The Tyrant's Pet

"That is why! We! Should! Leave! Her! Alone!"

Aries's face contorted as Conan was already panting after yelling each word with such passion. So, he was scared too, huh?

"She will surely keep me busy tonight." Abel frowned while rubbing his chin. "Let's postpone this for about a month since I want to enjoy our honeymoon, darling. I don't want someone barging into our room while I'm inside you."

"Abel!" Aries's face instantly turned red.

"Ah. My bad!" Abel laughed, and then his eyes fell on Sunny. "Forget you heard that."

Sunny just blinked. "I wish."

"Tch." Aries snapped her tongue in irritation. "I will count to three. If you didn't dig up my master, you will face the consequences — one!"

Abel looked away while Conan's expression turned even grimmer.

"Two!" Aries ground her teeth as she darted her eyes between the two. "Thre —"

"Fine!" Conan exclaimed, dragging his feet forward. "Here, I'm going to dig this rotten woman, alright!"

Abel kept his poker face, but he was clearly upset. He pointed at Aries as he walked past her.

"Do not blame me if I smashed her skull if she ever says another word that drags my intelligence down."

With that being said, Abel and Conan started digging up the soil. Isaiah also joined them. Meanwhile, Sunny and Aries watched from the distance while having some snacks and juice. After a while, Aries and Sunny got up from the fabric they were sitting on and approached the hole the three had dug.

Isaiah was still inside the pit while Abel and Conan were standing on the surface across Aries and Sunny. Abel rested his hand on his hip, the shovel on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Conan's hands were on the shovel's handle, his chin on his knuckles, and the shovel dug into the ground a bit to support his lazy posture.

Isaiah looked up at them as he stood on the plain coffin. He caught Aries jerk her chin up, casually saying, "open it."

A shallow breath slipped past Isaiah's lips. Why was he the person who had to open up the coffin? He only met Marsella once or twice before Abel buried her, but in all those encounters, Isaiah only had one opinion about her.

Marsella… was a nutcase. Worse than Abel. Or rather, it was just that Abel just became a little tamed now because of Aries.

Isaiah carefully opened the coffin with his shovel, revealing a beautiful woman with bright silky silver hair. Marsella used to have bright golden hair, but her blanched hair suit her too. He took several steps back as Marsella's eyes cracked open.

The first she saw was Abel, Conan, Aries, and Sunny gazing down at her.

"Master!" Aries called in relief. She was the only person who had any positive feelings about this. Even Sunny's expression was hard to discern while staring at Marsella.

"Hello, dearest, sister," Abel smirked when he met Marsella's eyes once again. "How were you staying in this place? Did you enjoy it?"

"Ahh…" Marsella mumbled the rest of her words to herself, making Aries look at everyone.

"Is she alright?" asked Aries quietly, watching Conan snap his eyes at her.

"Do you think she's alright all along?" Conan scrunched his nose up. "This woman is never sane. Just how bad are you at judging people?"

"I'm so bad I thought of you as my friend?"

"Hey! That's offensive!"

"Handsome Uncle is saying the truth, though," Sunny remarked, holding Aries's hand. "Even my pretty grandma will agree to him."

"See?" Conan looked at Aries up and down as if judging her entire existence, but the latter ignored him.

"Why isn't she moving?" Aries asked curiously.

"Because she's mad!" Abel intoned, eyes at Marsella. "She's talking to herself, wondering who should she deliver to hell first."

"The duke!" Conan immediately raised a hand. "I vote that His Grace should go first!"

"I nominate the same person." Sunny also voted as if official voting just opened up.

"Uh…" Aries gazed at Conan and Sunny before setting her eyes on Isaiah. The latter glanced up at her and then at the other two who were shameless enough to sell him out without a second hesitation. Aries might be angry at Isaiah, but not to the point she wanted him dead.

But on second thought, Isaiah was capable enough to fend for himself.

"Same…?" Aries raised a hand reluctantly as she looked away from the grand duke out of slight guilt.

"It's four votes for Isaiah, Marsella." Abel chuckled happily as if Isaiah wasn't there to hear him, pointing fingers as he spoke in order. "You attack him first, and then Conan, Sunny before me. That will give me time to shower my wife with endless love and affection."

To their surprise, Marsella didn't move from the coffin and simply closed her eyes.

"Will you buffoons leave me alone?" she said sarcastically. "I am having a good time here."

"Huh?" Aries furrowed her brows as she gazed at them again. "Did she say she want to stay buried?"

"She did." Sunny nodded. "I guess she wants to live in solitude."

"Did she mature?" mumbled Conan in disbelief. "Did she want to live in seclusion now?"

"That is definitely a different type of seclusion," Aries pointed out with a twitching face.

"Isaiah, let's bury her again," Abel ordered offhandedly.

"What about me?" Aries asked almost immediately, warranting everyone's attention.

"Grandmama, do you want to get buried too?" asked the little girl, but before Aries could clarify, Conan already chimed in.

"I know witches like to live in seclusion, but I didn't think you already picked up their habit."

"Darling, we have palaces, mansions, an empire, and places we can go. I didn't know you want us to live underground?" Abel added incredulously.

"Should I prepare a coffin large enough for two?" Isaiah inquired but got ignored.

"I —" Aries pinched the bridge of her nose, unable to discern if these people had a silent agreement to act clueless. What she was saying was <strong>'how about her training?!' </strong>but obviously, they had a different take on it. "Never mind. If my master was alright with it, then let her live in solitude."

Abel smiled in satisfaction, gazing down at the pit again. "Just crawl your way out once you can keep Marsella at bay, Vera. I nearly killed her if you were a split second late."

"Huh?" Aries furrowed her brows, and fortunately, Sunny was there to explain.

"The person who opened her eyes was not the pretty grandmama, but the real Marsella," said Sunny. "If not for Grandpa and the Duke Deadmore keeping her restrained, she would've split you… right in the middle."

"Oh, come on, Sunny. You'll scare my wife! That will not happen. Not under my watch." Abel kept his smile. Aries opened and closed her eyes, studying Abel's smile, then Conan's lazy countenance while looking back at her, and then Sunny's adorable face.

"Did… you all know?" she blurted out under her breath, and Sunny nodded. The little girl's answer rendered her speechless.

"Ram," Marsella called, her eyes still shut, but spoke again when she felt Aries's gaze on her. "Remember all the things I taught you. If you need help, this revolting warlock here can help. I'm going to rest for a while."

"How touching," Abel commented, but Aries and Marsella ignored him.

Aries kept her eyes on Marsella and watched the latter open her eyes ever so slowly.

"Remember…" Marsella dawdled before Isaiah abruptly shut the lid, followed by the sinister laughter from inside the coffin. "Maleficent!! I'm going to kill you! Haha!"

Aries felt a chill down her spine as she jolted, a bit surprised at the change of Marsella's tone. But knowing there were two souls inside that body, Aries knew the person laughing once Isaiah shut the coffin wasn't her master, but the real Marsella.

"Master…" Aries whispered, hearing Marsella's muffled laughter and threats. "... I will, don't worry."