The Tyrant's Pet

"I want to see... the monster you are talking about, Rome."

There was a long moment of silence between the two of them. Violet let a minute pass before raising her hands to his metal helm. She carefully studied his reaction, but when Roman didn\'t react, she planted her hand on his metal helm. Her throat bobbed, hearing her big gulp in her ear as she slowly took it off from him.

Violet\'s lips parted as her heart thudded, seeing a pair of glowing red eyes looking back at her. His scar across his other eye was gone and all the little scars across his face. Aside from those distinct long fangs and his red eyes that were originally silver, Violet was in disbelief at how Roman seemed to have regained his youthful appearance.

Roman had always worn his armor all day long, but she had seen him without it multiple times. It was not that Roman was that old, but the stress of taking part in every war put a toll on his appearance, making him look older than his age. But now... he looked the same way he looked several years ago.

But Violet didn\'t dwell on that for a long time as her eyes lingered on his eyes. Without thinking, she reached for his face and caressed the corner of his eye — the one that he had lost during a duel against Carlos. While she was touching him, Roman was frozen on the spot. He couldn\'t take his eyes off of her, trying to find the slightest trace of fear for what was in front of her.

"You look handsome." His breath hitched when Violet smiled at him. "You\'ve always been, Rome. I already told you many times you shouldn\'t cover your face since there\'s nothing to be ashamed of. The scars on your body were the proof of your victory in every war you took part in and the proof that you fought for something with all your heart."

"I have... fangs," he breathed out with dilated pupils, as if to remind her lest she didn\'t see it properly, but to no avail. Violet wasn\'t the least intimidated and looked at him the same. Deep in his heart, he sincerely hoped she would get scared if she saw his \'horrendous\' face. That would be easier for the both of them, but... she didn\'t.

"Mhm. They look sharp." She nodded.

"You knew about vampires?"

"No." Her smile stretched broader just a little bit while her eyes softened. "But even if you had a horn and a tail, all I see is the Roman I knew."

Violet caressed his cheek tenderly. "You are such a liar, Rome. I don\'t see anyone who wants to murder me, but all I see is someone who wants to protect me." Her expression softened even more, watching how those fiery eyes grew watery.

"Can you say it again?" she asked soothingly. "Can you repeat what you had said previously while looking into my eyes?"

Roman lowered his eyes as he held his breath. "Why... are you not scared?"

"Do I need to?" she whispered bitterly. "How can I get scared of someone who looks even more terrified than I am?"

Roman swallowed down the tension in his throat, raising his eyes, only to see her warm smile. Violet nodded encouragingly whilst brushing his cheek with her thumb.

"I loved you even before I met you, and I held on to the warmth your letters brought to my heart, even when the person who stole your identity only brought me pain. I had always hoped that man... that man I had fallen in love with will return to how I had known him," Violet expressed bitterly, remembering how she bottled everything believing Carlos would eventually become the man who wrote all those poems and songs. Even when there was a point in her life she just wanted to hate her husband, she couldn\'t because of those letters.

Although Violet eventually fell in love with Carlos, it still hurt her that her husband deceived her from the beginning. She felt hurt and cheated after realizing the man who captured her heart wasn\'t her husband, but someone who had been there for her.

Their story was a tragic tale and Violet was aware they couldn\'t bring back the lost time nor they could change the past.

"Let\'s not continue this tragic story, Rome," she urged under her breath. "We had suffered enough, and wanting to seek happiness isn\'t selfish. We did our best to fight to protect those dear to us, but can we focus on ourselves now?"

Her brows rose as her eyes gleamed with hope and anticipation. "We\'re free. I don\'t know how this curse works or what this vampire means. But... come with me, Rome. You\'ve always told me to follow you whenever the situation in the imperial palace gets awry. Allow me to take you with me."

"What?" his brows creased, surprised at her suggestion. "You\'re leaving?"

"The third prince had given me enough money to start anew and had protected us all this time. I am forever grateful to him, but... I had already told him I wouldn\'t stay under his wing for long," Violet confessed the plans she had when she fled the Maganti Empire. "Come with us, Your Highness."

"Where... are you going?" he inquired once more, noticing the excitement in her eyes.

"Lady Aries\'s brother, Marquess Vandran, had offered us shelter in Haimirich months ago. Haimirich Empire is a place where women can stand on their own. I promised Lady Aries to see her there. She\'ll protect us," Violet explained enthusiastically. "Her brother told us once the Maganti Empire had fallen, we can disembark to Haimirich since he said it would be safer if they were already there instead of us waiting for them to return."

"..." Roman could only stare at Violet with blank eyes, only to remember how Abel called him a drama queen. How would Roman know Violet\'s destination was Haimirich as well?! No one told him. For the obvious reason, Roman felt irked at those vampires for keeping him in the dark and letting him wallow in misery at the thought of not seeing Violet ever again.

"Your Highness?" she called, snapping him back from his trance. Violet sighed, noticing how he was zoning out. "I trust Lady Aries, and I would like to follow her. She and the Marquess will protect us. So, you do not need to worry about anyone coming after you."

His mouth opened and closed, wanting to tell her Haimirich was also his destination. But after studying her excited front, a shallow breath slipped past his lips.

\'I don\'t trust those people,\' he confessed in his head while his eyes sparkled with affection until his crimson eyes returned to their original grey color. \'But... I trust Lady Aries... a bit.\'

"Alright." He nodded, watching how her smile stretched broader, which nearly melted his heart to gas.

"Then that\'s settled." Violet heaved a sigh of relief.

The two of them looked at each other tenderly until something tugged in Roman\'s chest, telling him to stop being polite. Following this \'perverted\' instinct — he believed a part of this new life as a vampire — he bent over and tilted his head. Seeing how his face come closer, Violet held her breath before closing her eyes.

\'You...\' Roman\'s silver eyes instantly turned red, only to feel this pain in his chest restraining him from hurting her. And because of that pain, Roman, the man who had always held back, claimed her lips for the first time after many years of loving her at arm\'s length.

****

Back in Rikhill...

"He should thank me," Abel mumbled, leaning his side against Aries, who was also leaning against a rundown house while they watched the celebration continue.

"Who?" Aries glanced at him with raised brows.

"That prince."

"For?"

He arched a brow, casting her a knowing look. "For giving him some balls."