Night Monarch's Cannon Fodder Bride-Chapter 32: Blooming Like A Blood Moon Flower

"Excuse me? Are you Miss Severine Vale?" A server approached with a tray in his hand.

"Hm."

Severine had a clear, inquiring look in her eyes as she studied him. "Why do you ask?"

"Master wants to know if you are enjoying yourself. Do you need anything? A drink perhaps?"

The master could only mean Mr. Rhodes. Did the old man think she was Emily’s friend due to their earlier closeness?

Considering how cherished the twins were, it was indeed something Mr. Rhodes might do.

"I am," she replied to his earlier question while absentmindedly grabbing the glass of red wine from the waiter’s tray.

"Give my thanks to Mr. Rhodes."

With a professional smile, the server left, leaving her alone with her random thoughts.

Not willing to make another useless conversation, she grabbed the hem of her gown and walked toward the balcony on the upper floor.

There were rooms prepared for guests if they needed to rest. So her actions didn’t attract any attention.

The dark locks framing her face swirled lazily as the cold wind brushed against her bare skin.

Up here, away from the noise, she finally felt she could breathe—if only for a fleeting moment.

She brought the glass to her lips, taking a sip.

Sweet...

The saccharine flavor melted on her tongue. She found herself rapidly swallowing it down her gullet.

When her stylist suggested putting on red lipstick, she declined, opting for the soft shade.

Yet the liquid stained her pink lips with a tinge of crimson.

"Sister."

"Severine."

Two voices sounded at the same time, halting her action of swirling the nearly half-empty glass.

Hah, why now?

She turned around, surprised to find three people there.

Dressed in a white suit, Emmett stood opposite Austin, while the star of the banquet, young master Damien, stared at her from the end of the hallway. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Her nerves stiffened. But Damien simply glared at her and then left.

The thump of his angry footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent vicinity.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Austin muttered, voicing Severine’s thoughts aloud.

Emmett stared at the empty place and then back at Severine for a long moment before laughing softly.

"He has always been crazy. Ignore him."

You are saying as if you are any better, Severine thought to herself before asking, "Why are you here?"

Her words were directed solely at Emmett, ignoring Austin’s presence altogether.

"I saw you, so I came to say hello. How is Aunt doing? I’ll visit her next week."

"Why?" Austin asked, suspicion written all over his face. "Only her family members are allowed to visit her."

"Ah... Is that so?" Emmett tilted his head, eyes behind the glasses gleaming with schadenfreude. "But I am always welcome there."

The only one who isn’t allowed is you, bastard.

Those unspoken words hung in the air. No matter how hard Austin tried to act like a gentle person. He couldn’t bear such provocative words.

The leisurely smile on his face slipped away just as easily. Blue eyes narrowed into an icy glare.

The suffocation from Severine’s chest started to travel toward her head.

Two Awakeners were, for some absurd reason, emitting coercion on each other.

The invisible pressure pressed down like a weight, reminding her—once again—that she didn’t belong among monsters like them. And she most likely couldn’t win against them.

They had the means to bear the brunt of such heavy pressure, but she didn’t. Beads of cold sweat oozed from her temples, tracing down her jawline.

Her legs wobbled, her back threatening to buckle, to bend in submission. But she forced herself to stand firm.

"Stop it!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Her fingers curled around the cold glass in an effort to regain her clarity.

"But sister, he—"

"Shut up," she finally snapped.

Her gray eyes glared at both men with equal disgust. "If you want to fight, do it somewhere else. Don’t pollute the air around me."

The air around her felt thick enough to choke her. Her instincts that had been on high alert all this time began to scream at her.

Run! Run as far as you can!

The pressure coiled around her like a serpent’s embrace, forcing her legs to stiffen even more.

"Ah, my bad." Like a true gentleman, Emmett instantly reined in his aura. He offered his hand to the swaying lady. All the while, he didn’t forget to send a taunting glare to Austin.

When the source of such stuffiness approached her, she subconsciously blocked it with her hand.

Splash.

The irritation made her forget that she was also holding the wine in that very hand. And in haste, it ended up being splashed on Emmett’s pristine white suit.

It took her a while to realize what she had done.

Not only had she thrown wine at Emmett, but she had also implied he was filthy enough to pollute the air.

Her gaze fell on the dark red stain spreading across the white fabric. Like a blood moon flower, it bloomed over his chest, conjuring a horrifying vision of murder in her mind.

Oh lord, what have I done?

It didn’t matter for Austin, but Emmett was a different case altogether. If the second male lead held a grudge against her, she would have another terrible enemy.

Not to mention the fact that she had just acquired The Xing, Roselle’s target.

"Oh boy."

Austin’s whisper forced Severine to take a step back, empty glass still clutched in her hand.

"I’m sorry. Let me call a waiter." Her words came out dry, devoid of any apology she had just uttered.

"I’ll call him." Austin blurted out and ran back to find the server.

Severine remained alone with the second male lead.

"Waiter didn’t cause this," Emmett said with a smile.

His handsome face glowed under the falling moonlight, yet his green eyes seemed to dim, turning a shade darker.

He leaned slightly forward, his cologne assaulting Severine’s senses, making her shrink back instinctively.

"You did. So how are you going to make up for it?"