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"Abel."

"Mhm?"

"Do you love me?"

"Very much."

Aries smiled as she gazed down, feeling his hands scrub her back as they were dipped in the tub.

"Do you love me?" Abel asked after a minute of silence, spreading the bubbles on the scar of her back.

"I do," she whispered, eyes full of affection. "Very much."

His eyes softened, tracing a raised scar on her back with his thumb. After their passionate moment, both of them took a bath as a break for the next round of passion.

"One of the empress\'s requirements is to not have the slightest scar…" he spoke under his breath, feeling all the scars that were on her back. "... you\'ll fail in that category, darling."

Aries chortled weakly. "I am bound to fail, you know that."

"No." Abel bent over to plant a kiss on a scar on her back. "You are my empress."

"Abel…" she whispered, turning around ever so slowly to face him. Her eyes softened the second he held his gaze. "We are following the empire\'s tradition, are we not?"

"We are."

"And it\'s in the law that the empress was supposed to be blemished free. I am… my body, my heart, my soul… aren\'t pure."

"I know." He rocked his head, caressing her shoulder with his knuckles. "But what are these empires\' traditions and religion?"

Abel snapped his eyes up, batting his eyes slowly. "I am the empire\'s law, tradition, and religion."

"Are we wasting everyone\'s time then?" she asked out of plain curiosity, watching him arch a brow and tilt his head to the side.

"Do you want me to take in a different empress?" he returned the question. His tone was calm, but a mix of confusion and dissatisfaction swirled in his pair of deep rubies. "Are you suggesting that I make another woman my wife and keep you as my mistress? Did that sound more exciting than playing house?"

"Am I not your mistress?" she queried with genuine wonder in her voice. "With you… I am Aries. The candidate for the emperor was Daniella Circe Vandran, not Aries."

"And the emperor is Eustass Silvestri Abel Bloodworth, not Abel Grimsbanne." He shrugged.

"True…" Aries nodded in agreement. "So, the answer to my question is yes?"

"No."

Her brows knitted. "No?"

"Yes, no."

"Can you please explain?"

"Unless you clarify the reason for these questions, then I would." His smile didn\'t reach his eyes, almost taking her aback.

Aries stared at him in silence, blinking. She had seen Abel upset, but not this type of upset where there was no murderous intent. Strange, she thought, that the normal type of upset from him felt alien.

"I was curious," she answered honestly, keeping her eye contact with him. "Although you said Sir Conan might fancy any of the candidates, that is still most unlikely to happen. The candidates were ladies with great virtues and noble upbringing. Some were graceful and smart, others were reserved and gentle. However, they were ladies who were amazing in this man\'s world. Becoming the empress… might be one of their dreams. It would break their hearts if they knew this competition had been decided even before it was brought up to the royal court."

"Are you saying I should value their dreams and ambitions, instead of focusing on my own?"

Aries shook her head. "Do not misunderstand. I do not want to share my husband with anyone. However, I… like some of them and it\'s a pity to toy with them, especially if they were working hard and doing their best." She lowered her eyes and smiled subtly.

"If doing your best is enough, I wouldn\'t be in this tub with you, wondering if I can tie you up later. Instead, those hard workers would\'ve succeeded in giving me retribution." Aries looked up at Abel at his remarks, only to see his nonchalant countenance. "Darling, this world is unfair and I am neither noble nor virtuous to put myself out there and be everyone\'s hero."

Aries frowned, placing her hands on top of her knees. She then lowered her head until her chin was resting on her knuckles, eyes still fixed on this sinful beauty.

"I do what I do. If wasting everyone\'s time and putting all of them in danger can give me a reason to make you stay in my palace, then I do not mind wasting their entire lives." Abel moved closer, keeping her in between his legs. "Will you hate me for that?"

Aries pressed her lips and sighed. "Will you promise not to hurt them?"

"No." His answer was quick as if he didn\'t need a second to think about it, causing her frown to deepen. "I won\'t hurt any of them… unless they hurt you."

"I can protect myself."

"I know."

A deep breath slipped past Aries\'s lips once again. "When\'s our wedding?"

"I… don\'t know? I can arrange the ceremony tomorrow if you want." He smiled, but it didn\'t reach his eyes. "In that case, we won\'t be wasting everyone\'s time. What do you think about that?"

"I am so conflicted." Aries let out another long-suffering sigh, relaxing her shoulders. She heard him chuckle before he snaked his arms around her body.

"There\'s another reason," he muttered, squeezing his face on her hands that were resting on her knees.

"Another reason?"

"Mhm."

"What is it?"

Abel smacked his lips, staring at her adorable and curious eyes. "Distraction."

"Distraction? For what?"

"For you."

"Pardon?"

"The night council will most likely invite you to our gathering on the next full moon," he explained lazily. "I suspect that there were more moles in the night council who are conniving with the vampires on the mainland. My enemies."

Her brows furrowed, staring at him worriedly. "So you invited these ladies… to hide me? Won\'t they know who I was?"

"They already knew who you were and what you are to me."

"So why?"

The side of his lips curled up into a smirk as a glint flickered across his eyes. Seeing his wicked expression, Aries could not help but straighten her back to look at him properly.

"All the candidates were capable and special in their own little way," said Abel in a knowing tone. "Just think of it this way. If we are in a crowded place, it\'ll be hard to find each other if we get separated. However, if it\'s just the two of us, we don\'t need to hold hands since we\'d instantly find each other."

"To put it simply, having more ladies within the imperial palace is enough to buy me some time to get to you if you needed me." Abel poked the tip of her nose mildly. "I planned to reward them and their country if they fulfilled their purpose. Just hope they won\'t be greedy and cause you harm, for I don\'t tolerate that sort of impudence."

Aries pressed her lips into a thin line, having this mixed emotions in her heart. However, she still forced a smile to hide her disagreement.

"We\'ll catch a cold if we stay here for long," she remarked, changing the subject with a smile. "Stop playing. Turn around so I can scrub your back."