Pretense to protect her

"You tortured him?" Esme glanced at him. Her voice was soft as she tried her best to not overstep her boundaries.

But he did not miss the flashes of fury in her eyes. He could bet a flower that by this time, she was setting him on fire inside her mind. "Leo is being disobedient lately," He shrugged only to have her temper flare up once again. He watched as she closed her eyes, inhaled a deep breath, and looked at him once again. She opened her mouth and closed it like a little fish.

She was trying to not snap at him, her little temper was working up and he was certain that he was getting on her nerves.

''You…''

The corner of his lips tilted, "Yes? What about me?"

"You are inhumane…" She spoke slowly.

"And?"

Her eyes widened. Didn't he feel ashamed at all? She glanced at the tiger whose life was hanging by a thread. Once he fell on the fire, his life will end. Maybe, she was the one responsible for his condition.

"What would it take you to let him go?" She asked instead of arguing with him. For some time, she forgot the cause of coming here. She wanted to fight for justice for this innocent life that will be gone within any moment.

"What makes you think that I will spare him?'' He glanced at her curiously.

True, I should not keep such high expectations from you. She wanted to say that but then he might change his mind from tiger meat to Esmeray meat.

''Because I am the cause of his punishment," She filtered her words. As he raised an eyebrow, she continued, ''My Lord, yesterday you asked me to stay here inside the room but I left this place under his watch. It was my fault, not his. I tricked him,'' Even though he did not mention it, she was certain that he was holding the grudge against his pet for this only. Had it been anything else, she would not have paid attention to it but she could not bear to let this harmless beast die right in front of her eyes.

''Since you know, you know,'' Aleister sipped some wine from the glass as he nodded.

"Are you sparing him?'' Her eyes glimmered. It seems like he is not that unreasonable.

''If you are willing to take the punishment, I have no reasons to be harsh on Leo,'' He flashed her a 'Am I kind enough?' smile.

Kind like a devil!

Her lips thinned.

She glanced at the fire. Just the sight of it made her feel like her skin was burning.

''Work for me from now on.''

Her attention shifted to him within a moment. Was that what he meant by punishment?

She did not want to work for him.

But…

She glanced at Leo hesitantly.

''You don't look like you are determined enough to save him," Aleister pushed himself to his feet as he walked towards her.

Just as she was about to say something, something caught her attention. Leo looked too nonchalant for someone who was about to die. The pitiful expression on his face was no longer there.

Aleister followed her gaze as he narrowed his eyes at the white beast.

Leo flinched.

''Meowww!!" came a pitiful voice in an instant.

Aleister glared daggers at the fool while Esme's eyes narrowed.

She walked towards the fireplace and pulled a log of wood from it before walking towards the middle of the room where there was a fire while Leo was suspended in the air.

''What are you doing?" Aleister cleared his throat as he placed the glass of wine on the table and walked towards her.

"I've changed my mind, My Lord," Esme smiled at him, ''I want to eat tiger meat now.''

She extended the wood towards Leo's tail which was an inch away from catching the fire.

Leo smoothly jumped onto the floor on his fours as his cold eyes looked at her in a protective stance. He let out a ferocious roar.

But Esme was unfazed by it as she glanced at Aleister with a matching ferociousness in her eyes.

"OUT!" Aleister narrowed his eyes dangerously at Leo, who let out another threatening roar in Esme's direction before walking out of the room.

Esme threw the piece of wood on the floor.

Before the room could catch fire, Aleister snapped his fingers. Except for the candles on the chandelier, all the fire in the room was extinguished.

''You are being harmed. Again and again. You will be safe here," He stepped closer to her, his strong body towering over hers as his ice-blue eyes shone through his dense lashes, glancing at her intensely.

So, all this pretense was because of it. Because she did not agree to before, he tried to deceive her like this. She instinctively stepped back from him as she laughed mockingly, "You want to protect me? Hah.''

"What was there to laugh about?" He took another step closer to her and she stepped back, "Tell me. I will join you in it," Despite his casual tone, his expressions were frigid.

He continued stepping towards her while she retreated until her back hit the cold wall, a soft gasp escaped her mouth as she tried to walk to the side but both his hands were thrust towards her as they settled on either side of her body, caging her body in between his strong arms.

"You said that you want to protect me…But then, who will protect me from you?" She tilted her chin upwards as she snapped at him without holding back, "You kill those innocent maids…18 of them within a month, you killed a Princess in front of the royal court, you eagerly hung a woman above the lava river who had no enmity with you. What else can you not do?"

"I can't kill you," The corner of his lips tugged up.