The Tyrant's Pet

<strong>[SAPPHIRE PALACE]</strong>

"Thank you, Inez." Aries smiled as she gazed at the basket of lavender on her lap, sitting on the bed, back against the headboard. "How did you know these are my favorites?"

Inez was perching on the armchair beside the bed, smiling in relief as the crown princess seemed to have liked the flowers she brought. Just now, she passed by the tons of flowers sent by nobles to wish the crown princess a speedy recovery. However, they were all outside, stressing the servant about where they would put all those flowers.

"Wild guess." Inez shrugged.

Aries laughed. "Seriously?"

"I'm jesting. It's the perfume you always wear, Your Royal Highness. I thought this flower might have some special meaning for you."

"Daniella," Aries corrected with a sharp exhale. "It's just the two of us, so there's no need to use honorifics. It just feels distant and thank you, I absolutely love these flowers."

Inez pursed her lips and bit her inner lip, studying the crown princess's soft expression. "Dani... ella."

"Hmm? I didn't hear you."

"Elle." Inez smiled as that suited her even more, especially the meaning behind it. "Should I call you that?"

Aries's eyes softened and nodded mildly. "I like it."

The two of them stared at each other with a smile before they both chuckle all of a sudden. Inez shook her head and then raised her eyes.

"This might be a little overdue, but how are you faring?" she asked, to change their silly subject.

"Well..." Aries raised her eyes when Gertrude suddenly appeared from the other part of the room. She smiled.

"Gertrude, please prepare a vase and my kits. I would love to arrange the flowers the ninth princess brought for me," she ordered, and Gertrude bowed and executed the order without a word. Aries then shifted her eyes back to Inez.

"I am recovering well, as you can see. Many had sent me flowers, but none of them inspired me to arrange a vase," she humored with a chuckle. "Would you like to join me, Inez?"

"I would love to."

With that being said, they waited for Gertrude to return, which only took a few minutes. Helping the crown princess, Gertrude efficiently placed the basket of lavender on the table inside the crown princess's room. She also arranged the tools Aries would use on the table before leaving the two alone.

Aries and Inez sat down on the long settee; the ninth princess handing her stems of lavender while Aries would cut them short. Their routine continued, conversing from time to time with just about anything else.

"By the way, Your High — Elle." Inez chuckled when Aries looked back at her. "Did Countess Lloyd..."

She trailed off when Aries winced as she cut the tip of her index because of the question. Inez immediately reached for her hand and took out a handkerchief from her sleeve to wrap it around the crown princess's bleeding finger.

"I'm sorry," expressed Inez in worry. "I didn't mean to mention her."

Aries forced a smile as she looked up at her. "Don't apologize. I was simply surprised since I haven't thought about her."

Inez frowned as she stared at Aries's face from this close distance. The surprise and sadness in the crown princess' eyes were too obvious not to notice. Surely, Cherry, her lady-in-waiting, had caused trauma and distress in the crown princess.

"Let me," she offered while Aries nodded, letting Inez treat her finger.

While Aries was staring at Inez and sensed the somber mood that descended upon them, a shallow sigh slipped past her lips. She bit her lips before smacking them.

"I do not hate Countess Lloyd," Aries confessed while Inez kept her focus on wrapping the tip of the crown princess's finger. "I am not a saint, Inez. But I do not hate her because I understand why she did what she did. Even so, I cannot deny the fear she instilled in my heart."

Aries waited for Inez to look up before she continued with a bitter smile.

"This isn't about infidelity or the matters of the heart. The crown prince is important to me because... at the end of the day, if he falls, I will too." Inez slowly raised her head and instantly caught the complex emotion filling Aries's eyes. "All I can do is keep his favor, smile, and please him because I am nothing without him."

Tears swam in Aries's eyes as she gripped Inez's hand until they trembled. "I feared that one of these days before I can even establish my position, Countess Lloyd or any woman will take away my little power. And yet, I can't do anything about it because the Lloyds are the crown prince's people. I can only tolerate and desperately cling to my husband in hopes he would stop meeting another woman in secret."

As the last syllable slipped past her lips, a tear rolled down her cheek. Seeing this felt like a hand also gripped Inez's heart because she could understand the crown princess' woes.

"I had sacrificed a lot of things, Inez. A lot. And I'm angry at myself because I can't even do anything about it," she added while her lower lip quivered, staring into Inez's pair of silver eyes. "I feel hopeless, pathetic, and --"

"Stop." Inez cupped her cheek and shook her head, wiping Aries's tears with her thumb. "You're not nothing, Elle. You are everything."

The side of the ninth princess's lips curled up weakly, hurt to see her in pain and in tears. She had always known the crown princess was strong, but everything Aries said was understandable. Women... heavily relied on their husband's favor. Inez loathed this practice deep into her bones, but that was the reality.

Men had choices.

Men could commit infidelity and get away with it.

Men... they could do anything, sing about their rights, and people would listen.

But women only had one choice, to get married and hope he was a good man. When women had an affair, they were whores. And when women talk? They were simply words from a bitch not worthy to listen.

Inez was fighting for what she thought was right  — the only problem was... she was doing this for her own benefit and was fighting solely for herself. Not all the women in Maganti.

This was what Aries's problem... or what Inez believed.

"You are strong, beautiful, and smart," she continued and smiled, cupping Aries's cheek with both her palms. "That is why I... admired you. Please do not cry and do not think you are nothing because when I first saw you, I thought you had everything and now… you're my everything."

"Inez..." Another tear rolled down Aries's eyes before she slowly closed them when Inez slowly leaned in to claim her lips.