Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 221: Presents

Even when his Uncle was in the mirror illusion and Cardan was mocking him, Aleister could have easily killed him but he could not bring himself to hate Cardan.

Not when he saw so much of himself in the man.

They were both similar in some way. Ruined and carved by the circumstances.

Growing up without a mother, and with a neglected father who banished him to the Enchantment Forest, it turned him into something he never was.

Alexander might have been his Uncle but the childhood he spent believing that his father despised him, and the circumstances he was cornered into carved him into a different person. He made decisions that never made him a good person.

Just like Cardan.

The sufferings of the people in the past, be it his mother, Cardan’s mother, or their father... all of it was somehow molding their lives.

Aleister could not bring himself to hate Cardan because the man was provided with enough chances in the past few years to kill him when he was disguised as Duchess Flora but he did not do that.

That changed things for him.

They were close to each other after these months but what did not change between them was Marilyn.

It was an unspoken rule between them to not mention Cardan’s mother.

Cardan knew his mother was in the wrong but she was his mother and after all her sufferings, he could not steel his heart to put her through any pain or disappointments anymore.

But Aleister had nothing to do with that woman. For a moment, he was even putting the thought of his own mother suffering in this castle aside. He was even willing to not take revenge for the curse she had placed on him, the one which made him vulnerable in her presence.

But no matter what, every action of that woman burned the fire of vengeance brighter in his heart.

The way she controlled Cardan like a puppet, the nightmares Esme suffered in the Daven Castle, the times when Esme believed that there was something wrong with her, the crazed persistence of Marilyn to kill him and Esme...

Marilyn was the only existing conflict between him and Cardan. The one he was not willing to tread on.

’’Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about your woman,’’ Aleister said to Cardan, putting his thoughts to rest.

Cardan averted his gaze, ’’I am not close to Luciana. You know that I approached her because I needed to bring your fiancee here. Because you were acting like a sick old man while looking at the sky all night and I gave my words on an impulse. But I stick to my words always hence I fulfilled my promise and got her here...’’

’’I didn’t mention Luciana’s name,’’ Aleister shrugged, ’’And you are babbling unnecessarily. That says a thing or two about you.’’

Cardan cleared his throat. He was used to making people speechless but these days, the tables might have turned in the presence of Aleister and Luciana. He did not know what to do with these people.

As Aleister turned around to leave, he paused in his tracks for a moment, ’’But you should deal with your woman and give her presents so that from now on, she doesn’t take the things that I get for my Princess.’’

He left the room, leaving Cardan speechless.

Cardan was reminded about how Luciana had asked him about the gown in the night court.

It left him confused because he did not remember giving her a gown.

Not that he did not want to but he was certain that that arrogant woman would burn his presents right in front of his eyes.

Now, it made sense. It was a present from Aleister... to Esme.

He sighed.

...

"You know why I call you Leo’s sister?"

’’Why?"

’’Because you keep clinging to me like him.’’

’’Liar,’’ Esme scoffed in an unladylike manner, ’’I don’t cling at all.’’

As Esme stepped forward, the darkness in front of her intensified and so did the voices around her.

’’I don’t even know who I am,’’ Esme heard her voice again even though she was not speaking.

’’You are my future wife, the future Queen, my dear moon,’’ Esme heard a man saying.

Was it Jeremiah? She could not recognize the hazy voice but who else could it be other than him? He was the future King of their Kingdom and she was going to marry him.

Esme continued walking forward but her footsteps halted when she heard soft sobs.

She looked around once again but her surroundings were still as dark, making it hard for her to see anything.

’’Don’t hate me again...’’ the man’s voice resounded around her.

Heart beating rapidly, sweat trickling down her forehead, Esme found herself sitting up on the bed.

She pressed her palm to her mouth, trying to calm her uneven breathing.

After a few moments, the memories in her dreams turned hazy.

Esme tilted her head to the side and she saw Luciana was still sleeping beside her.

She was about to lie down too but some movements outside the door caught her attention.

She glanced at the bed yet again.

Where was Leo?

Esme pushed herself out of the bed.

Earlier she did not realize when she dozed off while pretending to sleep.

She had noticed Leo’s weird antics. The beast kept disappearing whenever she went out of his sight.

When he came back, he acted all docile and sweet and she did not have the heart to reprimand him but that did not mean she was not curious about his whereabouts.

In this unknown place, what could possibly catch his attention that he had to hide from her and go there?

To find that, she pretended to sleep when Luciana slept so that she could follow Leo when he went outside but she did not realize when she ended up sleeping.

Esme clutched her gown and ran out of her room.

As expected, Leo was roaming in the hallways.

The beast turned around immediately, probably sensing her presence.

Esme hid behind the pillars.