The Tyrant's Pet

"Did you also fly?"

"What?" Dexter furrowed his brows at her insinuation.

"Nothing." Aries shook her head mildly and approached the barrel near her. She grabbed a piece of white cloth and dipped it in the water, squeezing it dry to wipe Roman's arms.

"The dirt will infect his injuries. I will clean him first. Your help will be very much appreciated."

Dexter watched her rip the rest of Roman's top and wiped the area that had no cloth she previously pressed on it. A deep exhale slipped past his lips, running his hand through his hair. In the end, Dexter took off his cloak and tossed it over the chair.

Folding his sleeve to his elbow, he marched towards the bed. "Let me do it." He bent over, standing on the other side of the bed, eyes on her.

"We'll talk later when we're both calm," he remarked, seeing her huff faintly.

"Yes. Once we're calm." She rocked her head. "I have tons of questions from you and I hope you will answer them honestly. Because I don't think I will be too honest to answer yours and receive your scolding if you can't return the same honesty."

The two of them looked at each other in silence for a moment before they cleaned Roman together. Dexter had vast knowledge of medicine since he needed it in his experiments on poison. Aries was also adept in these things, as it was part of the lessons she learned in Rikhill, and a bit from concocting poisons.

Together, they managed to efficiently clean Roman's wounds and stitched what needed to be closed up. They didn't talk throughout the hours they were tending the seventh prince. Aside from cleaning and closing his injuries, they also cleaned him from head to toe.

Roman's injuries weren't just grave, but they were from head to toe. So Aries had to wipe even his sole — the only area that didn't have a scratch. The tip of his toes had scratches as she dragged him out of the prison before meeting Dexter.

After cleaning the seventh prince's body, they bandaged his entire torso, arms, legs, and ankles, to keep them from bleeding and in place. Once they finished, Aries had to change the sheet while Dexter carried the seventh prince before lying him down again.

It took them hours to finish before the two could finally rest and breathe. Aries sat down on the corner of the bed, back on the headboard, eyes on the seventh prince lying just beside her.

"That was exhausting…" she mumbled. "I give my respect to all the physicians across the world. They deserved more recognition."

Dexter exhaled, sitting on the chair beside the bed, and across from where she perched. "What are you planning to do with him? It wouldn't take long when people noticed the dead soldiers outside the penitentiary and they will find out the seventh prince was missing."

"They will look for him and turn the capital upside down to find him, of course," she answered, guessing what would happen next. "But isn't that the reason we hid him here? No one will look for him in this place. At least, not anytime soon."

"Dani. I don't know what's going on inside your head," he confessed with a deep exhale. "This is not in your plan."

"I know. But what do you expect me to do?" she cocked her head to the side. "Proceed to my plans, knowing it will fail? I'm not wasting a second in here, brother. I improvise if I must. The seventh prince is in this state because I sold him out, but if I didn't do that, then how the hell was I supposed to know the crown prince's secret card?"

"Secret card…" his brows furrowed, but he didn't show surprise or anything that was natural in this situation.

"You knew, huh?" Aries narrowed her eyes as she studied his slightest movements. "Vampires," she stressed, and notice how his eyes dilated for a split second.

"Do you know about them?" she inquired, without taking her eyes off of him. "I want you to answer me honestly, Marquess. If you still want me as your sister, then answer me truthfully."

"Dani, what are you…" he trailed off when she spoke once more.

"That is a question I should ask you," she stressed, balling her hand into a fist. "What are you?"

As soon as those questions flew out of her mouth, Dexter froze. All he could do was stare at her with blank eyes.

"What… am I?" he repeated, only to receive silence as an answer. Aries was just looking at him with her sharp eyes. Within those limpid pairs of opalescent eyes hid a deep desire for the truth. It was as if she was simply asking for confirmation.

"Was that question too hard to answer?" she asked. "Human. That's all you need to say, brother. Why can't you say it?"

"Aries…"

"Then, if you can't answer it, just answer this one." She cleared her throat, blinking to stop the heat in her eyes. "Are they real? Vampires. Was it true if a human drank a vampire's blood that is compatible with his, they will gain superhuman strength, speed, and immortality?"

Dexter licked his drying lips as he pondered for an answer. "Yes… I heard."

"Hah…" Aries ran her hand through her hair and laughed weakly. She didn't speak anymore as she carried herself out of the bed. "I can't stay here for long. I need to return to the Sapphire Palace to not raise suspicion."

Her steps didn't falter as she advanced towards the door. But just as she walked past him, a hand grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Aries." Dexter stood from the chair and slowly pulled her arm so she could face him. "Let's talk."

As soon as their eyes met, his face crumpled in conflict. His lips quivered while she simply studied his eyes.

"About what?" she asked, but he didn't respond and simply looked at her in silence.

Aries let out a faint sigh after minutes of silence before taking a step, slipping her hand in between his arms and body, wrapping it around him. She felt his back stiffen as she planted her palm on it, resting the side of her head on his chest.

"Don't look at me like that," she whispered. "That is not the brother I knew."