Ensnaring His Dark Moon - Chapter 128

”Lady Luciana, it doesn’t look like you are at the age to play with dolls then why must you act so childishly?” a clear voice resounded in the courtroom, interrupting the King’s words.

Everyone’s attention shifted towards Esme who was sitting beside Aleister and the entire place drowned in complete silence.

Aleister’s movements paused for a moment before he picked up the glass of wine in his hand and turned his head to the side to look at her face. He sipped the wine and the corner of his lips tugged up behind the glass, ”How pretty,” he whispered under his breath.

A blush crept up to her cheeks and her fingers gripped the arm of the chair tightly. Did he not know that she had a decent hearing ability?

Luciana glanced at the woman who was sitting beside Aleister. It was not that she had not noticed this woman. Earlier during the breakfast, she concluded that this woman should be Esmeray Reis, the Princess of Nevesray and the lover of the man whom she wanted.

”Princess Esmeray, do you hear yourself? Your words are disrespectful,” Luciana glanced at the woman.

”So are your actions,” Esme picked up the glass of wine in front of her as she twirled it slowly in her hand.

Some of the ministers were a bit displeased that Luciana addressed this woman as ‘Princess’. Since they did not know Esme’s identity, they assumed that she was addressed as the Princess because of her relationship with the Prince. So, it irked them because both of them were not even married yet, and neither did they want their Prince to marry such a woman.

”Lady Esmeray, you should not interfere in the court matters,” one of the ministers could not help but express his displeasure. But he kept his voice as polite as possible because of the man who was sitting beside Esme like a dragon protecting his treasure.

One of the court members was killed right in front of the King because he disrespected Esme so no one wanted the past to repeat itself, ”And you should refrain from speaking in matters you are not asked about.”

”Did I talk to you?” Esme narrowed her eyes at the man who spoke up. Earlier when one of the court members was about to be thrown into the prison, he kept quiet. But now that she was speaking, he suddenly came to seek justice for virtues? Hah, how pathetic!

”I apologize for interrupting you earlier, Your Majesty,” Esme glanced at the King, ”But I could not restrain myself from speaking.”

”You can speak,” King Alexander waved his hand casually.

Esme took a small sip of wine elegantly before she pushed herself to her feet and extended her hand towards Aleister, motioning him to hold the glass from her hand.

The servants and the ministers flinched, waiting for the Prince’s bad temper to flare up. No matter how much he adored her, she was in the end, a woman, an accessory to him. How rude of her to treat him like that?

Luciana narrowed her eyes. She heard that the Prince of Visteria did not have very much of a good temper. She had heard countless worse rumors about him but she never paid any attention to him. Little did she know he will have her undivided attention the moment her gaze landed on him. If the rumors were true, then she should be waiting for a spectacle.

After all, this woman was asking the Prince to do what the slaves are meant to do.

King Alexander frowned. He knew his son well. If he lost his temper at this moment, then he made a mental decision to stop him before he did something to Esme in anger.

Duchess Flora also straightened up as she glanced at her husband.

Duke Maverick’s brows tugged together for a moment before he relaxed in his seat, ”Don’t worry,” His nephew treasured Esme way too much for him to hurt her.

Aleister glanced at the fair wrist extended in front of him.

Everyone held their breaths in anticipation and nervousness. After having witnessed the past instances, some were even imagining a broken hand.

”Have you not been eating well? Your wrist looks thin,” Aleister sighed like a helpless husband before taking the glass from her hand.

Esme was speechless. Not eating well? He was making sure she ate a lot so much so that she felt like someday she will become fat and then explode.

“_”

Everyone’s jaws dropped.

What was that? Which world were they in?

Esme was clueless about their reactions because she did not think she did anything unnatural by handing him the wine glass.

Luciana was the first one to recover her senses, ”Princess Esmeray, are you siding with this traitor?” she suppressed the shock in her heart. It looked like the rumors were not reliable at all. How was this man referred to as the devil when he seems to be so uninterested in worldly affairs while eating the pastries? Not to mention, he even held the glass from this woman’s hand.

”A traitor? Who?” Esme walked towards them before standing in between the minister and Luciana.

”You know what I am talking about,” Luciana frowned, ”This man pointed his fingers at my father and you are shielding him like this…”

”Oh, so how do you intend to punish him?”

”I want him to be locked up in the prison,” Luciana said.

”Can you afford to put Prince Aleister in the prison?” Esme asked in a confused tone.

”W-What…” Luciana was flustered for a moment before she composed herself, ”I am talking about this rude minister, not the Prince,” she stole a glance at Aleister who was busy drinking the wine from Esme’s glass.

”How can you call the Prince ‘rude’?” Esme feigned a shocked expression.

”Princess Esmeray, you are not making any sense,” Luciana glanced at the woman as if she had lost her mind, ”I am talking about the minister here but why do you keep diverting my words onto the Prince?”

”Because I shared the same kind of thoughts with the minister.”

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice.

Aleister tilted his head and his gaze locked with Esme.

Esme’s lips parted. No way. How could he know what was she going to say? Can he read minds?

He winked at her before looking at Luciana, ”Lady Luciana, I doubted the Norwell Family’s intentions as well. Are you certain that you can send me to the prison?” the corner of his lips tugged.

His deep voice made her feel like a feather was stroking her heart. Luciana gulped, ”N-No…I didn’t mean it like that…”

”Of course, we know that you didn’t,” Esme interrupted her. What is she looking at so intently? Was she planning to pack and take Aleister with her back to her Kingdom? ”We barely have any links with the Defire Kingdom but the Norwell Family suddenly lent a helping hand to us so, of course, we will doubt your intentions. But it is in the past. Now that we know you came here yesterday and you have already found the culprit, our opinions have shifted.”

Luciana glanced at Esme, a frown appeared in between her brows. Why was this woman so eloquent with words?