"Wait— what?"
Es barely processed the rest of Emily’s words. The only thing that stuck was the claim that the king was unavailable, hence, her expression was clouded with confusion.
"What do you an the king is unavailable? That’s impossible," Es said, her voice laced with skepticism as she shook her head. The eting had been scheduled for today, and the king’s letter had explicitly stated that her presence was required, ensuring she would attend.
Emily’s words didn’t add up, and Es’s instincts scread that sothing was definitely amiss here. She locked eyes with Emily, her determination unwavering. "There has to be so sort of mistake. Let speak with the council, then. I know for a fact that they’re in there, so order your guards to open the gates for .
Folding her arms, Emily’s response was a cold, condescending smile. "And why would I do that?" She countered, turning to the guards. "If she enters, your lives in this kingdom will be forfeit. Remove this treacherous woman from my sight imdiately!"
The guards hesitated for a mont, exchanging uncertain glances. Es saw it— the briefest mont of doubt— they were torn between their duty to the queen and their own moral compass. However, with Emily’s implicit threat of punishnt hanging over them, they reluctantly stepped forward to obey her orders.
But before they could lay a hand on Es, Atticus and Orion intervened, positioning themselves as a protective barrier between her and the guards. It was as if a silent command had passed between them, and Es was glad she had them to stick by her side in situations like this.
"No one lays a fuckin’ hand on our Luna," Atticus growled, his fingers brushing the hilt of his sword in a promise of violence. The warning was clear in his stance– he and Orion didn’t give a care in the world about the queen in front of them, because if anyone twitched in Es’s direction, they’d draw it without hesitation.
The guards imdiately stiffened, their gazes hardening. Emily, sensing the guards not doing anything, pressed her lips into a thin line, irritation darkening her expression. She hadn’t expected Es to have this kind of protection, nor could she tell if they were cursed ones, as they lacked any visible mark like their leader. If she were to kill an innocent being, Lennox would never forgive her for it.
Before Atticus and Orion could act, Esray placed a firm hand on both their shoulders, a silent command they instantly understood. She then stepped past them, slipping effortlessly past their protective stance.
Her icy-blue eyes locked onto the royal guards, a storm brewing behind her eyes. The tension in the air sharpened as she took a single step closer.
"Open the gates."
A subtle flicker of gold flared in her irises, flashing through like a silent warning. "Now."
But the guards held their ground. "Leave, now—"
Before their hands could even reach her, Es moved before they could blink. Lifting her skirts just enough for freedom, she sidestepped their grasps, the hem of her dress swishing with effortless elegance. Then she struck. In a blur, her hands shot out, seizing their wrists with a strength that sent shock rippling through her bones, but she had no ti to question what just happened.
With brutal precision, she twisted their armored arms behind their backs, their armors scraping as she wrenched them around, rcilessly smashing their faces against the cold iron of the gates.
"I wasn’t asking," she murmured, pressing down harder till she had them struggling. She was most certainly done playing nice.
"Open the gates."
The usual sweetness in Es’s voice had suddenly vanished, replaced with an edge sharp enough to cut steel. The guards could hardly believe it, their hands twitching in their attempt to break free from her rciless grasp.
Revana, who had stepped down from the carriage to monitor the progress, froze mid-step, and her pupils went wide in pure disbelief. It was jarring, seeing Es, who was always composed, always restrained, now delivering violence with the precision of soone who had done it multiple tis. The aura around her was unlike anything Revana had sensed, and she wondered if it had sothing to do with the wolf Es told her about.
For once, Revana felt she had no reason to intervene this ti.
"W–what are you–" One guard tried to protest, but Es twisted his wrist behind his back. It forced a pained grunt out of him, and Emily was imdiately rendered speechless by what she was witnessing.
"Keys," Es ordered the guards, her voice ice-cold. "Worry about your lives now, cause if I don’t get those keys, your faces will be coming out through these bars like sliced sausages, got it??"
The guards didn’t hesitate this ti. Trembling, the one with the keys imdiately fumbled for the ring at his belt and unlocked the gate, his cheek still mashed against the bars.
