The Tyrant's Pet

[ Mainland: Royal Palace ]

"Maximus had it coming all, after all. I do not intend to interfere."

Gustav walked through the dimly lit hallway, recalling the words that had been in his head for some time now. His expression was stiff and his steps were unfaltering. Soon, he reached a certain door, lifting his chin as he gazed upon the wide door.

A shallow breath slipped past his lips, reaching for the knob. He didn't knock, but he carefully opened the door. The loud creak the door made announced his arrival, letting anyone inside the chamber know there was a person entering.

The room was dark. There was not a single candle that was lit, but Gustav's eyes shone a bright red in the dark.

"You should go," said Gustav as soon as his eyes fell on the person sitting in the dark. "She will need you in there."

His eyes were fixed on the dark corner of the room. There, curled in the dark, was Suzanne, the queen's lady-in-waiting.

Suzanne was hugging her knees, lifting up her head to look at Gustav from over her folded arms.

"Sir Gustav," came out her tiny voice. Her face rose from where it was hiding, revealing two sharp fangs that her lips couldn't hide.

"Her Majesty is in that mansion in the Forbidden Forest, my lady. The royal palace isn't a safe place for anyone anymore."

"It's never been a safe place." Her eyes slowly turned red, gulping the tension that made her throat dry. "I would like to stay, Sir Gustav. I am no longer the Suzanne I was two years ago. There was no need to protect me."

"My lady."

"My queen had suffered because of me!"

"That is not true."

"There is some truth in it." Suzanne slowly rose from the corner, balling her hands into a fist as she suppressed her thirst. "I might not be the root or the main cause, but one way or another, she had sacrificed a lot for me as well. To bring me back even if it meant sacrificing a portion of her life and feeding me her blood."

Suzanne shook her head mildly. "I tried to suppress everything, Sir Gustav. However, nights such as this made it especially hard."

"If you are truly remorseful, then the more reason you should leave, my lady."

"I am not being remorseful." A dry laugh slipped past her lips, shaking her head mildly. "With this new blood running in my veins, I couldn't find the slightest regret in ever licking a drop of her blood. I am now a vampire; someone who barely succeeded in turning with these marks on my neck."

Suzanne touched the wounds on her neck that never healed. If not for her constant self-care, she knew maggots would appear on them and eat her flesh because it was out in the open.

"I will stay in here until the very end," she continued, almost whispering her last words. "I will fight for her and regain the freedom they had stolen from her."

Gustav kept his lips in a thin line, sizing her up from head to toe. For two years, the only reason they were all still alive was because of Aries. They all knew that. However, they couldn't do anything because Aries always told them to not do anything.

"If that is what you wished," said Gustav, folding his sleeve to his elbow. "Then, I won't stop you. Her Majesty said she didn't intend to interfere tonight."

He then raised his arm with his fist facing up, eyes on Suzanne. "I understand your resolution for I share the same sentiments. It's either I return to her with the freedom she used to have or die fighting for it. But before you step out of here, let me offer you my blood to help you relieve your suffering."

Gustav studied Suzanne's unmoving figure as the latter gazed down at his wrist. Hesitation dominated her face, making her body tremble as her desire and morals clashed against each other.

"Do not speak of fighting if you…" he trailed off, getting a whiff of blood from a distance. "... are hesitant to accept another person's help. I am simply doing this so you have a chance to return to her side. She'll be disheartened if you die and waste the sacrifices she made just to bring you back."

Suzanne ground her teeth until her gums bled, holding Gustav's eyes. The stench of blood outside grew stronger as if more and more people were spilling their blood. When she gulp, it echoed in her ear before she heaved a deep exhale.

"Then…" in a blink of an eye, Suzanne appeared in front of Gustav. "... thank you, Sir Gustav."

She reached for his arm and without a second hesitation, her fangs sank deep into his wrist. His jaw tightened at the heat in his arm, allowing her to drink his blood from his wrist while some of it dripped on the floor.

As Suzanne sucked his blood, Gustav peeled his eyes away from her to the window. The room was curtain shut, but for reasons unknown, one of them was left slightly ajar. It allowed the wind to blow past the curtain, giving him a glimpse of what was outside.

"I saw him," he whispered, but Suzanne didn't answer as if she was preoccupied with soothing her scorching throat. "Earlier today… I had a glimpse of him."

His eyelids drooped, keep his eyes on the fluttering curtain. When he breathed out carefully, a sudden gust of wind blew past the window that made it flutter back before it completely detached from the window. The windows continued to shake; some window panes shattered while others just revealed cracks on them as a result.

With the curtain now on the floor and the windows shattered, making the other curtains flutter, the stench of blood filled the air. However, Gustav's eyes were focused on the reddish dark sky covering the mainland.

"He had broken the Thousand Seal on him," he whispered before snapping his eyes back to Suzanne as the latter managed to stop herself before he could ask.

Suzanne wiped the blood on the corner of her mouth with the back of her fist. She glanced up at him, releasing his arm.

"Thank you," she expressed under her breath, turning her head to the window where he was looking at previously. "So he had come, huh? What is that, by the way?"

Gustav massaged his wrist as he set his eyes on the window.

"Wrath," he answered. "That's the power of wrath. Carnage."