The Tyrant's Pet

Aries opened her eyes weakly, grunting at the state of her body. When she noticed the slightly familiar ceiling, a deep exhale slipped past her lips.

'I knew it. I would have a fever.' Another sigh escaped her mouth. 'Did he...'

Her thoughts were cut short when she noticed the person lying next to her. Her eyes nearly left their sockets, blinking countless times. Abel was just staring blankly at the ceiling in silence.

"Aries." She flinched when he abruptly spoke, keeping his eyes on the ceiling.

"Yes?" came out a hoarse voice.

"Not you. Aries." Her brows wrinkled at his reply. "The other Aries you want to replace you."

"Pardon?"

"You should find her as soon as possible. I am thinking of helping you with this assignment."

Aries's brow twitched as dismay resurfaced in her eyes. "A — Abel? It's too early for this, don't you think?"

She raised her brows when he frowned. Her head was still throbbing slightly and her temperature barely dropped, so she didn't want to deal with him for now. Or rather, she wanted to ask him to not <strong>'go all out.'</strong>

"Why?" Abel slowly turned his head to face her squarely. "Don't you want this assignment anymore?"

"Huh?"

"I am saying we should go all out. A full-blown search for the next biggest pet." He humored, propping his temple against his knuckles. "Who knows? We might find her the next day."

"We?" Aries furrowed her brows as she looked at him innocently.

"We. I'm planning on helping you. Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Don't you want me anymore?"

Abel narrowed his eyes as he chuckled. "Darling, are you trying to make me happy with that question or what?" the side of his lips stretched from ear to ear while she pressed her lips into a thin line.

That wasn't what she meant by that. She just wanted to test if she could leave the empire alive. But well, he seemed pleased by the misunderstanding he created himself.

"Hah... so how are you feeling?" he inquired, moving on from their previous random talk.

"I..." Aries touched her forehead to check. She still had a slight fever and she would be fine with a day's rest. Just as Aries was about to tell him about her self-diagnosis, her tongue rolled back upon a sudden realization.

Aries stared at the pair of deep rubies hovering over her. His brows rose when she was staring for too long, saying nothing.

"Hmm?" he hummed before he narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to cry?" he asked, noticing that the veins in her sclera reddened as if suppressing her tears.

"N — no." She shook her head and sported an awkward smile.

It was just that she didn't notice until now that she wasn't really in a good shape. She had a few fevers already in this empire. But she wasn't forcing herself to stand anymore if she couldn't.

If she wasn't feeling well, she could rest at any time. The reason she wasn't afraid of speaking her mind when necessary. When did it start? When did she start speaking with slight confidence again? Aries didn't know when and how, and it only occurred to her now.

She snapped her eyes when he touched her forehead against the back of his hand. He looked a little serious as he tilted his head to the side.

"Did you look after me all night?" she asked in a soft voice, causing his brows to raise. Even when he hadn't confirmed yet, she smiled.

"Thank you. Did I have a nightmare?" she inquired to change the subject.

"No. You hadn't had nightmares anymore. I sleep with you. I am a better nightmare."

"Pfft —" Aries pressed her lips to suppress her laughter.

"Darling, hold it in even if it suffocates you to death."

This time, she bit her lower lip as hard as she could. For reasons unknown, she felt like she could joke around without worry. Even when he was evidently annoyed, he wasn't harming her. Instead, he was indulging with her.

"Are you really going to suffocate yourself?" he asked in irritation, and that broke her.

Aries burst out in laughter before it gradually grew into giggling, hiding under the blanket. She only exposed her eyes, still vibrating while giggling.

"It's funny and amazing," she muttered playfully. "How proud you are that you're a nightmare."

"Darling, people talk about patriotism, gods, and what is right and moral. But I speak about their lies." Abel shrugged confidently. "Obviously, I don't nurture hypocrisy in my living body."

"That's your charm." She praised. "I mean it."

Abel might have a terrible personality and was an overall piece of garbage. But... he was the most real person she had ever encountered. He doesn't wear a mask to deceive people.

He only wore one; the crazy tyrant who would snap without a moment's notice. That was why his words were so trustworthy. He never had a reason to lie; he was too arrogant for that.

"Well, thank you for the compliment." He poked the tip of her nose lightly. "That feels rewarding."

"Abel?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you like me?" she inquired, catching him off guard. He looked at her with a slight surprise before his expression returned to its original nonchalance.

"Darling, you always surprise me whenever you're ill. I might purposely make you fall ill just to get that slight heart attack." He laughed, shaking his head lightly. "But the answer to that question is, yes, I do like you to an extent."

"Oh..."

"Why are you suddenly interested?"

Aries looked at him with slight doubt in her eyes. "Because I like you?" she bit her tongue after her remarks.

"Haha! Nice try, darling." Abel bent over, ruffling her hair with a bright grin. "Do you want to become my sister?"

"Wow… that's so random." She blurted out, pressing her lips into a thin line when she realized what she just said.

His grin stretched from ear to ear until it looked evil. "It's not. I've been thinking of adopting you. After beastiality, we'll commit incest. It sounds fun."

"It sounded like you need help." All she could do was stare at Abel in conflict. Surely, no one would ever catch up to his train of thoughts.