Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 194: Devil

The sea sparkled like stars as the moonlight treaded on the dark water.

A man sat on a huge boulder, with a black cloth covering the lower half of his face. His blue eyes intently stared at the stones in his hand.

He threw a stone into the sea which caused a small ripple before sinking inside the water.

’’She is late...’’ He mumbled, throwing another stone inside the water, ’’...as usual,’’ Discontentment marred his voice.

Just as he was about to throw another stone inside the sea, there were ripples in the water. Not the small ripples caused by the stones that he threw.

These ripples were chaotic, gradually turning into huge waves that indicated someone’s arrival.

She was here.

’’I am late because of my responsibilities, My Lord,’’ Luciana’s head appeared from the sea as she placed her hands on a low rock before placing her chin atop the bridge of her intertwined fingers, ’’If only I was as idle as you then I would have always been the punctual one in our meetings.’’

’’Responsibilities that entitle you to fool an innocent girl with the trap of your words?" The man’s voice was filled with disdain.

’’Maybe,’’ Luciana smiled, ’’At least, I am doing it with good motives unlike someone who is waiting to catch that innocent girl in his traps,’’ she said, her words intending to drag a dagger through the man’s weak spots.

The man hissed, ’’You are ruthless, My Lady.’’

’’Likewise, My Lord,’’ Luciana raised a brow at him, ’’Why are you hiding your face? Have you gotten uglier overnight?"

’’I am afraid that my beauty will bewitch you someday,’’ The man teased and snapped his fingers, the black cloth covering his face disappeared into thin air.

Luciana glanced at the handsome face in front of her. Strands of unruly brown locks swayed in the night wind and the pair of vibrant blue eyes locked with her, ’’Long time no see,’’ she whispered.

The man smiled, extending his hand towards her.

Luciana glanced at his outstretched hand quietly for a moment before she placed her hand in his.

Cardan pulled her up in one swift move.

Her long tail disappeared and the scales on her body disappeared, only to be replaced by a green gown.

He pulled her onto the boulder he was sitting on and helped her sit beside him, ’’I got your letter through the seagulls. You wanted to meet me but I told you that you should be cautious, didn’t I?" she glanced at the man who was Aleister’s half-brother, the very same man who disguised himself as Duchess Flora and fed on the age of the people in the Daven Castle, who slept with countless maids and killed them without a shred of hesitation, who plotted and schemed against Aleister all along, who... wanted to conquer Esme to use her to purify his divine powers.

Cardan, the son of God Atlas and that evil witch, Marilyn, was the kind of man that one would define as the devil.

’’It’s not the time to be cautious,’’ Cardan said, looking at the sea.

Luciana frowned, ’’It’s not like you don’t know how your mother is. If she gets the gist of how you have been meeting with a mermaid secretly, would she spare me?" She regretted it as soon as she said it. Before Marilyn could reach her, Cardan will kill her for badmouthing his beloved mother.

’’Are you scared of her?" Cardan asked instead, looking amused.

’’You people are powerful,’’ Luciana said, ’’But I am not scared. The worse you can do is kill me which you will do regardless of what I feel whenever you want. But it will come with consequences. Killing a mermaid of pure bloodline won’t spare heaven or gods because we are sacred creatures. So, I am not scared but that does not mean I don’t cherish my life.’’

Cardan did not respond to her words, ’’How was your day?" he asked instead.

’’Today, I invited Esme to the sea,’’ Luciana answered instead, knowing very well that when he asked about her day, he did not mean it literally. It was his way of asking about all her interactions with Esme, ’’For a tea party. The mermaids all found her unfamiliar because they had never seen her before and Esme was suspicious. She even questioned me about her past, about her family.’’

’’What did you say?"

’’I coaxed her with my lies but I also told her that what’s in front of us is not always the truth. The Esme I know, will not let go of her suspicions that easily.’’

Cardan frowned, ’’Why not just tell her the truth? Why are you making her walk around in a maze full of questions and uncertainties?"

’’Is your heart aching for her?" Luciana laughed, looking at the sea.

Cardan glanced at her face when she was not looking.

Luciana turned to look at him.

He averted his gaze.

’’It’s not that I don’t want to. In my whole life, if I regret something the most, it’s supporting my father and brother blindly one year ago without knowing about many things. I regret being so heartless and watching quietly when they traded Aleister’s uncle, Maverick Daven’s life for Esme’s freedom. I regret not doing anything that night with every ounce of my being,’’ Luciana lowered her head.

Cardan frowned, ’’Why do you care about Esme? You used to like Aleister. He is gone now. Why does it matter whether Esme lives or dies.’’

Luciana sighed, ’’You won’t understand,’’ Liking Aleister was like admiring the moon or obsessing over a piece of new jewelry for a shallow mermaid like her. She liked beautiful things in the world, beautiful objects, beautiful men... It was just a shallow infatuation but growing a friendship with the woman who always pointed a sword at her throat was the most genuine and meaningful relationship that Luciana had formed in her life after her mother passed away.

’’You can try,’’ Cardan said.

Luciana glanced at him, ’’At first, I hated Esme because of how she was favored in the Castle. Everyone. From the King to the Duke and even Aleister, the Prince is known for his ruthless nature and untamed reputation.... All of them were wrapped around Esme’s little finger. They listened to her words and took her seriously."