The Tyrant's Pet

"... If you succeeded, please tell me the secret."

Aries frowned while his smirk stretched. They both turned their heads in the door when a knock reach their ear and it opened slowly. Conan peeked his head in, smiling awkwardly.

"Marquess, you're still here?" he inquired as he went inside while Dexter peeled his leg over his other leg before he stood up. 

"You're a bit early, Sir Conan. But I am also on my way out." Dexter explained formally, placing his chair to how it was before he got in here. When he was done, he gazed at Conan and then at Aries, tilting his head down. 

"Until our next lesson, Lady Aries," he said before facing Conan squarely. His smile persisted and tilted his head down slightly before he left. 

Conan glanced at him as the former walked past him. He didn't speak until Dexter left the study.

"Lady Aries, His Majesty said he wants you to accompany him on the training grounds." 

"In a minute." Aries sighed as she closed the book reluctantly. As usual, after her lesson, she would have to accompany Abel wherever he goes. Be it a meeting or he was just staying in his office, Aries's presence was required.

"Lady Aries, is this about the assignment His Majesty gave you?" she glanced up, seeing Conan sit on where Dexter sat down previously. "Did you ask Marquess Vandran for help?" 

"I did." Aries continued to arrange the book slowly to buy herself some time. 

Yesterday, during her history lesson with Conan, they focused more on talking about Abel. Since she trusted him a bit and he trusted her, Aries also asked Conan the same question she asked Dexter. Well, she didn't really need to keep this a secret since Abel, himself, wished her luck.

Conan's answer was almost similar to Dexter's first answer. Although it was his idea to ask Dexter for advice, since he was the smart one. 

"Was it helpful?" he inquired, intrigued by the result she got. 

"Yes."

"Then why do you look like you are more in distress?"

Aries looked at him dead in the eye. "Sir Conan, do you really not know?" 

"Uh... right." Seeing her expression, he understood the dilemma. "It just became more complicated, huh?" 

She didn't speak anymore, pounding two books she was holding against the surface of the table. While she was purposely trying to delay her departure, Conan watched her in silence.

"Lady Aries, I know you want to 'regain' your freedom, but aren't you mostly free?" he asked, making her stop as she looked back at him. "I mean, no one is stopping you from doing anything you want. It's not like I don't trust His Majesty's words, but was leaving actually the best option?"

"What do you mean, Sir Conan?"

"I mean, why don't you try to... open your heart to His Majesty? I know he is unpredictable and can be a handful, but he can give you anything you ask if he likes you enough," he explained with a shrug. "Although he is dangerous, you only need to be terrified of him if you touch his bottom line."

Aries blinked countless times. "Sir Conan, are you running a fever?"

"Well, am I? I am under a lot of stress lately." Conan touched his forehead to check as if he didn't know about his health condition. 

"I just asked, since it seems you have a lot of things in mind."

"Lady Aries, how can you say that? I'm just giving you some options since..."

"What if he doesn't like me anymore?" she asked in a dead tone, letting out a shallow breath. "Sir Conan, you are right that no one is stopping me from doing anything I want, but I had done nothing that I want. These lessons, the beautiful dresses, these jewelries, the luxurious lifestyle... I never asked for them. But I'm doing so because, as you've said, one only needs to be terrified if they touch His Majesty's bottom line. I don't have enough lives to spare and test whether refusing these will touch his bottom line — I can't risk it."

What he said was nothing but ridiculous. Although she couldn't blame Conan for stating so, Aries's case was different. Abel doesn't come to Conan's bedroom and sleep with him, after all.

"Well, I'm just saying..." he frowned but didn't argue, respecting her point. "Just the maybe's, you know?"

"I understand you, Sir Conan. But if I can really do anything, can I go out of the palace?" she inquired after a moment of silence. A weak scoff escaped her nostrils when he didn't answer. "That's my point. If His Majesty gave me this opportunity, I should grab it. Even if it's all games for him, I want to take it seriously. If I still failed after doing my best, then..."

She trailed off as she lowered her eyes. "Then I'll probably resort to your suggestion. Until then, I want to keep trying."

"I'll be rooting for you then, Lady Aries." She smiled meekly as he cheer her on. "I really do. Just tell me if you need anything. I'll find all ladies with green hair if you like."

"Thank you." She chuckled. "She should be smart, too. Add that on our list."

"Got you."

*******

When Aries and Conan reached the training ground, they went ahead to the platform to accommodate the audience not far away. She sat down on one of the chairs, eyes on Abel in the middle of the training ground. 

"This is the first time I've seen His Majesty train his archery skill," she muttered, watching Abel stretch the string, focused eyes on the straw target. "He will hit it," she predicted even before he could shoot. 

However, while Abel narrowed his eyes, he felt a gaze from a direction. He quirked a brow, cocking his head only to see Aries staring back at him from the audience platform. 

The side of his lips curled up into a smirk. "Who is that gorgeous thing over there?" he intoned, turning his body so that he was aiming at her. 

Aries couldn't react quickly as a strong wind already blew past her, wide-eyed. A few strands of her hair slowly fell down after getting grazed by the sharp arrow.

For a moment, all she could do was blink whilst holding her breath — almost experienced a mini heart attack. When she recovered, she looked over her shoulder, only to see the arrow embedded on the wooden wall behind her. 

"Sir Conan, where is the easiest route to leave the palace?" Her expression was dead, setting her eyes at Conan's pale face.

"Lady Aries... please don't leave me yet..."

They looked at each other with blank eyes for a moment. As her ally, his face gradually turned red and glared daggers at the culprit.

"Your Majesty! Did you ask us to come here so you can use us as your targets!? Do you really wish us dead?! How can you bully Lady Aries the moment she comes?!" A series of complaints flowed out in Conan's mouth, only to receive a laugh from Abel. 

"Why are you angry, Conan? I'm simply playing cupid!" Abel yelled back in a more playful tone. 

"Cupid?! Cupid shoots heart arrows! Yours will kill us!!" 

'Cupid's arrows are more deadly, though,' he thought indifferently. 'Also, I have a better aim than Cupid since that fiend always gets it wrongs.'

Abel frowned, staring at the furious Conan, but ignored him. Instead, his eyes shifted to Aries, who bore this blank expression.

"Darling, come here." He cocked his head back, seeing her point at herself. "Yes, you.. Come down here. Let's play!"