The Tyrant's Pet

A soft grunt slipped past Aries's lips, opening her eyes ever so weakly. Her vision was still blurry, but she could see the shadows hovering over her. Another shallow grunt escaped her closed lips, blinking until her vision grew clearer.

What welcomed her sight were adorable cheeks with a tint of pink and a pair of green doe eyes. Sunny blinked innocently before her face brightened up.

"Grandmama!" Sunny's adorable voice rang in Aries's ears, making the latter wince.

"Sunny, your voice."

Suddenly, a young voice of a boy caressed Aries's ears. She slowly shifted her eyes to Sunny, only to realize there was a young boy on the side. He had this bright silver hair that had the same color as Sunny, except his hair didn't have a hazel streak like the little girl's.

"She just woke up," said the boy, setting his pair of deep crimson eyes back to Aries. "Keep your voice down."

Sunny pouted but didn't refute the little boy, looking at Aries lying on the bed. "Grandmama, how are you feeling?" asked Sunny in a quiet voice, smiling adorably, which made her pinkish cheek bounce slightly.

Another short and weak moan escaped Aries's eyes, propping her elbows on the mattress. Sunny and the boy moved away slightly, kneeling on either side of Aries. Aries looked from her left to right, flashing Sunny a subtle smile as she patted the little girl's head.

"Grandmama, I missed you. Grandpa said you'd been sleeping for a week now," said Sunny, causing Aries's brows to raise.

'That's been a week now…?' she wondered, aware that she hadn't had much recollection of the past several days.

"That is why I dragged my big brother here since we just arrived last night! He wants to see you."

"Big brother?" Aries mumbled, turning her head at the boy who was on the opposite side of Sunny. She blinked, assessing the boy closely this time. "You are…?"

"Law." The boy flashed her a polite smile. "My name is Law. Sunny's big brother. Nice to meet you, grandma."

"..."

Aries drew her lips into a thin line. 'What an overbearing name,' she thought, keeping her thoughts to herself as she smiled.

"I'm glad to meet you too, Law. My name is Aries." She glanced at Sunny for a moment. "Sunny told me things about you."

"And I bet most of them are slander," humored Law, making Aries chuckle. "Please. Whatever my little sister told you, she's lying."

"I didn't slander you." Sunny pouted, crossing her arms under her chest. "I only said good things about you. Right, grandmama?"

Aries rocked her head. "That's true. Sunny would usually say she missed her big brother."

What Aries said wasn't a lie. However, it was also true Sunny would usually slander her brother just to make herself look immaculate. Sunny simply got away with everything because she knew how to use her charms to their full potential.

"By the way, where is Abel?" Aries asked, stopping Law and Sunny's banter. Her brows rose, darting her eyes between the children as the two looked back at her.

Sunny and Law looked at each other before setting their eyes back on Aries.

****

Meanwhile, in the Grimsbanne mansion's backyard…

"Listen here, Mathilda. How can you tell me all the important details after and not before?" Abel tapped his finger on the surface of the metal garden table, eyes on the meek woman across from him. "You seriously need to change that habit of yours. Especially now that you are a married woman. Be responsible."

"What?" Conan gasped, sitting on the other side of the round table were Abel, Tilly (Abel's sister), and Samael (Abel's nephew and also the son of Ameria, Abel's late sister). "You got married? Who was the lucky man?"

"The warlock." Samael across from Conan pointed his thumb over his shoulder, even though Isaiah wasn't around the area. "They got married the night you all woke up."

"What?!" Conan harrumphed angrily.

"What's that reaction, dearest Conan?" Abel cocked his head to the side. "Don't tell me you are infatuated with my sister?"

"Of course!" Conan jumped from his seat and pointed a finger at Tilly. "Can't you see how beautiful Lady Tilly is?! From head to toe, she's pretty! No, her entire existence screams perfection! How can that damn warlock desire something that's too big for his boots?!"

Abel and Samael, who were listening to this, couldn't help but scrunch their faces. It was obvious they didn't have the same opinion as Conan about Tilly, staring at Conan in dismay. Meanwhile, Tilly didn't have any reaction, as if all the compliments didn't even go through her ears.

"Damn it! That guy and that other she-male London…" The invisible fire enveloping Conan blazed at the thought of Isaiah and London, cracking his knuckles angrily. "... I'm going to teach those two a lesson."

"I didn't know Tilly is popular among men." Suddenly, a woman's voice snapped Conan back to his senses. "But I agree with His Highness. Tilly is undeniably beautiful."

Conan's gaze fell on the woman with hazel locks that had the same color as those hazel streaks in Sunny's hair. Lilou, Samael's wife, and Sunny's mother flashed Conan a smile while she served snacks on the table.

"His Grace is really lucky to have such a beautiful wife," she added, making Conan frown deeply.

At this point, Conan and Isaiah had grown familiar with the rest of the Grimsbanne family, as he had traveled with them on their way to the mainland. There was only one description Conan could say about them; they were folks a person such as Conan would get along with.

"Love, you are such a cruel woman." Samael couldn't help but look at his wife in dismay. "How can you say Isaiah is lucky with such a gorgeous smile? I feel sorry for the guy."

"Sam, shut up while I'm asking nicely," Lilou warned with a soft voice, making Abel shake his head.

"Nephew, dearest, you better listen to her." Abel chimed in, watching Samael look back at him with a frown. "You will never win."

"I think I've been married longer than you are. I know." Lilou chuckled at her husband's response, straightening her back as she held the tray. "If you need counseling for your marriage, just ask me. I'll fix it for you right away — right, let's not forget why we are gathered here."

Samael cleared his throat, setting his eyes on Tilly. "What should we do?"