Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 190: A sweet Esme

’’My Lady, you don’t need to buy this anymore. I won’t force you to buy it,’’ The shop owner interrupted her in a docile manner but his voice had a threatening edge to it, ’’You extorted the background of this relic from me without having any intention of buying it from me. That’s an offense and if you tell about it to others, it would be a greater offense. But since you seem to have an air of nobility, I would never want to take this matter to the royal court. The lady’s reputation will be tainted,’’ his tone was servile all the while but Esme could catch the warnings behind his words.

She raised an eyebrow at him. He was forgiving her offense for this said ’air of nobility? She felt like laughing.

’’I will let go even though you have broken one rule of the night market. I won’t pursue the matter anymore.’’

Esme moved closer to him before whispering, ’’Rules are meant to be broken. Shouldn’t you know that better than me?"

As she pulled back, his eyes widened and the corner of her lips tugged up behind her veil.

The story he told her about the comb was flawless. And he seemed to be speaking the truth all this while.

Right now, she has indeed broken a rule of the night market but Esme did not think this man is as benevolent as to spare her after this. There would have been no way for Esme to step out of this whole matter unscathed. He would have dragged her to the royal court for this offense but now, he was giving her a way out.

And Esme was fully aware of what caused it.

He saw the pearl accessory sitting on her shoulder and assumed that she was rich.

In his greed of quickly selling his comb to the rich lady in front of him, he exposed its deep secrets and told her that he got the comb from the land of humans at a cheap rate.

That’s the only reason Esme believed that mermen and mermaids can be vain, impulsive, and foolish at times but to be able to see through their mistakes, she wondered what made her different.

While ordinary mermaids and mermen won’t care about this information, but the other shop owners would definitely be affected by this piece of information. That was the only reason he was whispering to her the whole time.

And it was not really unethical to get these treasures from human land but from how this man was describing it, it seems like most of the other shop owners did not know that humans held such treasures. To keep their shops running, they traveled to the distant sea kingdoms to obtain treasures.

Once the business secret was out, the person in front of her won’t be the only man who would flourish in business.

That, and God forbid that the news of the merchants going to the land of humans reached the King’s ears then it will earn his wrath.

Probably, he thought about these consequences and gave her a way out the moment she opened her mouth to talk about the comb.

But if she had to tell the truth then she was just pretending like she would reveal the story of the comb that he told her. She had no intention of using his information against him but her desperate state needed some desperate measures so she had no choice but to pretend like she would spill everything they talked about.

The crowd started dissipating and Esme should have felt glad that she was not being forced to buy this comb anymore and that the merman was letting her go despite her breaking their rules.

But she could not move.

Her tail moved forward and her gaze once again flew back to the comb. Why? Why do I want to have you so much?

Her brows tugged together as she looked at it, reluctant to part with it.

The merman slammed the trove shut, forbidding her from watching the comb anymore.

Esme’s lips jutted out, forming a small pout under her veil.

Her shoulders slumped as she swam towards the middle of the cobblestone path. The sea stars engraved on either side of the path kept sparkling in the dark while she slowly moved forward in low spirits.

But suddenly, a familiar face appeared in her view.

’’You are here? I was coming to look for you. We are so late for the tea party,’’ Luciana reprimanded her in a gentle tone.

Esme’s eyes lit up as if she has just seen her savior.

Looking at her sparkling grey eyes, Luciana felt goosebumps on her body. Whenever Esme looked this passionate, no good came out of it.

She still remembered the first time she saw Esme in the Daven Castle. It was a dark night and this woman had a similar glow in her eyes when she snapped off Keith Reiner, the head gardener’s neck while they witnessed the scene standing outside the window.

Whenever they had an argument or ’taunting each other discreetly’ moment over Aleister or the court members or something silly, her eyes looked the same.

And... Whenever she used to look at Aleister, her eyes sparkled the same. Even more intensely.

Luciana’s eyes dimmed as the last thought crossed her mind.

’’Lucy, we are best friends, right?" Unaware of her friend’s thoughts, Esme quickly slid closer to Luciana as she held her elbow, looking at her like she was the one who filled water in the sea and stars in the sky.

’’We... Can I say no?" Luciana snapped out of her trance and glanced at the woman who was looking at her so adorably.

’’I know you won’t,’’ Esme restrained her urge to throw up as she sweetly rubbed her face on Luciana’s shoulder, ’’You are rich, right? The Norwell Family has lots of crystals, right?"

’’You can ask my Uncle for crystals,’’ Luciana glanced at the woman with narrowed eyes.

’’I don’t want to. No one compares to my Lucy,’’ The small fishes could almost lick the honey dripping from Esme’s words at this point.

"...’’

’’What do you want?" Luciana massaged her forehead with one hand, adjusting the veil on her face with the other.

Esme’s eyes lit up more as if it was even possible.