The Tyrant's Pet

"A perfect hors d'oeuvre for the perfect lady."

Aries glanced up and smiled at Fabian while the latter served her appetizers for tonight's early dinner.

"Fabian," she called softly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Fabian kept his smile with his eyes squinting. "I was… busy, Your Majesty."

"Busy preparing this feast?" her eyes glossed over the table and the feast Fabian made himself. "One thing was for sure. There were no other people in this mansion other than the four of us."

"Let the butler do his job, darling. It was already nice of him to be this prepared," Abel chimed in humorously.

"Too prepared, I must add. Even Gustav would need at least a week." Dexter slightly scrunched his face. There was no way this was done in a hurry; everything was prepared and perfect as if it took Fabian a month's preparation for this day.

"I used to oversee a duchy's residence," explained Fabian, standing stiffly three steps from Aries's chair. His arm hovered in front of his abdomen with a cloth draped over it. "With a spontaneous person such as my lord, I had to be prepared at all times. Having just a few days or hours shouldn't be an excuse."

"How nice…" Abel let out a deep exhale. "I should've met you earlier. Come. Join us."

"I'm afraid I will have to refuse your offer, Your Majesty. I have an errand to attend. There were many other things in the mansion to repair before my master comes home."

Aries's lips parted but ended up shutting herself up.

"Will you be alright?" she asked, changing what she initially wanted to tell him. "It will be no surprise if the Forbidden Forest is now surrounded by Maximus people. If they sighted even your shadow, they will hurt you."

"How sweet." Fabian's countenance brightened up. "Do not worry about me, my queen. Had I ever done to make you doubt me?"

"I'm just saying, but very well, take care of your way."

"Rest assured, I will return in one piece." Fabian beckoned a neck bow before lifting his eyes at Abel on the seat beside Aries, and at Dexter across from Aries. "May you enjoy your reunion. Be careful around. You might get lost."

With that being said, Fabian placed his palm across his chest once again, bidding them farewell before sauntering off. Dexter kept his eyes on Fabian's back, shaking his head sideways.

"I've seen him visit London a couple of times," said Dexter, picking up the cutlery to enjoy the feast. This was his first meal with his sister. Hence, he wanted to enjoy it rather than dwell on other things. "The both of them get along well. I now understand why."

"Fabian is a strange man, indeed, but also reliable," Aries mused with a smile. "Thanks to him, my life within the castle walls had been bearable."

She paused, shifting her eyes to Abel. "Thanks to him, Abel was able to enter the mainland with no problem."

Abel blinked and smile. "Let's dig in. Fabian told me it's best to eat while the food is hot. I haven't had any decent meal — well, my nephew's wife was a great cook as well."

"You met your family?" Dexter raised his brows, only to realize it probably had something to do with Abel's awakening. "Right… silly of me to assume how you have gotten out of that world is because of Isaiah."

"Well, Isaiah couldn't take me out of the spirit world, but I still commend him for protecting the empire while I was away."

"That sounds like something he would do." Dexter rocked his head while slicing through the meat. "I don't have much any inquiry about the empire. Whether or not I want to hear any updates, London would suddenly bother me with all sorts of information."

"London is a nice guy." Aries smacked her lips, thinking about this particular noble she met on the mainland. "It's a surprise that he was Sir Isaiah's cousin."

"Darling, even if they were cousins, I'm certain they only met at least once or a few times all these years," Abel commented, switching his plates with hers so she could just enjoy the sliced meat without exerting little effort. "I don't think Isaiah is just as fond of London as the latter shows."

"He?"

Aries and Abel raised their brows, turning their heads in Dexter's direction. The latter had this equal puzzlement and surprise plastered on his face.

"What are you two saying?" asked Dexter in a blank tone. "Isn't London a girl?"

From head to toe, and even London's dressing, one could tell London was a woman. The reason Dexter was baffled by the two of them was that they kept addressing London Leviticus as a man.

"You… don't know?" her voice faltered, raising her brows innocently. "London is a man, brother."

"My, my. Don't tell me you developed some romantic feelings for him, Marquess?" Abel teased with a devious smirk. "Although I presume nothing nasty had happened between you two since you'd know he is a man if you only took off his clothes, just like what I did."

"..."

For a moment, Dexter could only dart his eyes between Aries and Abel. Both of them were sitting across from Dexter thus, he could see the slight conflict in his sister's eyes and mischief in Abel's.

"All this time…" Dexter hung his head low as his tone dropped a new level of coldness. "... I've been holding back, thinking London was a girl."

His eyes glinted with fury, gripping the cutlery until his fist trembled. The discovery that London was a male all along was something that made him feel betrayed and cheated.

"If only I know he was a guy, I would've at least punched him in the face." Dexter breathed out, raising his head while grinding his teeth angrily.

Meanwhile, Aries pressed her lips into a thin line before casting Abel a helpless look. The latter, however, enjoyed the sight before him.

'Well…' Aries peeled her eyes from Abel to the sliced meat on her plate. A subtle smile turned up on her face while her eyes softened. '... this reminds me of the life we used to have. It feels nice.'

Before Maximus's arrival, their life was almost normal and peaceful. No matter how tiring their duties as the empress, the emperor, and the marquess, there were days they would sit at the same table just to talk about anything but serious discussion.

If this was a dream… she didn't want to wake up anymore.