The Tyrant's Pet

"I'm worried."

Conan whispered as he bent over to speak with Isaiah. Standing behind the settee, Isaiah was perching inside the emperor's office. The latter only cast Conan a nonchalant look before setting his eyes at the emperor sitting behind his desk.

"He's alright," Isaiah reassured, watching Abel arrange pieces of papers on the desk silently.

"Really?" Conan scrunched his nose up, setting his judgmental eyes at Abel. "Doesn't look like it."

Ever since this morning, when Aries left, Abel never stood up from that spot. Until now that it was nighttime, Abel was still in his office, arranging pieces of paper on the desk. The two weren't nagging him to rest, knowing it was actually better to see him do something than do nothing at all.

Isaiah had been keeping an eye on Abel. The latter would surely abduct Aries. Why did Abel even think of sending Aries to the Maganti Empire if he couldn't stand her absence?

"What is he even doing?" asked Conan once again as it seemed Abel was too engrossed in what he was doing.

Isaiah just shrugged and looked at him dead in the eye. "My only job here is to make sure he stays in the palace."

"Tsk." Conan rolled his eyes, straightening his back. He carefully tiptoed his way towards the emperor's desk but kept a safe distance. When he was near, he stretched his neck, standing on his toes, and narrowed his eyes.

His face distorted upon catching what was keeping Abel busy. 'What are those? Letters?' Conan took three careful steps to have a closer look.

He didn't see it incorrectly. It was actually letters! He narrowed his eyes even more and his face twitched. He recognized that handwriting. It was Aries's! So Abel was collecting her letters?

"Collection. Ta dah~!" Conan flinched when Abel motioned his hands over the desk with a proud smile. "Conan, I want you to procure frames... golden ones with gems as embellishments for every single one of her letters."

"Huh?"

"And a private, enormous room. I would like to collect Aries's letters, clothes, strands of her hair, and maybe mummified her once she's dead." Abel nodded in agreement with his finger on his chin. "I can also hire the best painter to make her portrait — tons of them. It would be best if there's a huge cage in it so I can lock her there... no, that sounds wrong. I need a huge cage that can fit two people."

"Your Majesty, I've never been so scared in my life!" Conan confessed with a shaking voice, feeling a little guilty for pushing Aries to Abel.

This emperor was only pitiful when Aries was ignoring him. But now that the both of them acted as if they were inseparable, Abel's demand had significantly increased. Not that it was only downsides. There was also a good side since deaths in the palace also decreased.

Abel blinked twice before covering his face with both his palms without a word. Conan took a step back, glancing at Isaiah, who was minding his own business while reading a document on the settee.

"Boo!" Although Abel's voice lacked interest, Conan still flinched when Abel spread the hands that were covering his face. "Have you always been this pathetic, Conan?"

"Your Majesty! I thought that's the sign you'll kill me!" the latter harrumphed, patting his chest as he truly thought he stepped out of his bound.

"You two should leave me alone." Abel shook his head lightly. "I don't need company. If you think I will be sad, I am not."

"We're staying here because we know you will come to her." This time, Isaiah had to voice his thoughts aloud. "Your Majesty, Lady Aries needs to make everyone believe she is Lady Daniella. If you come to her, everyone will know you and her are in that kind of relationship."

"Is there something we should be embarrassed about it? I killed Daniella and Dexter hates me for that; I don't think that counts, though."

'Even after serving him for this long, I still want to ask him if he's crazy, even when the answer is obvious.' Conan mentally sighed in distress.

"I get you two, alright? If I want to sabotage Aries's revenge, why would I even propose it in the first place? I'm not crazy." Abel snickered as he happily linked his hands on top of the desk. "However, I cannot deny I am crazy for her. It hadn't been a day since she left the Rose Palace and yet..."

He trailed off, separating his hand, and turned them so his palms were facing him. His naturally sharp eyes glinted as they softened.

"I yearned to hold her, feel her bones, the softness of her skin, and warmth. Conan, perhaps, Aries is a witch? Will you find out what kind of spell she cast upon me? My heart is bleeding with her absence." Abel frowned as he raised his head at Conan, placing his palm across his chest. "I might actually die this time from internal wounds."

"Your Majesty..."

KNOCK KNOCK!

Before Conan could complete his sentence, Abel twisted his neck to look at the window. A bright smile instantly replaced his dramatic frown, hopping from his seat towards the window. He didn't idle, opening the window and picking up the letter tied around the raven's feet.

As soon as Abel opened it, his eyes softened, and his smile stretched. Holding it to his right, he stroked the raven before walking back to the desk.

"See this? She said she misses me so much it's killing her! And a little worried that I might've called women to my room." Abel boasted as he walked back to his spot, showing off her letter that would automatically add to his collection. "Isn't she adorable?"

Conan scrunched his nose up, eyes on the piece of paper Abel was holding. "Your Majesty, it's only three hearts!" there was no shadow of the doubt that Aries only sent Abel three small hearts!

"Right... you will never understand Aries because you're not the great Abel." Abel clicked his tongue continuously, plopping down on the chair behind the desk. He held the new letter from Aries with both his hands up, smiling from ear to ear like a kid ogling on his new toy.

"How sweet," he whispered as his eyelids dropped until they were partially closed. "Isaiah, if you plan to keep me in here, you should hold on to your weapon now. Although... it'll be futile."