The Tyrant's Pet

"How disdainful." A whisper slipped past Maximus's lips, but that quiet remark brought this silence in the conference room. Maximus slowly raised his head, revealing the murderous intent in his eyes. "Back down? Call for a clever retreat? Hah… aren't you simply ganging up to bully me?"

He cocked his head to the side, fluttering his eyelashes ever so tenderly. "Why? Was it because the Mainland had been an isolated land until recently? Do you all see me for a fool?"

"Surely, I should've known this… was a terrible idea. Perhaps you are all correct. I was a fool to believe that this world will allow me, my land, and my people to get recognized and establish my footing through peaceful means," he continued, sending a wave of chill down everyone's spine. Even though he wasn't finished with his sentiments, everyone already got his answer.

"There's really no effective way to let people listen other than instilling fear in their hypocritical hearts," he added through his gritted teeth. His appearance was calm, but surely, one could feel he was seething with anger.

Many of them swallowed the building tension in their throats while the rest kept their grim and solemn expression. Those words that came out of Maximus's lips just now were nothing but a threat, which they were certain wasn't an empty one.

"I think I had heard enough of this nonsense," he continued, planting his hands on the armrest and pushing himself up. "What a joke. Perhaps the only good thing I could say about this is that it saved me the trouble of putting up with you all for the rest of the week."

Maximus faced the marshall four steps away from his vantage point, raising his hand and spreading his fingers wide open. When his pupils dilated, a force pulled the marshall's body in Maximus's direction. In a blink of an eye, Maximus was grabbing the marshall's neck without moving from his spot.

Shing!

The moment Maximus utilized his ability, swords were drawn from all the soldiers present. However, none of them charged as if a force stopped them from moving a muscle.

"You dare…?" he scoffed, gazing at the marshall with contempt. "Surely, humans are the silliest creatures to ever exist in this world. Even animals would sense who to cross and run from. Unbelievable. You are nothing but a human and yet, you kept wagging that tongue of yours. I am unsure if that is because you are simply dense and ignorant or you desperately needed to enter hell. Either way, I hope you are prepared for the consequences."

His eyes lit up with the building fury from within, gripping the marshall's neck tightly. Meanwhile, everyone was stunned and unable to react quickly when the marshall suddenly flew to Maximus and was not being lifted by the neck.

The marshall held Maximus's wrist with both his hands as his feet left the ground. Yet, those pair of fiery eyes Maximus bore mirrored the face of a man with no fear of death. Even when the marshall's face turned red due to the lack of air, he didn't show the slightest resignation to Maximus.

"You…" Maximus's anger reached its peak, seeing the lack of fear from the marshall.

"... enough." A soft voice echoed in the conference hall, followed by a crack as if a bone had cracked. "I heard enough. Let him go, Maximus."

Aries drew a deep breath, turning her head in Maximus's direction. The latter's fingers that were wrapped around the marshall's neck slowly peeled from it, fingers cracking one by one.

"Do not interfere, my dear," warned Maximus through his gritted teeth, unfazed by the powerful force that was making him loosen his grip on the marshall's neck. "Don't anger me more."

The corner of Abel's lips curled up, casting Aries a playful look. However, Aries ignored that look on Abel's face as she kept her eyes on Maximus. Her other hand was raised, stopping all the soldiers from both parties from engaging in a fight.

If not for Aries utilizing her powers, blood already tainted this sacred place the moment Maximus grabbed that marshall's neck. Aries slowly stood, scanning the mixed expressions on every monarch's face. There were only two expressions that dominated their faces: a mix of fear and panic, and then displeasure at Maximus's attitude.

"One of this summit's agendas was the recognition of the mainland being a part of this world," she stressed in a solemn tone. "Although we do not need anyone's approval to announce our existence, we still chose a peaceful resolution. Therefore, please understand that since the mainland hadn't interfered with any world affairs for so long, there were many things we are so afraid of and practices that were hard to change in just a few years."

"One of them was the late entrance of the Emperor of the Haimirich Empire," she added, setting her eyes on Abel. "I'm certain the royal knights were merely doing their job, assuming all the members of the summit were already in here. Therefore, they probably assumed that the emperor was nothing but an intruder and they were simply ensuring the safety of this land's esteemed guests."

"I also understand the emperor of Haimirich didn't have a choice but to fight for his right. It must've been stressful for you and I take responsibility for this misunderstanding," she stressed, making others frown in dissatisfaction.

Misunderstanding? Who was she lying to? Everyone now was aware of the disappearance of the great Haimirich Empire, and they were quick to connect the dots since the mainland appeared around the same time. Moreover, didn't Abel and Maximus shamelessly publicize their grudges against each other?

None of them rose those rebuts, though.

Aries already put it that way and since she rationalized it under the facade of a misunderstanding, it would only appear that anyone who refute that wanted this fight to continue. It was better to deem it as a mere misunderstanding than drag this longer.

"As the host of this summit and the queen of the mainland, I expressed my sincerest apology for this." She lowered her head, doing the duty of the queen. "This is my first time hosting such an event, and I am still lacking. I hope you extend your understanding and give me a chance to correct this. I will make sure such a misunderstanding will not happen ever again."

Aries slowly raised her face, her expression emotionless, but her eyes were sincere.

"I don't mind, so long as the queen said, she will take responsibility for this inconvenience." Abel dawdled salaciously, smirking evilly as he set his devious eyes on her.

Aries simply cast him a cursory look before shifting her attention to Maximus. The latter's eyes still bore fury and were even more annoyed that she truly dared step in. He didn't need her protection — if that was what this was. However, right before his lips parted, a clap was heard from the entrance of the conference, followed by a feminine voice.

"My, my… what a dilemma on the early period of the Summit."