Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 154: Heart of Enchantment Forest

Esme’s fingers curled into a fist. Suddenly, she thought of the first time when she dreamt of having scales on her body. Even though it was a dream, she could feel the pain as if it was real.

Was he experiencing the same pain?

Knowing that it was the past and she could not do anything here, Esme helplessly knelt in front of Aleister.

The strokes continued appearing on his back until Esme spotted the outlines of a black butterfly in that place. By that time, Aleister lost consciousness as he laid on the floor, his body still curled up in a ball as his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead and his face was pale.

Esme’s heart ached. She extended a hand towards his face but before she could reach him, the surroundings started changing.

And the next time she looked around, she found herself standing in the courtroom.

’’Father, I don’t want to go there.’’

Esme looked in the direction of the voice and she found a boy standing in the middle of the courtroom. She followed his gaze and glanced at the person he called father.

It was the King.

Then this boy... is Aleister. He looked taller than before which meant some time has passed after that incident when he lost consciousness in his room. Probably one year or two. She concluded after looking at his delicate features and his height.

’’You need to go there, Prince Aleister. This is not an option,’’ King Alexander glanced at the boy emotionlessly.

Where were they sending him?

From the look on his face, it seemed like he was not at all pleased by it and the King seemed to be imposing his decision on him.

’’Your Majesty, the Prince is still so young and he is still learning. But it’s not the right time for him to go to wars.’’

A closer look at the man and Esme recognized him instantly. He was Minister Louis, the man who offended Luciana in the court. And the woman demanded for him to be thrown in the prison.

’’Minister Louis, are you questioning my decisions?" The King frowned.

’’I wouldn’t dare,’’ Minister Louis lowered his head, ’’But I beg Your Majesty to reconsider.’’

Esme got the gist of the situation. The King wanted to send Aleister to the war but from what she saw earlier, it looked like the young Aleister did not have any powers in his body.... not yet at least. Then going to places like this will put his life in danger but the King did not seem to be too much concerned about his son.

She was glad that Minister Louis objected to this. The man was really as straightforward as they claimed given that he was not afraid to object to the King’s decision. No wonder his life was targeted all the time. It was good that the King did not take his words to heart or else this man would have been thrown into prison right now. Then there would have been no question of offending Luciana.

Esme sighed in relief. Since the King was silent, it meant he was reconsidering his decision already.

’’He is so young and adorable to go to battlefield....’’ Esme stepped closer to Aleister with two hearts popping out of her eyes.

She glanced at his quiet countenance in amusement. After some time, she raised her hand to poke his cheeks but she could not touch him. Ah, what a pity!

’’What about you all? What do you think?"

Esme tilted her head to look at the King. She followed his gaze and glanced at the officials who seemed to be discussing this matter amongst themselves.

’’Your Highness, it is only right if we send the Prince. He is your only successor and we can’t keep him hidden behind closed doors forever.’’

’’Yes, the Prince.... is born with a weak constitution. The day when he was born seemed to be auspicious but other than that, he doesn’t possess any powers. It is only right if he gains some experience from the battlefields.’’

’’Rumors are going around that we are shielding our incapable Prince. It is only right if we prove them wrong.’’

Incapable Prince?! The nerve of these people. Esme glanced at the King, waiting for his temper to flare up but he seemed fine with it.

She could not help but frown. If she compared the way the King treated Aleister right now to the way she has seen him treating his son, then there was a stark difference. It seemed like she was looking at two different people.

’’Minister Louis, do you have anything more to say?"

Minister Louis quietly lowered his head but Esme noticed the glare he threw at the other officials before doing so.

’’My decision won’t change,’’ The King glanced at Aleister, ’’You don’t need to worry. You will be first sent to the heart of Enchantment Forest for training. After you make it out of there, you will go to the battlefield.’’

Gasps and murmurs arose in the courtroom.

’’Does he wants his son to die...?"

’’It looks like the rumors were not wrong. The King really hates the Prince.’’

’’Sigh... Poor boy. But what can we do when he is born powerless?"

’’Her Majesty passed away during childbirth and given how much His Majesty loved her, his actions are understandable.’’

’’But isn’t it too cruel? Do you know there are countless beasts in that part of the Enchantment Forest? Do you think the Prince can survive if he came across any of them? Recently, people said that they heard the sounds of wolves crying at night...’’

’’I believe there is a pack of wolves living there.’’

’’You all... Keep quiet. You won’t survive if his Majesty hears you. We cannot do anything because it is his decision.’’

Esme bit her bottom lips. The King might not have heard them because of their low voices but she heard them loud and clear. These people... She thought they only disliked her because they thought she was an ordinary villager who was seducing their Prince. But it turned out, they have always been ruthless.

Beasts... Pack of wolves... Her attention shifted to Aleister who had now lowered his head. She could not see his expression.

’’Is that what you really want?" The boy’s clear voice sounded in the courtroom.

’’Yes,’’ King Alexander replied.

’’Will you not regret it?" Aleister tilted his head and all Esme could see was the calm expression.

’’There is nothing to regret.’’

Esme shook her head, ’’Say that you don’t want to go...’’ She mumbled under her breath.

Aleister’s finger curled into a fist as he tilted his chin, ’’Even if you regret, I would not care,’’ With that said, he turned around and left the courtroom without bothering to greet the King or asking for his permission.

’’Hey, don’t be impulsive...’’ Esme screamed but Aleister was long gone from her sight and even if he was there, he would not have heard her.

She looked around the courtroom for any signs of Duke Maverick but the man was not there. It seems like everything was happening in his absence.

’’The Prince is rude.’’

’’He needs to be taught well or else people will question his upbringings.’’

Esme glared at the court officials before running out of the courtroom without paying attention to their words.

She looked around the place but Aleister was nowhere to be seen.

Before she could take another step, her surroundings changed once again.

She was stunned for a moment but she soon recovered her senses, ’’This is.... the Enchantment Forest.’’

It was nighttime and she was standing behind a huge tree. The place was eerie enough to give her goosebumps even though she knew that she was not in danger.

But it was not the outer parts of the forest which she had ventured into. The place was denser with trees and bushes, some of them were poisonous and as Esme looked around, she felt like someone else was there too.

She patted her chest and leaned back on the tree. She stiffened suddenly, ’’Don’t tell me.... they threw him here?" she looked around for Aleister but she could not find him around.

Esme walked around the tree but just as she was about to move past the bushes, her footsteps came to a halt when she saw something from the corner of her eyes.

She lowered her head and glanced at the boy who was leaning back in the bushes, his eyes were closed.

He had dirt all over his face and clothes. His clothes were torn and Esme could see the bloodstains on his body as he laid there with closed eyes. There was a dagger in his hand and it was stained with blood.

If not for the constant rise and fall of his chest, then she would have assumed the worst.

She tilted her head to the side and her gaze landed on the red-tailed hawk lying near Aleister’s waist. From the unique markings on its forehead, Esme could conclude that it was not an ordinary bird. She remembered what the court officials were talking about. There were rare beasts in this part of the forest.