The Tyrant's Pet

Aries already met the clan leader of the House Rothschild. He was a man who had a way with his words. He was logical, and to be truthful, he was tolerable. Much more tolerable to argue with than the aggressive Augustine Evans.

When Aries was still a queen and not the Sovereign of the mainland, she used to sit at the same table as this man. Most days, she would agree to disagree with him. There were times he would surprisingly support her argument.

Overall, this man presented himself as neutral and someone who was willing to take a step back for the sake of the mainland. He carried himself with pride and had always looked smart.

Among the king's cabinet and a member of the House of Lords, the clan leader of the Rothschild was the most respected of all. Even the Lords who were considered on the same footing as he would talk to him with utter respect and consideration.

But that wasn't the only thing this house was known for. Aside from being role models of the nobility, Aries would occasionally hear about the young Lord of the said clan.

According to rumors, the young Lord of the House Rothschild was charismatic, clever, and skillful. They said that even though the clan leader was still alive, he trusted his heir so much that his heir would normally settle even the most important matter for their house.

He was popular, earning the jealousy of some clan leaders for having such an excellent heir and capturing many young ladies' hearts. All praises were sung along with his name, and it piqued Aries's curiosity. Sadly, she never got to meet this man because when she stepped foot on the mainland, the young Lord of the Rothchild clan was out on a mission.

But now that he was in the capital, requesting a private audience with the Queen, Aries was quite intrigued. Aside from confirming just how excellent this young Lord was, she wanted to know how this young Lord would affect her reign. After all, the Rothschild was never on her side. Only the Grimsbanne was on her side — even London Leviticus could turn on her once their goals differed.

Gustav led Aries to the Queen's garden to spend an afternoon tea with the Young Lord of the Rothchild. From afar, Aries caught a man's figure in the pavilion she was heading. The man's back was facing her, but based on his clothing and the air around him, she couldn't help but commend the screaming nobility with just him standing.

'The Rothschild never disappoints, indeed,' she remarked inwardly, using the words people would often say about the Rothschild.

Soon, Aries and Gustav reached the pavilion. Standing outside the pavilion, Gustav stepped to the side to make way for her. But just as he opened his mouth, Aries shook her head.

"Just stay there. No need to announce my arrival," she said, watching Gustav stare at her for a moment before bowing.

Aries didn't idle as she resumed her steps, clutching her skirt as she took the step up all alone. Still, she maintained her poise up to the last step. When she straightened her back, her eyes instantly landed on the man's back.

She assessed him from head to foot. Aside from his expensive clothing, she noticed his broad shoulder while he held his hand on his back. His clothing might look exquisite, but his fingers didn't have any accessories. His jet-black hair was brushed back neatly, but all she could see was the shell of his ear and a bit of his sharp jaw.

At this point, Aries has already grown an immunity to the beauty of vampires. Therefore, even though she was certain this young Lord was dashing, her expression was cold.

A few seconds after Aries reached the pavilion, the young Lord raised his thick brows as he sensed a person's presence. Aries quirked a brow, preparing herself to use his lack of 'courtesy' in welcoming the Sovereign of the land.

She watched the man slowly turn around. But as the man's face slowly came into sight, shock slowly replaced the coldness that was initially dominating her face.

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[ THE GRIMSBANNE MANSION ]

"My beloved uncle!" Samael barged into Abel's chancery with his voice so loud everyone in the mansion could almost hear him. As soon as he slammed the door open, his eyes searched for Abel, and didn't even take a second to find him.

There, sitting behind the desk, was Abel. There were mountains of paper on the desk, but the person who had to work on them was reclining on the seat with his fist on top of the desk. A paper was over Abel's face, but one could tell he was sleeping instead of working.

"I know this would happen when you said you will reclaim the title of your father," Samael grumbled, irritated. He marched in Abel's direction while complaining, "we already have one sloth in the house and it was already too much for everyone. We don't need another one — I'm done with the potato diet!"

Samael unhesitatingly snatched the paper over Abel's face, only to see the latter had his eyes open. Samael nearly jumped in surprise, assuming Abel was napping because the paperwork overwhelmed him. He heard Conan used to do the paperwork most of the time back in the empire, so Samael assumed Abel was waiting for someone's help.

"Samael." Abel blinked. His face was calm, but his eyes were cold and curious while staring at the ceiling. "Don't you think it was too peaceful recently?"

"That's because everyone is busy scheming," said Samael, shaking his head to shrug off the surprise Abel gave him. "Fret not. This peace will not last long — I guarantee you that."

Abel kept quiet, keeping his lips in a thin line. "For some reason, my gut feeling tells me something will happen."

"Because something will definitely happen, my beloved uncle." Samael nearly rolled his eyes, listening to Abel as if the latter didn't know the situation they were in. "The people in this place wouldn't sit still for long, and that's already known. So while we wait, will you open the treasury so Fabian could prepare real food? I'm so done eating potatoes day and night — if only I knew this would happen once you become the head of this house, I would've reclaimed it when I had the time and energy."

Samael ranted on and on, berating Abel for donating a huge amount of their 'families' wealth — or, to be precise, Samael's wealth — for those poor vampires who needed some help and a portion of it to Aries. Of course, Samael was aware it was for their reputation. However, he didn't see that after that generous donation their family would make, they would eat potatoes for weeks.

Meanwhile, Abel let his cute nephew express his dismay while keeping his attention on the ceiling.

"Giselle…" Abel murmured to himself, stopping Samael's rants. "... the thought of that blind woman suddenly gives this unsettling feeling in my blood. I wonder why?"

People said; to trust your gut feelings. A person's gut feelings were usually accurate and correct. So when one feels something, chances were there was.

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[ Queen's Garden ]

"Apologies for my lack of alertness, Your Majesty. I was captivated by the beautiful flowers that I didn't notice your arrival. How rude of me." The young Lord Aries heard so many things about bowed upon facing her with his hand across his chest. When he straightened his back, a gentle smile turned up on his face. "It won't happen again."

Aries's eyes shook, staring at the man's face before she whispered, "Davien?"