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"What an energy early in the morning."

"You…" Joaquin snapped his dilated eyes at her, studying her strange expression. But Aries simply tilted her head to the side, batting her eyes ever so tenderly.

"Yes?"

His mouth opened and closed as he looked around, setting his eyes on the spot where he watched the blood on the floor when he tried to slay the assassin last night. There was nothing. Not even a trace of blood, and then at the balcony. Joaquin didn\'t think twice about jumping out of the bed, rushing to the balcony only to see it clean as well.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Aries, causing his back to stiffen as he looked back at the bed she was sitting on. "You overslept, husband. Were you that stressed out…"

Aries trailed off, watching the enrage Joaquin marched in her direction. Yet, she did nothing when her back hit the mattress while Joaquin hovered over her, his hand around his neck.

"You! What did you do to me?" he inquired, eyes bloodshot.

He believed what happened last night was real. Although his body wasn\'t in pain anymore, his mind could remember the pain Abel inflicted on him. However, despite his tightening grip around her neck, Aries kept her dull expression as she raised both her hands to cup his face.

"What a beautiful face," she whispered, ignoring the restrictions of air she was inhaling. "What a pleasant sight to behold before death."

Her lips curled up into a subtle and peaceful smile, accepting death with all her heart. Only then did Joaquin realize what he was doing, loosening his grip, as her smile slightly sent a sense of dread down his spine.

There was no sane person who would smile while being choked, but she… was smiling delightfully.

But alas, just before he could pull his body away from her, Aries suddenly held the side of his head and pulled him down.

"Why, Joaquin? Why did you stop?" she asked with genuine wonder in her eyes. "Kill me. Come on. Do it!"  She taunted and laughed when he frowned.

"Have you lost your mind, Circe?"

"Me?" Aries lifted her head up, eyes still fixed on him. "Are you asking me if I lost my mind when my husband, who I reassured repeatedly, tried to kill me the second he woke up? Your Highness, did you have a bad dream and now venting your fear on me? Just how bad was it? Shall I understand you again?"

"Or… should I take this as your refusal for a peaceful marriage?" she added while blinking ever so tenderly. "You should kill me now, Joaquin, otherwise you will regret it."

Aries smirked as she let him go, lying comfortably on the bed whilst keeping her eyes on him. They stared at each other for a long time, his eyes glinting with malice while her taunting smirk persisted.

"Tch." In the end, Joaquin simply clicked his tongue as he pushed himself away from the bed. While standing beside the bed, he cast her a quick disdainful look before looking around. He ran his hand through his hair, letting out a deep sigh when he was certain last night\'s occurrence was all just a dream — a nightmare.

\'Did anyone escape the dungeon?\' he wondered, shaking his head to shrug off the thoughts in his mind. He needed time to clear his head. Staying with Circe and thinking of what was going on in her pretty mind was getting in his head.

Joaquin pinched the bridge of his nose as he glanced at Aries once again, who didn\'t move an inch while blankly staring at the ceiling. He gritted his teeth, knowing he vented his frustration on her again. He wouldn\'t usually try to humble himself, but he couldn\'t let her stay angry, knowing she might side with Ismael.

"Circe," he called and sighed, walking back to the bed only to sit on the edge. "I… I\'m…"

Aries arched a brow as she carefully set her sharp eyes on him. "Don\'t force yourself, Your Highness. Saying sorry is something not only said carelessly but also twinned with action. Don\'t say sorry to me, only to hurt me next time."

"I didn\'t mean to hurt you."

"It\'s alright." She nodded, propping her elbows against the mattress to assist herself up. "I understand that you have a lot of things in your mind."

"Circe. I\'m really sorry. It won\'t happen again. I promise." Joaquin sported a remorseful expression, cupping her cheek while brushing it with his thumb. He looked at her straight in the eye, speaking his empty promises without a trace of insincerity.

Manipulative bastard, she thought, whilst smiling subtly at him like a fool. Aries leaned her cheek against his palm, holding his wrist, keeping her eye contact with him.

This was what made Abel different from Joaquin. The former wasn\'t trying to act righteously. He simply made her realize he played differently. He doesn\'t play the game of the hypocrites, instead, he uncovered it.

\'Let\'s see who manipulates better, husband.\' Her lips stretched broader while Joaquin assisted her to sit upright.

"Thank you for understanding," he expressed, relieved how he could easily coax his wife with just a few words. Although he was certain this hadn\'t completely quenched her anger, it wasn\'t enough reason for her to retaliate.

Where was this confidence coming from? Well, because at the end of the day, he believed his wife was smart. Therefore, she knew Joaquin was her best bet. In the games of the throne, the game for power, and gaining control, Joaquin had a bigger chance of winning.

He wasn\'t the underdog here… was what he believed.

"As long as you mean this apology." She frowned while he smiled, nodding.

"I do, and it won\'t happen again. I promise," he reassured once again, holding her shoulder as he pulled her into his embrace. He stroked her back, smirking evilly while casting her a side-eye. "Never again."

Meanwhile, Aries rested her jaw on his shoulder. Her eyes bore no sympathy or anything — even the usual disgust was absent in her eyes, just coldness.

"Alright," came out a whisper, smirking.

She didn\'t need cleansing… she\'s far rotten than them. Being bad was already sinful in itself, no matter the reason. However, what made it embarrassing according to him was trying to justify it. Just like Joaquin and everyone in this place, they all justified their actions just to make themselves feel better.

That wasn\'t the art of evilness. It was hypocrisy at its finest, and Abel ironically doesn\'t condone hypocrisy.