Chapter 51 - A Once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity

Aries and Abel continued to stroll the capital. They didn't dwell on the topics they already talked about because she thought he wasn't being serious. Hence, they diverted their attention by checking out the stalls. 

"Wow..." she awed while looking around. Abel might be a tyrant who ruled with an iron fist. However, one thing that Aries couldn't deny was he was a great emperor. The capital was a metropolis that only a prosperous country would look like. 

Moreover, the people around were full of smiles, as if they had no worries. She expected everyone would live in fear, but it was the complete opposite. That only strengthened the more they strolled in the capital. There was no doubt. Abel was good as an emperor. 

As she ogled at the prospering capital, Aries sniffed. The scent instantly caused her mouth to water as her eyes followed where the aromatic scent came from. Her eyes landed on one stand.

"Skewers..." she whispered and turned to Abel.

Abel quirked a brow, seeing how her eyes sparkled. She wanted to buy some street foods but was holding back on saying it. 

"Here." He tossed a coin to her, which she caught on instinct. "Buy yourself some. You look pathetic, darling." 

"Hehe... do you want one?" 

"No."

"Then we should --"

"I'll stay here." He shrugged indifferently. "Darling, we've been walking nonstop. I would like to rest for a while."

"Ohh..." Aries rocked her head, holding the coins close to her chest. "Then I will come back?"

"Mhm... sure."

For a moment, Aries narrowed her eyes suspiciously. But knowing he was just being whiny, she didn't think much about it. So, Aries let his hand go and jogged across the street. 

Meanwhile, Abel stood in the same spot, eyes on her back. The passersby didn't matter to him, as his focus was on her. She looked so excited as she was buying chicken skewers. 

"Mhm..." he shoved his hands inside his pockets, tilting his head from one side to the other. "How stunning. No wonder she captures anyone's heart."

From afar, Aries was someone who looked untouchable. Even men who were passing by would look at her twice. No wonder a lot of men desired her. But that wasn't what he was focusing on. His eyes were on the huge smile on her face as if she had completely forgotten her circumstance. 

'I like her to the extent of letting her go,' he whispered the same words he uttered to Conan. Abel gazed up, and his eyes softened. No one knew what a person like him was thinking about at this moment. But whatever it was, it brought a little sadness into his eyes. 

It was just for a split second, but there was no doubt. His eyes bore distance and melancholy. 

*

"Careful. It's still hot!" 

"Yes, yes. Thank you." Aries grinned at the merchant, who was reminding her to take it easy. As she turned around to where she left Abel, her brows instantly furrowed. 

"Huh? Where did he go?" she murmured, looking around to find where Abel was. It took her a minute before she froze. 

He was gone. 

Her heart suddenly thumped against her ribcage as panic swelled up in her chest. Where did he go? Aries picked up her pace to look for him, still holding the two chicken skewers.

"Abel?" she called, bumping into a stranger. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She apologized without stopping in her tracks before continuing. 

He said he would stay there. Did something happen while she wasn't looking? An assassin? Right... she stopped as her complexion grew pale.

Abel was someone who often faced threats. Even in the palace, people kept serving him poison. So a stroll in the capital with no guards was Abel putting himself in danger. 

'How can I forget that?' she gripped the chicken skewers tightly, feeling guilty about it. If something terrible happened, then she would face a terrible fate. But that thought was short-lived. 

'Wait...' her eyes dilated as she looked around. '... since he is gone, I should escape.'

Abel was gone and there were no guards with them. Even if there were hidden knights following them, their top priority was Abel's safety. If she ran away now, it would be too late if people came after her. 

'I should... run away... there's no other chance if I didn't do this now,' Aries whispered in her head, standing in that spot while people kept passing by until they looked like they were a blur. 

It was the perfect opportunity to turn her life around. Aries knew that. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She should grab it.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, her eyes flickered with determination, and smiled. She glanced in the direction Abel was standing on previously, huffing, before turning her back against it. 

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she murmured as she walked away. "I will not let go of this golden opportunity. Never... in my life... change your life, Aries..."

The greater the distance, Aries kept on mumbling to herself. It didn't matter if she had nothing with her but the chicken skewers. She arrived in Haimirich with nothing on her. So, it was better to leave with nothing as well. 

But just as she took ten heavy steps, Aries stopped. "Is this his way of telling me he was letting me go?" she whispered, gazing down. "We were fine until moments ago, though."

Maybe because she had been with Abel almost every day, she got a gist of Abel's personality. Sure. He was troublesome to deal with. Abel... he might be someone who never lied and uttered whatever the hell he wanted, but he was also someone who never spoke what was in his heart directly. 

It was a strange combination of personality, but he was something who over-complicated things because he didn't want to spell it out himself. 

"What a selfish person," she whispered, grinding her teeth lightly. "But… why do I feel abandoned?"

It wasn't the luxurious life or the fear that was instilled in her.

It was her.

The problem was Aries.

She didn't realize until now that Abel… had become a part of her world already. And this situation didn't sit well with her, just as she expected.

"I hate him," she whispered as she hung her head low.