The Tyrant's Pet

[HAIMIRICH EMPIRE]

"Tilly, what is it?" Samael looked back at Tilly, stopping in his track on their way out of the palace. His brows knitted while the rest who were with them also stopped.

"Is there something wrong?" Lilou, Samael's wife, inquired worriedly after assessing Tilly.

Everyone turned their attention to Tilly, waiting for her to answer. Meanwhile, Isaiah didn't have a choice but to stop as well. However, unlike these Grimsbannes's concerns, he had a different thought.

'Mathilda Grimsbanne didn't even say anything,' thought Isaiah, observing the people he would travel with before setting his attention to Mathilda. 'Nor did she show anything wrong.'

But then again, Isaiah couldn't judge. He would be the same as Abel because even if Abel wouldn't say anything, Isaiah would detect if there was something that was bothering his king.

"I forgot to tell Abel," came out Tilly's tiny voice, and for some reason, Isaiah couldn't understand the sudden horror that dominated everyone's faces.

"What did you forget to tell him?" Samael inquired in distress, almost gasping.

Tilly blinked. "I forgot."

"..."

"Ugh… Tilly, just what is wrong with your head?" Claude, the young man who was also Tilly and Abel's grandchild, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Didn't Mister Fabian open up your skull to fix that habit?"

"Tilly, we already talked about this," this time, Sunny's big brother, Law, frowned. "That if there's something important you recalled, tell me immediately lest you forget about it."

Rufus, the blonde-haired man, sighed. "I guess we just have to anticipate another problem."

"Why?" Isaiah blurted out, biting his tongue when he realized it. He watched everyone look back at him and sighed, shaking their heads as if they were all having problems.

They were truly a strange bunch, thought Isaiah.

"Your Grace, that is because Tilly knows many things," explained Sunny in a knowing tone.

"Problem is, even though she knows a lot of important things, she tends to forget them," Law continued before Claude added, "not that she really forgets them. She's just too lazy to use her head."

"..." Isaiah wanted to reply and ask Tilly, but his lips remained pressed into a thin line. All he could do for a moment was stare at them without a word.

What would he say?

"Forget it." Samael waved dismissively. "Forcing her to remember is just a waste of time. Let's just hope my uncle won't be in trouble."

"I agree." His wife, Lilou, nodded. "Let's just continue. Since we already secured this place, even with His Grace's absence, it's best to return to the mainland."

"Well. My grandpa seems reliable with those gigantic wings." Claude shrugged, agreeing with them.

With that being said, they resumed their steps as if things were just as easy as that. But then again, they couldn't do anything about it. Hence, Isaiah also followed them. However, just as they took three steps, they all stopped when Tilly spoke quietly.

"The king isn't the most influential on the mainland." Everyone looked back at Tilly with furrowed brows.

"Huh?" Samael arched a brow. "What did you say?"

"Abel shouldn't kill the king." Tilly blinked ever so slowly, lifting her gaze to Isaiah. "Maximus might be like that, but he isn't a bad person. His existence put everyone at bay. If he dies, everyone bound to their pledge from not touching the Grimsbanne will be nulled."

Samael opened and closed his mouth, but he couldn't force out a word in disbelief.

"Why are you just saying this now?" he asked when he was able to force a word out of his mouth.

"I think… we might be late," said Isaiah, keeping his eyes on Tilly. "He might've killed him… as we speak."

"Isn't that obvious? I don't think my grandpa has very long patience," Claude chimed in, gazing at Tilly up and down. "Goodness, Tilly. Even if Ramin and Charlotte arrive on the mainland before us, I don't think they know about this."

Tilly pressed her lips into a thin line, unfazed by the reaction she got. "There's also a demon there."

"What? You're not yet done?" Samael gasped in horror. His mouth was wide open. "Just what else do we need to know?"

"The demon was stolen years ago."

"..."

Isaiah held his breath. As a warlock himself, he knew about demons. Black magic originated from the energy of devils and evil, after all. However, since he never saw a real demon, he believed that energy was coming from underneath the ground. From what people called Hell.

"There were three of them." Tilly raised three fingers, starting from her index to the ring finger. "We already took down one in Spade. The other one was in the possession of the royal family, and then the last one went missing. Without the king, that demon hidden in the underground palace under the palace ground will be left unguarded."

"And no one knew about it aside from the king and me. I got lost there once," she added in a knowing tone. "I think Fabian uncovered that somehow before you left."

Silence followed the bombs Tilly dropped on them. They could only stare at her blankly for a moment, knowing even if they already knew this detail now, it was too late for them. It would still take days before they arrive in that land, after all.

"Oh, my god…" Samael breathed out helplessly, shaking his head while keeping his eyes on her. "... are we doomed?"

"Hopefully not," Claude answered, giving Tilly a look of disbelief.

"We are doomed," Law and Sunny mumbled. "For sure."

"It's alright." The children gazed up at their mother, seeing her subtle and reassuring smile at them. "We'll find a way to fix things. Let's just hope Fabian uses his head."

"Hopefully, but he has a habit of letting things slide just to see the outcome." This time, Fabian's brother Rufus joined in the conversation.

"Hey!" suddenly, everyone's thoughts halted when they heard Conan's voice from the end of the hallway. "What are you guys doing here? A meeting without me?"

Everyone let out a deep sigh at the sight of Conan in his flashy attire.

"I guess we can only hope that the mainland doesn't blow up before we arrive," mumbled Isaiah, knowing Abel didn't have the patience to let Maximus live. "Though, I doubt — why is he even wearing such flashy clothes?"

"What a waste of money," was all they could say about Conan, shaking their heads, as that was all they could do for now.