The Tyrant's Pet

In the inner library of the Imperial Palace…

"That is cruel, Piggy." Marsella was playing with the flame in the candle on top of the table when Sunny sat down across from her. Her finger crossed the flame back and forth, making the flame dance, but not to the point it would die.

Marsella slowly snapped her eyes at the little \'boy\' across from her, seeing Sunny bring out the snacks from the pockets of her clothes. "Are you seriously planning to hang her? She is a daughter of a duke, and this will definitely cause a gigantic problem."

"Grandpa can deal with it." Sunny blinked innocently. "He told Sunny to cripple someone, and Sunny is simply doing that."

"Abel did?" Marsella narrowed her eyes, retrieving her finger from the flame to cup her jaw. "That\'s interesting. Tell me, what else did Abel tell you?"

"That\'s all."

"He didn\'t tell you the details?" she inquired, and Sunny shook her head sideways. "You didn\'t ask for the reason?"

"Do I need to?" Sunny stopped opening the candy she had been wanting to melt in her mouth, looking back at the pair of crimson eyes, which were full of intrigue. "Grandpa told me to cripple a lady\'s limbs, which means he disliked her. The reason didn\'t matter since Grandpa can be petty. Sunny does not want to disappoint herself if the reason turned out to be petty."

Marsella chuckled until the corner of her eyes creased. "Your parents must be so proud of you."

"Please don\'t tell them anything that happened here if they came." Sunny\'s expression was blank, but her tone gave out a feeling of candor. Marsella burst out in laughter, grasping the little girl\'s situation.

"You remind me of Marsella." The latter shook her head after she recovered from her laughter. "The only difference was that you are waiting for your parents while she… is plain twisted."

"Pretty Grandma, why are you here?" asked Sunny after a minute, changing the subject to fill her curiosity this time.

"Because that lady lived."

"The annoying one?"

"Yes, the one you ordered to be hanged."

"How?" Sunny frowned, apparently not pleased by the news.

"Lady Ivory Norwood intervened. She requested an audience with the emperor before the execution."

"And Grandpa agreed?"

"He did."

"Why?"

Marsella shrugged. "Who knows? Probably, he wants to taste the lady for a change."

"That is strange, and Sunny is unhappy about it." Sunny smacked her lips before putting the candy inside her mouth. Her chubby cheeks bounced as she chewed and sucked the candy inside her mouth. "I should tell Grandpa on Grandma. He is cheating."

"Should we?"

Sunny narrowed her eyes at Marsella. "Pretty Grandma, don\'t you like my grandmama? Why do you want to put a wedge between them?"

"This is not a matter of whether I like or dislike Ram."

"You\'re envious." Sunny concluded. "I\'m sure Grandpa has his reason. He won\'t cheat on my grandmama."

Marsella chuckled as she watched the little girl trying hard to look like a boy enjoying the candy. She leaned back slightly, turning her head towards the window.

"I guess I am envious," she whispered, crossing her arms under her chest. "However, my curiosity isn\'t sated."

"Asking Grandpa will sate your curiosity."

"But where\'s the fun in that?" the side of Marsella\'s lips stretched into a smirk. "So far, this place had been very… peaceful. After the coven, things had been silent."

"It is odd, isn\'t it, Pretty Grandma?"

"Definitely." Marsella rocked her head, keeping her smirk. "Have you heard about the saying, the calm before the storm?"

Sunny suddenly paused and gazed at Marsella\'s figure. "Our lives were calm before a storm hit us like a tornado."

"Same with me, piggy." Marsella\'s eyelids drooped as a complex glint flickered across her eyes. "My life… was peaceful, so serene I thought I was in heaven… only for it to spiral around with a series of misfortune and death."

"Pretty Grandma, Sunny is curious about your story." Sunny perked up. "Can you tell Sunny the reason ‌you are here?"

Marsella snapped her eyes ever so tenderly at the little girl, arching a brow at the enthusiasm swirling in the latter\'s eyes.

"Nothing special." She shrugged. "To make the long story short, I\'m stuck."

"Ohh…"

"Anyway, my gut feeling tells me an omen is coming." Marsella\'s eyes narrowed, gazing at the window. "And my gut feeling never failed me."

"Sunny likes omen." Sunny grinned, and unlike Marsella, she seemed excited about what was to come. "By the way, Pretty Grandma, can you teach me alchemy? I want to do a complex spell."

Marsella studied Sunny and replied with disinterest. "You are a terrible liar, Piggy. No, I don\'t want to be your sacrificial lamb."

*******

[ Emperor\'s Chancery ]

"Your Majesty, why did you agree with her?" asked Conan while sitting on his desk, placed in the corner. The emperor\'s office was rearranged weeks ago, and Conan had to move his desk inside.

In front of the emperor\'s desk was a long table where nobles in power would gather while Conan\'s was on the side. A set of chairs and a coffee table for the guests filled the other side of the office. This was a better arrangement since Abel was too busy moving from hall to hall, and they didn\'t have such leisure since the selection.

Abel, who was standing in front of the window behind this desk, cocked his head back. His eyes fell on Conan\'s intrigued countenance.

"Because… why not?" he answered, smirking.

"Your Majesty, the crown prince ordered the execution. Interfering with his orders will put him in a tight spot." Conan frowned, resting his arm against the edge of the desk. "Also, why have you been focusing on Lady Norwood? Although she is remarkably smart and careful, I don\'t see any reason for us to take measures around her."

"I\'m not putting measures, Conan." Abel pressed his lips into a thin line. "She intrigues me."

"Pardon?"

"Lady Norwood… isn\'t a little terrible. She\'s beautiful and smart, fitting for an empress."

Conan\'s frown grew uglier, sizing up the emperor\'s side profile from head to toe. However, he didn\'t speak anymore as he glanced down at his desk. Unlike the frown on his face, a dangerous glint flickered across his eyes.

Meanwhile, Abel kept his smile as he stared at the window. His eyes slowly focused on his faint reflection, and then on the faint shadow standing in the corner.

\'That\'s the fourth time…\' he counted in his head. \'... I wonder how many more eyes and ears had they planted in my shadows?\'