The Tyrant's Pet

<strong>Three days later…</strong>

"Is this really working?" Aries raised her head at Marsella, holding a straw doll and a needle that she used to prick the straw doll. A single hair was attached to the doll. On the table were lit candles with waxes melted around its bottom and a small magic circle Aries had drawn herself.

The day after Marsella's arrival, she started teaching Aries how witchcraft work. But alas, until now, Aries was not sure if she had any progress at all. How could she? She might've learned how to draw a magic circle, but that was all.

She had been prickling this straw doll, but she didn't even know what it was for. All she knew was that if she did, it would tickle the owner of the hair that was attached to it.

Marsella rested her jaw against her knuckles, her expression lazy. She batted her eyes slowly at Aries, sitting across from the latter on this round table in the greenhouse.

"Spells work if you believe in them," she uttered. "It won't if you yourself don't believe it or are unwilling to accept its existence."

"I believe in myself."

"I didn't say you didn't, but you have to believe in what you are doing as well." A tinge of disappointment laced Marsella's voice. "Drill in your head that your powers and your soul are one. Move and think as one, look and feel as one; there is no dominant part, just balance."

A deep exhale slipped past Aries's nose. "This is so complicated."

"I never said it wasn't, but once you get a hang of it, it'll be easier. Everything you do on a daily basis will become easier — whatever it was." Marsella shrugged. "Now continue."

"But how would I know if it's working?" asked Aries one last time, curiosity filling her eyes. "And whose hair was this again?"

"Your husband."

Aries froze, wide-eyed. "Pardon?"

"It's your husband's hair. If it's working, he would writhe in pain right now. But it's still not working, Ram. I'm not hearing his screams."

"..."

Aries looked at Marsella blankly, rendered speechless by the revelation. Her mouth opened and closed and only after forcing herself, did her voice break out of the cage in her throat.

"You said it will tickle someone…" she stressed under her breath. "You didn't tell me it'll hurt anyone."

"Oh, I didn't? You didn't mishear me? I thought I said prickle, not tickle." Marsella feigned ignorant, scratching her nape, averting her eyes from Aries.

"I can't believe you." Aries huffed, almost glaring daggers at Marsella.

Marsella let out a shallow breath, leaning back. She folded her arms under her chest, scrutinizing Aries's face, which showed apparent irritation and disbelief.

"You are naive, dearest ram. Witchcraft in itself is an act of blasphemy. Never heard of someone being accused of being a witch and getting stoned to death?" she arched a brow, cocking her head to the side. "It's black magic for a reason. It's never meant to be a good deed."

This time, Aries's lips parted, but her voice was stuck in her throat. She wanted to argue with Marsella, but what Marsella said were facts.

"Of course, since Abel is our guinea pig, this sort of practice would only tickle him. If it's another one, it would surely hurt him," Marsella continued in a knowing tone. "This is the most basic voodoo and the lamest. Do it properly and stop complaining."

"I'm not complaining, I'm calling you out," Aries mumbles, stabbing the needle into the straw doll. "Tickle, tickle, tickle,"

Marsella scoffed as Aries was tweeting like a bird while stabbing the needle into the straw doll. But she didn't stop her until minutes later when she realized it wasn't working.

"Stop." She unlinked her arms and tapped the table in irritation. "Chirping like that wouldn't magically make things work, alright?"

Aries stopped and looked back at her with a poker face. Her expression brought this level of irritation to Marsella, but the latter ignored it.

"I told you, feel your intention. I can say I will kill you but think I simply want to scoop your eyes out. If the mind and heart aren't in sync, it won't work even if you shed tears of blood," Marsella lectured and huffed. Teaching someone and learning it on her own was easier, she thought.

"I don't want to hurt Abel. Even if I convince myself that it would only tickle him at most, I can't bring myself to do it!" Aries intoned in distress. "Can you just give me a strand of your hair? It might work if it's you!"

"..." Marsella's expression died. "How dare you?"

Aries clicked her tongue and looked away, resuming stabbing the straw doll halfheartedly. She didn't look back at Marsella, sensing the latter's intimidating gaze fixed on her. Aries had always wondered what her relationship would look like with her in-laws.

Initially, she was overwhelmed with the sheer thought. However, she didn't imagine it would be this complicated. Her husband's sister was teaching her witchcraft, and just after three days of being together, Aries was unsure herself if this relationship was heading toward a great rapport or heading to a disastrous one.

Marsella, or rather, the person inhabiting Marsella's body, was just too unpredictable. Aries would've doubted her claims since she was like Abel. They were both a headache to deal with.

"Forget it." Marsella slapped the table, making Aries flinch. "We're wasting our time."

Aries pursed her lips and placed the needle and straw doll on the table. "I agree."

Marsella remained silent while staring at Aries. The latter's brows rose when a minute had passed and she didn't speak a word.

"What?" Aries frowned, breaking the prolonged silence between them. "Are you going to scold me?"

"Have you killed someone?" asked Marsella out of nowhere.

"Pardon?"

"Have you ever sullied your hands?" Marsella repeated without batting an eye. She observed Aries's reaction, and even before Aries nodded, she already figured it out. "What did it feel for you?"

"What did killing feel like?" Aries repeated in a questioning tone, and Marsella nodded. "Well… I can't describe it with words."

"Excited?"

"No!"

"Guilt?"

"No," this time, Aries's tone lowered, looking down at the melted wax on the bottom part of the lit candle. "I took part in the war. It didn't give me the time to even think of my feelings about my first kill. So…"

"So you didn't kill someone after that?"

"I did." Aries slowly raised her head, locking eyes with Marsella. "Anger was my driving force. I killed people in my head every day with every method I could think of. But even when I put it into practice, I was never happy about it. I was just…"

"Relieved?" Aries's breath hitched when Marsella guessed the word that perfectly defined what she felt back then. "You weren't joyful just as you imagined yourself to be, but rather, relieved because you know for sure they won't be able to hurt you again."

Aries held her breath, biting her inner lower lip. "Yes," she breathed out. "I was relieved they wouldn't have the means to hurt me anymore."

"Remember that feeling." Aries's brows rose as Marsella leaned forward. The latter cupped her cheek, fixating her eyes on Aries. "That driving force that pushed you to survive. Hold on to it like it was your dear life. Wake up with that feeling, breathe, and live carrying that flame."

"For now…" Marsella pointed at the poisonous plant nearby, before moving the magic circle in front of Aries. "Try burning that plant through this magic circle while remembering that feeling. Who knows? The basic ones might be too easy for you."