Amelia had been so absorbed by her task that when she turned around, the same look of confusion that had conquered Arabella's features overtook hers as well.
From Grace to Allegra and then Katherine, the three sisters held this air of concern in their eyes, sharing quick glances among themselves before turning to look at Arabella once more.
"Come, sit," Lady Persephone's eyes were strictly on Arabella, "The rest of you are dismissed for the time being,"
As the five vampires exited the room one after the other, Arabella obliged and made herself small in the seat beside the Lady.
"You do understand why they were concerned, don't you?" the Lady asked.
"No, my Lady," muttered Arabella, gazing straight onto her lap where her hands lay.
Persephone took a deeper breath then sighed, "You are well aware that vampires are blessed with an acute and much sharper sense of hearing than humans,"
To that, Arabella nodded.
"Everyone in the room, and myself included, were able to hear every beat that your heart made. In fact, we can listen to it at all times if we so desire. The poor thing went insane in your chest the moment Sebastian laid his hands on you, so should I understand from it that it is an issue for you?"
Arabella's eyes widened a tad as she clutched her hands tighter together.
"I see," said the Lady, "So, it is,"
She brought her hands together and laid them on top of each other in a graceful manner upon her lap and took a moment before speaking again, "Does Sebastian frighten you? Would you be comfortable partnering with another man for these lessons or is it…," the Lady trailed off, an air of suspicion on her, "Are you uncomfortable with the touch of a man? If so, I can't have you dance with my guests,"
"I do not wish to cause any inconvenience to your plans, my Lady. I can do it! I simply-"
Arabella had rushed to reassurances and promises but the Lady cut her off, "You know, I did find it odd for a 26-year-old human woman to still be single, especially one with your looks," The Lady's eyes traveled up and down Arabella's body, "I'd like to know more of your story,"
Arabella simmered down and prepared to answer the Lady, "Growing up I was never allowed out and my father, especially, kept me out of any noble man's sight as he wanted to keep me for the prince and only the prince," the longer she spoke, the lower her eyes traveled, "He'd always made plans to present me before him but they'd always fallen through. That was until three nights before my escape during a ball where prince Cedric laid eyes on me for the first time,"
"Have you got any friends back in Lustris?"
"Aside from the maids that cared for me, not a single one to count," Arabella slowly shook her head no along that sentence.
"You were kept in isolation all that time knowing full well what your father had in store for you and yet you remained," Lady Persephone pursed her lips for a moment, "Why is it you waited until now to flee?"
"Well, at first, there was my mother and brother, but I no longer have them and for the past three years I wallowed in self-pity until I actually met the prince,"
"And?" the Lady urged.
"Finally meeting him gave me the courage I needed to leave," murmured Arabella.
The Lady first hummed in response, "I have not yet had the privilege of meeting the crown prince of Lustris, but goodness! Is he truly that hideous?"
"His looks were nowhere near the problem with him," Arabella bit down on the inner walls of her mouth.
A short moment of silence followed only broken when the Lady decided it had gone on for far too long, "What of my son?"
At those words, Arabella's gaze snapped upwards and connected with Persephone's, "The Master?"
"Silly girl, who else would I be meaning?"
Arabella flung her eyes away from the Lady as blood rushed to her face, "Of course, my apologies," she grumbled.
"In any case, he has to touch you in order to feed on your blood. He puts his mouth right on your skin, does he not?"
Arabella's face burned in a brighter shade of red and the words slipped away from her, "It's… That's different… It's not-"
"What? Is he not man enough?"
"No!" the young woman's voice completely escaped her control when she squeaked, "It's just that the relationship between us is strictly business, so to speak, and besides his touch is drowned by the enchantment he uses to spare me any pain or so I understand…," Arabella had spoken so rapidly at first but as her explanations went on, the speed had started to decline until it almost halted before she could finish.
"Is that so?" the Lady asked, "So, you do not harbor any sort of romantic feelings for him," she half asked.
"No, not at all, my Lady and even if there were, I know they wouldn't matter. He is a vampire, and I am human. He is a Lord to be, and I am a nobody," Arabella shook her head.
The Lady's eyes fell upon Arabella's chest before rising back to meet her gaze, "Both your heart and your eyes tell me you speak the truth but well… Would you be comfortable resuming dance training with Sebastian or should we try with someone else?"
"I'll do my best and I'll continue with Sebastian if you choose so," Arabella squeezed a smile while nodding.
"Alright then, let us proceed," the Lady, picked her summoning bell but before ringing it, she stopped, "Oh and one more thing, you are not nobody. Everybody is somebody in this world. We all have our roles to play,"