Ensnaring His Dark Moon

''Mm…'' Esme nodded in a docile manner even though she was started to get goosebumps by her own act, ''He says that he will bring in a few mistresses and have many illegitimate children.'' 

'Forgive me. If a knife was not pointed at my face, I would not have dared to commit this sin. I know this is blasphemy,' she cried in her heart, apologizing to the man in her thoughts. 

After living with Aleister for so long, if there was something that she noticed about his character, it was that he was not like the other Princes or aristocrats who had one or more women in each arm and those women eventually caused their downfall.

Something reminded her of the kiss they shared back in the garden. Mutual momentary attraction. She named it in her mind. 

Though at times he acted like he had feelings for her, but she knew it was to tease her. He was a person she felt attached with and she was close to him but not romantically. 

Esme nodded at her explanation.

Aleister was a man out of everyone's league. Even though she considered him a jerk, she believed he could have any woman he laid his eyes on but he was way too uninterested in it.

Maybe because of how perfect he was, no woman suited his taste. She had noticed it when the princesses from other kingdoms had come to Visteria for his marriage. In his eyes, every person had flaws while he was flawless.

There were rumors that he bedded the servants till they were hurt and she could now clearly see how ridiculous they were. He never looked at them, let alone bedding them.

'If I survive today, I will find the person who is spreading rumors about you,' As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Esme had to urge to slap herself to keep herself from thinking about him time and time again.

Esme glanced at Liz who had fallen into a daze, ''But even if we jab each other, we love each other as well. So, these words don't matter, do they? What Mr. Reiner said about you… he said it out of anger because you kept secrets from him, you put him to sleep before coming to meet me, so those words don't count at all.''

Liz seemed to be contemplating her words.

A person in their right sense would have retorted to it but Liz was tricked by easily. 

Esme gulped as she took a few steps back, ''Whenever something like this happens to me when Al hurts me with such painful words, then I reminisce about our happy days. In my mind, I live through our happy memories…'' She had the urge to clap at herself. Until today, she had no idea that she was this good at making stories. Happy memories? More like memories of pointing swords at each other. ''So, Liz, both you and Mr. Reiner also share happy memories, don't you? I have even witnessed one of them in the garden,'' the corner of her lips twitched at the reminder of the scene where she witnessed them kissing behind the fountain.

As Esme watched Liz who was lost in her thoughts, she continued the calculation in her heart. Liz was too naïve to be a witch. Witches were the creatures who wreaked havoc on the world years ago. People dreaded them for their cunningness and ability of deception. It was said that a witch can be standing right in front of your eyes but you won't be able to recognize them unless they reveal themselves.

Infamous for their notoriety, they were intellectual creatures.

But it was clear that Liz had either lost her mind, was possessed or maybe she was some other kind of creature who were silly but dangerous. Like merfolk?

Esme frowned at her own assumption. She was considering the possibility that she could be a part of them... Then is she calling herself silly and dangerous too by associating those words with the merfolk?

Amidst her thoughts, she noticed something. The redness from Liz's pupils was gradually disappearing as tears welled up in her eyes.

'Is she thinking about the happy memories they shared?' Esme glanced at Keith's corpse before looking back at Liz.

She discreetly started stepping back. Just a few steps more and she would be out of this hallway.

But her footsteps came to a halt when something strange happened.

Liz's body jolted and the redness in her pupils was back in an instant. Liz extended her hand and strangled Esme's neck before she raised her knife, bringing it closer to her eyes within an instant.

Esme closed her eyes instinctively. The tip of the knife grazed down her cheeks and a rush of helplessness coursed through her. Maybe she was destined to die today.

''Die, you bitch!" Liz retracted the knife and drove it towards Esme's chest.

'Meow'

'Clang'

Esme coughed profusely when Liz's grip on her neck loosened. She took a few steps back and gasped for air.

After recovering her breath, she slowly opened her eyes and the scene that greeted her vision left her astounded.

Liz was lying on the floor with a white cat sitting on her chest and scratching her face.

''Ahhh…'' Her animalistic growls echoed in the empty hallway

Esme slowly removed her hand from her neck. This cat… Why did it look familiar?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Liz suddenly grabbed the cat by its neck and tried to strangle it.

At a time like this, Esme would have run without a second thought. In the end, she was not a selfless person and it was her own life that she treasured the most.

But she acted unlike herself when she stepped closer to Liz. She bent down and picked up the knife from the floor, ready to stab Liz's hand.

But her body froze entirely when she saw what was happening.

The small fluffy white cat suddenly started growing up in size. Beginning with inches, it grew up until it reached the height above her waist.

Its fluffy fur started being replaced by long silky hair and Esme retreated a few steps back when she recognized the beast in front of her eyes, ''Leo!" It was the white tiger who came and left the castle at his own wish, the same who would ask her for pats regularly.

Esme was certain that her worldviews were starting to change in one night.

Was it a bizarre dream?

She pinched herself hard.

''Ahh..'' It hurts. So, this is not a dream.

''Ahhh… Ahhh…'' Liz was wailing under the paws of the huge white fiend.

Leo's paw ripped open the woman's right arm and blood gushed out of the garish wound.

Esme noticed something. Liz's eyes were changing colors again. Sometimes, they were red but then they turned to their original color. It went on until her eye color changed back to normal.

''Leo, stop. Don't kill her,'' Esme spoke up the moment Leo aimed his paw and the woman's neck.

''ROAR!!!'' Leo made a noise of protest.

Esme patted his back while she looked at Liz, ''Liz?"

''Esmeray?... Lady Esmeray?" Liz spoke weakly before her head nodded off to one side.

Esme's brows tugged together, ''Leo, can you carry her on your back?''

''ROAR!!'' Carry a lowly human on my back? As if!

Were you born with this arrogance or did you inherit it from your master? Esme held back her curiosity on this question as she continued stroking Leo's back, ''Can we tie her up somewhere? We don't know if she has really turned normal or if she is just pretending.''

Leo turned around to look at her.

As the moonlight landed on his face, Esme was stunned to see the cuts near his neck and on his face. The wounds seemed to be fresh and they were wide enough to give her a glimpse of protruding flesh through them. Esme squatted on the floor, ''Leo, what happened to you?" she extended her hand towards his wounds.

Leo roared in a low voice, his eyes looked tired.

Was he there with Aleister? Could it be that it was the same person who attacked both of them? Was there such a formidable person in Visteria? ''Thank you for saving me,'' Esme patted his head, ''I will heal your wounds. Meanwhile, close your eyes and no matter what happens, don't move,'' she whispered.

Her powers were not stable. So, she did not want to cause him harm instead of helping him.

Leo closed his eyes. It looked like he trusted her. 

Leo's injuries were not as grave as Aleister's but they were caused by a whip. A few cuts were deep and the rest were superficial.

While healing Leo, Esme noticed a movement from the person behind them.

Liz pushed herself to her feet.

Esme frowned. If Liz were to do something at this moment, both Leo and her would be hurt. She thought Liz was unconscious or else she would have healed Leo later. But she made a hasty decision when she saw the blood on his snow-white fur.

She tried to put her entire focus on Leo but from the corner of her eyes, she could see Liz moving at the speed of lighting, and in a flash, she disappeared.

She glanced at Leo who had his eyes closed.

After a few moments, Leo opened his eyes when he felt a pat on his head.. He tilted his head to look at his neck but not finding a single cut on his body, he glanced at Esme with wide eyes.