Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 195: Stay safe, Leo

Luciana smiled, but her smile did not reach her eyes, ’’...It was quite a contrast to how I grew up, being suppressed by my elder brother, a father who never said it but placed all his high hopes on his son. Even though I was more powerful, my elder brother was the one who was more important to my father. Always. My Uncle, who was just two years older than me had the final say in the Norwell family because he was the King’s handpicked heir to the throne of our Kingdom.

Even if I did not chase power, I craved some love ever since I was young. But my mother died and so did all the love and light in my life. All of it died.

I was alone. Empty. Hurting.

I wanted someone to pull me out of the pain that I felt when I thought about my mother’s embrace but there was no one. It took me years to pull myself up from that dark abyss of drowning myself in my sorrows but by then, I was no longer myself.

I bullied my friends just to get a good laugh at their miserable states but deep down, I was just trying to prove to myself that others are more miserable than me. Growing up, I killed people who displeased my father because I wanted to show him that I can be the child he wants me to be,’’ Luciana glanced at her pristine white hands, the very same hands that were tainted in the blood of countless... countless people, countless mers and humans.

Cardan followed her gaze, looking at her hand.

Luciana laughed, ’’Then, I hated Esme because she had a voice of her own. Because even in a court filled with ministers, right in front of the King, right in front of people who are much much more powerful than her, she dared to raise her voice to save a pathetic minister who was going to be killed by me for disrespecting my father,’’ Luciana smiled at the fond memories, ’’I hated that she never molded herself according to the circumstances. She led the circumstances like she could control them at her fingertips. And she was admired by everyone because of that. It made me realize, that all these years when I tried to change my true self, I was not doing myself any good at all. And the realization of it made me hate her even more.’’

Cardan laughed, ’’Then why are you calling yourself her friend now?"

’’Because it was that night when I saw the woman on her knees, crying and begging for the man she loved to wake up did I realize that I never hated her. I admired her for all her qualities that inspired the light in me. I felt my heart ache for her at that moment and I knew that in those days of bickering and ugly spatting, somewhere, she became a friend that I never had,’’ Luciana raised her hand, wiping the tear from the corner of her eyes before she laughed harder again. Who could have thought that chasing after a handsome man would get her a friend?

One tear drop rolled down her cheeks and Cardan caught it in his palm, ’’You sure are precious,’’ he examined the pearl between his thumb and index finger, ’’Mermaids, hmm.’’

Luciana laughed, ’’These are like ordinary rocks in our kingdom.’’

He glanced at her.

Her eyes widened when she realized that while talking about unnecessary things, she forgot what she was about to tell him, ’’I want to tell Esme the truth as well. I want her to remember everything but...’’ 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

’’But...?"

Luciana frowned, ’’The night when Aleister died, and you and your mother disappeared from the Castle, my father made a deal with Esme. He would save Aleister’s Uncle from the mirror trap and in return, she would come to the sea.’’

’’You have told me about that.’’

Luciana nodded, ’’Back then, I discovered something...’’

*Flashback*

1 year ago.

’’Princess, it’s not that we are backing out on the condition that you had,’’ Marcus Norwell spoke to Esme cautiously, ’’But you can’t bring it with us,’’ he said, pointing his chin towards the small beast in her hand.

’Roar’

Leo’s earth-shattering roar echoed on the border of the forest and the sea.

Esme stroked his back to calm him down, ’’I dislike it when I have to repeat something,’’ her voice was soft, like the gentle blow of the night breeze in the eerie place.

Lucian frowned, ’’Will it survive in the water? You can bring it over with you but you should do that only if you are willing to lose another loved one on the same day.’’

Esme’s movement stopped.

’’Lucian!" Luciana pinched her brother’s hand.

Lucian glared at her.

Luciana narrowed her eyes.

’’One day, I will kill them,’’ Esme lowered her head to look at Leo.

Luciana felt like she misheard something.

The Norwell family stopped in their tracks and Luciana turned around to look at Esme, ’’Did you... say something?"

Esme looked at Luciana, the corner of her lips tugged up in a small smile, ’’They took his life. It is only right for me to rip their throats, isn’t it?" she whispered.

Luciana looked at Esme in a daze, a chill crept down her spine at the woman’s calm voice.

Lucian gulped, looking at his father, who looked a little bit ruffled by the woman’s crazed behavior as well.

’’For now, you need to come to your true form if you want to claim your powers as a part of the mers,’’ Marcus spoke up, ’’And about this beast, if you want it to die then you can take him with you. We have nothing to say about it.’’

Esme glanced at Leo quietly for a moment before she hugged him tightly, ’’Leo...’’ she rubbed his fur, ’’Stay safe,’’ she placed him down on the sand and walked towards the sea without looking back at him.

Leo glanced at her retreating back in a daze till she was halfway inside the water. And in the next moment, he jumped inside the sea with an ear-piercing roar.

A blinding golden glow enveloped them.