Hellbound Heart

The next time Elle opened her eyes, she realized that it was all quiet and there were no longer that slight movements she felt earlier on the flight. The private jet had already landed.

She had slept all throughout the journey because it was already dawn when their plane took off from Dalenn. The fatigue that had piled up and non-stop stress had really beaten her down and literally knocked her out into a deep a slumber. And due to that, she now was waking up alone in the plane.

There were no one else in the plane anymore. Sebastian and even the pilots were gone. When she glanced at the clock, her jaw dropped. She checked the timing just when their flight took off and remembered that their arrival in Viscarria should be at nine in the morning. It was now already eleven!

Rushing out of the plane, Elle was welcomed by a lady at the door, dressed in a gray suit. She was tall and had long, straight and neatly tied up hair. One look and Elle thought that she must be a female bodyguard.

"Hello, Princess Eves. I am Ava." She greeted Elle with a wide polite smile. "I am assigned to escort you to the Reigns castle and attend to everything that you need."

Elle smiled back. She was about to ask about Sebastian's whereabouts, but she held her tongue and just nodded at her. She needed to keep to her end of the bargain regarding all the things she had promised in the contract.

"Give me a moment to prepare myself." Elle informed her before smiling back. But as soon as she turned, her smile turned a little bitter. 'Of course, he'd leave. What were you even expecting? That he's going to wait for you to wake up? Don't you dare be delusional, Elle. Don't forget about the deal. Never expect anything from Sebastian Reign.' She told herself firmly.

"Uhm… Miss Eves," Ava followed behind her so Elle looked at her from over her shoulder. "Prince Sebastian had brought you clothes to change into before he left."

Elle halted and Ava went to pick the paper bags marked with luxurious brands and placed them on top of the bed.

"If you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to call out, Miss Eves. I'll just be outside the door." Ava said and with Elle's nod, she quietly left her.

After staring at the row of bags lining up on the bed, Elle then slowly looked at each of them. Everything was complete and just perfectly chosen. From the right sized underwear to the perfect outfit and even matching shoes, bag and accessories! Elle stared at the understated yet elegant outfit sporting a mix of both conservative and modern style. A neutral-colored shawl paired with a white knee length coat, nude high heeled leather stilettos, a pair of tiny pink sapphire earrings and… even makeup. Everything a woman ever needed to dress up was there.

Elle immediately thought that this must have definitely been prepared by a royal stylist. She imagined Sebastian making a call to bring whatever she needed, and the stylist had gotten their job done perfectly even without being told the details. And for some reason, Elle suddenly remembered when Lucas had given her his coat last night. She had noticed when Sebastian glanced at the man before it happened. She wondered if Sebastian was the one who had gestured for him to give her his coat. But Sebastian was wearing a coat too. Should he not…

She took a deep breath and shook her head. Telling herself that she must stop overthinking everything, Elle focused on getting herself ready. She was used at dressing herself up even when there were important occasions as long the dress was not something that required too much attention. And since she also did her own make-up as she had already mastered doing it herself, she did not call for Ava until she was done fully getting ready.

"You look lovely, Miss." Ava praised her. Elle somehow felt quite at ease with this woman so far. There seemed to be no pretense in her eyes and smile.

"Thank you, Ava. Am I going to be escorted straight to the Reigns castle?" Elle asked. She was curious if there was already a formal meeting so she could prepare herself.

"Actually, Prince Sebastian said you can take your rest today. He didn't say anything about your schedule. So I guess once I escort you to the castle, you can have your rest."

"Oh, I see…" Elle nodded, hiding how relieved she was that she did not need to meet Sebastian's family right off the bat. In fact, she was not really afraid or nervous. But she thought that she needed to speak with Sebastian first. They needed to get some facts right before they meet up with the family. She was certain Sebastian's family would ask her questions, so she needed to speak with him first on what she was and was not allowed to reveal about their relationship.

But if she went straight to the Reigns residence now, there would be a high chance that she would immediately meet them as soon as she gets there. And once that happens, questions could not be avoided.

"Is Sebastian already there?" Elle asked.

"I am not sure, Miss, as I wasn't informed about Prince Sebastian's schedule for the day. But if you ask my opinion, I don't think the prince is there. Prince Sebastian rarely goes to the Reigns Castle."

Elle creased her brows. He rarely goes there but he's sending her there…?

"I can make a call to the castle right now and ask just to be sure." Ava said as she led her out of the plane's door.

As soon as Elle stepped out, a fresh cold breeze welcomed her. She stopped and inhaled it as she looked around and then up to the clear blue sky.

A faint smile curved on her lips. It was hard to believe she was now in Viscarria. A place she has never been to before. A place that was away from Dalenn. Far, far away from that monster's reach.

She could not quite explain her feelings at the moment. As she reached the last step of the stairs, she stared at the ground. This would be her very first step into this land.

Her heartbeat suddenly picked up its pace and she couldn't shake the feeling that the moment she sets foot on this land, her life would never be the same again.

___

A/N: Don't forget to vote for this book with your Golden Tickets guys!

Top 3 in Golden ranking* = mini mass release

Top 1 in Golden ranking* = mass release

*at the end of the month