The Tyrant's Pet

Aries and Abel idled in her chambers, cuddling, talking about anything random, and spending it like how lovers would enjoy the night with each other's company. But tonight, neither of them was willing to stay in the bed and rest. Instead, they enjoyed a glass of wine as they sat on the divan.

Aries had her feet up, resting her side against the backrest. Holding a half-empty wine on top of the cushion on her lap, the side of her eyes wrinkled along with the curl of her lips.

"And?" she asked in great interest, staring at the beautiful man before her.

In front of her was Abel, sitting at arm's length. His arm was spread over the backrest while his hand would casually massage her head. He held the wineglass on the other with his leg up on the divan, the other on the floor.

The side of his lips curled up, raising the wineglass to his lips. "He died right in front of me."

"Should I say sorry to hear that?" she wondered with genuine wonder in her voice. Right now, Abel was telling her a story about when he had a hamster as his pet years back. Apparently, that adorable creature suddenly disappeared because Abel was confident he tamed it enough. Everyone in the imperial palace searched every nook and cranny to find his hamster, but to no avail.

Weeks later, the hamster suddenly turned up in the emperor's office when Conan lifted a bunch of documents. All along, the poor hamster was just inside his chancery, hiding behind the unfinished documents.

"Until now, I haven't decided which emotion to feel. After all, I searched for it high and low and when we found it, he looked me in the eye and died right then and there." Abel let out a long sigh, shaking his head mildly. "His death gave me a mixed feeling of anger and confusion."

Aries chuckled. "I'm sorry."

"Forgiven. Just this once."

She covered her lips with the back of her hand, trying to suppress the waves of laughter that were tempting to break free from her mouth. She found it silly.

"You execute people without batting an eye…" Aries pointed out when she recovered. Her cheeks were painted red from all the laughing and the wine combined. "... yet you felt conflicted over a hamster's death? No offense."

"People who usually say, 'no offense,' tend to say something offensive right after," he mused in a matter-of-factly tone. "And it's not just any hamster, darling. It's my hamster. What does a cruel woman like you know? Have you ever had a pet?"

Aries pressed her lips into a thin line, humming a long tune. "I had always wanted one," she confessed, grinning until her teeth were showing.

"But alas, I can't even take care of myself. How can I possibly take care of another life?" she added, leaning her head against the backrest. "Back in Rikhill, they always tell me I have heavy hands."

"Heavy hands?" Abel leaned back, looking back at her over the rim of the wineglass as he took another sip.

"Mhm." She nodded, lowering her eyes to the wineglass in her hand. "There was a time I tried planting flowers. All of them withered or got drowned even before they could bloom. I did it a couple of times, but the result is the same. That's why I was told I shouldn't have any pets, else I might kill it too."

Abel licked his lips as he lowered his wineglass. "Did that make you sad?"

"No." Aries chuckled as she raised her head at him, revealing the sparkle in her emerald eyes. "Deep in my heart, I knew they were correct. But that is not because I have heavy hands, but because my hands were always full."

"The flowers wither because I won't water them for days or they get drowned because I was always distracted whenever I do," she continued in a light tone. "I had no time for a commitment back then nor did I have the spare energy for it. "

His eyelids drooped as he observed her fading smile. Abel raised his hand and cupped her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb affectionately.

"But you liked it." His voice was low yet gentle. "Gardening."

"I do." Aries moved her face closer to his palm. "The greenhouse in the House Vandran fulfilled that part of me."

She fluttered her eyelashes ever so tenderly as she held his gaze. "We… I had so many things to do, but the day is shorter and my body can barely keep up. It's either my ambition to lead my people or my hobby. I sacrificed the latter… if only…"

Aries trailed off as she bit her tongue to stop herself from dwelling on the regrets of the past. She promised to move forward since Joaquin's downfall. Hence, there was no point in wallowing in the things that had already happened and resolved.

"Sacrifices were made. It's not always good things, since life always had its own plan. I had few regrets, though. But it's never too late for me to do what I had always wanted to do." Aries smacked her lips and smiled at him. "What about you, my love? What do you like to do that you had to put off because of duties?"

Abel pressed his lips into a thin line as he pondered about it. But instead of answering, he withdrew his hand from her face and bent over. He placed the wineglass back on the coffee table before straightening his back.

Her brows rose when he offered his hand to her.

"You said you want to hear me play," he said, smiling coquettishly at her. "Allow me to serenade you."

Aries's eyes softened, reaching for his hand and clasped it gently. She then moved the cushion from her lap to the side until she was standing with his assistance.

"I don't call it a sacrifice," Abel dawdled, taking the wineglass in her hand, only to place it back on the table. When he faced her again, his lips stretch from ear to ear. "But I had always thought of serenading the most sublime creature my eyes had laid upon but had to put it aside because of... people."

"You always have a way with your words." She chuckled, watching him shrug nonchalantly. "You flatter me too much."

"It's not flattery when it's a fact." He arched a brow and tipped his head in a direction. "Shall we?"

"Please, lead the way." Aries chuckled, following his lead towards the secret passage through the shelf while holding his hand.