The Tyrant's Pet

"The Imperial Law had granted mercy to everyone, from peasants to those aristocrats and the royal family. We had believed that life is precious and everyone deserved a chance despite their atrocious deeds, in hopes they would change and find the right path in life. Although there were a few who takes advantage of our just and merciful law, we still believed justice will prevail!"

Joaquin stood in front of the many people gathered in the heart of the capital. Standing tall on the raised platform. He kept his chin up whilst making a speech.

"The eighth prince, Carlos Imperial, was arrested for countless felonies and received mercy. However, as he was being transported outside of the capital, he had attempted to escape and killed almost all the knights escorting his carriage before he met his doom." He huffed faintly, glancing at the crowd.

Joaquin then walked out of the stand before him, standing in the open.

"As a part of the royal family and the crown prince of the empire, I am utterly ashamed that my brother was blinded by greed and ambition. Thus, I bow my head to ask for your forgiveness."

Gasped and murmurings instantly exploded in the plaza as Joaquin lowered his head deeply to show his sincerity. The smirk and glint in his eyes were unseen. When he raised his head once again, all everyone saw was a humble and righteous prince.

"But as I've said, no one is above the law and I will make sure it will be imposed at all times! It doesn't matter if you're a peasant, commoner, or aristocrat, the law will be the judge! Even the royal family or myself will be humbled before the law…!"

After Joaquin spoke about the incident regarding the eighth prince, he highlighted the goodness of the empire and its law and, of course, himself. Humbling himself publicly had always been a good show to capture the people's hearts, calming them down, gaining their trust, and then their support.

With Joaquin's charming face and demure, a touching story between good and evil was a perfect twist to make himself appear as the hero. Although there would be some people who wouldn't buy such a story, many would, and that was all that matters.

As the loud cheering and shouts; "Long live the emperor, long live the crown prince! Long live Maganti!" resonated across the entire capital.

Aries, who was watching Joaquin from the balcony of a noble estate situated not far away from the plaza, kept an expressionless face.

"Was building a statue for the crown prince a good idea?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the platform where she could see Joaquin basking in the people's cheering. Her brow arched, glancing at the person sitting across the small round table.

"Why? Are you planning to make him a God?" Ismael spat out in disdain, glancing at the plaza. "He's a person who likes attention. If you want to please him, then surprise him with a monument. It would be funny if it was naked."

She chuckled as she peeled her eyes away from the plaza and back to Ismael. Aries scrutinized his apathetic countenance and then glanced at the untouched tea in front of him.

"Third Prince, you hadn't touched your tea," she noticed. "It's not poisoned."

"I didn't say it was, Your Royal Highness. It's just that I don't think I will ever digest anything you give me."

"How heart-breaking."

"I don't trust you, and that is not a secret." He shrugged bluntly, leaning back, eyes on her. "Although I'm on your side now, after what you did to Carlos, trusting you blindly is a guaranteed doom for me."

Aries rocked her head, reaching for the teacup slowly. "I can't blame you, nor will I force you to think otherwise." Her eyes were over the rim as she spoke.

"Will you tell me your next plan now that you're done squeezing every benefit you can get from my brother?" he inquired, cocking his head to the side as he believed this was the reason she summoned him to meet her in this place.

"My plans, huh? Well, I wouldn't say I don't have a plan, but I simply invited you because I hadn't met you since that night." He laughed at her reply while she ignored the touch of sarcasm in it. "Your Highness, you could've been the person standing over there and making that speech. I'm not as meticulous as you think I was. All I did was speak a few words and copied your original plans."

"It's just that instead of you doing a speech regarding the crown prince, it was my husband who was being cheered for his humbleness and moral conduct against the evil eighth prince," she continued as she placed the teacup back on the saucer. "But that doesn't mean we have nothing to celebrate about."

This time, his thick brows furrowed, puzzled at her remarks. She once again let out a faint chuckle before raising her chin, eyes glossing over the plaza.

"Just like the crown prince, he had his losses and wins. He didn't get your head and still has to deal with you, but in exchange for that, his public image and support will skyrocket. Everything is about trade, Your Highness." Her eyes gazed back at him as the side of her lips curled up into a smirk. "And that was quite a good trade for him, don't you think?"

"I lost half of my people," he stressed. "I don't think we gained more than we lost, crown princess. Don't forget Joaquin will not let you off, knowing your potential and he will definitely be more suspicious of you."

She laughed. "Your Highness, it is true you lost a lot of your people. But your gain is way better than hundreds of them — me. Think of it as trading a hundred pebbles for a diamond. It's a cheap price to pay if you asked me." He scoffed at her response.

"Regarding the crown prince and my origins… it's more suspicious if I tried so hard to conceal it. The more he goes back and forth about his suspicion about whether I was 'that woman' or simply resembled her, the more he will think it's his own issue, not mine." Aries smirked. "What I learned before coming to this place is that when one is undecided, it's the best time to strike."

"Don't be so blinded by your worries, Ismael. You should rejoice just like those people who were celebrating at their little gain," she added.

Aries paused as she picked up the teacup to her lips, leaning back to enjoy it. "We gained more."

Knock knock…

Ismael furrowed his brows as he glanced at the glass door connecting the terrace where they were having tea to the room. His brow arched when a butler came in, holding a tray with a letter on it. He stretched his neck mildly to get a glimpse of the letter and, to his surprise, the seal on it was the official seal of Modesto Vida.

"I told you," Aries smirked, waving the letter to show off the seal. "Our losses… including that speech, are a rather cheap price compared to our gains. The law is ours."