Sold to the Dark Lord

03| The Curse Breaker

After finishing off the robbers Alexander rushed straight into the tent with a bad feeling, while the 4 rookie soldiers went straight to their wounded comrades.

"Ara! Where are you, Arabelle?" Alex shouted the name loudly as he scanning around hoping Arabelle was hiding in one of the corners.

But no. Arabelle wasn't in the tent. Alex's jaw tightened, her teeth gritted with both hands clenched tightly into fists. Alex looked very angry and disappointed at the same time.

"Did she run away? Damn it." He growled, holding back his anger.

He should have known that there was a high chance that the girl would run away, Alex was too innocent to trust Arabelle by leaving her alone with the wounded soldier.

No, she can't. She can't escape. Arabelle is the key to the curse that Alexander got. After a long search Alex had finally found Arabelle, he couldn't lose her, not before the curse was broken. Alexander's blood boiled with rage.

"You're mine, Arabelle. You can't escape from me, you can't even die without my permission."

Alex approached her five soldiers with her emotions already running high. "The woman who was with me, did you see her? She's not-"

"Your Majesty, do you mean her?" Pointed the wounded soldier while pointing behind Alex.

Alex turned around and the anger that had been building up instantly disappeared when he found Arabelle holding a wide leaf shaped like a bowl.

Arabelle walked closer and closer. "You're back, my King," she said and bowed.

"Where have you been? Why did you leave the tent when I told you to stay there until I returned." Alex asked.

Arabelle simply passed him by and went straight to the wounded soldier under the shady tree.

"Did she just ignore me?" Alex narrowed her eyes, then followed Arabelle's steps.

Alexander stood right beside the stunned Arabelle as she stared at the wound on the soldier's chest.

"You bleeding," said Arabelle, "But..."

"Darker, our blood is almost black." Another soldier said.

Arabelle's hand rise to touch the wound on the soldier's chest, but Alexander quickly held it back.

"What are you going to do, huh?" Alexander asked.

Arabelle gasped and almost spilled the medicine she had made from the herbs around her. "I just want to apply this herbs around the wound, Your Majesty."

Hearing that, Alex let go of Arabelle's hand. "No need, we'll reach Morthesc soon, he'll get treatment there."

"But, the wound could get infected. He could bleed, that means he lives and he could die."

"Your medicine may doesn't work to us."

"At least we can try, Your Majesty, by using our power of running we can arrive faster but it still counts as a couple days." Said the youngest soldier.

Alex had no other choice, "Alright, but you won't be the one to apply it, Arabelle."

Arabelle nodded in understanding, "As your highness said." She then gave her herbal medicine to the other soldiers. "Hopefully it will help." She hoped.

"Now, come with me." Alex said. "And you guys, get ready to continue our journey home." He said.

Arabelle obediently followed Alexander behind his well-built body. His aura did radiate cruelty, plus he rarely smiled, but strangely Arabelle did not feel threatened even though rumors said that werewolves who living in the kingdom of Morthesc were notorious.

***

Arabelle's freedom has been lost since she was confined to the auction, she is officially a slave under Alexander's ownership. Now, she stood in front of Alex with her head looking down. As a slave, her only duty was to obey her master's orders. Her voice would not be heard, even her life was only a gift from God. Arabellle really had nothing left.

Alex really didn't let go of his gaze from Arabelle. It made Arabelle feel awkward and shy for being stared at so intensely.

"So, how did you end up at the auction?" Asked Alex curiously, it's grateful that he could find Arabelle, the woman written in the records years and even centuries ago.

Arabelle remembered her sadness that the family she had served for years had sold her out. Her heart felt broken. Arabelle felt betrayed. Why was she adopted as a child and did all the housework but was still kicked out in the end. It was very painful.

Her tears flowed without permission, Arabelle immediately erased them. "Sorry, Your Majesty," she regretted.

Alexander smiled warmly, "It's okay, you don't have to look fine all the time. Sometimes, crying and admitting you're not okay is a necessity."

Arabelle's tears became unbearable, for the first time someone other than Luke could understand her feelings. This person who was considered a monster was even more generous to let her show her feelings into tears.

"It's fine if you don't want to answer." Said Alex who didn't know what to do. Then, he reached out to Arabelle.

Arabelle frowned, for the umpteenth time her Lord who was the King of the kingdom in the North gave a helping hand whenever her heart was full of doubts.

"Do all masters treat their slaves like this in your Kingdom?" Arabelle thought wonderingly.

Without saying anything, Alex took Arabelle's hand and pulled her gently to sit on his left. "You said you had something to ask, say it."

"Why did Your Highness buy me? As you can see, I am strange. Even people in the village don't want to make friends with me because they're afraid of being cursed, and my family sold me. You must also have many servants in the palace, so... why me?" Arabelle asked nervously.

"Who called you strange? What's so strange about you?"

Arabelle glanced at Alex through the corner of her eye, "He's blind or something, he can see it very clear." She muttered to herself.

"Hair... My hair, it used to be blonde, then it started to turn black over time. Until now, my hair is half black and half blonde. If I'm aging, my hair should be turning grey instead of black. Then, my eyes, 3 years ago when I was 20 years old, my right eye turned red and to them it looked scary. So, I understand why they don't want to get close to me." Arabelle said explaining in detail.

23 years old, so young. Alexander stop counting his age at 110, but he never gets old. Now Alex understood why he had never heard of a woman who had oddities like Arabelle, it turned out that she took until she was 20 years old to change. Alex also did not expect that the key to his curse was human and not a werewolf.

"Ara, the human race thinks I'm strange. But in my own country, I am an ordinary person. So, you just need to be in the right place. They think you're strange because you're different." Alexander said.

Arabelle paused and began to think. "If that's the case, where should I be?"

"Next to me." Alex replied. "You are beautiful, your hair and eyes are beautiful. We have the same red eyes." He added by grasping Arabelle's right hand.

Arabelle removed her hand from Alex's grip. She didn't understand why he said that, Alex's words almost made Arabelle forget that she was just a slave.

"I mean you don't need to be afraid or run away. As your Master and Your King, I should take care of you and i will." Alex repeated to make his point clear.

Arabelle was silent while playing with her fingers. She began to understand that at this time Alex was warning her in a subtle way not to run away.

Alex grabbed his black robe which was draped over the back of the folding chair they were sitting on. Then he put it on Arabelle as a head covering.

Suddenly Arabelle was surprised, she felt uncomfortable wearing what belonged to Alexander as her king in a new place, someone she would serve after arriving later.

"Your Majesty, this..."

"Wear it, I don't want my people to see your hair in your first day arrived in Morthesc." Alex said. "And, don't get hurt or even bleed. Your blood has a strong scent. I might be able to hold myself, but the other werewolves might not."

Dang.

Arabelle's breath caught, such a warning should have been told at the beginning. "I'm so unlucky." She thought regretfully.

"Hey, calm down... I will keep you safe. So, just stay close to me. You are mine. Understand?" Alex said emphatically with a gaze so deep that it pierced his chest cavity.

"But, i..." cold sweat streaming down on Arabelle's temples along with her trembling hands.

"Trust me, no one dares to touch what is mine." Alex tried to convince.

Arabelle looked into Alex's eyes carefully, then nodded with a heart filled with both doubt and fear.

Her life was about to change completely. Arabelle had lost control of her own life, her safety now depended on a stranger she hadn't known for a day.

"What kind of life will I live after arriving in the Morthesc later. I hope there are other humans living there..." She hoped as she calmed herself down.