Chapter 96: What Did He See In Her That She Couldn't?

Aries had never seen Abel's eyes burn in anger. She simply zoned out because the discussion made her recall the tragic past, but Abel suddenly got angry. She didn't dwell on it, though.

"The Maganti Empire... must fall."

She glanced at his hand that was holding her. His grip was calm as his thumb was brushing the back of her hand. Very different from his tone chilling tone and burning eyes.

She moved her gaze to the rest of them in the dining hall. Even Conan was unsmiling and bore a solemn look.

"They annoy the hell out of me. Therefore, send them back to hell."

"Then we will hasten," Isaiah answered, bowing slightly. Dexter and Conan also did the same, knowing Abel's orders were absolute.

After Abel gave his orders, it didn't take long when the three excused themselves. In the end, they decided for Aries to act as Dexter's sister, to which she agreed with a simple nod. All they needed was her agreement, but well, she already agreed to be Abel's sister — if not for Conan's opposition.

When the three left, Aries and Abel decided to take a walk after their meal. In the beautiful garden of the Rose Palace, Abel held her hand as they walked down the gravel path. He glanced at her, seeing her hang her head low while keeping her silence.

"I'm here, darling." He squeezed her hand to get her attention, treading carefully. "Don't go anywhere."

Aries raised her head and let out a shallow breath. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Physically, you're not. But your mind is somewhere else. I don't like it when you're this silent."

"Sorry. I just had a lot of things in mind." She stopped when he tugged her hand, facing her squarely with his other hand shoved inside his pocket.

"A lot of things in mind... I'm not included in it." He blinked almost cluelessly and unreasonably. "Just think of me, darling. Don't think of other people with me. Just me."

Aries pressed her lips into a thin line as she gazed directly into his eyes. At this point, she was getting used to his unreasonable requests and whims.

"Abel," came out a soft voice, gazing at his hand that was holding hers. "What do you like about me?" she inquired out of nowhere.

"Mhm..." he arched a brow, not expecting such a question coming up. "Do I need a reason?"

Her eyes glinted with bitterness as she took a deep breath. "I have a confession to make," she breathed out, clasping his hand tightly until they trembled.

"You're not my first. I mean... you're not the first who claimed this body."

"Darling, I know that." He tilted his head to the side, batting his eyes innocently. "And I don't care."

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"You're not the second too," she continued, and her breathing was starting to suspend, lips quivering. "Not the third or fourth or fifth, too. This body... I already lost count of how many, Abel... I..."

Aries trailed off when he put a finger on her lips.

"Your point?" he asked with genuine wonder in his voice, putting down his finger from her lips. "Darling, I do not understand why you're suddenly bringing this up."

There was a moment of silence between them; a deafening one. Her eyes fixed holding on to his crimson ones, mustering her courage to speak.

"Am I... still worthy?" came out a quiet voice that shattered the stifling silence. "My body feels numb, Abel. Even I... am disgusted every time I see my body. No matter how much I scrub it, no matter how I scratch it, dig my nails into my flesh... my body remembers all of their touches."

"Was your anger to them... worthy? Why? For me? Why... Abel?" she continued, unable to continue her 'whys' for there was a long list that followed that word, why? "I want... no, I need to know what is there in me you saw, that I couldn't?"

Abel let out a shallow breath as he studied her expression. Her eyes sweltered with mixed emotions of anger and confusion. He raised his hand, reaching for the side of her eyes with his thumb while brushing it lightly. 

"Darling, how many are they? Ten? Hundred? A thousand?" His voice was dark and low, lowering his head to see her eye to eye. "The lives and bodies these hands that are touching you right now had taken ten times those numbers. Between us, I am ten times more sullied than you. The only reason I care is that you care."

He took a momentary pause as he straightened his back. "Do you think I feel sorry? No, never. They deserved it. I didn't even lose a wink of sleep. I am the worst, and I'm proud of it." He stressed, showing the difference between being a victim and the assailant, who was once a victim of this mad, cruel world. 

"Do I think you're worthy?" Abel carefully guided her with him, marching towards the flower bed full of fresh red roses. "Well, darling, listen here."

He reached for a rose, wrapping his hands around its thorny stem. Blood instantly oozed under his grip. Unfazed, he held the rose in between them. The hand that was holding her hand guided it towards his bleeding fist.

"This rose, this beautiful rose, is full of thorns, darling," he dawdled, opening his bleeding fist and slipping his fingers in between the gap of hers.

Hands intertwined, the thorny rose in between them. She didn't even flinch when a thorn sank through her palm, their blood colliding.

"But I do not mind embracing it. A little blood will not stop me from getting my hands on it." His eyes glinted, staring at her straight in the eye. "And it's my fault that I wasn't careful and got pricked by it. Even so, at the end of the day, the rose was beautiful, and the pain was worth it."

"Let's go back to your question; what did I see in you?" the side of his lips curled up, tucking a portion of her hair behind her ear. "Your thorns, your petals, your roots. I saw you... and if that doesn't satisfy you, just look into my eyes and you'll see Aries."

He cocked his head, face a palm length away from hers. "What about you? What did you see in me that made you stay?"

Her eyes softened as she raised her hand, cupping his jaw gently. A subtle smile dominated her face, standing on her toes to claim his lips. As she did, she whispered into his mouth. 

"Me." — the reflection of herself mirroring in his eyes. 

He smiled against her lips, pulling her waist closer with the rose still in between their tangled hands.. "Thought so."

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