The Tyrant's Pet

"I\'m warning you, I am not as kind as him. I am not bound in this coven and killing you all... is a piece of cake. Anyone who had an objection, come forth."

Silence followed Marsella\'s remarks as the night council looked at each other. Having to deal with Abel was already troublesome, but having two more Grimsbanne to deal with plus Aries, getting to leave this place in one piece was already a miracle.

"Good." Marsella nodded in satisfaction, turning on her heel, and facing Abel. She snapped her eyes, darting her eyes between the two night councils who were holding Abel still.

Marsella raised a hand, moving her fingers as if she was controlling something on her fingertips. In a blink of an eye, the chains binding Abel disappeared without a trace, and then everyone felt the spell of the coven slowly disappear.

Everyone except Aries, who didn\'t know or feel the spirit of the coven, held their breaths.

"No more pathetic spells like this," Marsella remarked with a lazy voice, marching towards Abel, and squatting down in front of him. She rested her arms over her knees. "I stopped the coven just as you pleased, brother. Now, how will you repay this kindness?"

Abel slowly raised his eyes, revealing his weak countenance. He looked at her straight in the eye, narrowing his eyes the longer he stared.

"Who are you?" he asked, puzzlement apparent in his voice.

"My brother, you are hurting your baby sister\'s feelings."

The side of Abel\'s lips stretched in amusement. "Not that face, but the eyes that were mirroring me," he clarified. "Who are you?"

Marsella went silent, running her tongue across her inner cheek. Her lips then stretched, simpering.

"It seemed you had understood my dilemma, brother," she dawdled. "Now, did I waste my time helping you? Or did I come to the right person?"

"I can\'t help you."

"Why? Don\'t tell me it\'s a familial thing."

"I don\'t like you, Marsella." Abel breathed out, flexing his fingers to check if he had enough strength to stand on his own. He was still too weak, barely closing his fist. "As I\'ve said, if I see you, I\'ll kill you before you do. But it seemed things turned out to be interesting on your end."

His brows rose, lazily fluttering his eyelashes. "It\'s not that I don\'t want to help you, but as you can see, I had lived a complicated life. You can take this coven, for instance."

"You can help me if you\'re willing." Marsella arched a brow, tipping her head in Aries\'s direction. "That woman who was crying tears of blood for you."

"She\'s not in the negotiation."

"Are you sure?" she cocked her head to the side. "I don\'t think you can stop her from getting herself involved after tonight."

Marsella then poked the tip of his nose playfully. "A word of advice, brother, don\'t decide for others. You are doing more damage than you can imagine." She smirked and added, "trust me. I\'ve been there, and I\'ve done that."

She then planted her hand on her thigh, pushing herself up. Her eyes fell on Abel, but the latter didn\'t raise his head, as he didn\'t want to look up at her.

"That advice is a probono." Marsella drew a breath and looked around before setting her gaze on Conan. "Won\'t you all leave?"

"The coven is not yet over."

"When I said it\'s over, it\'s over."

"No one leaves this place until the crack of dawn."

She arched a brow and then rocked her head in understanding. "Very well, I\'ll leave first. I hope you do not mind if I occupy one room."

Marsella flipped her golden hairs, sauntering off. She walked in Aries and Sunny\'s direction, stopping in front of them. Aries was still embracing Sunny, and the latter snuck a peek at her.

"Come on, Fatty. Enough with your drama," she said, resuming in her steps after sizing up Aries\'s face. "Show me around. I might forgive you if your services are nice."

Sunny frowned, hesitatingly drawing her body from Aries. The latter looked back at Sunny with wide eyes, only to see Sunny flash a smile.

"Grandma, you\'re lucky. Sunny likes you even more now," remarked the little girl as she stood up in front of Aries. "Pretty Grandma~ Sunny will share chocolates so don\'t chop chop Sunny, alright?!"

As Sunny skipped her steps to follow Marsella, she stopped and gazed at Leon. Her lips stretched from ear to ear before continuing on her steps.

Leon let out a deep exhale. "I knew it she\'s planning something," whispered the man, marching away to follow Sunny.

Those who weren\'t bound by the coven could leave the great hall, and they did, leaving everyone inside baffled and confused. Aries\'s eyes were blank, staring in the direction where Marsella, Sunny, and Leon left. When she returned to her senses, she mustered every bit of her energy to stand.

This time, to her surprise, she was able to stand up as if the invisible boulder on her feet was gone. She still couldn\'t speak, though. But that didn\'t matter as she hurriedly ran towards Abel, slumping down in front of him, eyes bloodshot.

\'Abel...\' she called, her hands unable to decide where she would touch him. Abel slowly raised his head, smiling subtly, seeing the worry in her eyes.

"I\'m sorry..." was all he said before his eyes slowly closed. His arms that were being held by two of the night council slid as their grip loosened. Fortunately, Aries was quick to react as she caught him, embracing him with his head resting on her shoulder.

\'You...\' she whimpered, clutching his back and feeling the thickness of the blood on his clothes.

Meanwhile, everyone, including Conan, kept their eyes on the entrance where Marsella left. Conan then looked around, unable to sense the heavy atmosphere the coven would always bring with them. When he gazed back at Aries, who was now hugging Abel, a deep exhale slipped past his lips.

"It seems the coven had truly ended," Conan muttered, before facing the living night council. "I will summon everyone in a few days. For now, clean this up. Let\'s end things here for now."

He then snapped his eyes on the divine weapon near his vantage point. "I\'ll confiscate this cursed thing. I will get to the very bottom of this... and punish those who connived with Viscardi."

With that being said, everyone looked at each other with a somber front. Tonight\'s coven ended early and unexpectedly, but with Marsella and Sunny walking in this very land, the night council had understood it was the start of their nightmare and their fear of having more Grimsbanne gathered in one place outside of the mainland.