The Tyrant's Pet

"Will you stay here?" Aries asked after some time of silence.

"Will you?" Abel returned.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, shrugging mildly. "Who knows?"

"Can you leave this place?" he asked despite having an answer in his head.

"Not yet," came out a hushed voice. "There's a lot of things I must do as the queen, Abel."

"I see…"

"Will you wait for me?"

"No."

A slight frown instantly dominated her face, staring into his eyes squarely.

"I won't wait for you, but I will accompany you. After all, Haimirich is still sleeping, and my sister will make sure it will stay the same for the time being," explained Abel calmly. "Until you can come home, I'll stay wherever you are."

"Your sister…"

"She's the one who woke me up."

"She did?"

"You don't seem surprised, darling." His brow arched, observing her odd reaction. "Normally, you will be very enthusiastic about my sisters. But now, you don't seem to have any."

"Blame Marsella." Aries let out a short and dry laugh. "I was the queen for two years, Abel. What makes you think I didn't study my subject? Especially those I was told to be wary of."

"Trust me. Mathilda is not something you should be wary of… unless you planned to implicate her in whatever scheme you are cooking in your head."

"What if that's my plan?" she returned almost immediately, curiosity swirling in her eyes. "What will you do Abel?"

"Well…" Abel shrugged and then added, as if he didn't need a lot of thinking for his answer. "It's obvious. Just tell me when you want to bury her. I'll prepare our family graveyard for her."

Aries let out a weak chuckle. "I'm kidding."

"I'm not, darling." His expression was solemn. "Twisted as it may sound, but if killing Mathilda will give you peace of mind, then I'll kill her for you."

A moment of silence enveloped the two of them, holding each other's gaze. Normally, Aries would lecture him regarding family values. However, she couldn't really blame him. Abel was giving his hundred-ten percent of trust; matter of fact, he had already handed his life to her.

Whether Aries would make him miserable or live a life of bliss was a decision Aries had to decide.

"I can't make you kill your sister." A bitter smile turned up on her face. "Being the queen for two years, I heard a lot about her. Many say they only heard about her but never saw her face; others, who had met her at least once, could only say she was a quiet lady who enjoyed living in solitude."

"However, many people had a lot to say to Mathilda's nephew and Sunny's father, Samael La Crox," she continued, snapping her eyes up. "There were terrible comments about him, but there were also who could say nothing but praise because of his stunning works. I read a few of his stories and I must say I was a fan. Apparently, he wasn't on the mainland when I came."

"Did you meet him as well?" she asked out of pure curiosity. "I heard they had gone missing for the past two years. Fabian told me many people were missing for the past two years and not just the entire Haimirich Empire."

"They were with Tilly," he replied, keeping his answer short and simple. "I left them in Haimirich hours after I woke up from my slumber, so I'm not as well-informed as you."

Aries smiled. "That sounds like something you'd do."

"Can you blame me?" he fluttered his eyelashes ever so tenderly. "I longed to be with you for the past two years, but now that I am back under the same sky as you, I don't see the reason I have to wait longer than necessary."

Abel reached for her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "I can ask about their dilemma later. What's important is that you're now within my reach."

A pinkish blush appeared on her cheek, nudging her cheek against his palm. Aries held the back of his hand that was touching her face, moving her head slightly to plant a soft kiss on his palm.

"Let this be a reality," she whispered, reopening her eyes and meeting his gaze instantly. "If this is another dream, I will be very sad."

"Trust me. When you wake up again, I'll still be here with you."

"If I will wake up." A faint mischief shone in her eyes, smiling. "I might stay awake for the next seven days."

"My… will you even function properly without sleep?"

"You'll be surprised to know what I can do, Abel."

The side of his lips curled up into an amused smirk as desire flickered across his eyes. Since the time they arrived in this place, the two of them didn't talk about anything "important." Instead, they indulged in menial and shallow discussions, expressing how they missed each other from time to time.

Aries didn't even plan to bore him with all the details and dilemmas stuck in the back of her head. She wanted to rest; she needed rest. At least, for some time, she could have it with him.

"I'm surprised how clean this place was." Abel broke the silence between them. "Did you order your people to clean this mansion and the surrounding area?"

"Fabian is the only person who can enter this Forbidden Forest," answered Aries. "I ordered some people to help him, but he did most of the job. He likes cleaning, and I confirmed that after getting stuck with him for the past two years."

"Ahh… Fabian, huh?" Abel smacked his lips. "His master will come…"

Knock knock

Abel trailed off, gazing at the door where the knock came from.

"This is Fabian, the head butler of the manor. I apologize for interrupting your time together, but you have a guest. A guest for the both of you."

Aries furrowed her brows, glancing at the shut door before setting her eyes back to Abel. She didn't sense anyone from Maximus's people approaching this mansion, but she did sense Fabian's presence minutes ago. It was the same for Abel, but unlike the surprise in her eyes, he smirked.

"How nice of him to not open the door." He looked back at her, making the lines between her brows deepened. "Shall we welcome this guest, darling?"