The Tyrant's Pet

If someone told Aries they were someone who survived by drinking another person's blood, she would laugh it off and treat it as a strange joke. But after everything that had happened in the Maganti Empire and the things she could never unsee, she couldn't even doubt the words that came out of Abel's mouth.

"What...?" she breathed out, lips quivering. "Someone... who can reverse the time?"

Abel studied her face, noticing the redness in the corner of her eyes. "Mhm. I know someone."

"And that person... I could've met him at the world summit?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"I am talking about two different people, darling." He paused to let her absorb the pieces of information little by little. "The person who reverses the time is someone I know, and the person who could've saved Rikhill is another one."

"What?" she let out a dry and short laugh, confused at what he was saying.

Abel drew a deep breath and tilted his head to the side. "The other person... the emperor of that empire during the world summit, is a reliable man. If you met him... I don't even want to think about it."

Because at the end of the day, Abel was certain of one thing; her beautiful mind, her warm gaze, and her dazzling smile could melt even the coldest man in this world. Not that he regretted a single decision he made in his life, but since Aries was involved, he couldn't help but think of things that had never crossed him before.

For instance, Abel couldn't help but compare himself to other men who were... normal as per this world standard of normal. He couldn't help but wonder about the what-ifs, such as what if Aries met a righteous man who could love her just as intensely as he could, and also save Rikhill and Aries from going through such a tragedy?

There were many things that could've happened — different things to her if she hadn't met Abel.

And that... had been in his head ever since Abel met Sunny.

"It bothers me since you... cherished your family." Abel brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "However, I don't regret keeping you in my arms, regardless of how nice your life would be without me. Was it selfish? It must be."

Aries held her breath and when she exhaled, she blinked countless times as she lowered her eyes. She knew Abel, and she knew deep in her bones what he saying was true. It took her a minute to digest everything before raising her eyes back to him once again.

"Can you reverse the time?" she blurted out, raising her brows in anticipation.

"Do you want me to?" he returned, making her breath hitch until her neck turned taut. "I never did it before, darling. However, if you want me to, I will... give you the life that was stolen from you."

Her mouth opened and closed, but her voice was stuck in her throat. Of course, she wanted her family back, and if there was a way, she would do it. It may sound selfish, but Aries would sacrifice her limb if she must just to bring her family back to life.

"So?" Aries snapped her eyes once more at Abel, seeing him tilt his head. "Should we do that? And defy the law of nature? I do not mind defying any gods, but do you really want it?"

Aries swallowed and huffed. "What's the catch?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" her brows furrowed and repeated, "Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying," she stressed, shaking her head mildly. There wasn't any difference in his expression, but it just sounded too good to be true. Defying the law of man was already a risk, let alone defying the law of the world.

Abel shrugged. "I'm not sure myself."

"You knew exactly..." Aries trailed off while the lines in between her brows deepened. "You... will die?"

"No." This time, he laughed. "Not physically, at least."

Silence descended on them while staring into each other's eyes. From her point of view, the person looking back at her was someone who would do anything for her. But the person mirroring in his eyes looked... desperate for something forbidden.

<strong>'Ah...' </strong>Seeing her reflection in his eyes was akin to being splashed with buckets of cold water. Aries shook her head, recomposing her muddled thoughts. The sheer idea of being able to embrace her family and see them again overwhelmed her, clouding her judgment and resolution to move forward.

No one could blame her, though. Aries had always wished to embrace her family just for once — just one last time. Having known there was an opportunity to do that was... an opportunity she wouldn't want to let go. However, there were certain opportunities she had to let go of, no matter how tempting they were.

Aries raised her eyes at him and smiled bitterly. "Not at the cost of losing you." She rested her chin on top of the back of her hand that was on his bare, tatted chest.

"It's sad, and I won't deny that." Tears pooled in her eyes, but she kept her gaze locked with his. "I would want them back, I really do. But not at the cost of losing you."

She breathed out and fluttered her eyelashes ever so tenderly, allowing a tear to roll down her cheek. "How can I hate you for changing my fate? Even if let's say... I didn't meet you that night and met someone else instead. And that man turns out to be a kind man and not a tyrant, and somehow we had fallen in love with each other. And because of that love, it will push him to save me because the time reversed in the middle of our story."

Aries drew a deep breath as she created a scenario in her head with a faceless man that was completely opposite to Abel's nature. She couldn't help but laugh as if sounded like a fairytale of a damsel in distress and a knight in shining armor.

"It sounds... convenient." She rocked her head and held Abel's eyes once again. "But Abel, how can I imagine myself in such a story and such a role when I... had married you because I love you just the way you are? Am I crazy for not wanting convenience anymore?"

"I would love to see my family again, but... they will be displeased to know I had defied the gods and sacrificed my husband just to bring them back. I promised them I would continue to move forward, and I want to keep it that way. Let's welcome the new day — every single day together." Her meek smile stretched subtly before resting her head on his chest and relaxing her body on him.

"I missed my family, and what you said made me sad, though," she confessed in a low tone, squeezing her body against him as if the nonexistent gap between their unclad bodies underneath the blanket was too wide. "Embrace me as tight as you can until I feel better. Don't go because I need you. You always make me sad at the most unexpected time, so now, take responsibility for it."