The Tyrant's Pet

In the end, Aries didn't get to visit Curtis, even though his room was nearby. She stayed in her room in silence. Cherry couldn't walk on her own, so she had to ask the knights to escort her out.

"My lady," called Gertrude as she was wiping Aries's fingertips while the latter was dipped inside the tub. "Are you alright?"

Aries snapped her eyes as she had been silent ever since Cherry was escorted out. Her eyes fell on Gertrude and caught the worry in her eyes.

"Of course." She smiled weakly at Gertrude, leaning back against the tub and letting her personal maid clean her hands. "I'm simply curious what she would do."

Aries cocked her head to the side and set her eyes back on Gertrude. "Have I ever told you about her, Gertrude?"

"Just a little, my lady."

"Cherry is a daughter of a baron who had a talent in commerce. As you know, the land of Rikhill is a country of trade. Our land is rich with minerals and many countries wanted to conquer it. Many tried, but no one succeeded... until the Maganti sent their hundred thousands of troops." Aries shrugged as she talked about it casually. "We had a chance, Gertrude. We could've defended our proud country with the help of our ally."

"How come it fell, my lady?" Gertrude blurted out and pursed her lips when Aries glanced at her. But the latter simply chuckled before peeling her eyes away from her.

"Cherry," Aries answered. "You might wonder what can this daughter of a baron do to ruin a country? Well, she used her beauty. She beguiled my brother and my foolish brother told her secrets. He shared everything with her — his woes, his worries, his secrets, his weaknesses. He opened himself to her like a book and Cherry used all these as her weapons."

"She took these all out, used what she knew, and sold information to the greedy crown prince," she continued, stressing everything with a much lighter heart than she expected. "The crown prince attacked our economy first. He destroyed our mines and the roads that our allies could use, attacking us from every direction. He knew our weaknesses until he eventually reached the capital, where he held their flags up."

Her eyes narrowed. "He took us by surprise and I only came to know this when I saw her bowing her head to him." She laughed bitterly as she recalled how mortified she was at that time.

"Surprisingly, I didn't get angry at first. I was so stunned my mind just went blank. No hate, no disgust, no nothing. Just plain surprise." Aries took a deep breath and smiled at Gertrude. "Don't look at me like that. Because when I realized this, it gave me another reason to live, Gertrude. I don't thank Cherry for why I am alive today, but her betrayal is very encouraging."

"It will be a shame to die before her." She chuckled as she peeled her eyes away from her. "Cherry... she insulted us by selling us for a meager price. It will be nice if she gets to see how far I can be cruel."

Gertrude let out a faint exhale as she stared at Aries for a moment. "It would be nice if she sees the person she tried to destroy attain what she cannot."

"I know, right?" Aries cocked her head at Gertrude. "But Inez isn't a very patient person and Joaquin let no opportunity slip out of his grip. It'll be nice if she survives till the end, but honestly? Even if she doesn't, at least we get to enjoy watching her dance in everyone's tune but her own."

"And just like how meager the value she traded the life of my family, my people, and my land... I will gain nothing from her death," she added and smiled, as this was just something done for the heck of it. Aries would gain nothing if Cherry died, just like she would gain nothing while her lady-in-waiting was alive.

"She isn't as irreplaceable as she thinks she is."

"What a tragic and pointless life she had led," Gertrude commented with a deep exhale, while Aries chuckled heartily like a villain.

In Gertrude's eyes, she didn't think Aries was doing humane things. Honestly, it still scared her and often made her wonder how cruel can this woman be? However, she couldn't also sympathize with Aries's enemies.

For her, this was karma. What goes around comes around.

They ruined Aries's land, took away her family, and defiled and corrupted her soul. They were the reasons for all her sins. She was the product of their atrocities.

This... was simply a trade.

A trade Gertrude would never wish to be directly involved in.

<strong>******</strong>

Like any other night, Gertrude washed Aries's body from head to toe and took away the slightest dirt on her. But tonight, she would have to add another activity to their routine, which only happened once in two weeks.

Aries stood in front of the full-body mirror. Her eyes shifted to Gertrude's reflection from behind her before she turned around. Gertrude was holding a tray with a bowl of ink and brushes on it.

Tonight, Aries had to trace the markings across her body as they had faded. Her hair even needed to get dyed before the natural color of her roots would show.

"Forget about it, Gertrude." Gertrude furrowed her brows and raised her head at Aries. "I don't need it anymore."

"But my lady..." she trailed off when Aries shook her head before the latter turned around once more to face herself in the mirror.

Aries stared at herself and slowly took off her robe, which fell to her feet. That second, Gertrude's heart gripped because whenever she would see Aries's unclad body that was filled with scars, especially those on her back, she could feel what this woman went through. It was something Gertrude would never get used to.

"There's no need to hide it anymore, Gertrude," Aries spoke after a minute of silence. "In a war, things can escalate quite faster than anyone would expect."

"You need to quietly leave this place, Gertrude." Aries breathed out as her eyelids drooped until they were partially closed. "I have a feeling that after tonight, things will only escalate at a speed no one can ever catch up to."