Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 184: Seeking a sense of belonging
Jeremiah chuckled, a glint flitted across his emerald green eyes as he stroked her long red hair, ’’I fell for you right there and then. And from there on, there was no going back.’’
’With that hideous face and ugly body, you sure have a good amount of confidence if you think I am interested in you.’
What was that? Esme found herself stunned.
If he fell in love with her, then who was so rude to her? Nobody has the audacity to be that rude to her in this land.
She did not tell Jeremiah about her nightmare because he would be worried sick about her but ever since last night, she has been having these weird reminders of moments that she has never lived... or maybe those she has forgotten.
’’Jer, say, have you ever found me ugly?" She looked at him seriously, wanting an honest answer, ’’Did you ever call me hideous in the past?’’
But he laughed, ’’Ugly? Hideous?" Jeremiah laughed so hard that the sound of his laughter reverberated in the huge room. It was as if he has never heard something more ridiculous, he continued speaking, ’’My darling future wife, there has not even been a single time when I called you ugly. From the very first day, I was falling for you and I kept telling you about how beautiful you are.’’
’I know you are madly in love with me, my dear moon.’
’’I always... always knew that you will make the most beautiful bride in the entire world,’’ Jeremiah cupped her face, ’’And I always knew that one day I am going to marry you.’’
’I can’t marry you, Princess.’
"Did I ever hate you?" Esme asked him, struggling to suppress the voices growing inside her head.
’’You have never looked at me without a smile. There is no question rising about hate or anything close to that,’’ he chuckled.
’Don’t hate me again.’
Esme snapped her eyes shut as she stepped back from the man, ’’Jer, I need some rest. I kept painting the whole night and now I feel so tired...’’
Jeremiah nodded. As Leo jumped to the bed, the man stroked his fur only for the little thing to roar.
Esme always found it hard to comprehend how Leo was such a small thing but his roar seemed to shake up the castle walls. And what was harder to understand was why this little thing hated Jeremiah.
’’He doesn’t like me a lot,’’ Jeremiah stated.
Esme smiled, ’’He is just a bit grumpy in the morning,’’ she said, to keep his heart because the reality was that Leo really did not like the man for whatever reason it was.
Jeremiah was so kind and gentle that she could not discern Leo’s reason for disliking the man.
’’Es,’’ Jeremiah called out and she tilted her head to look at him, ’’Sleep now and I will come here before lunchtime. The King is back and he wants to eat with us. You know, the King has become so biased that he now prefers you over me. He has been like that ever since you came to the castle.’’
Esme’s eyes twinkled at the mention of the man whom the outsiders assumed to be an old man. Only that he did not look old at all.
Her source of comfort in this huge castle.
If she told anyone that, in her earlier days inside the castle, the great King of the Defire Kingdom read fairytales to her when she woke up from nightmares while bawling her eyes out then people would laugh or roll their eyes in disbelief.
...
Esme could not sleep properly. Leo sat beside her and she kept twisting and turning on the bed before catching a wink of sleep.
It was past two hours by the time she woke up and when she walked out of the room after freshening up, she was met by the guards at the door who informed her about Luciana’s message.
"A tea party?"
Esme went back to her room and tied her long hair into a braid, letting it fall in front of her shoulder. She took out a beige gown from her trunk before changing her nightdress.
According to what the guards informed her, there is a tea party in the sea later this evening.
She wrapped a bow tie around Leo’s neck and the beast roared in protest.
Esme giggled, picking him up in her arms.
She was not very fond of tea parties where most of the high-class mermaids came, showing off their new pieces of jewelry, talking about their lovers, their new hand mirrors, bracelets, crown, or new songs they learned.
Apparently, her best friend, Luciana, loved those.
Despite belonging to this world, Esme could not stop seeking for a sense of belonging here.
And it confused her.
’’Are you ready, My Lady?" The doors opened and Jeremiah strode inside her room.
He was a handsome man but the lack of any feeling in her heart had her wonder what it truly desired, ’’I am,’’ Esme smiled, not letting her thoughts to be visible on her face.
He led her out of the room Esme glanced at the glass walls as they walked in the hallways of the Crystal Castle.
Jeremiah kept initiating small talks and she responded to him, sounding as natural as she could to not let her complicated thoughts spiral out of her mind.
As they stopped in front of the dining room, something flashed in her mind.
A dining room. A castle. Dimly-lit hallways. Blurry faces.
Her footsteps staggered.
"Ah!" Esme clutched her forehead as a tremor shot through her.
’’What happened?" Jeremiah grabbed her elbow and the guards in front of the door panicked and approached her.
’’My Lord, My Lady,’’ they greeted.
Esme clutched Leo tighter in her arms while her other hand remained on her forehead, her fingertips gently massaging the spot that was hurting.
It has been over a year she since she was injured and lost her memory but this pain, this feeling, it never ceased.
