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All the things Abel said had a point. It didn\'t necessarily mean he was right, but he had a point, for he spoke as someone who ruled a nation. In his life, he had always made a choice; choices that were a bitter pill to swallow.

Would it be him and the people of Haimirich? Or another?

In this world where conquering lands, plundering other territories\' resources, and considering lives as mere casualties, those options were inevitable. One could argue that peace was also an option. It was… but at the same time, peace could only be attained if there was underlying fear. When one was made aware that the consequences would be fatal if rubbed in the wrong way.

Abel was right.

Until now, Aries hadn\'t completely let go of her idealistic views and beliefs. Although she had faced the harsh reality, she subconsciously found reasons just to rationalize and clean her hands. What Joaquin and everyone had done to Aries was unforgivable, but this revenge… was not for the sake of the citizens of the Maganti Empire.

This revenge was for the people of Rikhill and for Aries. She wasn\'t doing the people in this land a favor. She was doing this for the sake of revenge, to settle scores, to return the pain she and her people went through.

By doing that, she was also taking away the people\'s future sovereign of the land and would also put the entire Maganti empire into shambles.

"That\'s right," she whispered, gazing up at Gertrude, who was standing behind her while Aries sat on the stool in front of the vanity mirror. "I am doing this for myself and not for anybody else."

"Your Highness?" Gertrude furrowed her brows, but Aries simply shook her head and waved.

"Leave the water for the crown prince over there. I\'ll explain to him he overslept."

Gertrude pursed her lips, barely able to recover when she entered this room, only to see the emperor of Haimirich inside with the crown prince of this land and Aries. She almost couldn\'t move for a moment, if not for her fear of Abel.

She did as she was told. She cleaned Joaquin, wiping every corner of his body, and changed his clothes while Aries and Abel bathed together. If Gertrude wasn\'t aware of the crown princess\'s love affair with Abel, she wouldn\'t be able to wrap all this around her head.

"Alright, Your Highness." She bowed, looking around just to make sure that Abel was truly gone. Apparently, when Aries returned, Abel didn\'t come with her. Aries simply told her not to worry about him since he already snuck outside.

"Gertrude," called Aries, halting her personal maid\'s steps as the latter looked back.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Don\'t get attached to this place," she warned, gazing at herself in front of the mirror. "Or make friends with anyone in this place. I would hate it if you feel guilty if one of your friends dies."

Gertrude smiled politely as she tilted her head down. "Fret not, Your Highness. When you made your plans known to me, I had already known what would be the outcome of the palace. My heart belongs to my servitude to Your Highness."

"Good." Aries nodded, watching Gertrude walk away without making a sound. When the faint click of the door reached her ear, she breathed out and closed her eyes.

Even Gertrude was already prepared. Only Aries… who thought she was prepared for the outcome, wasn\'t. That only shows how the people in Haimirich were determined, just like their emperor.

No mercy.

That was the Haimirich way. They gave no mercy to those whom they deemed their enemies. It didn\'t matter about other things. It was all a matter of survival, and there was no guilt to thrive and survive.

Aries stared at her beautiful face in front of the mirror, eyes flickering with bitterness and mockery.

"They were right," she whispered once again, repeating what she had been saying. "Rikhill failed because we\'re all stubborn and had always tried to make peace with everyone. We tried to please the Maganti Empire, and I even had to keep my mouth shut despite hearing them mock my king…"

She slowly turned her head and set her eyes on Joaquin, who was still fast asleep on the bed. Her eyes glinted as her jaw tightened, pushing herself up to approach him. She stopped beside the bed, looking down at him with dead eyes.

"You didn\'t pity my people…" she whispered, embracing all the anger she had held back mildly and letting her heart get engulfed with rage. "… so why would I pity yours?"

Her hands balled into a tight fist, grinding her teeth the more she thought about the heart-wrenching memory of everyone\'s death. Not just on the battlefield, but also during the executions, and how her land was plundered off of resources.

Not one bit did Joaquin show remorse in all those. If anything, he laughed at her face while her family\'s heads kept leaving their bodies one after another. Aries closed her eyes as she tucked that memory away in a safe place in her head, a safe yet somewhere within her reach.

Abel\'s words were the reminders she seemed to have forgotten. A wake-up call, reminding her she was no longer the princess of Rikhill, who was a subject to abuse and people\'s atrocities. That Aries… that woman had died along with her people and then emerged from the dead with a horn, only to be seen in her shadows.

"No mercy. That\'s the Haimirich way," she muttered, sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes on her husband. Aries carefully extended her arms, pressing a finger on his jugular notch with eyes cold and distant. "Wake up, Joaquin. Let\'s start over, but this time… the Aries way, not Daniella."

,m Aries pressed his jugular like a button, causing him to pop his eyes open at the pain that struck him. The side of her lips curled up, eyes dropping until they were partially closed.

"Good morning, Joaquin," she greeted, watching him gasp for air as he looked around before checking himself. "What an energy early in the morning."

She could fake it for as long as she wanted to, but… there would always be a time when Aries had to take off the mask of deception. She was no longer pure. Her subtle actions… were no longer needed since she was certain it was almost the time to pull the strings and make them dance to her tune.

Aries had to start now and give Abel, her guests of this show, something he would stand up for and clap.