Full Moon (2)
As the sky had turned completely dark and night had fallen, the bedroom door opened. Judith entered, pushing a trolley carrying Luna’s dinner. Luna, who was sitting on the sofa and staring out the window, immediately shifted her gaze towards Judith. A soft smile appeared on her maid’s face, and a warm greeting came from her lips.
“Judith, does the full moon affect all werewolves?” Luna asked as she walked towards Judith, who was setting the food on the table.
“Not all of them, Miss. The omegas are not significantly affected by the power of the full moon. Omegas only feel uncomfortable and have unstable emotions; otherwise, nothing else happens because, fundamentally, omegas do not have a wolf spirit within them. Only werewolf blood flows in their veins. That is why omegas cannot transform into wolves.”
Judith smiled and removed the food covers. “I am one of them. It’s the reason I can stay by your side.” Luna nodded. “Almost all the maids and servants in the palace are omegas from lower noble families, and some are mortals or other species.”
“Oh, I understand now.”
“Does that mean palace guards and knights are also affected?”
“Umm… you could say so, Miss,” Judith answered hesitantly. “Why? Why did you suddenly ask me about this?”
Luna smiled broadly and shook her head. Then, she began eating her dinner calmly. “What do they do?”
“Run and hunt in the forest until dawn. Those who do not have soulmates usually seek female wolves to satisfy their sexual desires, and vice versa. This typically happens with male wolves. The male wolves will chase their targets and duel with rivals to claim victory and show who is the strongest and most dominant. Once victory is achieved, they can be with their prize for the rest of the night.”
“And those who have soulmates?”
“Usually, they will run and hunt together or mate. So, many mated pairs will mate in the open areas.” Luna needed to learn how to comment on this. She was sure it was more like a wild sex party, like an orgy, focusing on animal instincts-oh well, they were half animals.
“That’s why you should stay in the chamber. Mortals won’t be affected, and you won’t be a target, but the scenes outside are wild, and I fear you might be frightened.”
Luna nodded. “Alright. I understand, Judith.” Luna then focused on eating her dinner, trying not to arouse any suspicion in her maid. But when the time she had been waiting for arrived, as the transparent white thread she saw became brighter, Luna quickly put her plan into action. “Judith, I want to freshen up. Can you prepare some warm water for me?”C0pyright © 2024 Nôv)(elDrama.Org.
“Oh, of course, Miss. I’ll be right back.” Luna sat quietly. She didn’t move rashly. A smile appeared on her lips when she heard Judith leave the door unlocked. Whether Judith forgot or trusted her, Luna didn’t want to think about it. She waited silently for five minutes, and when the time was up, Luna stood up, walked casually to the door, and opened it. Sure enough, there were no guards outside the chamber door.
The sitting room looked empty. With a deep breath and her hair tied back, Luna walked to the chamber door and opened it. As she had guessed, the emperor’s residence hallway, usually bustling with guards, was now so quiet. It appeared empty, and the palace could be attacked during such a lull. Still, Luna was sure Alkrevas had anticipated this, and of course, the omegas should not be underestimated.
Besides, this was certainly not the first time, and Alkrevas was a great wizard-something Luna reluctantly admitted.
She exited the chamber and walked around the emperor’s residence to avoid running into her maids or Judith. Once she reached the main entrance of the emperor’s quarters, she carefully opened the door. Luna slipped out and ran to one of the nearest rooms. She sighed softly and searched for something she could use as a cloak. After that, she went back out and descended the stairs to the ground floor, and that’s when she pulled out the hidden gemstone.
After ensuring the direction indicated led out of the palace, Luna walked towards the exit. Still, she stopped when she saw knights guarding the palace, whom she suspected were not werewolves. “Damn!” Luna cursed under her breath.
She turned and headed to the staff area. She needed to find servant clothes or any attire for a disguise, but when she arrived, Luna saw the transparent white thread from the gemstone leading to a corridor. She glanced left and right to check the situation, then followed the direction, which turned out to be a corridor she had seen the other day.
“Is this some kind of alternate exit from the palace? Like an emergency exit?” Luna chuckled softly. At least, unlike before, there were no guards in the corridor. Whether the guards had abandoned their posts or were werewolves on duty, Luna didn’t care.
Carefully, Luna grabbed the nearest candle and walked down the corridor. She faintly heard the commotion outside, indicating that Judith had discovered her departure. Luna glanced back briefly and murmured an apology to Judith before continuing.
She walked for quite a while, relying on the candle and the transparent white thread to lead her to Beth and the dark witch. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the narrow and damp corridor. Luna stopped several times when she heard the squeaks of rats in the distance. She hesitated, questioning if following the transparent white thread into this corridor was the right decision.
She could have entered the forest as planned by disguising herself, but Luna dismissed the thought and kept walking. Her steps halted when she saw a wall ahead.
“A dead end? Why a dead end?” Luna murmured in confusion. Luna searched for something resembling a door but found nothing. Only walls surrounded her. Luna was sure she hadn’t taken a wrong turn because if she had reached a junction, the transparent white thread would have guided her.
She looked up at the low ceiling of the corridor. The walls on either side were filled with tree roots that were likely thousands of years old, indicating that the corridor led somewhere else, but to where? That was the question. Could it be the nearest location to the underground prison? The transparent white thread leading her must be heading to the underground prison where Beth was, but what if it wasn’t? Luna didn’t doubt Beth’s magic; she was just unsure of the path she was taking.
Her assumption might have been correct because it didn’t make sense for a guarded corridor to lack significance, and bringing prisoners after the emperor’s sentencing only sometimes happened on the surface, right? However, seeing the dead end ahead made Luna doubtful. She bit her lower lip in confusion. The wall ahead seemed to be made of large stones. Luna reached out and felt the wall’s surface but found nothing unusual.
She sighed deeply and looked at the glowing gemstone in her hand. She couldn’t give up. With that thought, Luna placed the candle on a flat surface and carefully felt the wall’s surface. There could be a hidden button like in the movies, and a door would open.
After searching for several minutes without success, she sighed. It seemed she would have to return to the palace and choose her initial option. But as she turned to leave, she noticed a small box covered in root hair. The small box, located at the lower left part of the wall, had inadvertently caught the candlelight. Luna blinked and bent down, removing the roots and blinking again to see the box more clearly.
Luna reached out and touched the box, causing a bright purple light to appear, and suddenly, a rumbling sound like something heavy moving echoed. She turned to the wall that had caught her attention and murmured in awe as the wall she thought was nothing more than a barrier moved entirely as if disappearing. A transparent wall replaced it, but as Luna approached it, the gemstone that had guided her trembled before shattering.
“Huh?” Luna turned pale as she saw the fragments of the gemstone fall to the stone floor.
She looked ahead at the next corridor, then back at the shattered gemstone. “Oh, forget it!” Luna murmured and ran through the wall. Once she passed through the transparent wall, it moved back to its original place as if nothing strange had happened.
…