The Tyrant's Pet

When morning came, Aries was happier with Sunny beside her. Unlike Abel, Aries was able to share her morning rituals with Sunny; they washed their faces together, changed to inner clothing, and shared breakfast together with Dexter.

Aries's schedule for today was rather packed than usual. For the past several days, she had been busy with the boutique and drawing designs for their first collections. However, although she kept requesting Dexter to allow her to visit the shop, he kept delaying it.

In other words, all the delayed work somehow accumulated on this very day. Dexter allowed her to go to the capital with Sunny, and knowing she might not get more chances, Aries squeezed everything she could do for today.

"I'm so tired…" Aries complained under her breath, cupping her cheek with one hand. Her eyes were on Sunny, eating a parfait as a reward for behaving well while Aries helped in the shop. She was still in disguise.

'I don't even have an appetite,' she told herself, feeling a bit sick while Sunny was gobbling a large portion of the dessert. Not because Sunny was making a mess, but she was feeling sick with the thought of eating food.

'But Sunny really enjoys eating. I brought her sandwiches lest she gets hungry on the way, but it was gone minutes later.' Aries pondered about how Sunny was eating snacks without a pause the entire day. 'She looks so cute, though.'

The corner of Aries's mouth stretched from ear to ear, pleased watching Sunny enjoy the food. The fatigue of helping in the shop, observing the occurrence there as a bystander, and visiting different seamstresses to hire, was slowly seeping deep into her bones. But it was slowly being washed away just by watching the little girl.

"Do you need more?" asked Aries when Sunny finished the parfait. The latter's doe eyes immediately lit up, making Aries chuckle in amusement.

"I'll get you another one, then," Aries called for the server, and then pointed at a few desserts on the menu for Sunny. She might not have the appetite, but just watching Sunny eat already made her full.

"I feel like you're eating for the two of us," mumbled Aries when their orders were served after minutes of waiting.

"Because Sunny is eating for Grandma," Sunny happily replied as her eyes sparkled, staring at the generous amount of sweets before her. "These are all for Sunny?"

"Yes."

"Grandmama is the best!"

Aries chuckled while Sunny started filling her stomach excitedly. While the latter was busy gobbling up the food as if she starved for years, Aries set her eyes on the window right next to them. The restaurant's location was in the heart of the capital, giving her a good view of the plaza and the glorious exterior of the towering Imperial Palace.

'I wonder what he is doing right now,' she wondered, thinking of her husband. 'I miss him. It'll be nice to go on an outing with him…'

Aries then snuck a look at Sunny. 'Maybe with Sunny, too. The three of us. After all, Sunny might've missed her parents.'

A shallow breath slipped past her lips, peeling her eyes from Sunny ever so slowly. Aries looked up, catching the tangerine tint stretching across the sky.

'The day went by just like that,' she told herself, wondering if what she did for the entire day was considered productive. Assuming she finished things and gained a few contacts who could work with her, a smile dominated her face.

It was a productive day.

How she wished to share this with Abel, but the man had been busy with something Aries didn't have any idea about. Still, she believed, deep in her heart, that she could catch up with him once Abel was less busy.

"Grandma, are we going back to your place after here?" Sunny raised a question, snapping Aries back to the current lapse. Aries looked back at the little girl and nodded.

"We don't have any place to drop by," Aries explained. "Why? Do you want to drop by somewhere?"

"Sunny forgot something from the palace."

"You want to go there?" Aries furrowed her brows while Sunny nodded. "What is it? We can ask my brother to get it since his visits to the imperial palace had been frequent."

"But it was important. Mister Moon will be sad." Sunny frowned.

"Mister Moon?"

"Mhm. Mister Moon is Sunny's friend. He's a bunny."

"A bunny?" Aries cocked her head to the side. "A real one?"

"Mister Moon is real even when he is a stuffed bunny."

"Oh…"

"Should we buy you a new one, then?"

Sunny shook her head sideways. "Mister Moon is irreplaceable."

Aries pressed her lips into a thin line, observing the expectant eyes looking back at her. She didn't want to drop by the imperial palace, but it wasn't that anyone told her not to go.

"Let's also surprise Grandpa!" Sunny suggested happily, spreading her chubby little arms wide open. "He had been exhausted when I left yesterday. Grandpa will be happy if he sees Grandma~!"

"Sunny," Aries called awkwardly, hesitant to agree. But when the little girl frowned with her shoulders relaxing, a helpless sigh slipped past Aries's nostrils.

"Fine." Sunny's eyes instantly lit up when Aries agreed. "I also want to see him so badly."

Sunny's lips stretched from ear to ear.

"Finish your food and then we'll head to the imperial palace, alright?" Aries smiled mischievously, leaning her arms against the edge of the table. "We'll be sneaking inside to surprise him."

"Sunny will eat faster!"

"It's alright." Aries grinned, linking her hands together, only to rest her chin on top of them. "No need to rush yourself. Take your time. I didn't have curfew today since my brother kept delaying everything. He'll understand if I told him it's because I met some inconveniences."

Sunny's smile stretched brighter, letting out a joyful, "mhm!" in response to Aries.

Little did Aries know, she was about to find out the reason Dexter purposely kept her busy today and the horror that lies behind the glorious and seemingly untouchable imperial palace that was supposed to keep the emperor safe.