The Tyrant's Pet

Days later…

BAM!

Miguel slammed the bottom of his fist against the desk, making everything on it clang. His breathing grew heavier, feeling his heart clench in anger. After his last encounter with the queen in the fort, Miguel ordered his most trusted confidante to dig up the queen's past.

The result that came back to him was not something he had expected. The information made his entire body tremble in rage. For a righteous man such as him, what he learned about Aries would never sit still with him.

It was true that Aries used to be a princess in the small land of green. She was not like any other princess for she successfully replaced the original heir to the throne, becoming the crown princess. But that was when the tragedy began.

"My experience in this mere existence taught me enough lessons, Lord Miguel. One of them was lessons from people — different types of people who stepped into my life to either lift it in the dark or trample it in broad daylight."

Thinking about what he had learned, those words Aries uttered just days ago made a lot of sense. Now he understood the reason the queen was like a mountain that wouldn't budge. People… ruined her life, made her life a living hell, and even when she found solace in the darkness with a devil incarnate like Abel Grimsbanne, people were still after her.

No matter what angle a person looked, the current sovereign of the Mainland was something no one ever fathomed. Aries had nothing to do with the mainland, yet, she was dragged in here by Maximus as a hostage. Looking at it from an unbiased perspective, this wouldn't happen if Maximus didn't step outside of the Mainland and meddled with Abel Grimsbanne, implicating Aries.

Miguel ran his hands through his hair in distress and then linked his hands before his lips. His eyes were fixed on the documents in front of him. Aside from pity, Miguel couldn't understand the intense emotion swirling in his chest.

"Your Majesty…" he whispered, clenching his teeth, his eyes shining with mixed emotions.

Silence soon descended in the room Miguel was in, staring at the document before him. He couldn't imagine what sort of torture Aries had gone through until now. Miguel had been through an expedition and what he was certain was that reading something was far different from reality.

Knock knock.

His train of thought trailed off when a knock from outside caressed his ears. Miguel slowly lifted his eyes toward the shut door, waiting for the person outside to announce himself. However, the announcement didn't come as the door creaked open.

There was only one person who would get inside his room without announcing himself, and that was none other than his father, Lord Albert.

Out of formality, Miguel planted his hands on the surface of the desk to push himself up. "Father," he greeted. "I didn't expect you to visit me in the middle of the night."

"Don't be so formal, son," said the clan leader of the noble Rothschild family. "I came because I was worried about you."

"Please, take a seat." Miguel politely ushered his father to the set of couches in his room. As a tradition, Lord Albert sat on the head seat while Miguel sat down on the divan.

"We had a family dinner, and I was expecting you would come, but you didn't. Therefore, I was worried that you are overworking yourself again," said Lord Albert with genuine concern in his eyes. "I heard you've been investigating the queen. Digging up things about her can be exhausting, so do not dwell on it much."

"What?" Miguel furrowed his brows at his father's remarks. "Were you still keeping an eye on me?"

"I didn't plant any shadows in you if that is what you are asking." Lord Albert didn't beat around the bush. "It just so happened I stumbled with it earlier today."

Miguel frowned, knowing that wasn't the case. "You never showed interest in things that I do in the past. Don't you trust me anymore, my Lord?"

"No, that's not it. Do not misunderstand, my son. I trust you more than I trust myself." Lord Albert chuckled, shaking his head mildly. "Since you were a child, you were more mature than the children your age. Even now, you excelled among your peers, bringing honor after honor to our Rothschild family. However, some matters would still worry me as your father, Miguel."

"Why would you get worried about me?"

"The queen is not someone you should trust or pity," said Lord Albert, holding his son's gaze. "She is someone who will use a person's weakness to her advantage. She is a great manipulator, and I'm afraid she would use your kind and compassionate nature to harm you."

Lord Albert leaned forward slightly. "You might've made yourself believe that I do not care about you, but that is wrong. I wouldn't make you my heir if you were simply exceptional. I made you my heir because I trust you and I know you wouldn't do anything to tarnish our family reputation."

"If you care about me that much, why did you even force me to monitor the queen?" Miguel scoffed in dismay. "If you are so worried, then shouldn't you have stopped me from approaching her? From what I remember, your orders are the opposite."

"I know." Lord Albert frowned, leaning back against his seat while lowering his gaze. "However, I didn't have a choice."

"Lord Albert Rothschild didn't have a choice?"

"Lady Giselle gave me a tempting offer a father wouldn't miss in the world." He slowly lifted his eyes back to Miguel once again. "If you have a little trust in me, put your faith in me for now. And listen to me when I say do not believe everything the queen tells you. She will be this land's downfall."

"And how are you certain a person like her will bring down the Mainland?"

"Have you not heard how many lands fell because of her?" returned Lord Albert, making Miguel clench his hand on his lap. "Because of her, the land of green where she came from fell into ruin. In the empire, she became a crown princess... chaos ensued, costing the deaths of many royalties and nobles. Lastly, the Haimirich Empire — the empire Abel Grimsbanne governed. That empire was already forgotten and ruined. I won't allow her curse existence to bring down the Mainland."