"Let him — cough!" Aries coughed, feeling her throat get scratched after screaming her lungs out. However, she didn't realize how serious the pain in her throat was until blood came out of her lips. Yet, she was stubborn, taking their surprise to her advantage.
Aries pulled her arms from Leon and the other person's grip with all her might. She didn't waste a second as she stomped her feet towards Abel.
"Stop," she muttered with a shaking voice, wiping the blood from her lips with the back of her hand. "Enough playing and let him go — cough!"
Aries stopped for a moment to cough, covering her mouth with her hand. But her eyes were fixed on the person holding Abel, ignoring the blood dripping from them.
"He's not a bad person. Give him some slack," she continued, dragging her feet forward. However, just when she was several feet away from them, her knees suddenly wobbled. They turned soft as tofu, causing her to fall to her knees.
"Ah!" she yelled, shocked herself, as he lowered her eyes to her feet. She tried moving them but to no avail. Her body wasn't listening to her.
This time, Conan finally snapped back from his trance. His wide eyes were shaking, and with a trembling voice, he hissed. "Drag him to the magic circle."
"Ugh…" the member of the night council, who finally came to his senses, groaned in pain. The slashes across his arms caused him to bleed heavily, gazing at Conan. When his eyes caught the seriousness in Conan's countenance, he didn't have the time to complain.
They must bring Abel to the magic circle, no matter what. That was what Conan's eyes were telling them.
Seeing that the people dragging Abel resumed, Aries's breath hitched.
"Stop!" she screamed once more, shunning the deep pain in her throat. Blood once again overflowed her mouth, but she didn't care. She clutched her hands against the floor, punching her legs, but they seemed to be paralyzed. It was as though a boulder was placed over her feet, immobilizing her.
"Lady Aries!" Conan shouted from his chest, forcing her to look in his direction. "Stop it this instance!"
"Sir Conan! What do you think you're doing to my husband?" Aries barked back, eyes blazing angrily. "Let him go, right now!"
Another shallow slash appeared on Conan's shoulder, but he ignored it. "You… do you have any notion of what you are doing?!"
"I don't care! Get your hands off of him!" Aries screamed, not hearing anything anymore. She kept screaming despite destroying her vocal cords, shaking her head, eyes shut.
"You…!" Conan's breath hitched, grinding his teeth, clutching his sword until it trembled. If this was someone else, he would've silenced her already. But Aries… was his sister from another mother. He couldn't hurt her, let alone kill her.
Still, Aries was unknowingly putting herself and everyone in danger.
"Conan." Suddenly, Conan froze and those dragging Abel as the emperor's exhausted voice caressed their ears. Despite the echoing screams from Aries, his voice sounded clear.
"Don't hurt her." Abel was still hanging his head low, barely keeping his eyes open. Even though he couldn't see her, he could feel Aries's pain and desperation. But alas, he had no energy to stand. If these people weren't holding him, he would collapse.
"Drag her out of here," he continued under his breath. "She'll kill herself if she speaks another word."
Conan ground his teeth as his eyes darkened. However, just as he decided to knock Aries unconscious even if this would hurt her a bit, his breath hitched at the figure he caught behind Aries.
"Let him —" the rest of Aries's words were muffled when a hand suddenly covered her mouth. Her pupils instantly went wide, gazing at the person squatting beside her.
"One more word, and you'll lose your tongue," came out a voice of a woman, uncovering the hood over her head. Platinum gold glints under the candelabras when she took off her hood, matched with the glint of her pair of crimson eyes. Her facial features were sharp — almost like Abel's.
"If you speak one more time, then you'll destroy your throat. If you don't stop using that damn mouth of yours, it will disintegrate everything inside that neck, severing it from the inside," the woman continued, ignoring everyone's attention, keeping her sharp, lazy eyes on Aries. "Trust me. I had slit my throat at least twenty times, stabbed myself five times, and hung myself ten times. You won't get numbed by the pain, it just keeps getting worse."
Aries held her breath, looking back at this new face without blinking. For some reason, this woman looked familiar. No, her voice sounded familiar. But right now, Aries didn't have the leisure to wonder where she met this person.
The woman's lips curled up into a smirk. "I think I saw you somewhere… ah, did I perhaps read your fortune?"
And that rang a bell in Aries's head, but it seemed the woman couldn't recall that time. That only proved this woman had done more fortune-telling before appearing here.
"You bought me enough time, though. I like you." The woman smiled at Aries, placing a finger in front of her lips. "Shut up now, alright?"
Aries whimpered, staring at the woman's bright smile. Should she listen to her? Aries didn't even know if this woman was a friend or a foe. Actually, everyone in this place was like enemies. Even Conan. After all, how could Conan hurt Abel if he was truly a friend? Everyone was a traitor and she could trust no one in here.
"Mhm… you don't trust me. But well, that's understandable." The woman unhesitatingly removed her hand from Aries's mouth. "I'm not asking you a favor. I'm ordering you to shut up."
Aries's mouth parted, but much to her surprise, her voice wouldn't come out. She felt her throat, only for her heart to sink, catching the woman's smirk.
"Don't worry. I just took your voice until you calmed down." The woman chuckled, placing her hand on her legs, and pushing herself up. When she looked ahead, her eyes fell on Abel and those holding his shoulders, and then on Conan, before looking around.
She clapped. "What a heartwarming welcoming party!" she intoned happily, playing with her hand as she curtsied.
p
She spread her arms wide open and spoke louder. "Have you heard about the monster tale of Marsella?"
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