Abel gazed down at Aries and let out a shallow breath, adjusting his position so he was lying on his side while hugging her. He caressed her back carefully, feeling her scars with his fingertips.
"Still sad?" he asked after the prolonged silence and felt her nod under his chin.
Silence enveloped the two of them once more as Aries kept her eyes shut while Abel zipped his mouth. He knew this would affect her mood or ruin it completely, but he couldn't help it. Abel had seen how she cherished her family, and the seed of guilt he never knew was planted in his heart had grown without him noticing it.
Abel only realized it upon meeting Sunny, since that child was in the Haimirich Empire for a reason. His sister wouldn't send a child to his care if Tilly wasn't desperate to save everyone she could.
'That's strange...' he thought, wondering about his little sister's nature. 'She isn't someone who will bother... even if the king — ah, no. I think she will take action if the king is in danger.'
While Abel was mulling about certain things that might affect him in the future, and guessing his little sister's reasoning — aside from keeping Sunny and her companion safe — for sending Sunny and that old man from the mainland to the Haimirich Empire, Aries cracked her eyes open.
"Why did you suddenly bring it up, Abel?" Aries asked, drawing her head away to look up at him. "What's that man got to do with Sunny?"
Abel stared into her eyes for a moment. "His name."
"His name?"
"Mhm. I remembered his name. His Majesty, the Emperor, Rufus La Crox." Aries knitted her brows at Abel's casual response.
"La Crox..." she mumbled, trying to recall where she heard that name. Even though Aries wasn't originally the crown princess of the land of Rikhill, the royal family of the said land had to learn many names, languages, the general history of other kingdoms, and their custom. This was one of the many reasons the kingdom of Rikhill stood strong for four decades all on its own because of the affiliations they had made throughout its time.
"Oh." Aries snapped her eyes up and looked at Abel, revealing in her eyes she had remembered where she heard that family name and which royal family it was from.
"That is the name that child carries."
"What?" she furrowed her brows. "Sunny?"
Abel nodded, while Aries's jaw dropped. The latter was aware Sunny was no ordinary child, but she didn't expect Sunny to be royalty in another land. Although, technically, Sunny was royalty here because she was Abel's biological granddaughter. But in the records of the Haimirich Empire, Abel only had a son — who was apparently Abel himself — and it was naturally impossible for Abel to have a grandchild at this age. Moreover, Abel was known to be an only child, so the only royalty in this empire was the faceless young crown prince and the emperor.
"Will there be a problem?" Aries immediately asked as soon as she recovered from her shock. "I mean, Sunny's father won't send his people to march in here to start a war, right?"
Abel chuckled, pulling her waist closer. "No."
"Good..." she heaved a sigh of relief.
"But darling, a war between two kingdoms isn't the problem here. I don't mind sending that child's head —" Abel was abruptly cut short when Aries suddenly slapped his chest.
"Abel, don't even think about it." She raised her chin, pointing a finger at him. "She's a child! Even if you don't mean it, just don't think about it!"
Abel blinked twice, looking away as he nodded. "Sure."
"Tsk. Look at me and promise."
"Sure." Abel slowly set his eyes to meet her and smiled. "I won't think about it... I'll just do it."
Aries's expression instantly died, making him chuckle. Abel lifted his head until the tip of his nose was brushing against hers, grinning from ear to ear.
"Even if I think about it, I won't do it." He brushed the apex of his nose against hers. "How can I harm her when my wife is obviously fond of that little devil?"
"Abel..." Aries drew her head back and sighed. "I am not trying to change you, but let's not create more problems, hmm? If Sunny is here... wait. If Sunny is here, how did she get in here? I mean, she should be with someone, right?"
His lips stretched while his eyes fastened with amusement. "She came in here with an old friend of mine, but the others who helped her were now... in a good place."
"What?" the lines between her brows deepen, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "You... didn't kill them, did you?"
"Darling, you are seriously hurting my feelings. Did I treat you unjustly to jump to the worst possible scenario?"
"Dying... isn't the worst-case scenario, Abel. That is the simplest and mildest scenario."
"Oh, right..." he rocked his head, realizing death was mercy in Abel's dictionary.
Aries sighed deeply. "Don't hurt Sunny."
"I won't, but darling, let me correct you in one thing; that child... isn't as innocent as you think she is." Abel smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "That child can kill you without batting an eye or baring her fangs."
He poked her nose with his finger mildly. "Don't forget she's my granddaughter and the blood that runs in her veins was the same as mine. Don't be deceived by her appearance. Sometimes, it is better to close your eyes to see things better."
Aries pursed her lips into a thin line, unable to argue or disagree with him. At the end of the day, Aries didn't know Sunny that well. Although she looked harmless and was very adorable, Sunny was still a vampire and Abel's kin. It would be odd if she was normal, just as Aries wished the child would be.
"So, Sunny traveled with someone?" she asked, shifting their attention back to her primary subject before they get sidetracked once more.
"Yes."
"And this person is...?"
"An old friend of mine." Abel smiled, studying the intrigue in her eyes as if she was waiting for more information. "Conan's father."
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