The Tyrant's Pet

If one asked a variety of people what was a king, they would give all sorts of answers they could think of. But regardless of how many words or whatever language they spoke, it would all come down to a person who brings unity and identity to a nation; someone who would give a sense of stability and continuity.

No matter how good the order for safety precautions that was laid out, it was still vulnerable to opportunists like the Grimsbanne clan. And no one could do anything about it because the throne was empty, and they simply couldn't split their attention into many matters anymore.

People… who wanted to put the Mainland under their thumb had to admit they were a step behind. Not only the Grimsbanne managed to reinstate their House and were granted access to the nobility, they had also gotten a hold of the throne.

Aries gazed at the golden throne right before her with a solemn countenance. Her eyes lingered on how exquisite, yet familiar, it was.

'This round…' Aries slowly turned on her heel, facing the crown standing in the great hall.

Everyone from the nobility, starting from the highest social standing to the lowest noble, was gathered in there. They only had one agenda, and that was to witness the rise of the first Queen, who would rule the Mainland. On top of that, the Queen wasn't born in this very land. Hence the bitter and sour expression of the crowd.

Aries ignored the glares blending in with the look of dismay and disbelief. Instead, she enjoyed it. The side of her red lips curled up into a smirk, slowly sitting on the throne she never thought she would ever own.

'... we surely won this round.'

"All Hail the Queen!"

As soon as Aries sat down, everyone in the hall — men and women alike — slowly went down to their knees. Regardless of their opinions and opposition to bowing to an outsider, they had no option.

Aries was still legally the former Maximus IV's wife. It didn't matter if this marriage was just one among many marriages she had because of the laws in this land. Therefore, she had all the rights to claim the throne since she didn't have a child with Maximus.

Her rise to power in the mainland wasn't just something as simple as welcoming a new ruler, but also, the symbol of change in power. Since the establishment of the mainland many years ago, the Hakebourne always had royal power.

In other words, once the queen took in a king for the purpose of having an heir, the royal family — the Hakebourne — would slowly lose their royal title. Unless, of course, the Queen married someone in the royal family, but that was undoubtedly impossible, considering Aries was married to the most wicked man named Abel in most countries, except a few, including the Mainland.

Aries raised a hand to stop their cheers. "All rise," she ordered smoothly, watching all these noble, pure-blooded vampires rise to their feet.

"I am thrilled to see that everyone came to welcome me, the Queen, and also the Sovereign of the Mainland." Each of her words was stressed and clear, glossing their eyes on their gloomy faces. "The past weeks had been unpleasant for every one of us; the heavens had shed its tears at the loss of my beloved husband and your king, but fret not."

"With me now sitting on the throne, I will lead the Mainland to greatness my husband had pursued. His will will live in my heart until my last breath." Aries stretched her hand dramatically to her audience. "As your Queen, I asked you to extend your helping hand to make this nation greater than it already was. May we and this land reach success and excellence, peace and prosperity for stability and continuity of our land."

Silence followed Aries's first speech as the Sovereign of the land of vampires. No one made a noise, staring at her in disbelief. How could she speak a lie so casually and convincingly?

Clap!

One clap echoed in the great hall, snapping everyone from their thoughts. Everyone turned their heads in the clap's direction on instinct, and much to their dismay, their eyes landed on the unwelcomed Grimsbanne clan, particularly on Abel.

Abel clapped once again before Lilou followed it. Soon, all the members of the cursed clan were clapping slowly.

"I am honored to witness this coronation. This land is blessed to be ruled by a goddess," commented Abel to his family, rocking his head in satisfaction. "Even the weather and the moon agreed with me."

"She suits the title," Lilou also commented while staring at the queen with pride. "Oh, how I wish I was allowed to drop all pretenses and modesty."

"Please don't, my love. I don't want to scoop someone's eyes if they see that bubbly side of you," Samael returned to his wife, clapping. "Let's not create trouble."

"If we can keep all the tiaras and throne my grandmama claimed, we'll break a record." Sunny clapped giddily, grinning from ear to ear.

"Apparently, those things won't fit in the house because it was filled with nothing but marriage certificates." Sunny's brother, Law, shook his head, clapping with a deadpan countenance.

"I am starting to like this place." Claude rocked his head in satisfaction, pleased at this small win. "I'm looking forward to more interesting stuff that will follow."

"Let's hope they were interesting, just as you wished." Samael cast his nephew a nonchalant look. "Though I have a gut feeling, they will be."

As the members of the Grimsbanne clapped continuously, everyone in the hall had no other option but also clap. Despite the lively and joyous sound, the atmosphere was still gloomy and dark. Aries didn't mind; their bitterness was entertaining.

​ Aries scanned the crowd before her, welcoming her reluctantly before she set her eyes on the corner. On the corner were a few royalties, the queen's servants, and Conan. Conan nodded at her quietly, to which Aries returned with a discreet nod.

No words were exchanged as Aries basked in the glory of this 'milestone.'

'We're just starting…' was what crossed her mind as her eyes sharpened and her smile lines faded. '... and definitely, not our last win.'