A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

Chapter 28-

Bella's POV-

"Well, this was fun." I turned to look at my father, grinning in amusement, the two of us having noticeably come close in the past few months that we had been initially forced to spend together. We weren't the typical 'father and daughter' yet, but we were now friends, and that was a start. "Now what? Do we attack? They are out of allies!"

All the allies that Aro had carefully collected over the past millenniums were now firmly in the anti-Aro squad, refusing to even see his face, or have a minute conversation with him on the phone. All they wanted to do was run as far away as vampire-ly possible from him, the four of us rather please by this revelation.

"No." Charlie frowned wide. "Not yet."

"What are we waiting for, Charlie?" Stefan demanded, waving his hands in air, frustration evident on his face. "The timing cannot be anymore right…"

"Actually, it can." Charlie nodded his head to himself. "Aro still has the support of his guard, those loyal cronies, and they are enough to destroy our hope and any possibility of defeating him."

"So what? We just give up?" Vladimir looked horrifyingly offended, a sudden tension quickly forming in the room as we blankly stared at my father in question.

"Of course not." Charlie scoffed in disbelief. "What kind of an idiot do you take me to be that I would plan all this much only to give up towards the end?"

When no one responded, obviously, Charlie continued speaking, "The timing could get better than this. We will get a clear sweep victory, but for that to happen, we need to alienate Aro completely. Not one person should be on his side. Not even his wife…"

"Uh-huh." I interrupted. "She is not on his side, trust me."

Sulpicia would possibly be the last person on Earth to support him in his manic antics.

What did she believe had happened to me?

Did she too believe that I would abandon her and Athenadora this easily?

Charlie let out an audible sigh, my thoughts shifting back to the present, "Bella, can you get into Caius's head?"

I simply stared at him; my eyes wide as I waited for realization to strike.

"Okay, fine." He reluctantly admitted. "I know you can get into his head without any effort taken." I winked in agreement. "Please do so. Send the same message out to him too; the 'Aro cannot be trusted' one. To Jane, as well. We need a fight in the castle. Oh, and inform Marcus. We need him to add insult to the injury."

I raised an eyebrow in admiration, unbelievably excited for the fallout about to happen, muttering a 'yes, boss' as I went about with my job.

Caius's POV-

"You idiot!" I scolded the lowlife polishing my black shoes. Well, at least, pretending to polish it. For I don't know what he considered himself to be doing, but this wasn't how you performed a chore to perfection. "Move." I kicked him to the side, taking the shoe in my hand as I began to show him how the work was done.

Truly, idiots masqueraded themselves as servants in this castle! They did not know a thing, and could not learn it, too. If you asked them to iron your shirt, you would find more creases on it than before! I often demanded to decapitate them for being such dumb buffoons, but apparently, it is too petty a crime to hang someone for. Aro words, not mine.

Irrespective, they did manage to give me a headache.

"Master." Another lowlife grabbed my attention, the door to my grand bath pushed open. "The water is heated to the correct temperature. Please proceed for your bath."

I scowled in disgust, the stray stapler lying on my bedside table- I don't know where it came from- thrown at his face in fury, smirking as it hit the target. "Don't tell me what to do. I am your owner; it is not the other way round. Go and stand in there with soap in your hands. I will come when I feel like it. If the water gets cold, heat it again. But if it is not heated to the correct temperature…"

I did not need to complete my sentence, the fear in his eyes prevalent, as he nodded his head briefly before disappearing towards the bathroom.

"Master." Another lowlife called for me, a sigh leaving my lips as I turned to look at him. What now? Couldn't these idiots do one chore without needing my guidance? I had told Aro that we needed to change sensible humans to be a part of our servant guard, but when did he listen to me? He had walked out there, changing any and every human he could find!

Now, don't judge us. We are royalty.

Each brother had originally been gifted with twenty personal servants; Marcus declining his share. Eh, his loss. That raised my share to a thirty.

Though, Jane was being kind of a bitch these days. She demanded that every servant in the castle follow her given orders, irrespective of which leader they belonged to. And if that was not enough, she desired the elite guard to wash her clothes for her!

Imagine!

They were the elite guard; many of them were honored with servants themselves.

How embarrassing would it be for them?

Just last week, Heidi had come complaining to me. Apparently, Jane had been in one of her moods, and had made the poor girl untangle every knot in her hair. While that wouldn't have been a problem for many, Jane hadn't seen the face of a comb in nearly seven centuries, causing Heidi to be occupied for four hours at stretch as she carefully untangled every single strand of Jane's hair, aware that even a single pull would result in a harsh punishment.

I had tried informing Aro of Jane's misdemeanor, but for someone who believed that the sun rose out of Jane's ass, the conversation was doomed from the start.

"Master."

"What?" I shouted in annoyance. "Speak before I behead you, you nincompoop."

He shuddered in nervousness; his eyes firmly fixated on the golden carpet in my room. "Master Aro requests your presence in his chambers."

I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair, irritated by my brother's need to interrupt my personal time. I had informed him that I would see him after I was done grooming myself, but apparently, that was too much for him to tolerate.

"Fine." I scowled in agreement, staring at my servant in fury until he pushed open the door to my room- you have to teach these idiots everything- walking out into the shared corridor towards my brother's chambers, my entourage walking behind me.

"Yes, brother." I demanded, an eyebrow raised as I unenthusiastically greeted my brother, who currently lay sat on his desk chair, a million papers lying unattended before him. "You wished to speak to me?"

He nodded his head briefly, offering me a chair to sit on, an offer I reluctantly accepted; my bath still lay waiting for me!

"I have decided that we will attack the Ethiopian coven in exactly five days from now. They have forgotten who their masters are. How dare they decline an invitation to visit from us!"

Now, while almost all…wait…remove the almost…while all of our allies had refused to see our faces, citing some random excuse or another, the Ethiopian coven had come out straight and said that they no longer wished to serve us. They weren't planning to rebel, just that they wanted to live a peaceful life from now on. As if we forced them to create a bloodshed!

Idiots!

We just, once in a while, demanded them to stand by our side.

Anyhow, Aro wasn't taking this any well. He was scared. I don't know for what reason; we were undefeatable!

They could act out all they wanted. The fact would still remain that they were our servants, and we were their godly masters.

"So, what do you think?" Aro prodded.

I waved him off. What was there to ask in this?

If he wanted to attack, well, go ahead.

I never opposed to anything of that sort. And he knew that!

"You already know my answer. If you have taken the decision to attack, go…"

'Aro cannot be trusted. He will betray us.'

"Caius?"

I frowned, ignoring the senseless voice in my head. "I was saying that, if you have taken the decision to attack, go…"

'Aro is a snake in disguise. Stay away from him.'

"Are you okay?" Aro enquired, his expression telling me clearly that he believed that I had lost my marbles.

"Of course." I scowled in annoyance. "Go ah…"

'Kill Aro. He is no friend to us.'

"I need to be alone." I rushed out of the room, invisible sweat trailing my forehead.

What was that?

Where were all these senseless thoughts coming from?

That wasn't my inner voice?

"Master, are you alright?"

Of course, I was alright!

How dare he ask me such a question?

He was simply my servant. Nothing more important to me than that.

"Listen you…"

'Set them free. Your servants deserve freedom. You can do your own work yourself, like everyone else in this world does.'

'I…leave me alone. No one will interrupt me till I don't call for you."

I rushed towards my room, my head in my hands.

What was happening to me?