The Tyrant's Pet

[ Queen\'s Palace ]

The crackle of fire resonated in the quiet area of the queen\'s palace like a lullaby. Thick smoke ascended into the air and the suffocating smell of it wafted to everyone\'s nostrils. 

Miguel breathed out, unfazed by the suffocating smell and the heat wave blowing past him. The wild blaze mirrored in his shaking eyes, balling his hand into a tight fist. 

Miguel rushed into the queen\'s garden as soon as he sensed the fire. To his dismay, many of the queen\'s servants and soldiers were already in the area setting up parameters. The fire was intentional; it was the Queen\'s order. 

What was she thinking?

To be honest, Miguel dismissed the question. Whatever the reason behind this fire was not important. What was important was that the queen was showing her claws, showing everyone she could do anything she pleased. That might not be Aries\'s intention, but this would surely be how others perceive her action. 

If she set the Queen\'s garden on fire, what would she set on fire next?

Miguel clenched his teeth and huffed quietly. He released his tight fist, turning around. He lifted his chin, setting his eyes on the floor where the Queen\'s chancery was. As soon as his eyes landed on the window of the Queen\'s Chancery, Miguel caught Aries back.

Aries had already turned away when he looked up, barely giving him a chance to see the tip of her hair. 

"I should\'ve listened to you," came out a whisper, recalling all her warnings previously. "Is this your way of telling your enemy that you are ready?" — it must be.

Based on Miguel\'s observation, Aries didn\'t seem the type to initiate chaos. She wouldn\'t make a move unprovoked. 

"Something must\'ve happened that forced her to resort to such an order," he told himself, peeling his eyes away from the window to the gigantic bonfire before him. "Was it them?"

A glint flickered across his sharp eyes, assuming his father and that woman Giselle had something to do with this. 

"She\'s right. I was focusing on the wrong things." Miguel slowly turned on his heel, walking away from the burning queen\'s garden. 

Little did he know, on top of the queen\'s palace was a crow. Its red eyes were kept on the retreating Miguel from the beginning until now. When Miguel walked away, the crow\'s gaze followed his figure before it flew away.

******

Somewhere in the heart of the capital, Abel was sitting leisurely on an estate\'s balcony. His foot was swinging back and forth while the other was resting on the railing where he sat.

"Don\'t worry, darling." The corner of his lips curled up into a sinister smirk. "I won\'t let you die. I told you… if you die, I would as well. Dying now is a waste. The time we were together is still too short."

"Can she even hear you?" Suddenly, a familiar feminine voice came to his side. Abel turned his head, only to see London marching on the balcony in his robe. 

London stood beside Abel, resting his arms against the railing. "The palace looks a bit festive tonight," he commented, gazing at the fire in the distance. 

"Ever since the mainland entered a new era, there was never a dull day that had passed," added London, huffing. "And I can\'t even say it was a good thing."

"My wife is fun. So, of course, she sprinkles everything with a little bit of enjoyment." Abel shrugged, smirking proudly as if the underlying meaning behind his remarks were something he should be proud of. "Being in the palace is boring, after all."

London cast Abel a side-eye. "There were days I doubted your feelings for Her Majesty."

"As long as she doesn\'t doubt my feelings, your confession is forgiven."

"I don\'t seek forgiveness." London looked away from him. "Anyway, if she set the queen\'s palace on fire, that only means Giselle or anyone in the Raven approached her."

"What a surprise."

"You\'re not worried about her?" London frowned at Abel\'s sarcasm.

"Will you repeat that question, Leviticus?"

"Nevermind. It was a foolish question." London shook his head, recalling how Aries locked everyone in the Maleficent world for her own reason. Regardless of her reason, it was still wrong. She even locked her brother in London\'s estate. Therefore, asking Abel if he was worried was foolish.

Aries was a woman to be wary of, not worried about.

"So, what now?" London changed the subject to a much more important matter. "You would come here whenever you want, yet I get nothing from letting you stay in my house."

"Don\'t say you aren\'t benefiting from it, London. You are alive." London looked back at Abel with the latter\'s answer, only to see him shrug again. "Being alive is truly an underrated miracle people missed to be thankful for."

"I guess that means you won\'t tell me anything."

"Do you really want to hear what Abel Grimsbanne is up to?" Abel arched his brows, staring at London straight in the eye. "Hmm?"

London huffed quietly. "Now? I\'d rather not." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I\'m afraid once you tell me everything, that also meant it\'s the last words I would hear."

"Do you truly see me as someone awful?"

"I see you as a heartless villain."

"That hurts my feelings."

"If it truly did, I\'m glad." London peeled his eyes away from Abel again, sniffing the air that carried the scent of sulfur. "Just so you know, Abel Grimsbanne, my alliance with the queen is limited to the agreement we had. If your plans will not align with mine, kill me now."

He took a deliberate pause. "End me while you still have a chance because if you don\'t, I\'d assure you I will become one of your problems in the future."

"Haha." The side of Abel\'s lips stretched from one side until his teeth were showing. "Your honesty is perhaps a part of your charm. No wonder you survived this long, but don\'t worry. I resolve all my problems easily. The only reason this had dragged for long was that my wife barely hung on the thin thread. She would be disheartened if another land fall in her reign — there he is."

Abel raised a hand while London watched him. The latter shifted his eyes in the direction Abel was waving, only to see a crow fly to where they were.