The Tyrant's Pet

"So he is out of the Capital?"

Aries turned her head to her left, where Conan was walking. The latter was still fixing his disheveled hair while cursing Isaiah's name through his gritted teeth.

"Uh, yes, apparently." He nodded, holding the stiff portion of his hair that was peeking out like a horn. She pressed her lips, tilting her head while rubbing her chin.

"That's weird," she mumbled, treading carefully through the gravel path, connecting the Rose palace garden to the emperor's garden. "If it's important and His Majesty's presence is needed, why are you here?"

"Huh?" his brows rose, gazing at her and slowing down to match her pace.

"Aren't you the sovereign's legal adviser? And the Duke of Fleure is his right-hand man?" She pointed out with innocence in her eyes. "Shouldn't you be there with him?"

"Ahh..." came out an awkward laugh, sporting a complicated expression. He didn't want to lie to her because Aries was too kind for more betrayal.

Conan let out a deep exhale as he looked ahead. "That's because he flew."

"What?"

"He flew to a faraway land all on his own and I had to die a few times a day every time a mountain of paperwork appear on my desk like magic." Aries chuckled, ignoring the first half of his sentence. He cast her a lazy side-eye, expression dead. "I'm not joking. I'm really saying the truth. That emperor — tsk, he just does what he wants to do. It's so hard to keep up."

"Haha... you're alive and that's what's important."

"Right... I'm alive, barely, and just growing old without a wife. It's thanks to my charming face that I don't look old even though I'm older than your ancestor."

Aries smiled and just looked at him. "You and everyone around His Majesty always say they're older than my ancestor. Is that a saying in Haimirich? Or is it because you feel hundred times older than your age serving someone like Abel?"

"You can say both; we're older than your ancestor and also feel hundred times older than my actual age." He shrugged. Now he understood why Abel didn't hesitate to speak the truth to Aries. Her mind automatically twists their words to make sense of what they were spewing.

"If you're older than my ancestor and your actual is the same as theirs, doesn't that make you ancient? It's amazing how you can still breathe," she humored with a playful chuckle before catching multiple figures ahead.

Aries looked ahead as they passed by an arc connecting the Rose Palace and the Emperor's Palace. As they did, the people from a distance grew clearer. Her steps slowly came to a halt. A group of noblemen was standing not far away, but her eyes remained on the person they were facing.

Abel.

The first thing she noticed was the dark bags under his pair of lazy eyes. He was staring at the noblemen with dead eyes, holding a crumpled dirty white fabric that seemed to be his missing top. Yes. Abel was talking to a group of noblemen wearing only his trousers while parading his perfectly sculptured top that was covered with ink.

"Lady Aries, are you listening..." Conan halted as she stopped walking, furrowing his brows when she was just staring ahead. His eyes followed his gaze, only to see Abel arched a brow before shifting his eyes in their direction.

'Ah, that look...' Conan cursed upon noticing the emperor's expression. 'I knew it! He will be pissed if he goes to Maganti and leaves empty-handed... and why are those fools ambushing him?! Can't they tell they only had seconds in this world?!'

While's Conan's mind was busy grumbling, Aries could only stare at Abel as if she didn't see him for years. It felt like she was finally seeing her husband, who returned from a decade-long war. But she couldn't run to him because she was Daniella. If they started talking, it would be problematic.

Abel tilted his head while she kept her eye contact with him. But before any of them could turn their head to where he was looking, he raised a hand.

"Turn your head and it'll leave your neck." The nobleman froze as the emperor's dark voice sent a chill down their spine. "You're blind, mute, and deaf. Leave this area at once and if you take a peek, you and your entire family and the next ten years' generation will all live without their eyes."

He waved, motioning them to walk away without looking in where Aries was before he strutted his way towards her. As he drew closer, he wiped the corners of his lips, his glinting eyes on her.

"Wait..." Aries wanted to step back as she glanced at the frozen noblemen. But before she could react or stop him from approaching, Abel picked up his pace and soon reached her.

"Wait, Ab..."

Her words rolled back in her throat as her eyes slowly dilated when he pulled her arm and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Her chin rested on his shoulder, eyes softening as she felt his racing heart against her body.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered in a relieved voice. "They didn't want me to see you, darling. I nearly ordered to set the marquess' home on fire."

Aries laughed, but her hands hesitated to wrap around him as the noblemen were still around the area. But smiled when his voice caressed her ears once again.

"Hold me and don't let me go, darling. They won't look unless they want a death wish." She chuckled once again, believing him without question asked.

Her heart felt full, slowly melting into the safety of his embrace, feeling his body under her palm. Now, she was calm completely.

"Welcome back," she whispered, and all his fatigue seemed to magically disappear.

"Mhm." He opened his eyes slightly, smiling subtly before pulling her closer. When he closed his eyes again, he leaned the side of his head against her.

"I am... home."