The Tyrant's Pet

"Will that hurt her?" were the words that immediately came into his head. "Then I'll kill him… a thousand times."

Those were the words that broke the chains that were binding Joaquin. Javier let him go, and yet, now that he was standing before Aries, those words felt useless. Not that he meant it. There was no way Joaquin would listen to Javier's orders when he was nothing but his dog in the past.

Call it ego, but Javier was wrong to assume he could order Joaquin around. The latter wasn't built like that.

"You will come with me whether or not you want to. Thank me later. You're welcome." His grip around her shoulders tightened as his eyes blazed, ready to take her away from here.

"No." Her reply was quiet, but there was a tinge of firmness in it. "I'm staying."

Joaquin ground his teeth. "What made you think you have a say in it?"

Aries blinked ever so tenderly, unfazed by the tightening grip around her biceps. Her eyes were locked with his, assessing the thousand unspoken words within those fiery silver eyes.

"My brother will be furious," she whispered soothingly. "If not for Abel, he would've flayed you from head to toe."

"Your brother is dead —"

"Joaquin Imperial!" Joaquin was cut short when he heard a man's voice thundering from the side. Both Joaquin and Aries turned their heads to the source of the voice, and their eyes instantly landed on a man with bright blonde hair and a pair of olive eyes.

Dexter Vandran.

Joaquin's pupils dilated while Aries smiled subtly. The former held his breath, assessing Dexter from head to toe. How was this man here?

Dexter balled his hands into tight fists as his eyes lingered on Joaquin's grip on Aries's biceps. His fangs slowly let themselves known, stretching his stiff neck from one side to the other.

"The audacity to show your face in front of her…" Dexter's voice trembled in anger, breathing out heavily. "Though I must admit I thank whoever let you out of that dungeon. Now, I have a chance to teach you a lesson you will never forget."

As soon as those rolled out of Dexter's tongue, he disappeared from his vantage point, only to reappear on Joaquin's side. Joaquin instinctively released Aries, shoving her back to fling Dexter's arms away. Both of them left the platform where Aries was positioned.

"You are not his brother!" shouted Joaquin with a shaking voice, standing several feet from Dexter. "You… and the people in here were nothing but people who intruded on her life."

"Aren't you the same one?" Dexter laughed in mockery, picking up a sword just lying around in the banquet hall. "The only difference was you were never accepted."

Joaquin's expression hardened, drawing the sword clinging to his waist. "I'll take her away from here. No one will ever stop me. Even if I have to kill you multiple times."

Dexter's countenance grew colder as a layer of frost covered his eyes. The corner of his lips curled up into a smirk, casting Aries a quick look.

"I'm fine, Dani," he said out of nowhere. She was already sitting on the chair behind the long table of the royals. "I'll take him away from here."

Dexter slowly faced Joaquin's direction, hissing. His eyes were glinting maliciously, and in a snap of a finger, he lurched toward Joaquin to bring the man's doom. Abel hogged Joaquin all to himself, and even though Dexter knew Joaquin was suffering in Abel's hands, there was always a bit of desire to punish him himself.

CLASH!

Blades sparked as its piercing noise resonated in the air. Dexter launched attacks using this sword he looted nonstop, pushing Joaquin away from the banquet hall.

"How are you still alive?" grumbled Joaquin through his gritted teeth, staring furiously at the man who was clashing sword with him.

"Hah!" Dexter let out a short laugh, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks to you!"

Joaquin's expression turned grim but didn't speak anymore as Dexter kept him busy. Still, at the back of Joaquin's head, he didn't know how come this man, who was already dead, came back alive. In the middle of the fight, Joaquin glanced in Aries's direction and noticed she wasn't as surprised as he was.

What was going on?

*****

[ Minutes before the present time: Rose Palace ]

Joaquin stood beside the bed where Dexter was lying. His expression was stern, eyes on the blood on the marquess's stomach.

"Someone got here before me, huh?" he whispered, moving his sword vertically with its tip pointing at Dexter's bleeding stomach. Without a second hesitation, Joaquin swung it down, only to stop when the tip was an inch away from Dexter's body.

"Hah…" he let out a scoff, retrieving his sword. He cocked his head to the side, smirking. "Why would I need to listen to that Javier? He was nothing but a dog, acting like he was now the owner."

Joaquin never planned to listen to Javier's orders. He told him whatever Javier wanted to hear, but Joaquin had a plan of his own. Although he could kill Dexter now, there was no need, since he couldn't feel Dexter's pulse or life energy anymore.

Whoever killed the marquess was not Joaquin's business. His job here was done, and there was no need to waste his time in this place. There was a place Joaquin wanted to go and his priority, only going to the Rose Palace, knowing Javier would be watching.

"Aries…" Joaquin whispered with a sinister laugh, swinging his sword until the back of its blades was resting on his shoulder. "... I think she's cursed. All those who called themselves her family always end up dead."

Little did Joaquin know, as he walked away from the chambers to go to the banquet hall where Aries was, there was a figure leaning in the dark corner inside the chambers. While Joaquin's footsteps faded, Dexter slowly opened his eyes.

"What a sick person," Dexter's voice was rasped, reaching for his bleeding stomach, only to get the black trinket Aries handed him before his expedition. He weakly pushed himself until he was sitting up, lifting his eyes at the figure in the corner.

"It's you… again," said Dexter, even though he could barely see the man in the dark corner. "What do you want this time?"

The man becoming one with the darkness had his arms folded. His lips stretched until his teeth were showing.

"To break that trinket," came out a calm voice of a man. "It's annoying."

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