In the crown prince and the crown princess's schedule, they would have to dine together to maintain a good relationship between the two. Today was one of those days they would share a meal. But instead of dinner, Joaquin moved it to lunch.
Sitting on the end of the small rectangular table, Joaquin stayed silent while waiting for his wife. His head was filled with questions and madness of how the hell he couldn't remember a single memory of Aries's body paint. All he could recall were those on her thighs and shoulders — the ones that were exposed while wearing her revealing night dress.
There was only one answer he could come up with. His dearest crown princess was fooling him from the beginning.
"Haha..." a weak, amused chuckle slipped past his lips. "Circe... my sweet dearest Circe."
His eyes glinted with malice, smirking dangerously. Joaquin drew a deep breath and closed his eyes to rest them for a bit. Never once he had forgotten the fact that his wife came from the land of Haimirich; a land that was ruled by a vicious tyrant. The crown prince wasn't foolish to disregard what the emperor of Haimirich could possibly want from this union.
After all, this marriage favored the Maganti Empire. There must be something they wanted, and that thought had always been in the back of Joaquin's head.
"Circe..." Joaquin slowly reopened his eyes, but not fully. "What should I do with you, my love?"
He tapped his fingers against the armrest, wondering if his initial guess was correct. What if his wife was Aries? If she was, she was truly a talented one for making him believe her lies.
'If only she had green hair...' he thought. 'She will be Aries.'
There was a long silence in the private dining hall for the future monarchs. He listened to the silent taps of his fingers against the armrest, wondering what he should do to his wife. If what he thought was correct, then this would change to an entirely different game.
The crown princess... was working against him behind his back since she stepped foot in the imperial palace. That also meant everything she did from Carlos' execution to the fire in that castle... was to hide the traces of her involvement in everything that was happening since she came to Maganti.
There was no greater coverup than portraying herself as someone slightly involved in every incident, instead of staying away from every issue. In that way, no one would suspect her since she would claim her involvement, but use the excuse of bearing a different intention and give another outcome as a diversion.
'She's smart... and that is not impossible.' Joaquin laughed weakly once more, stretching his neck from one side to the other. 'But... does it matter now?'
"Her Royal Highness had arrived!"
Joaquin glanced at the shut doors and smirked as soon as he heard the announcement from the other side. He leaned back leisurely, watching the door open ever so slowly. For some reason, the door opened slower than usual, highlighting the long creak, which echoed in the dining hall.
He held his breath the second his eyes caught the person standing in the middle of the door. His pupils slightly dilated, watching his wife prance inside gracefully.
"Greetings to Your Royal Highness." Aries curtsied when she was several steps away from the table. "I've been looking forward to seeing you, my husband."
She straightened her back and raised her chin, twirling her finger around the tip of her green hair. "Do you like it, Joaquin?"
"Haha..." he laughed, staring at Aries with that green lock cascading past her exposed shoulder blades.
'Of course, it doesn't matter,' he told himself, getting the answers to his own questions. 'Because at the end of the day, no matter how much she struggles... she belongs to me. Circe or Aries…' — it didn't matter what was her name. Because he had already planned to make her Aries.
"Come here." He propped his elbow against the armrest, raising his hand. He clipped the tip of her green hair when she stood beside him, smiling subtly at the colors in his hand. When he raised his eyes, he tilted his head with his lips stretching even broader.
"You dyed it?" he asked since green pigment was left on his prints.
"You don't like it?" she returned. "I thought you'd be happy if you see this change."
"I am happy. Come here." Joaquin reached for her wrist and yanked her on his lap. Her eyes widened for a moment, clutching his shoulder, raising her head to meet his charming face.
"It looks perfect," he crooned, caressing her jaw with the back of his fingers. Looking at her up close, there was no doubt this was his favorite doll, his Aries. However, he didn't say it. There was no fun if he wouldn't play along.
Aries bit her lower lip, squashing down the disgust crawling under her skin from his lustful gaze. "I'm glad you liked it. I'm preparing for our wedding, after all. However… I heard about the commotion outside."
"Don't worry about it, my love. They will be dealt with later." His smile remained, tracing her neck with the back of his fingers down to her exposed shoulder. "You already knew about my plan. So, you shouldn't fret."
"How about the seventh prince?" she asked, ignoring the sensual touches on her shoulder blades.
"The seventh prince, huh?" Joaquin snapped his eyes ever so tenderly and held her gaze for a moment. He didn't dwell on it though, as his gaze veered to her shoulder. Using his fingertips, he slid the thin strap of her dress until it fell over her shoulders.
"Aside from that trivial question, there's something I would like to know, Circe." He raised his eyes to her, slowly wrapping his fingers around her neck. He observed her, waiting for any reaction, but she didn't show any sign of fear or alarm.
"What was the meaning of your body paint again?" he asked. "The scriptures under your breast."
Aries smacked her lips and shrugged. "Just some proverb about the importance of the heart."
"Is that so?" he smiled, nodding in understanding. "How about the tiny shapes on the other? The small three circles."
"They're part of the art." She smiled.
"Liar…" he whispered and smirked. "I made it up, wanting to see if you would correct me or not."
Aries held her breath as she pushed his chest, only for his arm to tighten around her waist. His grip around her neck compressed, strangling her with might.
"Do you think I won't find out one way or another, Aries?" Her face contorted at the lack of oxygen, feeling her body leave his lap, and her back hit the surface of the table right after. Some plates underneath her back broke, piercing through her dress and onto her skin.
Yet, Aries could only open her mouth for air and hold his wrist.
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