After dining a bountiful meal, Dexter agreed to walk Aries in the garden. He glanced at her, smiling subtly. He then planted his hand on top of her hand that was holding his arm, squeezing it gently.
"You're trembling." He pointed out, snapping her back from whatever thought that was occupying her mind.
"Uh." Aries snapped her eyes and laughed awkwardly. "Am I?"
"Is there something bothering you?" he asked. "From what I heard, it seemed you had a great day. That is why it is more concerning since there's nothing that should make you tremble."
Aries glanced at him, smacking her lips. She looked ahead, catching some lamps that made the garden look warm in the eyes despite the cool night breeze.
"I just had a lot of things in mind. It's amazing how time flies so fast," she shared in a soothing voice, treading carefully. "The day I met Abel is still fresh in my mind, as if it happened just yesterday. Back then, I thought I will never see any sliver of hope ever again. But here I am."
Aries looked at him and smiled subtly. "Not only did I get a hold of my freedom and was given a chance to live in a place where hope exists, but I'm also surrounded by good people."
"Good people, you say?" Dexter let out a dry laugh, raising his chin as he looked ahead. "We're not good people, Dani."
"You were good to me." She shrugged. "And that's all that matters for me right now. I'm no longer the woman who aspired to rule a kingdom, but someone who wants to cherish my family and dear friends in my own little way. My life is too short."
This time, Dexter's steps faltered until he halted. He turned and faced her squarely, tilting his head to the side.
"You… don't want to become a vampire?" he asked after a minute of contemplation. Aries pressed her lips into a thin line, humming a long tune as she pondered about it.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "Do you want me to become one?"
Dexter didn't answer and just stared at her in silence. Did he want to turn her into a vampire? Personally, he didn't want Aries to become one of them. However, he couldn't bear the sheer thought of losing another family.
"Was that a hard question to answer?" she inquired with a slight smile, noticing the complicated emotion swirling in his eyes. "You don't have to answer me, though. Because even if you agree or don't, I don't think it will encourage or discourage me."
Aries tugged his arm mildly, and the two of them resumed their stroll. There was silence between them for minutes; Dexter kept his eyes on her while Aries looked ahead to enjoy the cozy sight of the garden and the night breeze.
"Brother, I kept thinking… you and Abel banter most of the time, sabotaging each other's plans, giving each other problems, and yet, you never truly want him dead." She glanced at him. "Why do you hate him so much?"
Dexter glanced at her and shrugged. Her remarks sounded ironic, but it was the right assumption. Death for Abel… was more like a reward; Aries and Dexter knew that very well.
"You were aware I wasn't a vampire, to begin with," he uttered in a quiet voice, letting the mild breeze drift his voice away. "Back then, I was but a poor man skilled enough to make a living hunting vampires who had a bounty on their heads."
Her brows rose, listening attentively to him. She was aware Dexter was originally a human turned into a vampire. However, she never heard of him being a vampire hunter. She didn't even know there were such things that existed.
"It was a dangerous job, but aside from getting a handsome reward for bringing a vampire's head, I sort of like it," he continued solemnly. "I'm not a good person, Dani. I used to kill for a living."
"Is that how you met Abel?"
Dexter rocked his head mildly. "Daniella," he said one name, and Aries's breath hitched. "Daniella was born with a weak immune system. Even when I am earning by taking down pathetic vampires, it wasn't enough to provide everything she needs."
"That is why… when an S-tier request in the organization I was a part of came in, I volunteered," he breathed out, taking a pause as he recalled the start of the darkest phase of his life. "That request is… to kill a certain vampire who runs amok whenever he pleases. The risk is high — about ninety-nine percent. But the young Dexter is desperate and arrogant. I had slain a lot of vampires, even strong noble vampires."
"Back then, I told myself, 'I had killed multiple noble vampires, so a pureblood might be challenging, but I'm confident with my skills.'" Dexter continued with a bitter and dry laugh. "Perhaps it wasn't just the desperation to provide a better life for Daniella, but also my ego as a hunter. I'm a human, and taking down a pureblood sounds like an impressive achievement."
Aries pressed her lips into a thin line, guessing what had already happened next. However, she still listened in silence, wanting to hear Dexter's story from the man himself.
"It wasn't just me, but we had formed a group and concocted a perfect plan. We prepared for it and used every cell of our brain to return as victors." Dexter laughed, licking his lips as the bitterness in his eyes shone. "However, no matter how we planned things and no matter how perfect it was, if executed properly, the organization left a single detail behind."
He cocked his head back while his eyes fell on her. "Do you know what it is?"
"No." She shook her head, unable to guess what that small detail Dexter and his group weren't told.
"They said a pureblooded vampire," Dexter answered, peeling his eyes away from her.
"Isn't Abel a pureblooded vampire?" her brows creased in puzzlement.
"He is." Dexter rocked his head. "But they never said he was a Grimsbanne."
Aries cocked her head to the side, getting more confused about his explanation. "I don't understand."
"Dani, have you heard about the blood hierarchy?" he glanced at her and saw her nod.
"The lowest in the ladder was the turned ones who couldn't retain their consciousness, and the highest in the hierarchy was the purebloods. Am I wrong?"
"No, you were right." Dexter let out a shallow breath, raising his chin to feel the breeze kiss his face. "The usual blood hierarchy has the purebloods at the highest in the chain. However, what we didn't know at that time was there were two levels above that."
"Abnormals, Turned, Half-bloods, lower nobles, nobles, purebloods, the king… and then the Grimsbanne Clan at the top." He paused, casting her a look. "Do you know what else is funny?"
Aries looked back at him with shaking eyes, catching the ridicule in Dexter's eyes.
"The risk isn't ninety-nine percent, but a hundred ten. It was a mission impossible. And the funniest part is that the one who put that request was your husband himself."
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