The Tyrant's Pet

"If she's alive, Joaquin will kill her. Even if you kill yourself now or confess, he will still kill her… and those poor, innocent, and pathetic children."

Roman huffed through his gritted teeth when his back made contact with the concrete wall. Gasping for air with short and deep breaths, he gazed at the person held in the cell in front of him.

"Isn't it fun, brother?" Inez laughed, her brother almost unrecognizable as blood covered that ugly scar across his eye. "The man whom most knights sought to become and the respectable princess are now here. Look at us. I guess this was what they call family since we're sticking together."

The seventh prince snorted. Even when he couldn't see the ninth princess, he could tell the ridicule in her voice.

"Several days ago, your men dragged me in here. Some of them even had fun with me; they don't know how to fuck, by the way," she continued with a brief chuckle. "They said… that is an order from the crown prince to set his sister straight. As if anyone will believe that. He simply wants me to lose my mind, isn't it?"

"As if an insane person will still lose her mind." Inez laughed louder with the thought, shaking her head mildly. "He could've kept me in a better quarter, though. Compare to the whores in those brothels, I should be considered as high-quality."

Inez tilted her head to the side. "It's sad, right? Brother, don't you pity me? Why don't you shed a tear for me?" Her brows rose before another wave of chuckle slipped past her lips.

"Right. You barely kept your one eye, and it is swollen at that. It's alright, I understand your situation."

"Are you having fun with what you're seeing?"

"Of course!" her reply was quick and rather joyful. "Who wouldn't be joyful with some company, brother? Especially now that I see the state you are in, it makes me feel lucky. At the very least, the only punishment I got is reached orgasm against my will. What about you? From what I see it… you poor thing. My regulars hadn't visited me since last night. Now that makes sense."

Inez then suddenly lurched forward and held the metal bars. "How did they die? Were their necks slit open? Perhaps lost their limbs? Or maybe they were stabbed multiple times until their intestines left their stomach?" she grinned eagerly.

"Tell me, Rome. How did those fuckers die?"

Roman exhaled deeply and shook his head. Although his men were men who pledged to serve the country and bring peace and order, he couldn't control them in everything they do. What they did to Inez was probably true, and he didn't condone it. However, this place was literally hell.

"You got what you deserved, Inez," he breathed out. "That is karma." — after all, Inez had ordered her people the same orders for those she disliked. Countless women suffered because of her; Violet nearly fell for Inez's antics, too. Roman didn't even feel sorry for her, assuming she had a taste of her own medicine.

"Hah!" she snorted. "And you too, Rome. You got what you deserved. I mean, you could've stayed in Joaquin's good graces. But here you are, beaten black and blue, and barely breathing. Do you think he will stop with just that?"

Inez clicked her tongue continuously. "No, no, brother. Once you rested enough, they will drag you outside and break more of your bones. It'll be a continuous cycle. How did I know? Well, I am one of them. Therefore, I sort of understand how their sick mind works."

Roman laughed weakly but decided not to talk to her. Although her voice was echoing and sounded like a maniac, he didn't mind the noise. It gave him a headache, but this headache was making him forget his other pain.

"Do you want to hear what I think Joaquin will do? Hmm?" Inez blinked almost innocently, eyes in the cell across from her. "Well, since you are initially the crown prince's henchman, there was information he would want from you. For example, who are the people you told his secrets about and the sort? He can just kill you, but it's more efficient to know his enemies so he can deal with them accordingly."

She happily explained her thoughts about it. "Of course, he knew you wouldn't talk. Just like how much you know Joaquin, it's the same for you. He knows you too well, Rome. So, the crown prince knows you won't talk that easily, even if he tortures you to death."

"Therefore…" her eyelids drooped until they were partially closed while the side of her lips curled up. "… he will have to find people that can make you talk. Just like what I said, if Violet is alive, you, my dearest brother, will have to see her really die."

Inez laughed, seeing the anger behind that swollen eye at her taunting. "Knowing how creative Joaquin was, he might fuck her right in front of you. Or maybe, if he was a little busy, he will let others do it right in front of you. Oh, Rome. You have to prepare your ears with her screams while men feast on her body and watch how Joaquin kills her from the inside as he beheads her children in front of her."

"And you will be there, Rome. You will watch everything, but no matter what you do, you can do nothing but beg…" She shook her head. "… but no one will listen. Hah… haha hahaha!"

Roman's expression grew darker, but he didn't argue with her. What Inez said wasn't impossible to happen. But he was hopeful Ismael was smart enough to keep Violet safe. It didn't matter to Roman if he would die now, because all that mattered to him was for Violet to live peacefully with her children.

While Inez's laughter echoed in the dungeon where the two were kept, footsteps were heard. Her laughter slowly subsided as the footsteps grew louder until Inez could no longer laugh. She looked up and her eyes dilated at the person standing between the ninth princess and the seventh prince's cells.

"Elle…" her voice was shaky, unlike her tone moments ago.

"I was worried about you for nothing, but it seemed you're having a fun time here, Inez." Aries pulled down the hood of her brown cloak and smirked at her. "Good for you."

When she turned her back against Inez and faced Roman, the seventh prince didn't have a strong reaction. Partly because he was too weak to react and partly because the crown princess's presence was to be expected. The only thing that Roman was uncertain about was Aries's reasoning for coming in here.

"What does Joaquin want now for sending you here…?" he wondered, staring at her coldly, waiting for any aggravating remarks, which Aries happily oblige.

Aries smiled. "His Royal Highness sent out an order, seventh brother." She took a step forward to take a closer look at the man inside the cell.

"The order is simple. Drag Violet to this place." She watched Roman's swollen eye dilate slightly after hearing the news she was carrying. "They were already there, Your Highness, the seventh prince. I guess we should be looking forward to a reunion, huh?"