"Then prove it. Drink my blood."
Aries had her hand outstretched, palms open. Blood oozed from the slice on her open palm, but she showed no pain while keeping eye contact with the mortified Inez.
"Elle!" Inez rushed to her and took out a handkerchief, wrapping it around the crown princess's hand in a hurry. "Are you out of your mind?! How can you do this to yourself?!"
The ninth princess couldn't even think twice as she hissed, glaring at Aries. However, the second she saw the pain in the latter's eyes, Inez was certain Aries was serious and she had been in more distress.
"Elle…" she called as her breath hitched while Aries gazed at the hand Inez was putting pressure on.
"Inez… have you ever loved somebody you want to chew your way under their skin?" Aries slowly shifted her eyes back to Inez, unsmiling. "That the thought of drinking their blood and having them in your veins just sounds… right? It may sound sick to others, but sometimes, when your heart is heavily involved, you just think of many insane things to express that intense feeling because no word is enough to express it. Do you think this love you speak of is the same love I sought for?"
"Come on, Inez. Prove that you love me. Have a drink." Aries smiled subtly, reaching for the handkerchief and carefully pulling it away from between their hands. She nodded encouragingly, signaling her to prove how much Inez loved her.
Inez looked at that subtle smile on Aries's face while encouraging her to drink her blood. That smile, although looked lovely and kind, brought this sense of dread down Inez's spine.
"You're sick…" whispered the ninth princess to Aries, shaking her head mildly.
"What?" Aries knitted her brows as she frowned slightly. "I'm sick?"
"No, Elle, I mean —"
"You mean I'm crazy?" this time, Aries's raised her voice that was full of ridicule. "You think I'm sick when all I'm asking is you prove your love to me? You think this is crazy?"
"No —"
Inez was unable to explain her side as Aries aggressively snatched her hand away from her. The latter's eyes sharpened and darkened, glaring dangerously at the ninth princess.
"Do I disgust you just because I'm different? Just because my preference is not normal?" Aries rocked her head as she staggered back, brushing her hair with her fingers while the dagger was still in between them. "Hah… right… That's why you pushed me away that day and looked at me as if I was a monster."
"Elle."
Aries raised a hand when Inez took a step forward. She bobbed her head and studied Inez, but she shook her head even when the ninth princess seemed to have a good explanation for this.
"Inez, you want something crazy?" she laughed and raised her brows. "Do you want to know how crazy I can be?"
Inez's eyes dilated when Aries played with the dagger in front of her. Her heart instantly pounded against her chest, seeing the wickedness in the crown princess' eyes. She might not know what Aries had in mind, but she was certain whatever it was, it was something Inez wouldn't want.
"Elle, let's talk about —"
"Ah!"
Inez froze that very second as Aries suddenly stabbed herself. Her blood instantly ran cold, wide-eyed. She watched as Aries gasped for air, hunching in, slowly falling to her knees.
"Elle…" she whispered after a moment and rushed to catch the crown princess slumping on the floor. She embraced Aries in panic, heart racing, body trembling. But before she could even think, Aries harrumphed and flung her arms violently.
"Let go of me! Don't touch me!" Aries repeated those words at the top of her lungs, making her stab wound squirt. But the crippling affliction wasn't enough to stop her from yelling and fighting, as if her life depended on it.
"Elle, stop…!"
"Don't touch me! Let me go!"
"Stop, you're bleeding —"
BAM!
Inez froze once more when she heard someone barging in the door. Aries continued her yelling, making it look like she was fighting back, while Inez was holding the crown princess's wrists to stop her from moving. That very second, Inez noticed the smirk that resurfaced on Aries's lips for a split second.
A sense of dread instantly crept up Inez's spine when she gazed at Aries's eyes. The bitterness and sadness in the crown princess's eyes disappeared, replaced by amusement. That second, Inez realized it was all a… lie. She fell into her trap.
"Hehe…" came out a quiet chuckle from Aries as she leaned her face forward. "Did you have fun, Inez?"
Aries smirked, and her voice shook. "Please… sister… don't do this to me. I'll do anything, just don't… just stop… have mercy on me."
"Your Royal Highness —" Climaco, the knight in charge of the crown princess' safety, abruptly halted from the scene he came to. Blood… was around those two women on the floor.
From his perspective, Inez was overpowering the crown princess. Aries' pleas were enough to strengthen this conclusion.
"Your Royal Highness —"
"What is going on here?" Climaco froze when he heard the crown prince's voice coming from behind him.
Joaquin, who would constantly visit his wife, had his brows furrowed at the commotion in the entrance. But he remained calm as he entered the crown princess's chancery. However, when he saw blood and his wife and sister on the floor, with Inez holding Aries down, and the dagger in his wife's abdomen, all Joaquin saw was red.
"How dare you…" Inez shuddered when she heard a sword being drawn from behind her. Her heart sank when Joaquin's shadow hovered over her.
"How dare you touch my wife…?" Joaquin's voice was dark and low, and before anyone could even grasp the situation, he swung his sword down and struck Inez across her back. He didn't even bat an eye as he looked down while Inez arched her back at the striking pain in it.
Inez gasped for air with her mouth opened, staring at Aries whose eyes didn't show the slightest remorse. Although Aries didn't smile or frown, she could feel the coldness in them.
'You're her… I knew it…' but instead of surprise or anger, Inez showed longing and relief in her eyes. 'She's alive…'
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