Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 74: Choosing one’s fate

Katherine kept a hand around Arabella’s shoulder while guiding her towards a door leading out of the balcony and into an empty, first floor hallway.

The deeper into it they walked, the more distant and muffled the announcer’s as well as the crowd’s voices from the ballroom became. It was one of those instances when she thanked whatever deity listened that her hearing abilities did not extant thus far.

From time to time, Katherine would steal a glance at the silent young woman walking beside her. She kept an ear out for the untamed heart rhythm in her chest as a means to monitor her emotional state.

Although, it was Arabella that found her words first, "From what I understand, you are one of the most recent entertainers," she half asked.

"Correct," Katheine tried to squeeze a smile while nodding.

"May I ask...," Arabella trailed off momentarily before continuing, "How many of these events have you actually attended before tonight?"

"This is the second time I attend a ball for this same occasion, actually,"

There were those sorts of breaks in between their exchange where only the clacking of their heels echoed across the walls of that sizable corridor, coming and going from one surface to another.

Each of them put their best efforts into curating a better or more appropriate list of words to utter.

"How long does the ceremony usually last?" asked Arabella while staring at the route ahead.

"An hour or so, give or take," Katherine went quiet for a few seconds after that, but then felt the need to say more, "I truly am sorry for keeping it from you. We really did not mean for it to be such a surprise but...," eventually, the vampire fell short of words.

"Please, don’t worry about it. I understand," Arabella took a deep breath, "I, myself, wasn’t taught much about it back home. My program merely included the fact that tributes needed to be selected from the lower class and sent over to Umbraria in order to maintain the peace between our countries. I believe the burden of preparing me for such an occasion falls on my educators and not on you," she offered the best smile she could muster at that moment.

"Still...," Katherine mumbled more to herself than anyone else.

However, and as they were coming around a corner, Katherine seemed to tense up a tad, her hand stiffening around Arabella’s shoulder before releasing it as though preparing for something the young woman had yet to see.

Her instinct turned out to be true when a familiar figure appeared from behind the wall as soon as they’d turned that same corner.

Both women immediately curtsied before Silas while he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"Master," the two of them muttered.

"Where might you two be heading at this time?" he asked, as cold and distant as always.

"Nowhere in particular, Master," Katherine started, "As the auction goes on, I thought I’d take Arabella out here for some fresh air," she smiled.

"I see," he said dryly, "I’ll take it from here, return to your position Katherine,"

Without any words, Katherine offered the young woman one last glance before turning around and walking back on her tracks, leaving Arabella alone in Silas’ company.

"Do not put any blame on them," he caught her attention for a few instants, but then she looked at the floor again, "It was mine and my mother’s will that you shouldn’t be made aware about the details of the ceremony," he paused, "Not that they seemed to disagree,"

"Would they have voiced their disagreement with you?"

Long before Arabella could bite her tongue, the words had escaped her mouth with way more confidence than she ever believed she owned.

"In their own ways, of course they would have. We don’t only have mouths to speak we have ears to listen as well,"

Despite his tone barely changing from its usual, Silas still sounded particularly offended by her question, or at the very least, it was the impression Arabella had gotten from it.

"Forgive me, Master. I didn’t mean to insult you," barely above a whisper, her voice reached his ears.

In response, he commented nothing on the matter and instead glared above her head, beyond her, "There are still forty-five tributes to be exhibited. The ceremony will take quite the time," Silas turned around and took his first steps, "Walk with me,"

She did as told, and followed in his tracks, allowing silence to creep back in until he decided to break it again, "What’s on your mind?"

Arabella clamped up at first, but thought the longer she made him wait the more irritated he’d get so resigned to spilling her ponderings, "I wanted to ask; how many tributes are usually sent over to Umbraria?"

"The ceremony is held every bimester, thus four times per year, and each round counts no less than 50 tributes. That is the minimum the syndicate will hold a ceremony for," he said.

Along their path, Arabella couldn’t help but sneak a few peaks his way only to note that Silas had been dressed for the occasion and yet appeared nowhere in the ballroom during the presentations.

For once, the vampire had forsaken the silver embroidery and gilding for golden ones instead, no doubt out of respect and empathy towards their guests.

While it looked nowhere near as good as silver on him, gold still suited him remarkably well.

"They are all criminals apprehended by their own people, you know," he half asked towards the end, wrenching her out of her contemplations.

"I am sorry?" her eyes snapped onto his.

"All the tributes selected to uphold the treaty are criminals. You are aware of that fact, aren’t you?"

"Yes, very well aware, Master," she nodded, staring down once more.

"One can say they chose their own fate there,"

"Then one can say the same thing about me," in the most hushed of tones, Arabella had whispered.