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Back in the Lazuli Palace…

When Joaquin left the sitting room where he had a private discussion with Cherry, he planned to return to the banquet hall to join Aries. However, he found himself standing outside the room and in front of the window. Hands on his back, eyes at the thick darkness outside.

\'That\'s strange…\' his eye narrowed, expression stern. \'Why…?\'

That question had been hovering over his head ever since he parted with Cherry. He couldn\'t help but recall his brief discussion with her as he remained silent.

"I do not have an entire night to indulge with you, Countess Lloyd," he spoke the second they entered the sitting room, standing in the middle as he turned around to her who was standing in front of the door. "I hope this is important enough to take a moment of my time."

Cherry pursed her lips as she took a deep breath. "Your Highness," came out a soft voice, mustering her courage as she advanced in his direction.

"Please don\'t fall for the crown princess\' antics," she warned as soon as she stopped at arm\'s length.

"Oh?" he arched a brow and tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

"Although I had no evidence nor did she admit it herself, she is —"

"Stop." Joaquin raised a hand to stop her from talking. "Countess Lloyd, you asked an audience with me to warn me with no solid reason aside from your gut feeling?"

He laughed, planting his hand on his hips. "I know you, Lady Borges." Joaquin closed the gap between them as he took one step, bending over to see her up close.

"You sold your home country without batting an eye. Not just the land where you are born and raised, but also, you sacrificed your greedy family as collateral damages," he dawdled, airing the type of character this woman had. "For what? Just to kill one woman, Lady Borges. The woman who made your light dimmer because she\'s beautiful in every angle, she was honest for her own good, and she was royalty."

"You thought you are better than her, but because of your low birth, you don\'t get the same attention as her," he continued with a mocking smirk while Cherry lowered her eyes. "Let me tell you, Lady Lloyd. It\'s not your low birth that is the problem."

"Aries was beautiful even if she becomes Cherry and you are her, I will still want her the same." Joaquin caressed the side of her neck with his fingertips. "However, she\'s dead. I had seen her body myself." — although Aries\' corpse was already decomposing and unrecognizable when they found it about a year ago.

"But now… that someone who looks like her is in our lives again, you want to do the same thing you did to your dearest friend?" he laughed as he licked his lips, a little arouse at the sight of this delectable dish who wanted to serve herself to him willingly. "Countess Lloyd, do you know why I let you in the Maganti Empire and approved your citizenship despite being one of the cursed beings of Rikhill?"

Joaquin leaned closer and whispered in her ear. "It\'s because you\'re too pathetic to kill."

Cherry\'s eyes shook as her shoulder tensed up, holding her breath at his remarks. When she slowly raised her head, she saw him drawing his head back with a ridiculing smirk on his face.

"It\'s fun to see you ogle on something you will never attain until death, Lady Borges!" Joaquin laughed maniacally as that was the truth and nothing but the truth. "You might not feel remorse for what you had done to Rikhill, but it\'s fun to see someone try their hardest only to realize the crippling reality."

Joaquin smacked his lips as he enjoyed the expression dominating her beautiful face. Oh, how he enjoyed humiliating someone — especially, someone who thought they were relevant when they weren\'t.

"You think I am foolish to fall for your… lame excuse? You came to warn me? And who do you think you are to do that? Do you think someone like you who sold her family, friends, and even her country, out of jealousy is worth listening to?" he crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. "No, Lady Lloyd. You came in here to seduce me, isn\'t that right?"

Her lips quivered, opening and closing her mouth, but her voice was lost. All she could do was stare at him and that devious smirk, while he was enjoying humiliating her.

"You should\'ve stripped from the beginning and maybe I would reconsider fucking you. However, the more I look at you, although I cannot deny you are quite a catch, my wife is better." He nodded, convinced at his own claim. "You\'re not blind not to know how elegantly gorgeous she was and her morning look will still look better than you in your best dress."

"You\'re lucky, though," he continued as he raised his brows to give her a knowing look. "The only reason I hadn\'t drawn my sword and beheaded you is that my wife is quite fond of you. You also need to give credit to the earl, your husband, since he was a loyal subject of the crown prince."

"Forget about everything I ordered you to do since I had already figured out what I needed to figure out. Now, if you value your life, get out of my face while I am being kind. My patience isn\'t that long, Countess Lloyd, and your death will not matter to anyone. Your husband will find another wife, I will still be the crown prince, and the Maganti will continue to flourish." Joaquin perked his chin towards the door behind her, hinting to her where she should leave.

Cherry couldn\'t even say a word as he not only refused her, but Joaquin humiliated her. After she left while dragging her feet away, Joaquin gazed at the door for a moment before he decided to return to Aries.

But here he was, just right outside the sitting room, standing in front of the window, deep in thought.

\'I would\'ve tasted her before humiliating her like that if this was before,\' he thought, finding his own action strange since it was out of character. However, even if that crossed his head, it felt like a chore. His excitement for his wife was different and he was satisfied with just her.

\'I never thought I will ever be satisfied with just one woman,\' he thought, but instead of getting angry, a subtle smile resurfaced on his face. \'Circe…\'

Joaquin pivoted on his heel, walking away from that spot as he sauntered through the hallway to go back to his wife.

\'… this is not good.\'