The Tyrant's Pet

Everyone gathered in the beautiful garden of the Sapphire Palace at the crown princess's behest. The confusion plastered on everyone's places was evident, but they kept their puzzled murmurings amongst themselves like bees.

Gertrude looked at the garden from the window of the room Curtis was kept and sighed. She then turned to Curtis, who hadn't touched the snacks she prepared for him.

"Her Highness asked you to enjoy this, sir Curtis," she spoke when she approached him, stopping on the side of the settee he was sitting on. Curtis gazed at her and blinked, so she offered a kind smile.

"Shall I help you with the food?" she inquired and waited for a few seconds before coming closer to the table. "Her Highness specifically ordered you to get enough nutrition to recover your strength."

Gertrude served him a plate and placed some sweets since Aries said he had a sweet tooth. A warm smile dominated her face, gazing at his curious eyes.

"Are you worried about her highness?" she asked and smiled wider because his eyes were enough to tell her he was. "Don't worry about her highness. She needs to address an important matter, but she will surely return afterward. She'll be very pleased if she knew you've eaten well."

With that being said, Gertrude motioned her hand to the plate she served him. However, when Curtis leaned his face forward to eat, she stopped him and reached for his arm.

"Hands." She took the fork and handed it to him whilst keeping her smile. "Here, sir Curtis. I know it is hard to adjust, but her highness promised to help you. Don't be afraid anymore, sir."

Her eyes softened, suppressing herself from bawling her eyes at this man's unfortunate life. "Please."

Curtis glanced at the fork she handed him, hand trembling as he held it as if he was holding a heavy metal. Still, with her help, Curtis ate while using his hand for the first time after a very long time.

While the atmosphere in this room was calm, the garden was blanketed with thick air as soon as Aries arrived.

Standing in front of the servants lined up properly in front of her, she glanced at everyone. Not only the servants directly serving the crown princess, but every important individual working in the Sapphire palace was also present: knights, butlers, and the head maids.

In other words, there were a lot of them, despite that she did not summon the lower servants. Still, these people who held minor power over the other servants were enough. Hence, they were the only ones she had to talk to instead of summoning tens of hundreds of servants working in the palace.

"I had gathered you all to clarify one thing." Those were the words that broke the sniffling silence building up around them, keeping her fierce countenance. "I am the crown princess and the Sapphire palace is under my authority. In other words, everything in this place is mine."

Her eyes glossed over their faces, not beating around the bush as she wanted to keep it short to have more time to accompany Curtis.

"Today, my husband, the crown prince, gifted me a valuable pet, which I would like to cherish to show my sincerity to his benevolence. However…" she trailed off as a glint flickered in her eyes. "… I came back only to find him locked in a cage, resulting in sullying my mood."

Aries paused to let her words sink into them while it increased the building tension around.

"Who delivered him, and why did everyone overlook this matter?" she asked, setting her eyes at the head butler of the palace. "You've all served me for over a month now. Thus, you should've known my preferences by now. But I am giving you a chance to explain."

"Your Highness, we're simply doing what we are told."

"And what sort of order did you receive?" her response to the head butler was quick, tilting her head to the side.

"That… that you have a pet we must take care of."

"That's right." Aries rocked her head, glancing at the empty cage where Curtis was kept. "I gave out an order to take my pet to my place so I can pet him after a long day of work. However, I remember stressing that he must be taken care of. So, at which angle, in locking him in this small cage is part of being cared for properly?"

Silence…

Every servant hung their head low, sensing that her mood kept growing worse, venting her anger solely for the 'unpleasant' sight that welcomed her. Meanwhile, knights who stood on the side kept their chins up. Until now, Aries was quiet and didn't interact with them aside from her personal maid, Gertrude.

Still, every one of them was aware of Joaquin's affection for the crown princess. The crown prince only missed a few nights in her room since their wedding night, indicating she was favored and mustn't be taken lightly.

"No one is speaking, huh?" she chuckled with her lips closed, raising her chin up. "Alright, then. If you don't have anything to say, tell me who locked him in this cage."

Her brow arched as she looked around, waiting for someone to come forth. When she thought no one wanted to take the blame, two knights came forward.

"It is I who received the order, and delivered His Highness' gift, Your Highness," confessed the knight bravely, keeping his proud front, followed by the other knight, and said almost the exact same thing.

"I see…" Aries rocked her head while darting her eyes between them. "Then, what are you waiting for?" she asked, tilting her head and watching them furrow their brows.

"Your negligence to my orders is something I called being lazy. How will you protect me and the royalty, if you simply accept and execute every order without using your head?" she added, batting her eyes almost innocently. "Strip and get inside this cage."

"Your Highness!" this time, the head butler gasped and before he could realize it, words already left his lips. "You can't do that! The crown prince will surely—"

"The crown prince…" she cut him off, setting her eyes to the brave head butler. Aries smirked as she glanced at the nearby servant, and called. "You."

The servant who suddenly had her attention flinched. "Ye — yes, your highness?"

"Tell the crown prince I am disciplining two of his soldiers. However, the head butler is challenging my authority. Therefore, he better assigns a new one since the position will be vacant," Aries ordered without a second hesitation, glancing at the head butler, whose complexion turned ashen. "Do it now."

"Ye — yes, your highness," the servant stammered, hands trembling and nearly tripped when she walked away. But before she could take her fifth step, the butler spoke in panic.

"Your Highness, I misspoke! I didn't mean to challenge your authority! Please forgive me, just this once!" the butler bowed deeply, but when he raised his head, his heart sank. Aries was simply staring at him with an arched brow, tilting her head, hinting him bowing wasn't enough to appease her.

Hence, with shaking eyes, the head butler slowly went down to his knees. "Please… Your Highness. Forgive me just this once," came out a desperate voice, lowering his head until his forehead touched the grass.

"Hah… the audacity." Yet, her response was a mere ridiculing smirk.