Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 197: Deal
’’She falls in the third category that I mentioned. Half-mer and half-human. She can adapt to both land and water ever since she was born. Few other special ones like her were usually handled by my father and brought back to the sea.’’
’’How does your father finds them?" Cardan questioned.
’’We have our messengers all over the huge kingdoms. Words travel faster than one thinks,’’ Luciana shook her head, ’’A mermaid or a merman can never hide their craving for the sea, they cannot tame their restlessness in the full moon nights nor can they blend themselves in the crowd; they will always stand out.’’
Cardan sighed, ’’As much as I understand what you talked about, but... Esme was not caught by your father for 21 years. Why now?"
Luciana looked at him, ’’Because she was not traced by anyone. She hid herself well. Esme was cautious. So cautious that she did not even trust her own shadow. Nobody in her family was aware of her powers, about her identity,’’ she lowered her head, ’’If it was not because of me, father would never have been able to get to her.’’
’’Because of you?!" Cardan looked at her, stunned.
Luciana waved her hand, ’’I did not do anything on purpose. It was partly Esme’s fault for being overtly curious but I can’t blame her. A person who grew up with a fog around her existence would want to know herself when given the opportunity.’’
’’You are talking in riddles,’’ Cardan said.
’’You can find the answer if you have the ability,’’ Luciana shrugged, not feeling like discussing the past any further.
On one hand, she wanted Esme to remember her past without being harmed so she would not be fooled by the facades around her but at the same time, she did not know if Esme would be capable of coping with Aleister’s loss.
Even if she had no recollection of her past, she was still haunted by the memories of that man, that castle. Sometimes, it was his eyes that haunted her in her dream, and sometimes, it was his words that reverberated in her mind.
Esme had shared these things with her, but Luciana knew that she wasn’t telling her everything. Other than her, nobody knew what she saw in her dreams because she never told anyone.
Esme saw her as a friend but that did not mean she was not cautious.
Even without her memories, it was not easy to dupe Esme because of how observant she was.
’’Why did you call me here so urgently?" Luciana asked the man who did not pursue the topic about how her father discovered Esme’s existence.
That was a secret that she did not want to spill. A mistake she made when she was a child and it might come to bite her if she mentioned it now.
Cardan had no relations with her father but the man was devious. If the time comes when he decides to hold her weakness against her as leverage, then she would be vulnerable.
He already knew about all her weaknesses. The least she could do was tell him about the only secret that she intended to take to her grave because it was powerful enough to get her kicked out of their clan.
’’Because it’s time you fulfill the last part of our deal.’’
Deal. Their deal.
Luciana thought about the night when she received a message from a seagull 11 months ago. It was an invitation from this same man to meet him at this place.
He wanted to make a deal with her.
And Luciana knew better than to make a deal with a man akin to the devil.
But he said, ’If you don’t do it peacefully, I have other methods.’
And those were the words that reminded her of how Cardan had infiltrated the Daven Castle by disguising himself as Duchess Flora. He even kept a piece of that woman’s soul so that his act would not slip accidentally.
An evil man like that... If he wanted something then he would go to the depths of hell to get it.
’What is that you want?’ she had asked, not to make a deal with him but she could not help the curiosity growing inside her.
They barely knew each other then what motives did he approach her with?
’I want you to inform me everything about Esme in the days to come. How she is doing, what she is doing, everything about her. And I want you to keep her safe, even from your own family,’ Cardan had said, much to her astonishment.
Keeping Esme safe was not something she needed to be told about.
On the lands, Esme was powerful enough to save herself. Moreover, she had Aleister. But in the sea, everything was unfamiliar to her. Losing her memories was like another toll taken on her intellect.
And the amount of guilt bottled up in her would only be soothed if she protected the woman.
But to spy on her and give this man the details?
Luciana wanted to question him about that but he interrupted her, ’If you do it, I will get you anything you desire. You can ask for anything in return.’
Luciana wanted to outrightly reject it but when she noticed the dangerous glint in his eyes, she knew that if she did not agree to it, she would be killed. Even if his powers would suffer after killing her, he would still kill her because that’s the kind of devil Cardan was.
And after that, he can go and easily charm any other mermaid to do his bidding.
As they say, keep your friends close but enemies closer, ’Yes,’ she agreed.
Rather than staying clueless about the impending dangers, she would rather know it all.
The least she could do was drag time with whatever this man wanted and meanwhile try to help Esme regain her memories without harming her in the process.
