he shrugged nonchalantly.

"If that is how you would like to address me then be it well. I only came into the room to deliver what you asked of me last night," he uttered coolly.

"Asked of you? I never demanded anything from-" Aella's lips fell short when she saw a yellow frock hanging on his arm.

"Is that for me?" She asked, finding it hard to believe that he would actually find a dress just because she had mentioned how uncomfortable she was in just a shirt.

"Well, I wouldn't wear such a thing so obviously, it's yours," he briskly dropped the dress on the bed as though the fabric burned him.

Aella tried her best not to break into a wide smile as she tentatively reached out to grab the dress.

Her eyes widened when she felt the soft silk material of the amber gown. 

It had short sleeves which would stop just above her elbow and a low neckline but it was an improvement when compared to her current fashion.

Aella smiled slightly. Seeing this dress reminded her of the ones her mother had ordered to be sewn for her but she hardly wore them back then, preferring to be in her simple breeches.

She never thought a day would come when she would miss those beautiful dresses.

Then Aella furrowed her eyebrows when she realised something.

How on earth did this lad get a lady's frock in a place where only he and his master resided? 

There was no way he would have gone to a tailor shop and ordered for it to be made so where did this dress come from?

Aella eyed him up suspiciously.

"Pray tell, what is the matter? Is it not up to your taste?" He must have noticed her reaction which made him ask.

"Enlighten me, where does this frock come from?" She queried, wanting to know what it was before she could wear it.

She noticed his face dropped a bit which did nothing to soothe the suspicions she had.

"It belonged to someone who used to live here," he answered with quite a wistful tone but that only augmented Aella's questions.

Someone who used to live here? Who was that? A prisoner like her? Where was she now? Had she been eaten by the demon?

Aella had so many thoughts running in her head.

"And where is that someone?" She let out slowly and gauged his response.

Bane said nothing and simply reached for the dress.

"Halt!!" She slapped his hand away and ignored the burning sensation she got from touching his skin.

Bane looked down at his hand as though he had been stained by horse dung.

"I never said I wouldn't wear it," she pushed the dress closer to her chest.

She might not know where and who it belonged to but she had little to no choice in her hands.

She couldn't remain in a large shirt, especially if she planned to run away from here soon.

"Well, your incessant questioning told me otherwise," Bane let out.

"Goodness, can't a lady be curious again?" She huffed and waved her hand in the air.

"Curiosity should be curbed sometimes, especially when it is none of your concern," he muttered and Aella only stared at him.

She hated to admit it but he was right, it was none of her business but she only wanted to know about the clothing she was going to wear.

What was the huge crime in that?!

"Anyways, I need to perform my morning ablutions so please exit the chamber," she murmured as she stood up in the bed, with the duvet wrapped around her torso.

As she was about to step down from the bed, her right foot got caught in the blanket and she lost her balance, which sent her weight flying down the mattress.

Aella quickly placed her arms on her face to soften the fall but she felt the invisible force holding her still in the air again.

"Let me go!!"