The Tyrant's Pet

"I think Abel thought the same."

Conan rocked his head. He had been busy with the matters of the empire, so he wasn't focusing on these things. That was Abel's job, and Conan didn't want to take responsibility.

As Conan picked up the teacup, he caught the letter on the table which Aries was reading when he came in.

"That letter…" he trailed off while Aries raised her brows. "I heard the good news in Chivisea."

Aries glanced at the letter and bent over to pick it up. She then wordlessly passed it to Conan, making Conan tilt his head.

"You want me to read it?" he asked while he carefully accepted the letter.

"Mhm." Aries retrieved her hand. "Veronika will be busy since she is adjusting, but she told me she would send some reinforcement to scout the northeast region."

"Oh…" Conan slowly opened the letter and much to his surprise, there was another small paper inside. He first read the small letter, and he figured it came from Veronika, the newly crowned princess of the Chivisea Dynasty. When his eyes veered to the other letter, his brows furrowed.

"Ismael?" he mumbled, glancing up at Aries.

"The Maganti Empire once oppressed Chivisea, so even when Ismael ascended the throne, the Maganti had to compensate them for everything Joaquin did."

"But… why did you use the crown princess to send his letters? Are you going to make her your middleman?"

"I received a word from Ismael months ago," explained Aries. "I haven't told you about it, but it's mostly about his business with my brother. Before the selection, my brother was searching for someone."

"Someone? Who?"

Aries nodded. Conan knew many things and affairs in the empire, particularly Abel's plans, ongoing projects, and issues. But Conan was working under the emperor and the only time he could spend some time with her was a short time. Therefore, they could barely catch up or just talk about not-so-important things to give their brains a break.

"Javier Imperial, the fifth prince of the Maganti Empire." Her tone and expression turned solemn.

"The one you said to know about Maleficent?"

"Yes."

"But why? Wasn't he dead?"

"He should've," replied Aries calmly. "I slewed him myself, felt how my blade went through his flesh. But alas, no one found his body."

"Strange." Conan leaned back, resting his arm on the armrest with the open letter in his hand. "So, the Marquess had contacted the emperor about this concern?"

"Yes." Aries nodded while Conan skimmed through Ismael's letter. "Before my brother fell into his slumber, he was already in contact with Ismael."

"He didn't find him?"

"He didn't." A deep exhale slipped past Aries as she thought about the reason Dexter was working on this. He wanted to give her some peace, but sadly, he fell into a coma. "I already interrogated the witches who migrated from Maganti to Haimirich, but unfortunately, those who were in contact with Joaquin and Javier were banished from the sisterhood. Abel and I and even His Grace Isaiah confirmed they were telling the truth."

"And now, Ismael thinks you should find a different method to contact each other? That's why you chose Chivisea?" Conan raised his eyes after reading the letter.

"He believes this case has something to do with Javier — he might be wrong  — but it's no harm to be cautious. After all, the reason I have this power is because of Javier. Even if he isn't involved with my brother's current situation, I will still need to know what he had done to me," Aries expressed solemnly. "I won't let a single person get away from what they had done to my brother. No matter how big or small their contribution, they must pay the price."

Conan assessed the sharp look in Aries's eyes, pressing his lips into a thin line. The latter might be a little mischievous and risky, but she never once rested on uncovering the truth about who were the people involved in that incident that led Dexter into a coma.

"What about that young lady of the House Norwood?" asked Conan, knowing there was nothing he could tell Aries. "Didn't she say some people had approached her during the selection?"

"I had some people to keep an eye on her." Aries shrugged nonchalantly. "Even some witch from the Maganti. They were quite easy to deal with. So far, Lady Ivory is doing good after that incident when she arrived home."

"Seriously…" Conan shook his head. About this matter, he was also involved in it since the people who approached Lady Ivory were the same people who had been following Abel's movements since the selection.

The only reason they had done nothing yet was that at one time they did, the person they caught died on the spot. They were still figuring out how to catch them properly as it seemed they were set to die the moment Abel confront their existence.

"I've been in this empire for a long time, and this is the first time I have had to deal with someone so troublesome." He sighed weakly. "Surely, people keep learning and things like that. Back in the day, it was always a head-to-head battle."

"People… humans and non-humans alike will continue to adapt to this world's changes," said Aries. "Since you've been here for a long time and Abel, I'm certain some people who lived around the same time as you learned how to deal with an untouchable devil."

"True, but at the same time, the best way to deal with him is to leave him alone."

"That's like telling a newborn child not to cry."

"People's greed is just insatiable. Seriously. Is living that long that torturous? They just voluntarily knock on death's door?" Another deep exhale slipped past Conan's lips as he leaned back, folded the paper, and tossed it back to the table. "They haven't seen how His Majesty gets angry."

"Have you?"

Conan raised his eyes at Aries. "I wished I hadn't. That night in the coven… isn't even close."

"What would he do if he got angry? Burn this world?"

"No." Conan simply shrugged as he straightened his back. "Worse."