Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 185: More than business

The smile on Ada’s face as she pushed the breakfast trolley in brightened. Null doubt after noting Arabella was not standing in front of the window but right by the door instead.

"Morning, Miss," she chirped, "You seem to be doing a lot better today," the maid’s eyes went over Arabella’s figure.

"I am not so sure about that, but I’ll take it," at first, the young woman had muttered while flicking her nails together, "To be frank with you, I was waiting for your arrival," she finally raised her gaze.

"Why? What’s so important? How can I help?" uttering all of those questions almost in one breath, Ada rushed around the trolley and straight towards Arabella, looking all gleeful.

"I was wondering if you were made aware of the situation that transpired yesterday, with Katherine," she tried, but her smile was more so a grimace.

Ada’s face fell, "Yes, I was,"

"Do you know where they are keeping her? I’d like to see her," Arabella took Ada’s hands in hers and held them close to her heart.

"Well, they are keeping her in her room but...," Ada’s eyes flickered to the side.

"Yes? What is it?" the young woman tilted her head slightly, seemingly in an attempt to restore eye contact with the maid.

"Well, it is a bit dangerous to enter a vampire’s room during their slumber. One wrong step and we might end up killing them," Ada shook her head slowly.

"Aren’t their rooms equipped to prevent sunlight from penetrating?"

"Yes, they are, but even opening the doors to their room is a risk. Us maids try to do it very carefully to clean around or pick up their laundry but...," Ada gave Arabella’s hands a little squeeze here and there while speaking, as though it’d earn her words more weight.

"No, I understand," Arabella’s voice turned frail, "It is an unnecessary risk that’s not worth taking for a selfish reason," she nodded and turned towards the trolley.

"No, no, Miss. What you are trying to do isn’t selfish at all!" Ada looked panic stricken, gesticulating around the young woman, "On the contrary, it is such a kind gesture!"

Arabella began to unload the breakfast dishes onto the table. Eyes on them but mind elsewhere.

"You are back to calling me miss again," she mumbled under her breath.

"What? I... It was," Ada simmered down instantly, "I am sorry. I did it last time out of desperation,"

"That’s alright," Arabella nodded and took a deep breath, "Have you heard anything else about Katherine? Any other news? What about the rumors running around? What do they say?"

She spoke slowly and meekly as though equipped with weakened lungs, but the frown on her was what caused Ada to crumble, "Oh miss... No, I haven’t heard anything on the matter. Not even the rumors are worth repeating this time around," the maid matched Arabella’s energy and tone, rubbing her friend’s arm up and down with a gentle hand.

However, at that same moment a spark lit the maid’s face again. Eyebrows up higher on her forehead and eyes wide open, "I know someone who may answer your questions!"

"Who?" Arabella’s eyebrows on the other hand furrowed a tad.

"Master Silas is aware of everything on the matter as I heard he was present when the doctors came in. He-,"

The fast paced and lively speech was cut before reaching its end when Arabella put a hand up, "No!" she turned towards the breakfast dishes once more.

"May I ask why not, Miss?" mouth a little agape, Ada’s eyes followed each and every movement the young woman made.

"The Master won’t be delighted to hear from me so...," she shook her head, "I’d rather not bother him,"

Ada held her peace for a moment, looking pensive. Although that did not last, "But what makes you believe he will be bothered by you?"

Instead of stopping her doings, Arabella’s motions accelerated, picking the dishes at a faster pace and putting them down but then picking them back again only to settle them down at another spot, "I am not sure but... I think he’s still upset at the mayhem I’ve caused. I am not complaining of course! He has every right to be mad. I brought nothing but trouble since my arrival and I don’t want to burden him more than I already ha-"

Once again, a sentence was cut mid-way, only that time around it was an unruly giggle that had escaped Ada. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Arabella did not say a thing, and merely gaped back at the maid, taken aback by her reaction.

"Apologies, I shouldn’t have laughed. It escaped me, Miss," she apologized all the while still smiling, "But I assure you, Master Silas is not mad at you in the slightest,"

"What do you mean? Yes, he is!" Arabella turned to fully face Ada, "You did not see the way he spoke to me!"

"Did he explicitly say he was mad at you?" Ada crossed her arms.

"No, but he didn’t need to. The words he’d uttered were more than enough," Arabella’s demeanor shifted a tad, her features somewhat twisting.

"Master Silas is good at many things, but I can say words have never been one of them," right then, Ada took Arabella’s hands in the same fashion the young woman had done so before her, "Do you trust me, Miss?" she stared right into her eyes.

"Of course, I do!" Arabella nodded furiously as though the mere doubt offended her.

"Then trust me on this as well. I would never lead you to believe something if I wasn’t sure of it myself," the maid’s grin grew bigger and brighter, "Speak with him and try not to take anything he says to heart. He really is a good spokesperson when handling business matters, but... You aren’t a business matter," she muttered the last words of her statement.

"Am I not?" she clenched her own fists inside Ada’s hands, "I was granted refuge in exchange for my blood and entertainment. That seems like a business transaction to me,"

"It most certainly was back then, but it became much more than that," the smile on Ada did not falter.

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