"Do not test me, you. Look at her again or speak about her with that filthy mouth of yours, and I'll end you right here and now. Perhaps a trip to the mainland will be a fun exercise afterward."
It was a pin-drop silence after Abel's first and last warning. Blood dripped from Maximus' grip whilst holding the tip of Abel's wings. Both men stared at each other silently before Maximus let out a sigh, releasing Abel's wings carefully.
"Fine." He breathed out, raising his hand in surrender. "It seemed I was playing too much. My apologies."
"Your Majesty —!" yelled the same person who was a few steps behind Maximus, but to no avail.
In a snap of a finger, Maximus took out a dagger from his side, and without a second hesitation, he stabbed his left eye. Aries told herself she didn't need to pity this man, but watching how this Maximus easily took out his own eyes just because he lost a bet sent a chill down her spine.
<strong>'He's… crazy,'</strong> was what her brain screamed, peeking at Abel, only to see his lack of reaction from it.
"Are we good now?" asked Maximus, pulling out the small dagger from his left eye socket. He then covered his bleeding eye with his palm. "My dearest friend, does this mean this is the start of the many games we will have to bet on from today onwards?"
This time, Abel smirked. "This is just the beginning of what you will lose from today onwards," he corrected. "I hope you are prepared."
"I am. Want to make a bet?" Maximus grinned despite his profusely bleeding left eye. "Instead of an eye, why don't we stake… a hundred of our lives, my friend? It's easy. We'll just see whoever gets to her first."
The moment those words rolled out of his tongue, Aries suddenly froze as she felt her heart thud when a shadow appeared on her side. Her breathing and heart stopped for a moment, time slowing down, as she turned to face the figure beside her.
All Aries saw was the glint of the person's red eyes before she unknowingly prepared for pain. Her brain was able to keep up with the turn of events, guessing a dagger was about to plunge into her stomach. This person was fast, and even Abel was a second late from reacting.
<strong>Tak!</strong>
Aries held her breath until her neck turned taut. Her pupils dilated and when she blinked for the first time, all she saw was the person falling to his side.
<strong>THUD!</strong>
For a moment, no one reacted, stunned and confused at what had just happened. Everyone's eyes fell on the person standing beside Aries one second ago. No one noticed it, but a deep exhale slipped past Abel, seeing Aries still standing unscathed.
"Your Majesty!" this time, Conan, who was being blocked by one of Maximus's people, leaped from the other side to Aries. His eyes were shaking as he stood beside her, looking at her up and down to see if she had inflicted even the slightest wound.
"Are you…" Conan clenched his teeth, watching Aries look back at him with equal horror and shock in her eyes. "... those guys…!"
Conan glared at Maximus, only to catch the stunned reaction from Abel. The emperor just kept his blank eyes on Aries, unblinking. Meanwhile, Maximus, who was the culprit for this shock, bent down to pick up a small pebble.
The pebble was covered with blood and a bit of flesh. Maximus saw this thing roll out of his knight's temple, which had killed an elite pureblooded vampire in one go.
"Interesting," said Maximus with a smile, raising his eyes back to Abel. "I guess it's a draw this time."
Abel snapped his eyes to the current lapse, catching the pebble Maximus threw in his direction.
"I don't think the person who threw this came from your side," Maximus pointed out with a warm smile. "I guessed there were more people who want to join this little friendly game of ours."
Abel kept the pebble in between his thumb and index in silence, rolling it slightly.
"Anyway, since I obviously lost my eye, I will excuse myself first —"
"You're not going anywhere, Fourth!" Conan's angry voice erupted, making Maximus turn to him with a frown.
"Conan," called Abel calmly, keeping his eyes on the pebble in between his fingers. "Let them be for now."
"But —"
"I'll wait for you in my humble home, Maximus." Abel lifted his eyes at Maximus while his wings slowly shrunk until they disappeared from sight. "I'm looking forward to gambling with you."
Maximus smiled. "The feeling is mutual, my friend."
With that being said, Maximus glanced at his people and without a word from him, the knights under his orders yielded their weapons. Meanwhile, Abel didn't idle as he sauntered in Aries's direction.
"I'm…" Aries stuttered, looking up at him with trembling lips. "I'm sorry. I wasn't careful."
Abel shook his head. "Don't be sorry, darling. This time, it was I who was at fault."
"We're just letting them go, just like that?" Conan asked under his breath, clenching his fist to his side.
"Yes." Abel's answer was quick, glancing over his shoulder to peek at Maximus' retreating figure. "Not here, Conan."
Conan held Abel's eyes with clenched teeth before his shoulders gradually relaxed.
"Understood, Your Majesty." Conan hung his head low, understanding that Abel had thought this area would be a bloodbath. Fighting here right now would not only hurt them but also the unsuspecting people around.
"Clean this up. Isaiah is close." Abel then faced Aries with thousand of unspoken emotions he couldn't even identify. His jaw tightened the longer he stared at her, keeping this seed of fire growing within his heart.
"I'm fine, Abel." Aries reached for his hand, maintaining eye contact with him. "I'm safe."
"I know you are," he whispered. "Because if you weren't, they wouldn't be walking away here."
She knew that, but she appreciated Abel chose the lives of their subjects over his own displeasure at Maximus's insolence.
Aries squeezed his hand mildly. "Let's go home, love. This is the first and the last." She forced a smile on her face, nodding at him reassuringly.
Abel didn't show any sign of agreeing or disagreeing, lifting his eyes to gaze in a particular direction.
"A skull," he whispered, making her brows raise.
"Hmm?"
"I saw a skull glint a kilometer away," he explained, looking back at her. "Don't mind me. Let's go, darling."
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