Bland

"... mine now."

Aries's eyes popped out of their socket as her entire body froze up from the cold lips on hers. She blinked twice, watching him draw his head back before wiping the corner of her lips with his thumb.

"Bland," he said and shrugged nonchalantly. "But passable."

Her heart sank as she realized what kind of person this man was. He was no different from the man who caused her eternal sufferings. But... she didn't regret it.

This man's world had always been this way. She took a deep breath, loosening her grip on the ground.

When a subtle smile appeared on her face, his brows raised momentarily before he grinned. He rocked his head, pleased that she didn't chicken out.

"Hah... what a lovely smile." He clicked his tongue and pointed at her, raising a brow when he heard a familiar voice from a distance. He turned his head in the source's direction only to see a man running towards him.

"Your Majesty! What are you -- !!"

Aries and Abel turned and gazed at his young advisor as the latter stopped several feet away. His eyes instantly dilated, shifting his eyes from the body on the ground, to the woman, and to his emperor. It was too easy for him to grasp the situation, knowing the troublemaker emperor.

"Conan, you look pale and exhausted. I wonder why?" Abel wondered as he slowly stood up to face his legal advisor.

Conan gasped in dismay. Did he hear him correctly? Abel doesn't know why he looked exhausted?! Just who wouldn't panic when a ticking time bomb like Abel suddenly disappeared in this place? Knowing the emperor, he wouldn't mind offending anyone that could lead to war.

"Your Majesty, how... why..." Conan looked at the body not far away from his emperor's vantage point and sighed in distress. The more he realized this tyrant caused yet another problem despite his numerous reminders, the more he felt helplessly annoyed.

"Your Majesty!" he yelled in distress. "I already reminded you many times, but..."

"My dear Conan." Abel chuckled as he strutted towards his legal advisor, planting a palm on his shoulder. "This won't incite political discourtesy if no one sees the body, correct? They will just assume he got... lost."

Conan let out a defeated sigh as he gazed up at him. "Your Majesty, why do you always do this to me? The Great Heart Empire nearly wage a war with us, and now this?"

"Come on, Conan. Stop crying." Abel's smile grew brighter, squeezing Conan's shoulder. "Clean this up and take her with you. She's my new pet."

Conan shifted his eyes to where Abel was pointing his thumb at. He instantly locked eyes with Aries's pair of emerald orbs, making him sigh in disbelief as he already felt sorry for her. Abel patted his shoulder lightly before walking away without speaking another word.

Meanwhile, Aries stared at his back blankly. She should be relieved that she finally escaped the shackles of the crown prince of Maganti. But knowing she just put another shackle that was much tougher this time stopped her from celebrating.

"Hello." She peeled her eyes away from the darkness where Abel vanished to Conan. He was now squatting down in front of her, offering her a warm smile. Unlike Abel's diabolical smirk, Conan was the complete opposite.

Conan sized her up, noticing the bruises on her exposed skin and her disheveled clothes. He sighed as he didn't understand why Abel risked waging a war to another empire for this girl.

"Let's go, my lady." He beckoned, not offering her false reassurance or anything of the sort. "His Majesty had decided."

Aries studied his eyes and smiled bitterly. "Mhm."

Conan assisted herself up and led her to the quarters where the Haimirich delegation was staying at. Aries knew her life could be the same, or worse, than her life in Maganti Empire. She didn't have high expectations from Abel or in the empire that had taken her in as a pet.

All that mattered to her was to survive and she would stop at nothing to live, even for just another day.

And that was how Aries became the fearsome tyrant's pet.

*****

Days... weeks... and a month had passed ever since the emperor of Haimirich took Aries in. But she never saw Abel after that night. Even when they returned to Haimirich Empire, he didn't call for her. This gave her a bit of space to breathe and to get herself together.

Thankfully, they treated her with respect and took care of her. From bathing her to dolling her to be pleasing in the eye, to her diet, and almost everything. She couldn't really complain as she lived the life of a princess; a life she lived — or a life grander — before the tragic downfall of their small kingdom.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Aries perked up, watching the door open from the settee she was sitting on. They told her that Conan would visit her in her room today to check on her. Whatever that meant, Aries had a vague idea. Since they were back in the empire, she knew Abel would soon call for her to do her... duties.

Conan peeked his head in and smiled. "Can I come in, my lady?"

"Uh, yes, of course." She awkwardly stood up, lowering her head to humble herself. She only sat down when Conan told her to while he perched on the armchair across from her.

Aries clutched her skirt, watching Conan place the books on the table between them. Her brows rose, eyes filling with curiosity.

"My lady, can you read our empire's language?" he inquired as he straightened his back. His eyes landed on her. "I know you can speak our language, but can you read it? If you do, that will be better since it'll be easier to teach you the things you need to know about the empire and His Majesty."

She gazed at the book and read 'history.' Yes, she could read the empire's language and speak it. Actually, she could speak more languages as she was required to learn those while growing up.

"Yes, I can." Her eyelashes fluttered, lifting her eyes to Conan.

Conan rocked his head in awe at this woman. Since Abel took her in, Conan's job was to do a background check on her. He already knew that she came from the small kingdom of Rikhill. Apparently, that kingdom that persisted for hundreds of years fell into ruin overnight in the hands of the Maganti Empire.

Apparently, she was the war trophy the crown prince of the Maganti Empire took home. All her kin died, and she was the only one who lived. To make it worse, she had to live with the person who murdered her family. It was still a surprise that she kept a sound mind despite going through hell.

"Then, that is good." Conan broke the brief silence and smiled. "These are the books I prepared for you. Read and study them while we look for suitable instructors for you."

Aries just nodded, closed-lipped. "Thank you."

The emperor's advisor studied her timid demeanor and sighed. This woman was too obedient, he thought. She might not survive for a long time if she kept this up. Abel was too fickle. Even so, that wasn't Conan's problem.

"Alright then. I hope you adjust well." Conan planted his palm on the armrest, pushing himself up. As he was about to leave, Aries called him softly.

"About —" she paused, seeing Conan cock his head back. "About His Majesty..."

"Oh? He is quite busy at the moment. Don't worry. He will call for you once he settled some important matters." He reassured and smiled before he left.

Aries stared at the shut door and let out a shallow breath. "That's not what I was worried about," came out a whisper.

For her, it would be better if Abel would be busy for the next ten years and not see her. But obviously, everyone would think servicing the emperor was an honor.

"Never mind." She glanced at the books on the table, biting her lower lip.

"I asked him to take me in, so of course, I should learn how to please him," she murmured, sprawling her arm to pick up the book. As she opened it, she took a deep breath.

"After all, he was the person who saved me from hell." Her eyelids drooped with hatred, recalling the tragic life she went through in the hands of the crown prince of Maganti. "He is the person who got me out of that lunatic's clutches." — although deep down, Aries knew it was her own efforts that saved herself for she took up the courage to enter a deeper kind of hell.