The Tyrant's Pet

As promised, Aries prepared for the day to enter the inner palace where the magic in the empire happened. This was not the first time she stepped foot in this place. But unlike in the past where she had to stay inside an empty room for Joaquin to use her to de-stress, she was now being toured by Joaquin's aide, Hernan.

Still, Aries eagerly looked around while Hernan showed her different departments and offices. Something that the crown princess would need to know. This should be an activity for her first day, but since she was already here, it was better for her to familiarize herself with the place beforehand.

"His Highness is still in a meeting. You may wait in here." Hernan faced Aries as they reached the door of the sitting room, where she could wait at her own convenience. "He told me he will see you once he was done."

"I see. Thank you." Aries sported a smile, not a bit appalled how Hernan kept a stoic face while staring at this familiar face. The man was smart and always kept level-headed since Joaquin had tendencies of snapping.

The man pressed his lips and offered a polite smile, opening the door for her. Hernan entered the room after her, standing by the door as she headed to the settee inside the luxurious sitting-room for the royals.

"I will call someone to bring you some tea while you wait, Your Highness." He beckoned a slight bow while Aries plopped her butt down on the settee.

"I will appreciate that."

"Very well. I will now take my leave."

Hernan silently walked away while Aries watched him close the door from behind him. The side of her lips curled up upon the sound of the soft click, peeling her eyes away from the door around the room.

'Is he testing me? Still suspicious? I can't blame him, though,' she mentally nodded, leaning back with her arm propped over the armrest. 'Well, between Joaquin and Hernan, the latter is even sharper. Although I'm not saying Joaquin is stupid, his anger issues deter his judgments sometimes.'

This room was very familiar to Aries. It was, indeed, a room for the royals. However, it was only used for the crown prince's guests. This was her room back then. A room where she was tied, sitting, and waiting for him to do all sorts of atrocities during her first several months.

That was the time when things were still just bad before it slowly escalated to worse. She didn't have a second of good memory in this place, and she knew the reason they made her wait in here was to see if this place could bring back her trauma.

She sneered. 'How did they think it will bring back my trauma when this entire empire is a hell for me?'

Did they think letting her in a place such as this room where she was violated or abused would tear down her facade? How laughable.

"They should try better," she whispered, glancing at the door when a knock reached her ears. Her voice as she responded barely had energy, but the maid entered while pushing a trolley inside.

Aries kept her aloof expression, watching the maid serve her the tea. The second she got a whiff of the aroma permeating from the tea, she quirked a brow. Yet, she said nothing until the servant placed the teacup over the saucer within her reach.

While the servant placed the sweets so Aries could enjoy the tea to its finest, the latter reached for the tea and sip on it. She didn't need to study the servant to know that she was observing Aries.

"Please call for me if you need anything, Your Highness," said the servant, taking a step back and then bowed politely.

"Go." Aries waved as she continued to sip the tea, enjoying the taste of it.

The servant glanced over her shoulder when she was by the door, seeing Aries lick her lips as she put down the teacup, only to have a taste of the sweet. Confirming Aries was unsuspecting, the servant left the room since her job was already finished.

When the servant left her, Aries pursed her lips to suppress her laughter. She shook her head, her eyes glossing over the tea and the little nice hors d'oeuvres prepared for her, the crown princess.

"Goodness," she whispered as she forked out a small portion of the cake and ate it with ease. "I told them they should try better."

Apparently, the tea and the sweets were poisoned. Even though the scent was hidden by the fragrance of the tea and the ingredients of the sweets, Aries had grown inclined in the art of poison that she could instantly tell these were all poisoned right off the bat.

'It wasn't the type that will kill me,' she thought as she enjoyed the treats since she was actually hungry. 'Just some honesty pill — pfft!'

That was cute.

If Aries could laugh out loud, she would've done it already. But she still had to be careful. The walls were thin, and who knew who was listening? Either way, she was hungry, that was for sure. And for some obvious reason, she appreciated the faint mix of the poison.

For someone who had drunk poison every single day in Haimirich and turned herself into a guinea pig practicing her skills in poison, it had a special place in her heart and taste buds. Fortunately, it didn't ruin her sense of taste completely.

'Just the familiarity, perhaps,' Aries rocked her head, gazing at the window. Her brow arched when she caught a figure walking into the garden, blinking as she pondered about what to do.

'Hmm… well…' Aries then glanced at the sweets and the tea, chewing slowly like a cow. 'It's a good thing to have a walk in the garden after having a snack.'

Her eyes glinted as she gobbled up her food, using this as an excuse to take a stroll in the garden since a walk was good after a meal. It was better to make the most out of this trip, after all.