Chapter 296 I’ll Be Gentle

"Your Majesty, everything is done just as you ordered. The witches had helped. Shall I rewrite the memories of those in the next tent?"

Abel remained silent despite hearing Isaiah's and Conan's voices outside. His attention was all on Aries, who was still sleeping soundlessly on the bed. Her wounds had all healed, but she was still sleeping.

'Isaiah...' he thought in his head as he had been listening to their conversation even before they could arrive at the tent. '... isn't entirely right."

A shallow breath slipped past his lips as he tilted his head to the side, eyes still on Aries. Abel stayed seated on the chair beside the bed before he shifted to the edge of the mattress. Everything Isaiah said was all facts. Not that there was something wrong with what he told Conan per se. It was just that Isaiah left out some details.

Abel couldn't blame Isaiah, though. Conan always had a prejudice against witches and werewolves because he was born to hate them.

The witches rose to power to save humanity, but the humans, whom they protected, persecuted them when peace returned to the world. The reason the witches would rather live in seclusion. Therefore, they were already pitiful enough to get hated just because vampires, witches, and werewolves were born to hate each other.

"Maleficent, huh...?" Abel pressed his lips into a thin line as he pondered for a moment. "If I remember correctly, it's said that the witch was... burned at the stake."

He reclined slightly, cocking his head back, eyes on her. "But he was correct. This world doesn't need more ghosts of the past." As the heir of the child of evil, Abel knew how difficult it was to be someone... cursed.

Their great power came with a fate meant to be damned.

"As long as you do not awaken," he whispered, extending his arm towards her. Just when his fingertips were about to touch her face, her eyes under her eyelids flickered. Abel paused as he heaved a sigh of relief when her eyes opened ever so weakly.

"Ugh..."

"Don't move too much." Her brows creased as his gentle and deep baritone voice caressed her ears. "You still needed rest, darling."

Aries peeked into one eye and searched for the person who owned the voice. She smiled subtly the second she caught his sinful beauty.

"Abel," she called soothingly, relieved to see him the moment she woke up. "You're here?"

Abel adjusted his position and bent over until his face was hovering over her. "Of course, darling." He brushed her jaw with the back of his fingers lightly.

"My darling was in danger. I won't just stay still and let another take care of you."

Aries chucked and closed her eye when he lowered his head to plant a kiss on the corner of her eyes. She didn't know why... but she was very glad to see him after her 'accident.'

"Lie down beside me," she requested weakly, which he happily obliged.

Abel lay on his side, slipping his arm under her neck and cradling her in his embrace. Meanwhile, Aries found her comfortable spot on his chest and closed her eyes to rest more for a bit. She felt especially exhausted, but she blamed it on her accident.

Aries had immediately recalled what happened to her on the hunting grounds. She zoned out, and then her steed was a spook. She jumped from it when she figured she would be in deeper danger if she didn't. However, even if she protected her head, she still hit it somewhere.

The last thing she could remember was walking through the narrow trail and then nothing. She collapsed after that.

"What is it?" he asked after minutes of silence, casually caressing her back.

Aries reopened her eyes ever so tenderly. "Nothing," came out a muffled answer. "It's just... I feel like I am forgetting something."

"Like?"

"I don't know." Aries pushed his chest lightly and then looked up at him. "I feel like there's something missing... in my head."

Abel sighed quietly before tapping her forehead lightly. "Don't think too much for now."

Her lips curved down, but she didn't argue with him. Instead, she nodded mildly before scrutinizing his face.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"I snuck in."

A weak chuckle escaped her mouth as that sounded like something he would do. "What about the rest?"

"They're... doing alright." He averted his eyes while she narrowed hers.

"You didn't kill them, did you?" she blurted out with a gasp, causing Abel to arch a brow.

"Darling, I am quite offended by how vile you perceived me." Abel gasped in dismay. "But well... I nearly did."

"So you didn't?" she asked to confirm, biting her tongue when he frowned. "Sorry. Hehe."

Aries cleared her throat, which was surprisingly moist and not as dry as she expected. "Anyway, will you tell me what happened? How did I end up here?"

"Mhm..." Abel hummed a tune as he studied the curiosity in her eyes. "The third prince found you."

"Ismael?" Surprise instantly dominated her face, as that was something she didn't expect.

"Surprising, I know, but wait until I tell you the third prince nearly died because of you." Her brows furrowed while he chuckled. "Apparently, darling, while you were lying dead deep in the forest, a wild, hungry bear appeared and thought to himself, 'today's a feast!'"

"What?"

"Don't look down, darling."

In contrast to Abel's warning, Aries immediately looked down in panic to see if she lost one limb. Much to her dismay, his laughter caressed her ears when she did, bringing an instant ugly frown on her face.

Aries punched his chest lightly. "Did you plan on giving me a heart attack?" she clicked her tongue in irritation.

"That's not funny, Abel."

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"Darling, but you nearly got torn apart if the third prince didn't risk his life snatching you from the bear's teeth." Abel raised his brows as he leaned his face forward. "It was quite applaudable."

She sighed as she nodded in agreement. "What about the bear?" she asked. "Did he fight it?"

"No, darling. A bear as big as that will crush the third prince."

"How did...?" she trailed off when he smiled, making her smile as well. Aries didn't ask anymore as she already got a grasp of what happened and the sequence of events after that.

"Thank you, Abel," she whispered, crawling her hand around his neck only to pull him closer. "For coming to me." — he might not have found her first, but what mattered to her was that Abel rushed to her.

"You're welcome, darling." His hand felt her waist and slowly traveled down to her rear.

"I'm injured." He frowned when she held his hand and pulled it up to her waist.

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"I'll be gentle."

"Let's rest first," she whispered, planting a kiss on his curved lips, chuckling into his mouth as he seemed displeased. "Abel?"

"Mhm?"

She smiled as she pulled away to look at him. "Nothing. I'm just thankful that I am alive."

"Me too, darling." Abel leaned forward to claim her lips, but this time, he didn't break away immediately. "Your existence is the only thing I am grateful for."

As if nothing happened — the witches, her witch within, the hell's gate, and Abel's warning — everything returned to normal with a different story they all believed happened which was far from what truly happened.