The Tyrant's Pet

"Your Royal Highness!"

Joaquin snapped his eyes when he heard someone call in a panic. Fear, worry, and relief clouded his head, but seeing that his wife was brought back, all he could think of was to take care of her. He jumped out of the horse and rushed to Abel, whom he believed found his wife.

"Circe!" he called as he jogged, but Abel didn't stop from his strides. Joaquin only halted when the latter cast him an indifferent side-eye, which, for some reason, rang all the emergency bells in his head. He would have listened to his gut feeling, but that was his wife in another man's arms.

Joaquin resumed while Abel continued to head to Aries's tent without slowing down. When he was walking beside Abel, puzzlement plastered across his face.

"Baron Albe, my wife…"

"It's raining, Crown Prince." Abel's reply was nonchalant without casting Joaquin a look. "My darling needs rest."

"What —"

"Silence."

Before Joaquin could even process the insolence of that man, he froze like a statue. Not just him, but every single one in the surrounding stopped moving. Men and women, those who were under the pouring rain and under the tent, stood frozen, bearing the same expression on their faces.

Ismael, who was being carried by Morro on his shoulder, raised his head and looked around. Only humans stopped moving, while horses and animals maintained their mobility and consciousness. As they walked past Joaquin, Ismael furrowed his brows, seeing that Joaquin's mouth was left ajar, standing in the same position, eyes clouded.

"What — what's going on?" he blurted out in disbelief while his heart thudded against his chest loudly.

"They're alive," Morro returned, still following Abel closely from behind.

"What?"

"His Majesty simply stopped the circulation of their blood... it's easier if you think like that," Morro explained in simple terms. "Although their blood is still circulating, it's only enough to keep them all alive... for now."

"..." Morro's explanation was complete nonsense and impossible. But then again, everything Ismael had witnessed ever since Abel rescued them from that bear had been something beyond his comprehension.

All Ismael could do was stare blankly at the people around the vast expanse while he was being carried to who knows where. Until they reached a certain area and the people grew tiny in his perspective, no one moved under that pouring rain, nor did they make even the slightest sound.

Deep in his heart, Ismael wished this was all a dream — a nightmare. Because if this were all real, then... everything Ismael had believed in this world would crumble down.

<strong>*****</strong>

"Your Majesty!" Gertrude stopped pacing back and forth as she gasped as soon as Abel and Morro entered Aries's tent. Her eyes fell on Aries and that second, her heart sank.

"My lady!"

"Prepare her a change of clothes," ordered Abel as he made his way towards the bed.

"Ye — yes!"

While Gertrude hurriedly prepared for Aries's change of clothes and everything she needed to clean Aries and her injuries, Curtis could only stare at Abel as he placed Aries on the bed. Meanwhile, Morro put down Ismael, and the latter held onto the table to keep himself from falling.

"What happened?" Curtis sprung up to his seat as he rushed to the other side of the bed. As soon as he got a closer look at Aries, his heart clenched. Blood was all over her head and clothes. He heard about the commotion outside, but he didn't think much about it since he was confident Aries would be fine. Or rather, he simply assumed it was part of her plans.

How come she would return with fatal injuries?

"You..." Curtis froze when he heard Ismael's voice, twisting his neck only to see the same shocked expression plastered on the third prince's face. "... can talk?"

"What is he doing here?"

"He saved Lady Aries," Morro answered out of the goodness of his heart. "And he can talk because Lord Abomination lifted the curse placed on him."

Morro smiled subtly as he darted his eyes between Ismael and Curtis while standing in between them. Both men gazed up at his towering figure and instantly noticed how his deep voice didn't fit his boyish face. But they didn't dwell on that unnecessary detail, as Ismael and Curtis simply gazed at each other for a second before shifting their attention to the people on the bed.

"Is she alright?" asked Curtis, ignoring the third prince since they wouldn't take him here if they weren't sure he could keep secrets.

Ismael also waited for Abel to answer, even though he shouldn't be interested in her well-being. But his gut feeling told him Aries should be fine. Or else, this emperor... would surely wipe them all out. He could only think of the worse if something happened to Aries.

Abel didn't respond, raising his gaze at Curtis. His eyes didn't reach the latter's eyes as his gaze settled on the necklace dangling around his neck.

"I told her not to remove it," he muttered, causing Curtis to crease his brows and gaze down to see the necklace. "Why are you wearing that?"

Curtis couldn't find his voice for a moment. "She said she didn't want to lose it or break it while hunting, so she asked me to safeguard it temporarily."

Abel didn't reply anymore as he shifted his eyes back to Aries. His eyes fell soft, brushing her jaw with the back of his hand gently.

"Silly," he whispered. "There's a reason it was put in something where it can be shattered. So you can break it easily with your teeth."

There was a long silence that descended in the tent as neither of them talked for a few minutes. All they could hear was the sound of rain and nothing else. Ismael had taken a seat around the table, knees still trembling from shock. Curtis could only stare at her with worry in his eyes.

The silence broke when Gertrude returned, soaked, and expression pale as if she had seen something horrifying. But she was still carrying a bowl of water and finished her objective.

"Your Majesty, outside… everyone —"

"Silence her, Morro."

And before Gertrude could even process Abel's orders, her vision went blank and the bowl of freshwater fell, only for Morro to catch it with his palm under.