The Tyrant's Pet

Meanwhile...

Cherry was pacing back and forth in her room within the inner palace. She would flinch from time to time every time she would hear the slightest noise, watching the door, afraid someone would barge inside and kill her. This was driving her nuts, thinking this entire place, the very floor she was standing on was simply the crown princess's palm.

"This is not happening," she whispered, biting the tip of her thumb while pacing restlessly. "It didn't work. She will kill me."

Deep in her heart, she thought she would move Aries's heart even in the slightest. The latter was sympathetic and foolish, a person who would fall for such a cheap trick. However, just like Curtis, Aries truly changed, and she wasn't the woman Cherry used to know.

"I'm dead, I'm dead... she'll kill me." She clasped her hair in distress, stopping from pacing. The crown princess's smile and demonic eyes kept resurfacing in her head, increasing her fear with every passing second.

"I need to run," she muttered after minutes of whimpering in silence. Cherry looked around her room in panic and nodded. She needed to go, was what she kept telling herself.

Just like what Aries told her, she didn't need to do anything to Cherry. Other people like Inez would happily do it for Aries. Knowing how cruel the ninth princess was, Cherry should flee. She wasn't safe in the imperial palace anymore — it would be safer if she returned to Carballo, the earldom.

Her husband was a fool and he would protect her for sure. If the earldom wasn't enough, she needed to hide somewhere else, with the help of her husband.

With that thought in mind, Cherry frantically dragged out her luggage and threw her clothes in it with the hangers still with the dresses. She didn't even think of organizing anything, leaving some behind when it couldn't fit in anymore.

After that, she cautiously peeked her head out of the door, looking from left to right to check if there was anyone. To her relief, no one seemed to be around, just like any other night. Nothing was amiss. Cherry carried her luggage with both her hands and cautiously and silently departed the small castle.

When she reached the back area of the castle, Cherry saw a maid and a stable boy romancing in the dark. Since she didn't have a carriage or anything of the sort, she unhesitatingly called and startled the servants. Shocked that someone found out about them — the crown princess' lady-in-waiting at that — the stable boy and maid thought they would get punished.

To their surprise, Cherry told them to get her a carriage in secret if they wanted her to keep their relationship a secret. The maid and stable boy would rather do what they were told than let others know about this affair. So even though it was baffling, they didn't ask why the lady-in-waiting was planning to leave with that huge luggage and just got her a coachman available for people like Cherry in the palace.

Meanwhile, Cherry, although scared, was hopeful the gods were on her side. It didn't take long when a carriage arrived and carried her luggage over the overhead rack. After the quick ceremony, the carriage started moving away from the palace and no one noticed her departure.

Yet, her heart still felt restless.

"It'll be fine," she mumbled, holding her trembling hands on her lap. "I already departed the palace. Nothing will go wrong."

Cherry had watched how the carriage passed through the gates of the imperial palace and was now on her way to the earldom. She would've stayed in their estate in the capital, but alas, she doesn't feel safe in the capital anymore. Thus, she decided to go to the earldom even though this carriage the maid got for her wasn't a comfortable carriage to ride all night.

"It's alright, Cherry. It's alright," she chanted, clasping her hand together in a praying pose while rocking her body back and forth.

The carriage slowed down as they entered the forest route to have less bounce and avoid accidents, as it was already late in the night. The only light they could rely on was the lamp hanging in each corner of the carriage as the thick canopies were blocking the moonlight.

Tonight was oddly silent and calm, hearing the humming of the night with the chill night breeze. As the carriage ambled up the dirt through the woods, Cherry, who was inside, continued to chant under her breath like a witch, telling herself nothing bad would happen.

But alas, minutes after they entered the woods, her breath hitched when the carriage halted.

Her eyes dilated as she gazed up, hands on the wall of the carriage.

"What happened?!" she asked in panic as she heard the neighing of the horse and the coachman calming it down. "What's going on?!" she yelled as her heart pounded against her chest.

"It's alright, my lady," yelled back the coachman. "It's nothing."

A sigh of relief slipped past her lips as she patted her chest. However, it was short-lived because, after a few seconds, she heard the coachman let out a brief squeal and then followed by a thud. Her blood instantly ran cold as her entire body froze.

<strong>What happened outside?</strong>

Her eyes shook as she gazed at the wall where the coachman was. She heard nothing but silence, and the carriage didn't move for minutes.

"Help..." came out a shaking voice, clutching her hand closer to her chest. Her anxiety shot up because she didn't know what happened outside. Even when she yelled, no one replied, and she was too afraid to open the window to check. No one also attacked her or dragged her out.

The silence was just too deafening and frightening for her.

Cherry took a deep breath and wiped her tears, looking around. There was no noise outside, but she was hesitant to check. However, she would only get scared and stuck inside the carriage. So even if she didn't want to, she had no choice to but take a peek.

Cherry outstretched her shaking hand towards the curtain and slid it slightly. She peeked and saw no one but the darkness and the trail of trees. She opened the curtain even wider and checked outside.

Nothing.

"What..." her brows furrowed and mustered her courage to open the door. Her heart skipped a beat as it creaked open. Swallowing down a mouthful of saliva, Cherry clenched her teeth and hitched outside.

But as soon as she did, her heart stopped beating for a moment and her breath halted.

"Took you quite some time. I thought you will stay inside until daylight. Dragging you out would be ugly."

Cherry's eyes dilated as she twisted her neck to the front of the carriage. That second, her heart sank, seeing multiple figures in black. Her eyes landed on the person squatting down atop the coachman's dead body, twisting the dagger that was impaled in the man's eye.

Cherry knew this person even with the veil covering the lower half of her face. She knew that voice and those pair of silver eyes.

Inez.