Es simply shoved them aside like discarded rags and strode in, smoothing her dress with a casual flick of her wrists as if she hadn’t just left two grown, failed n groaning on the ground. It felt sowhat foreign watching Es be the violent one.
"I knew she had so insanity in her," Atticus mused, his admiring eyes locked on her retreating figure. Then, under his breath. "Why is that so damn hot?"
"Say that again," Orion warned with a simple reminder, already following Es inside, "and the Alpha will make sure you never speak another word."
Snapping back to his senses, Atticus imdiately shook whatever thought had registered in his mind. He turned to the rest of the warriors who had been waiting for his signal, and with a sharp motion, he raised his hand, knowing it was the only command they needed before they surged forward, going through the gates.
As Es approached Emily, with her gaze locking onto the woman like a predator approaching its prey, Emily, clearly rattled, couldn’t resist calling out orders for reinforcents.
Guards rushed in from all corners, forming a shield around her within seconds. Of course, Es already saw that coming, so she stopped short just out their reach, and for so unknown reason, she chuckled, as though the situation before her had turned sowhat funny.
The sheer absurdity of it all gnawed at her, and the anger boiling within her had overshadowed whatever fear she once had for these people. She had journeyed this far, endured the cost in blood and sacrifice, only to be t with cowardice by the sa people who told her to co over, the sa people who were ant to do what was best for everyone and the kingdom. To top it all off, the king himself was nowhere to be found.
Before she could say anything, the palace doors swung open. "What is all the ruckus??" a voice demanded. The council at last stepped forward, and they were exactly who Es had been waiting for. Ignoring Emily’s existence, she approached the council instead. A single deliberate clap was all it took, before one of Es’s warriors rushed over to hand her the letter she had brought with her.
Es didn’t bother announcing herself. Instead, she collected the papers and flung them at the council faces, the boundaries she had created finally being overstepped. She didn’t wait for the councils to gather their wits, as she had no patience left for cowards anymore.
"Do you seriously take for a joke?" Her voice cut through the air like a blade. "Do you have any idea what we endured to get here? How many lives were lost for this so-called peace you so carelessly mock????"
Despite having the urge to cry, Es refused to let them see her waver. These spineless n, and won, with their hollow words and selfish ambitions, were not worthy of her grief at all. Not one bit of it.
One of the council, unable to bear the insult, raised his voice. "HOW DARE YOU—"
"Oh shut up," Eve imdiately silenced whatever backlash he had to say, her response stunning Emily who had to wipe her eyes repeatedly. She continued. "If the king was truly indisposed, why summon at all?" She demanded, her eyes blazing as she pointed at the papers on the ground. "He sent a letter, it had his seal, his orders, and yet here I stand before them, ridiculed and dismissed for keeping to my side of the deal we had."
A cold realization soon settled over her. "I see it now. You were... never serious about this. Donovan had ntioned this before, he never trusted it, but I was a complete fool to believe that we could actually work together against the true bearer. But I have my answer now."
Her gaze locked onto Emily who stood safe behind her guards, seething but unable to utter a word. Emily’s fist clenched at her side, and her heart drumd. She knew she had power here, but for so reason, she never dared to implent that power in the face of Es. Was it fear? Emily refused to take it as that.
Straightening herself up, Es approached Emily once again and said, "Clearly, we do not need each other. Tell the king I received his ssage loud and clear. We’ll fight this war on our own– just as he wants. May the Moon Goddess watch over us, because I’ll see this through to the end. And when the dust settles, we’ll see who truly needed whom."
With that, Es turned on her heels and strode out of the palace, leaving the entire council in stunned silence. Not one of them had dared to interrupt her, and at the sa ti, no one was courageous enough to call her back and question the animosity she just pulled in front of them.
Was this truly the helpless Es they thought they could easily dismiss?
**************
Hello, my wonderful readers!
As this novel approaches its conclusion soon, which should be next month, I’d love for you to add my WSA work to your libraries and share your thoughts through comnts! Your support ans the world to and is truly appreciated.
Title: Caged in Moonlight: The Courtesan’s Bargain
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