The Tyrant's Pet



"Gratitude. If there were one person, I could trust in this land, that would be the person who had saved me before I could equip myself with the proper gear to fight Giselle. That person was you."

Deep lines slowly resurfaced between Aries's brows, looking back at the woman standing several meters before her. Confusion was evident on her face, but the person looking back at her with those beautiful pair of midnight blue orbs seemed to have to bear the truth of many galaxies. 

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Two years ago…

"So? What do you think?"

Aries snapped her eyes ever so tenderly, looking back at the owner of the voice. As soon as she did, all she saw was Maximus IV advancing in her direction with open arms. 

"How do you find the mainland, my queen?" he asked, beside Aries and joining her on the balcony of her palace. "Was it better than the Haimirich Empire? or was it worse?"

"You know my answer." Her voice was calm and quiet, setting her eyes on the beautiful vast garden. "The Queen's palace reminds me of the Rose Palace. The only difference is that I can't see the king's palace from here."

"Haha! Is that a bad thing, my queen?"

"They say absence makes the heart grow fonder." Aries cast him a quick side-eye. "It's not that bad."

Maximus chuckled. By now, he was slowly getting used to her coldness and bantering with her. He couldn't completely say he appreciated it or liked it, but there were times humoring her was entertaining.

"The Queen's palace is designed this way, so she only sees good and nice things," he explained, motioning his hand across the vast garden full of different flowers that only grow in the royal palace. "After all, the queen's only job is to produce children."

Maximus took a deliberate pause, facing Aries. "As many children as she could," he stressed, making her look back at him.

"That doesn't apply to me, does it?" was her first question, arching her brow. 

The corner of his lips curled up into a smirk, cocking his head to the side as he turned on his heel to face her squarely. 

"I suddenly have an idea," he mused. "What if I give you a child? I wonder what would be his reaction?"

"Don't even think about it?"

"Why?" his brows rose. "You were once pregnant with the man who killed your entire family. You didn't hate the child, even though you despised Joaquin Imperial with every part of your body." 

Aries's countenance turned icy as she slowly faced him. She lifted her chin while her eyelids drooped, yet it couldn't conceal the malice in her eyes.

"Try," she taunted. "Why don't you try that idea of yours, Maximus? I'll make you understand why I warned you not to even think about it."

Maximus and Aries stared at each other in silence for a moment. Both of them didn't back down, even though there wasn't any verbal exchange for minutes.

"Haha! You can't take a joke." After some time, Maximus raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I might not be the best person you'd ever meet, but I am not that low."

Aries didn't react strongly as she peeled her eyes off him. "It is good that I am not wrong about you."

"What were you expecting from me?"

"The worse."

"Worse… is Abel," he remarked humorously. "I am bad. Compared to him, I'd be an angel with wings."

"You should go back to heaven then."

"As much as I want to, I can't, because that won't be my destination anymore. It's like a one-way path, my queen. Once you fall, the only way you can take it down." Maximus looked away from her, setting them on the greenery surrounding the queen's palace. "I'm still currently free falling, and all I can expect is that once I landed, the damage will be devastating."

"So you're taking everyone with you on the way, huh?" Aries let out a dry chuckle. "I guess it was true that misery loves company."

"It does, indeed." Maximus rocked his head, sneering, casting her a look. "That is why you were with him, isn't that right?"

"Maybe." Aries shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe not. Who knows?"

"Hehe." Maximus IV laughed before he leaned over, resting his arms on the railings of the balcony. As the soft wind blew past his charming face, the side of his lips curled up into a smirk. "Today's weather is great."

Her eyelashes fluttered as she glanced at his back. Her countenance was still cold, but her mien was calmer. 

"What are you doing here, Your Majesty?" she asked without beating around the bush. "You didn't come here just to spend some quality time with me, did you? I'd be very disappointed if that's the case."

"You break my heart, my queen." Maximus IV chortled, looking back at her with mischief in his eyes. "Now, it makes me think I should only come to see you when necessary. Can't I see you just because I miss you?"

"Will you seriously continue this nonsense?"

"Well, yes, of course. You are my queen, and even if we didn't go through a proper wedding ceremony, you are still my queen." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Whether or not we like it, our relationship has an impact on my people and this land. We should maintain a good relationship."

Her already arched brow raised even more. "You are suggesting?"

"We should schedule some time for each other. Nothing fancy. Just a meal or a walk in the garden every once in a while." By the tone of his voice, he was just as uninterested as she was. "All the previous queens only had one job, and that was to give the king as many children as she could. But not in my era."

He looked back at her, smirking. "You and I… will be different from all the previous sovereigns of this land. Although you still needed to die for me. But until your untimely death, let's get along well, Aries."