Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 162: Dead

She just wanted him to coax her or at least ask her to go with him but he just left. She heard what Rowan said.

There must be something going on for him to react that way. She understood it. But Esme couldn’t help the constant discomfort in her chest.

She wondered if she was the one who jinxed her own life. She kept assuming that things will go wrong if she took a step towards Aleister and nothing seemed right at this moment.

She confessed her feelings and he told her that he won’t marry her. What is that supposed to mean? Was she rejected?

’’Have a lot of thoughts in your mind? We can discuss it over some nice tea. We used to do it before anyway.’’

Esme’s fingers which were stroking the rose petals paused.

...

’I hated the color which reminds me of the sea, my nightmares but as much as I hate the sea, I crave it too. Your eyes are my favorite. You are my favorite.’

’I want to be there with you, for a long long time. I love you, Aleister Daven, and...And you are not allowed to reject me.’

He used to believe that his heart was just as cold and numb after all these years. But that damned organ... it proved him wrong.

The words she said made his heart skip a beat. Even, beats. Not once, not twice, his heart skipped beats in a flow till he started to think that it might sprout out of his chest.

All he wanted to do was take her to his room and kiss her till her lips were all swollen, touch her till she was left craving and begging for more. He wanted to make her his. His woman, his wife.

But his thoughts were short-lived.

’’The King... he..’’

Aleister snapped out of his daze. He turned to look at Rowan, ’’Stop stuttering!" his voice was unusually cold.

Rowan flinched. It took him a moment to come back to his senses. Aleister was usually a calm and composed person. Even when he was on the battlefield, his sarcasm would never leave his side. But right at this moment, he seemed cold. Almost bloodthirsty.

It reminded him of the first time they met. The young Aleister looked at everyone just this coldly.

His lips thinned. Was it that Princess who got him so riled up? Who else could it be? He thought to himself.

’’Speak!" Aleister narrowed his eyes.

’’The King is might not make it,’’ he blurted.

Aleister’s footsteps came to a halt as he stopped a few steps away from the door of the King’s room.

His fingers curled up in a fist and his knuckles turned pale. Veins appeared on his wrist and he loosened his fingers after a few seconds.

As he stepped inside, he spotted the royal physicians kneeling around the King’s bed with their heads lowered.

Duke Maverick was sitting near the edge of the bed, holding the King’s legs, his body shaking uncontrollably as tears rolled down his face.

Aleister tilted his head and glanced at the King who had his eyes wide open. Spider web-like veins spread all over his body. His face was deathly pale and one could see his blackened skin. There was a trail of blood near his mouth.

Even though his eyes were open but there was no movement in his body.

Aleister stepped forward till he was standing near the head of the bed.

’Father, can you teach me archery? Everyone says you are the best at it.’

’Father, I waited for so long because Uncle said you will have dinner with us. Did you not come because I was there?’

’Am I not your son? Is it because I am born this weak? Is that why you detest me?’

’Do you hate me so much that you don’t even care if I am alive or not?’

’Battlefield? I’ll go there. Even if you regret it later, it has nothing to do with me.’

And years later when he came back to the Castle.... he did not look at the man. Aleister treated him like he was just another passerby and the man said to him, ’I was protecting you.’

Aleister looked at the man who was lying on the bed motionlessly. ’The scars you gave me were much more than the protection you provided,’ he thought as he placed his palm on the man’s eyes and closed them.

Duke Maverick raised his head, ’’It’s because of me... That woman...that man or whoever that impostor was kept living with me under the pretense of being my wife and I never noticed anything amiss. We...’’ Tears rolled down his eyes as his lips trembled.

’’Dismiss,’’ Aleister looked at the physicians and waved his hand. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

They stood up, their legs shaking and their bodies trembling as they turned around to leave. They were expecting a death sentence.

Aleister nodded at Rowan who followed after them.

Aleister walked towards Duke Maverick before he helped the man to his wheelchair.

’’We never shared a bed because I was... I didn’t want to look incapable in front of the woman I loved,’’ he felt ashamed saying this but he could not live nor die with these memories which were so burdensome that he felt suffocated. He lowered his head, ’’And I never realized that...that woman never existed at all.’’

’’Or maybe she did, but she died in that incident in her Kingdom,’’ Aleister said.

’’So, I fell in love with that impostor? Right now, I don’t feel heartbroken or betrayed. All I have left in myself is guilt for my carelessness. If I had been cautious then things would not have come to this. Brother would have been... alive,’’ he spoke weakly. Hours of being locked up inside the room made him realize that things would still have been in control if he was not that reckless.

’’Uncle, you were bewitched... by his powers. You believed that you loved that person. As soon as the spell broke, you found the truth,’’ Aleister looked out of the window, ’’None of this is your fault.’’

How could it not be his fault? Since the day he married her, he should have wondered how a weak and delicate woman was able to survive when the whole Kingdom was destroyed by the witches and the King himself.

But he never thought about it.

Looking at Aleister’s emotionless face, Duke Maverick inhaled a deep breath, ’’I will make the preparations for the rituals...’’ he tried to keep his voice calm even though his heart felt like it was being clenched.

He did not want to be a burden to his nephew, not now.

As Aleister walked out of the room, Rowan approached him, ’’It seems like the King’s condition was stable till yesterday, even today. It worsened just a few minutes ago and he killed himself... by biting his tongue off.’’

Aleister paused for a moment. That explained the trail of blood near his mouth.

’’Was someone around?"

’’We can’t be certain. The head physician was preparing the herbs and the shadow guards did not see anyone but...’’

’’But it is possible that someone came,’’ Aleister finished his words.

Rowan hesitated for a moment before he nodded, ’’If it was that person... then he could avoid all the eyes while coming to the King.’’

Aleister did not say anything as he continued walking.

Rowan quickly followed him after he noticed where the man was headed to.