The Tyrant's Pet

Aries had a good memory. She remembered all the lands these ladies came from. Back when she was Abel's pet, she was forced to follow him everywhere he goes and listen to every discussion he would have. Those lands: Topia, Chivisea, and Nurius were mentioned in the past.

Those lands were small kingdoms just like Rikhill. Topia and Chivisea had always taunted each other and the tension in recent years kept increasing. The only reason those two kingdoms hadn't waged a war with each other was because of the Haimirich Empire.

It might sound like the Haimirich Empire was acting as the mediator between two kingdoms. The story differed greatly from what it looked like.

Abel had always eyed those kingdoms because of their natural resources. Knowing the Haimirich Empire and the tyrant emperor, both kings had to rule out the idea of a war, afraid Abel would take advantage of the tension. Abel had no morals, after all.

For Chivisea and Topia to send a princess into the empire meant the relationship between Haimirich, Chivisea, and Topia had progressed into a friendly diplomatic relationship. Aries wasn't updated anymore since she got busy dealing with the Maganti Empire and was now preoccupied with a personal thing called witchcraft.

Meanwhile, the land of Nurius was a land Aries was so familiar with. Nurius and Rikhill had a tight relationship. Nurius sent reinforcement for Rikhill during their war against the Maganti Empire. It was one of the very few countries that supported the land of Rikhill when everyone else turned their backs on them.

As far as Aries knew, the land of Nurius was implicated and struggled because of the king's decision to help Rikhill. But seeing they sent a princess in here, it seemed they managed to get out of the crisis with the Haimirich Empire's help. Aries was unsure if it was a coincidence or if Abel knew about it.

Aries kept her eyes on Princess Sybil. The latter had lowered her head after sensing she made the air a little awkward. She had met a prince — Sybil's brother, back when she was a princess in Rikhill. She remembered a conversation with him where he mentioned his little sister, who was very timid and shy. He mentioned her because Aries was the opposite of her.

'I guess she's the one he was talking about,' Aries thought, smiling subtly.
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"It's nice to meet you, Your Highness." Aries watched Sybil cautiously raise her head and flashed her a kind smile. Sybil's cheek immediately turned pinkish, smiling awkwardly.

Suzanne cleared her throat. "Since we're in the same circle and I think this will be our permanent group. I hope we all work hard and kick those other ladies out." Her lips stretched and her lively tone brought life to the still air.

"Hah… at the end of the day, we're still in a competition," Veronika pointed out. "Work together? With you? Fat chance."

"I don't want to compete…" Sybil commented in a tiny voice, flinching when Veronika cast her a sharp look.

"I don't like the types of you," Veronika expressed bluntly. "I had met a lot of ladies who seemed they wouldn't even swat a fly, only to turn out to be a snake who is only waiting when they will bite."

Sybil frowned, her eyes immediately turned watery. However, Aries and Suzanne didn't defend her since they couldn't trust each other just yet. This could be Sybil's tactic. Who knows? But that wasn't the reason Aries didn't step in.

For Aries, she might be grateful to the land of Nurius, but this was the imperial palace. As long as Sybil wasn't harmed, she would only look after her but not throw her fist immediately. As selfish as it may sound, Aries's peace was even more important. She didn't want to implicate herself and make an enemy to anyone immediately.

"We still have a few hours before our scheduled lunch with the Emperor. I don't know what to do…" Suzanne shifted the discussion with a deep exhale. "Lady Vandran, should we take a stroll together? It is my first time in the empire and in the Imperial Palace. It's so luxurious and it lived up to its name."

"I heard Lady Vandran had been sick all her life and is cherished by her brother, the marquess." Veronika chimed in. "Even though her journey was shorter, aren't you a little inconsiderate to ask her to take a stroll when she could use this time to rest?"

Suzanne frowned, glaring back at Veronika. "Aren't you taught proper etiquette, Fourth Princess? Or was the rumor that Chivisea was a land of barbarians true? Hence, you have no notion of etiquette?"
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"The land of barbarians… that is not a rumor, Your Highness," Veronika smirked, unfazed by the insult thrown by Suzanne. "We are barbarians and we do not hesitate to cut a tongue of those who speak ill of our land."

"Hah…" Suzanne scoffed, eyes full of ridicule.

Aries darted her eyes between Veronika and Suzanne silently. It was obvious the two disliked each other from the get-go; it wasn't a surprise, though, since the kingdom they came from would clash at every turn. Hence, their opinions of each other were something already etched deep in their bones.

"I appreciate Your Highness Barkridge's consideration for my health," Aries spoke with a subtle smile, watching Veronika look back at her before shifting her attention to Suzanne. "I am a little exhausted, and I know each of us was equally exhausted. Still, I would love to take a stroll some other time once we settled in and adjusted to the life in the imperial palace."

"Then I'll take that as a promise, my lady." Suzanne smiled warmly at Aries, only to slightly roll her eyes at Veronika. The latter smirked and shrugged, leaning back comfortably.

"Although we're in a competition to become the empress, I hope we get along well," Aries continued soothingly. "The Emperor is an unpredictable man, but I'm glad I am included in this group. Let's look after each other for now."

"Lady Vandran, even if I don't become the empress, I will be happy if you become one," Sybil chimed once again. "I'm not a strong candidate, so I'll just curry favor with those who had a higher chance of being the empress!"

"I'm certain you shouldn't be saying that aloud." Veronika chuckled in amusement, staring at Sybil, who covered her lips with eyes popped open.

Aries chuckled as she shook her head. "No. I was merely selected because my brother was upset when the emperor sent me to an unstable empire. I'm lucky to have survived such an unfortunate event, but my first marriage was the proof I lost all the rights to marry the emperor."

Aries might've sounded pretentious since she was married to Abel. However, what she said was nothing but facts. If they were going to follow the empire's tradition, then Aries was bound to fail this competition.