The Tyrant's Pet

Joaquin stayed with her and treated her finger before he bid her farewell. But as soon as he left, now standing outside the chambers, he looked back. A deep exhale slipped past his lips, recalling the wicked smirk on her face when he wasn't looking and then looking all pitiful the second they faced each other.

"That crazy bitch..." he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief before he marched away. "I can't believe I fell for it."

As he sauntered through the hallway, the side of his lips curled up and then followed by a series of low chuckles. Although he felt like the crown princess toyed with him, he couldn't blame her.

The crown princess confessed to being defiled by the ninth princess and got blackmailed. According to her, the ninth princess threatened to drag her down if she talked. It would be a huge scandal since this wasn't any normal love affair. It would be a scandal that would stain the entire royal family.

Almost believable... but after Joaquin saw her smirk, he figured the story wasn't as simple as that.

His wife wasn't a victim, just as she claimed she was. Knowing how scary and cunning she could be, she definitely uncovered Inez's secret and use it to seduce her. That was why the crown princess kept defending the ninth princess, even when Joaquin warned her about his sister.

Inez was someone his wife could use in the future. After all, the ninth princess was popular, had control over the high society, and had a little bit of influence in the royal court. She was an overachiever for a woman, in his opinion.

The crown princess certainly knew this and used her beauty to get the ninth princess wrapped around her fingers.

This was enough to anger Joaquin and teach his wife a lesson. However, he didn't. Matter of fact, he wasn't angry or hurt. Even though there was a possibility his wife fooled around with his sister behind his back or how far this sickening affair reached.

In his conclusion, since the two of them — the crown prince and the crown princess — had now a mutual understanding, the crown princess wanted to keep a clean record. And to do that, she needed to erase people who could give her problems in the future.

In other words, the crown princess wanted to clean her hands without soiling for the last time. That was why she confessed everything to him to do the job for her.

"Quite clever of her," he muttered, seeing his people waiting for him at the vestibule of the palace. "What can I expect from my wife? I wouldn't fall for her if she wasn't as diabolical and crazy as I am."

Just this once... Joaquin would let this slide. After all, he couldn't blame her. She was someone who needed reassurance, and they only recently trusted each other.

'Circe... let's clean the empire before we ascend the throne,' he thought as he passed by his knights who bowed without giving them a look, exiting the Sapphire palace with his chin held high. 'And that will happen soon.'

******

"That crazy maniac," she spat out, staring at the cabinet stand in the corner of the room. "Oh, how low had he fallen?"

Aries tossed herself to the side of the settee until she was reclining against it. She propped her jaw against her knuckles and stared at the cabinet stand for a long time. Ever since the incident, she was pardoned to leave work throughout the entire season and focus on her recovery.

"Should I hang out with Curtis?" she wondered, thinking she had all the time in the world to spare. "Well, I don't think I have any more visitors today."

Aries rocked her head and assisted herself up. However, as soon as she stood up, her vision zoomed in and out and her body swayed. She clutched the settee on instinct, stopping herself from falling. She stayed in that stance for a moment before she opened her eyes weakly.

"That's weird," she mumbled, as she felt very dizzy and weak when she stood up as if she would faint. Aries shook her head mildly as she carefully straightened her back. This time, she didn't feel dizzy or anything amiss.

"Was it because of stress? Or maybe because I hit my head days ago." She took a slow step, just in case she would feel dizzy again. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips as she regained confidence when she was certain it was a momentary dizziness.

But before Aries could even walk out of the chambers, she halted when someone knocked outside.

"Your Highness, this is your lady-in-waiting," announced Cherry from the outside, making Aries's brow arch.

'I didn't know Inez will move this fast,' Aries thought and shrugged nonchalantly. "Come in."

As soon as her permission reached the person's ears on the other side of the door, it creaked open ever so slowly. Aries didn't sit down again as she waited until Cherry appear in front of her. As usual, Cherry curtsied while greeting the crown princess before she lifted her eyes up at Aries.

"Countess Lloyd, I thought you will not visit me." Aries smiled and motioned her hand towards the armchair across from the settee Aries had previously sat on. "Come, take a seat."

Aries turned around to pick up the bell on the coffee table and rang it. But when she turned her head back, Cherry was still standing on the same spot while staring her straight in the eye.

"Is there something wrong, Countess Lloyd?" she tilted her head to the side, raising her brows when Cherry didn't answer. What happened next was something Aries didn't expect.

THUD!

Aries frowned as her brows creased and at the same time, Gertrude entered the room after hearing the bell. The latter stopped, standing behind Cherry, who was now kneeling in front of the crown princess.

"Your Royal Highness!" exclaimed Cherry with a shaking voice, raising her pale face to look at Aries. The crown princess was simply looking down at her with cold and apathetic eyes.

"Please... have mercy on me... Aime."

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