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Two years ago, days before Maximus\' arrival in the imperial palace, Isaiah received an invitation from the empress to discuss the matters regarding the ongoing road construction that would shorten the travel time to the north. As a subject and an imperial family\'s strongest supporter, Isaiah had no reason to refuse the invitation.

Hence, here he was, sitting in the pavilion in the Rose Palace\'s beautiful garden. Across from him was the ever so elegant empress, offering him the tea she brewed herself.

"Thank you for granting my invitation, Your Grace." Isaiah kept his eyes on Aries across from him. "Before anything else, I would like to offer you a cup of tea that I usually enjoy myself."

Isaiah gazed down at the black tea which she put milk and sugar in it.

"Don\'t worry. This is not poisoned," Aries humored, making him gaze up at her.

"I\'m not worried about it being poisoned, Your Majesty." As usual, his tone was monotonous. "It is always an honor to drink the tea, Your Majesty, personally brewed."

Aries smiled, raising her hand as a gesture for him to take a sip. Isaiah reached for the teacup, guiding it to his lips. His brows rose as the smooth texture and pleasing taste filled his mouth and down his throat.

"Did you like it?" she asked, intrigued, holding her hand and tilting them to the side.

"If you do not mind, I would like to take another sip."

"Of course!" Aries chuckled. "I made it for you, so it\'s my pleasure if you like it."

Isaiah lowered his eyes and enjoyed the cup of tea. While he did so in silence, Aries\'s eyes never left his figure. Putting down the cup after drinking half of it, he lifted his eyes to her.

"I never thought I\'d see you this pleased and satisfied," she humored, noticing how his usually stiff shoulders relaxed and how his usually gloomy face cleared up. "Even when I made my first spell work, you didn\'t have such a reaction, Your Grace."

"My apologies."

"You don\'t have to." Her kind smile remained, shaking her head sideways. "Sir Conan slandered you enough that I somehow accepted the fact you weren\'t as expressive as him."

"Please." Isaiah lowered his head, his tone still dull and plain. "Do not believe his virulent tongue."

Aries laughed happily, watching Isaiah raise his head again. "You never changed, do you, Your Grace?"

Isaiah didn\'t respond, as what she had said was vague. Although there was already a part of him that agreed to her.

"From the first time I came in here as His Majesty\'s pet until now that I became the empress, you talked to me the same way you talked to me back then."

"Apologies if I offended you due to my lack of manners."

"Why do you always apologize, Your Grace?" Her lips stretched even wider. "I didn\'t mean it like that. What I\'m saying is, you respected me just the way you respect me now, regardless of the title."

Her eyes softened as she lowered her eyes. "Growing up, titles had always been an important part of a person\'s life. People treat you depending on the title you carry as if that is your only value as a person, and without it, you are nothing."

"It\'s nice to know that someone out there treats everyone equally and would always give the basic courtesy with or without this title," she continued with a smile, locking eyes with him. "I just thought that Your Grace is really a kind and loyal person. Knowing you are by my husband\'s side puts a lot of ease in my heart."

"I\'m simply doing my duty as the monarch\'s subject."

Aries\'s lips parted, but she ended up closing them. A shallow breath slipped past her nostrils, staring at him with soft eyes.

"I know I invited you under the excuse of discussing the road construction connecting the capital and the north," Aries spoke, keeping her subtle smile intact. "It was a lie."

"I figured, but I am aware when I accepted the invitation that I would hear something else from you. Yet, I accepted it."

She nodded in satisfaction. "As expected of Your Grace."

"Please, speak freely, Your Majesty. I would help you or do whatever your orders to the best of my ability."

"You always put ease in my heart with your words and actions, Your Grace. But fret not, I do not have a such huge request from you." Aries slowly set her eyes on the lake near the pavilion, smiling at the luminescent still water. "The reason I invited you for this tea is to ask you one thing."

She paused as her eyelids drooped. "Never leave Abel\'s side."

"Pardon?"

"I always had this feeling that the madness within me will one day eat me alive. That no matter how I hide it, it would one day fill my chest and take my breath away. When that time comes, don\'t make me an option. The only option you need is Abel." Her lips curled up subtly. "My dearest husband… I will always choose him. And so, I want everyone to choose him over anything else or anyone else, regardless of his qualms and whims."

"Your Majesty, what you are saying is concerning." Isaiah didn\'t beat around the bush as his expression turned firm. "Is there anything that\'s bothering you?"

"As I\'ve said, it\'s only a gut feeling." Aries set her eyes back on him. "But my gut feeling never failed me, Your Grace."

"The plans for Maximus\'s arrival —"

"Do you trust me, Your Grace?" Aries cut him off mid-sentence, rendering him speechless.

Isaiah opened and closed his mouth before he hung his head low. "How dare I question your intention?"

"We have limited time, and even if we have more time to prepare, it\'s the only way we have." Aries watched him lift his head once again to hold her eyes. "I called you today because I don\'t know if we will even have the chance like this in the future. There were many things that might put a lot of doubt from today onwards, and I myself am unsure of tomorrow."

"But whatever the result would be, I would only be at ease if our people would be left untouched," she added with a smile. "Do not protect us, but protect Haimirich. I had been to Rikhill and Maganti, and every place I gained authority always meets its end. I don\'t want Haimirich to share the same fate."

"Can I trust you with that? Your Grace?"

Isaiah could only stare at Aries\'s gentle smile as if she had accepted what was yet unknown to him. She had always been like this; a woman who seemed to be so fragile, but at the same time, she gave off this feeling she could conquer anything. He would be wary of her, if not for the fact that Aries was only dangerous to her enemies but never to the people she cared about.

Isaiah slowly stood from his chair and marched towards her, kneeling on one knee. He reached for her hand and guided it before his lips.

"As you wished, Your Majesty," he said, lowering his head to the back of her hand. "I, Isaiah Darkmore, pledged in my name to follow Her Majesty\'s orders, with all my might and powers."

Aries smiled in satisfaction as his lips touched her knuckles. She nodded at him when he lifted his eyes to her.

"Now, I am fully at ease, Your Grace."