The Tyrant's Pet

Meanwhile…

After Ismael was questioned by Roman, the seventh prince, he walked away freely. No one dragged him to the issue anymore as everyone focused on calming the public because of the fire. He had also been busy, although in another way.

Ismael had his people, but the night he needed them the most, most of them turned their backs on him. So now that he emerged from the crown prince's trap, some of them were shamelessly requesting an audience with him.

So, avoiding everyone was what made him busy.

"Brother." He was snapped back to reality when Javier, the fourth prince's voice, rang behind him. "You hadn't visited Carlos."

Standing in front of the shut doors of the third prince's cabinet, Javier gazed at Ismael's back. The latter was standing in front of the window, holding a glass of tea in his hand instead of the usual rum he would drink to keep himself calm.

"There's no need to see a criminal," Ismael replied, which brought a frown to the fourth prince's face. "I barely avoided the crisis, brother. My life right now is being watched closely by the crown prince. Thus, all my movements, everything I say, and everyone I meet would be reported to him."

He carefully turned around to face his brother squarely. "Meaning, once you walk out of this very room, you might get an invitation."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing, brother." Ismael shrugged as he raised the teacup to his lips, looking at Javier over the rim. "All I'm saying is you should be careful."

"I am always careful."

"Indeed." He took a sip and then sauntered towards the armchair nearby the coffee table. "Why don't you take a seat, brother? I haven't been outside to avoid some bothersome people and I know you had a lot of questions. It's better if we remain seated while we discuss some things."

Javier watched Ismael motion his hand towards the seat across from him. A shallow breath slipped past his lips before he dragged his feet and perched on the chair across from his brother.

"How did you avoid the inevitable? Is what you're going to ask me, correct?" Ismael guessed even before Javier's lips opened. He sported a smile and chuckled with his lips closed.

"Let me tell you, Javier. How I did it is something that doesn't matter. Just say… I was lucky?"

"What about Carlos?" Javier inquired, knowing there was no point in dwelling on that question since Ismael wouldn't give him a definite answer. "His trial would be tomorrow. Do you have plans to turn things around?"

"And if I had? What is it to you?"

"Are you suspicious of me?"

"I'm not."

"But your words and demeanor are enough to say you don't trust me anymore."

Ismael clicked his tongue continuously as he shook his head sideways. "It's not that I don't trust you anymore, brother. This is not about you." He chuckled, raising his eyes while cocking his head to the side.

"I still trust you, brother, but I trust myself even more. I'm just being more cautious since I cannot afford to lose more of my people," he explained, raising a foot as he rested his leg over the other. "I hope you understand. You're smart, Javier, so you should know by now that there's a mole. Joaquin wouldn't entrap me in such a cheap scheme if he didn't know my plans."

"What…? And you think it's me?"

"I didn't say that. It's you who assumed." Ismael shrugged as he leaned back, draping his arms over the armrest. "All I'm saying is, I already accepted Carlos and a few of my people's death. Although it breaks my heart, I must admit I'm to blame that our time together was short-lived."

"Sadly, I cannot go out there and go down with them. The only thing I can do to atone for my mistake is to make sure their deaths will not be in vain," he continued in the same indifferent and calm tone. "That's my duty, don't you think? You won't ask me to save them and risk my head, right? If I die, everything we've been fighting for will go down the drain. You know better, Javier."

There was a moment of silence between the two brothers. Javier's eyes remained on Ismael's unreadable expression. It was not like the latter changed the way he dressed or he look, but he still appeared different from the brother he used to know. His demeanor, words, attitude, temperament, and almost everything were different as if another soul possessed him.

"What happened to you?" he blurted out under his breath, even before he could think twice.

Ismael's lips curled up until his eyes were slightly squinting. "Life, brother."

Knock knock…

"Your Highness, this is… and returned after fulfilling your orders." A voice of a man outside reached their ears right after the faint knock. But Ismael didn't avert his gaze from Javier.

"And then people," he continued to answer the question he asked him. "That's what happened to me, and I am not as foolish as to fall for it the second time."

"Come in." Ismael then raised his head towards the door and his lips stretched broader upon seeing the knight under him, with a few more knights following behind him. Seeing his reaction, Javier twisted his neck to see what uplifted the already light mood of the third prince.

His brows furrowed because all he saw was the chief knight under the third prince's and then a few knights. The young knights looked pale as if they came straight out of a war. They looked traumatized and confused at the same time.

'Huh?' Javier's eyes fell on the chief knight and the rope he was holding.

"Welcome!" Ismael greeted happily before the chief knight approached and handed the rope after whispering in the third prince's ears. All Javier saw was Ismael nodding, and then shaking his head before shifting his attention to the knights by the door.

"How sad." He sighed. "How could they treat the knights as animals just because they were quarreling?"

Although Javier was confused about what the third prince was saying, the knights' expression was enough for him to get a gist of it. Ismael was cooking something... and he was focusing on something else instead of his usual priority.

"Just in case you don't know." Javier flinched when Ismael cast him a knowing look. "You're the first person I met since this fiasco began."

Javier scoffed faintly as he lowered his eyes. In other words, if what he saw and heard here was leaked, there was only one person to blame. Just when did Ismael become this... cunning and cautious?