Moonlight After Sunset's
[S2E16] Disappointed Pt 3

“WHAT ARE ALL THESE?” asked a voice with a dominant aura that broke out into the entire area of the Empress Pavilion. Consort Jina's face looked chaotic with reddened cheeks that were bleeding, she groaned like a spoiled girl.

His eyes were watery with a weak body that looked tired, he tried his hardest to stand up from the fall, with the slowness he walked towards the origin of the sound.

“Master, see this naughty girl? Dia, she... hik..”.

Reliza's concubine pointed at the area around the room while glancing sharply at Dusk with the tail end of her eyes. Dusk only sneered in disgust at the behavior of his stepmother, he felt nauseous with his helpless attitude.

“Argh..!”

Concubine Reliza's hand was knocked down, she was then pushed firmly back. His spoiled face instantly turned deathly pale, his breathing was restrained to the throat and his eyes continued to cry.

“I asked you once again…! WHAT IS THIS?”

The Duke snapped at Consort Reliza viciously, his eyes flushed red upon seeing the room that had already turned into a form that he was completely unfamiliar with. The vines spread out almost all over the walls of the room, the floor was full of broken glass and there were some cracked parts running everywhere.

In her desperation, Consort Reliza replied with a distressed voice in the throat. His breathing broke with a heartbreaking sobbing. He looks like a rat cornered by a cat in a narrow alley.

“Master, the...!!”

PLAQUE…!!

Haven't had time to answer a slap has landed on the other cheek of Consort Reliza. His smooth face now started to bleed, not only from his cheeks, even his mouth was bleeding.

“Tu, Sir. These are all orders from the King's Concubine.”

With despair, Consort Reliza explained her point in this place, But instead of feeling calm, her face paled even more when she saw the room that had just been devoured by fire.

“Tu, Mister...!!?”

Reliza's concubine gawked in disbelief as all of her personal belongings she had bought with all of her storage money were now gone in the blink of an eye. Everything was charred, there was only dust and an empty room.

“No one can touch this place..!” shouted the Duke furiously. He could even destroy anything with just that cruel look in his eyes.

Like being struck by lightning in broad daylight, Consort Reliza's face hardened, with empty eyes she stared wryly at her lost possession. Even the tears could no longer heal his wounds. With clenched hands, he looked at Dusk who was now smiling mockingly at him.

“You..., everything is because of you..!!”

Reliza's concubine ran towards Dusk, she roughly grabbed the neck of Dusk and strangled him. His face was ferocious with fingernails slashing against the smooth neck of Dusk.

“Death to you.. Uhg!”

Reliza's concubine groaned in pain as she was pulled and thrown away from Dusk. His body smashed directly against the wall with a powerful sound, it seemed like some of the ribs belonging to Consort Reliza were crushed in the process.

“Cih!”

The Duke simply stared intently at Concubine Reliza while throwing a bottle of potion towards Dusk. He then walked towards the backyard and saw the pale faces of his subordinates, there was no word he just stared at their charred hands.

“Out!”

with just that one word, their faces flushed with even tears

it's not stalled anymore. Not only did they lose a hand, they even had to

get out of this place dishonorably.

The greater risk is that they cannot even apply for employment elsewhere, if they can they will only get a low position that is not even feasible with their current standing.

“Mr Duke, we..”.

The duke did not even hear them, he walked away leaving the Empress Pavilion before telling his loyal subordinates to reassemble the Empress's item to its original place.

“You don't see how much he likes my mother,” whispered Dusk right in her stepmother's ear. With his mischievous smile he pulled the hair of Consort Reliza and showed the whole room that was empty.

“Never touch mine. Do you understand mom?” continued Dusk with a hand that gently stroked the face of Consort Reliza.

“This is just the beginning!”

His naughty smile was now turning cold, his hand pressing down firmly on Consort Reliza's face making the red wound on her cheek swell with a sharp groan. Dusk then left the place after Duke's subordinate came in and cleared the rest.

Outside Eza was already waiting for him, he looked good even though his clothes were messed up by the vines earlier. Eza was swiftly standing beside her lady like a knight in general.

****

In the afternoon Dusk walked ria in the backyard of his Pavilion, he was currently

I'm making plans for tonight. Dusk plans to enter the Empress's basement, where he meets the mysterious figure.

“Nona,” call Eza while walking closer to her lady.

“There's guests.”

Eza pointed with the tip of his eyes. There Dusk can see Arina who is carrying a fruit basket and also some flowers in it.

“Hah, what is this?” murmured at Dusk before telling Eza to bring Arina in. With his sly smile, an evil plan appeared in his mind.

“This will be exciting.”

Dusk then walked over to the prepared chair and sat there. A little while later Arina arrived with an awkward smile that she never showed at Dusk.

Dusk who saw that could only reply to Arina with a sharp grin. He never expected this to happen to him even more after the incident a few hours ago.

Maybe it's too soon for Arina to come and apologize for her mother's mistake, or maybe it's a new trick from her and whoever is behind her.

To be honest the matter that just happened was a big problem that even the entire occupants of the Duke residence would know about, even though it was closed to the public but it did not mean that the small insects inside would not know.

Arina must know this matter from any side, it could be from her servant, her sister, it was,

or his own mother. It was obvious that this was impossible to hide from him, unless there was indeed a special reason for it.

“Sorry..” shrewd Arina behind her sad smile, or arguably her fake smile.

Arina looks stiff in this heart game, and of course just like always Dusk will act innocent as if it was no big deal to her.

“What's sister? Why are you sad? And what apology is this?” tanya Dusk was just like her old fool.

It is clear if Arina sneers at him, but again Dusk tries to pretend not to know.

“I, I've heard what happened before. I'm sorry for that.”

Arina lowered her head, unlike usual, she rarely did this to Dusk or anyone else. He was too arrogant to bow his face even it was aggravated after the Fifth Prince proposed to him.

“Very strange,” murmured Dusk when he saw Arina's annoyed face.

Although he smiled awkwardly, but his face was clearly not accepted. He even looked like a person who was holding back anger rather than those who apologized sincerely.

His hands were clenched tightly with a smile forced by him, it was obvious that he had come because of someone else's manners, but who was it? Obviously Dusk knew the answer.

“Dira, you're taking me to play apparently.”

Dusk no longer murmured, he only smiled internally at this silliness before him. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to play Arina with satisfaction.

“No sister, don't apologize. It's not your fault or mother's, it's just Dad's fault that can't forget my mother.”

Dusk provokes Arina's emotions, but it turns out that Arina is able to hold her back. He looked tense with his shoulders trembling lightly, but after that a sneering smile appeared on his face.

“Yes older sister, Dad did love the Empress very much, did not even give a gap for her position.”

Twilight knew that Arina was holding back her emotions so as not to break, but not enough to get there, she continued to make Arina ignited with her true words as well as painful to hear by Arina.

In the end Arina relented and chose to be quiet. Dusk just kept silent while observing Arina's luggage for her. It turns out that it is true that Dira had been playing behind him. It was clearly visible from the fruits and flowers brought by Arina.

“Let's try.”

A sly smile rose on Dusk's face, he told his servant to take a plate and a knife to cut the fruit.

Seeing that, Arina's face shone brightly. She seemed to be happy with what her stepbrother had just done, with this Arina might think if Dusk was as stupid as ever.

“Eat a lot, then die quietly.”

Arina looked satisfied when the fruits were neatly arranged on the plate. The shape is diverse with a variety of beautiful colors, looks tempting to eat immediately.