The Tyrant's Pet

Two days had passed in a blur and for that two days, Aries only stayed inside her room to recuperate. Abel didn't stay long in her room that day because he had matters to attend to. But he visited her during the night while she was asleep.

Aries gazed at the maid that was assigned to assist her. She had noticed it yesterday that these servants weren't the servants who regularly served her.

"Uhm... can I ask where are the servants that usually assist me every morning?" she inquired, staring at the maid who was helping her prepare to start her day through the vanity mirror. The latter gazed at her cautiously before lowering her eyes.

"They were reassigned to another task, my lady," came out a polite and stiff reply.

Aries frowned, brows wrinkling. "Reassigned?"

"Yes."

"Will they return to serve me?" she inquired, but the servant simply cast her a cautious look.

"Depends, my lady. I am in no position to reassure you. Did I do that upset you, my lady?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I'm just curious." Aries rocked her head slightly, stopping herself from probing even more. The maid continued to braid her hair, as per Aries's request, in silence.

Aries already had a wild guess about what happened to the maids, but obviously, she was asking the wrong people. It was such a shame that the previous one who was serving her seemed a lot easier to get their trust. These new ones felt more distant.

While keeping herself still, Aries glanced down at her hand. Her body felt lighter, and she physically felt good after recovering from that fever. She had been resting ever since Abel took her in, but this feeling was different. It was as if her body returned to what it felt like before the tragedy that befell Rikhill.

'Nevermind.' She mentally shook her head. 'Since I miraculously feel good, I can think clearer and loosen up a bit.'

Ever since Aries came into this place, she had been very uptight, afraid to make mistakes. If not for the fact she was atoning for everyone's death, Aries would've lost it a long time ago. But now, she could even consider relaxing for a bit because everything was slowly becoming clear to her.

'Abel... that mad man... I will not die in his hands. I just had to do it correctly.' She nodded inside her head, determined to do a job well done.

*********

"Sir Conan, can I ask a question that is out of topic?"

Conan's brows rose, gazing at Aries across from him. This was the first time she raised a question that wasn't about their lesson, so it was surprising.

"Well, of course. I said it in passing, but you can always ask me anything." He rocked his head, propping his arm against the edge of the table. "My lady, if you have questions, I am the best person you can ask. I will try my best to answer it."

Aries studied the subtle smile that resurfaced in his countenance. "Are the maids serving me previously dead?"

"Huh?" Conan blinked twice, a bit surprised as this wasn't what he expected from her. "Well... they were the ones who helped you that day. Thus, they should've known you are not feeling well and informed me. But they didn't say a word and in the end, you passed out during your literature classes."

'So they were punished because of that simple reason?' Aries lowered her head.

"My lady, it's not your fault. Don't feel bad." Conan sported a kind smile but was short-lived when Aries raised her head.

"Who said I feel bad for them?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "So, were they dead or were reassigned to work somewhere else in the palace?"

Conan scrutinized her eyes before he nodded. "They were hanged."

"I see." Aries went silent after that. She actually expected that much when she saw the servant's reaction when she asked the question. The only reason she asked Conan was for confirmation.

It was also true that she didn't feel bad for the servants. Why would she? Aries had her own problems to worry about, and she was treading on eggshells herself. She doesn't have the spare energy to feel bad for others. Everyone in this palace had their own roles to fulfill; dying while performing that role was no one's fault but themselves.

After a minute of silence, she once again raised her eyes. "Sir Conan, that night... His Majesty suddenly barged into my room with a sword in his hand. May I know the reason?" she queried while fidgeting with her fingers.

"It's just... I want to know the reason and if I made a mistake so I can avoid it in the future," she added, still unaware of what or what to not ask.

"Uh, that..." Conan let out a dry laugh, raising his brows briefly. "No reason."

"Pardon?"

"My lady, if you don't know yet, His Majesty is someone who had a lot of things in mind. Sometimes, he will get angry on his own," he explained, making her expression die.

'He was basically saying His Majesty is crazy, right?' she bit her tongue to stop herself from expressing her thoughts.

Conan sported an awkward grin. "You see, my lady, His Majesty has quite a reputation for women. I don't know if this will help you in a way, but His Majesty changed women frequently. The longest time he was with the same woman was around two weeks, and that was a long time ago."

"Oh..." Aries processed his words, translating them in a more blunt way since he was purposely making it sound less scary.

"In a way, you're the longest one who stayed beside him. I mean, I know he had been busy when he took you in and met you only a few times and in short times. But you're breaking records." Conan pointed out, unsure whether this was a compliment for her. "If you don't know yet, you've also garnered a few people's attention by now."

Conan paused, studying her before a shallow breath slipped past his lips. "My lady, I know you're smart. But the palace isn't a safe place for everyone. His Majesty had to face assassins every single day, so you might always see him with blood on him." This time, a helpless smile appeared on his face, making her raise her brows.

"If you want to live long enough in this place, I'm certain you know the perfect person to cling on to," he continued while staring into her pair of emerald orbs. "And if there's one person you can trust in here, that is His Majesty. He will never betray you, just don't betray him."