Lahat ng Kabanata ng Will Bear the Moon: Kabanata 231 - Kabanata 240

*ana*Well, this is a first. I steal a look around the room. “Why is everyone quiet?” Even Mykhol is uncharacteristically quiet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the room so silent. It is the last thing I expected. I assumed there would be questions. I was ready to answer. But they look more shocked than curious.“Speak.” I urge, looking to look at Aunt Funda and Uncle. Aunt Funda steps back out of the line of sight, leaving Uncle to take the fall. He seems to fumble but tries to start.“Your Empress…” Uncle steps with a hesitant look between Mykhol and me.“You can speak.” I encourage him with a smile. “I want to hear what you have to say.” But the smile has the opposite effect, and Uncle steps back to join his wife. “Cousin, what do you say?” I turn to Mykhol as my last resort. Mykhol pulls a misshapen smile that doesn’t seem so confident.“Anastasia, this is…” Mykhol falls off as he looks over the room and sees the same shocked faces.“Yes?” I lean in, ready to hear the first opinio

*King Alexander/Johan *“Oh, happy day,” Alexander sang as he traversed the halls with Johan in tow. Johan only shook his head at the apparent display of joy. Alexander was on the brink of bursting by this point. “As old as you are, you never learned to be subtle, did you?” Johan remarked as soon as they were back in the room. But even as he said it, he receded.“But I suppose your good mood is warranted.” “Of course it is!” Alexander laughed and took a spot on his couch. Then he was up on his feet. He couldn’t sit down if he wanted to. I need to do something- dance, sing- whatever. Energy and joy were surging through him. “Any father would be over the moon!” Alexander put his hands in his pockets to pull them back out again.“If I could just replay that moment, Johan, it was amazing.” Alexander moved to the small desk provided in the room. The chair squeaked as he sat, only to get up again. “It felt so damn good to see all those faces fall at once!” “It was.” Johan relished in

*Belinda*“Of all the things he could do.” Belinda clenched her teeth to stop herself from yelling. The fury and disappointment were welling over, but servants were still running about. What if they were to hear her?Worse, what would they report back to Alexander? Belinda could already imagine how eager they would be to report the smallest of infractions. And it made Belinda’s stomach turn. Belinda, like always, could never let her guard down. Whatever happened in this room would never meet the light of day. Julia would be the only confidant Belinda could afford.“Your Majesty?” Julia, meanwhile, patiently moved closer. “Your majesty, what made you so upset?”“Julia,” Belinda closed her eyes. But it made no difference; the words burned under her eyelids. She couldn’t get away from them.“I feel sick. I might throw up.” Belinda's throat tightened. “No, I might cry.” But there were no tears in her eyes as she opened them to see the letter before her again—both of them. Hidi and her h

Chapter # Lovebirds*Johan*Johan stood upright as they waited for the impending arrival. He was calm and ready, as always. But the same could not be said for the vampire.The boy looked nervous, as he wouldn’t sit still. Pendwick seemed fixated on fixing or fussing over something. He fiddled with his sleeves, then his shoes, and now his hair. But no sooner was he done with one task than he was on to the next. “Sir Pendwick,” Johan went to calm the boy. Pendwick stopped to put his hands in his lap.“Sorry,” Pendwick went with a slight pink to his cheeks. “I- I’m just so nervous.” I can see that. But Johan didn’t say it aloud. The boy seemed to have a natural temperament of nervousness, but it wasn’t too severe. And over time, the boy would grow out of it. But for now, the boy needed steady reassurance.“Don’t be.” Johan went instead. “As long as you stick to the script, everything will go according to plan.”“Ah, yes, right.” Pendwick nodded a little too eagerly. “Yes, I’ll stick to

*Ana*I don’t think I’ve had this many people in my study before. It’s quite a sight to see. Hidi takes up an entire couch on her own. It leaves Father, Cousin, and Sir Pendwick to share the other one.It's more like squished together. Father and Mykhol do not look happy sitting on opposite ends of the couch. But poor Sir Pendwick has the worst of it. He is smaller. So he must sit in the middle. And speaking of Sir Pendwick, I catch him in the act again.“Ah,” Sir Pendwick quickly looks away before his cheeks turn pink. Is my hair showing? I quickly check. No, my shawl is in the right place.Is it a bad habit of his, then? I go before catching Mykhol. Mykhol certainly has a bad habit of glaring today. He seems to like glaring at Father and Pendwick. Is Mykhol upset about something? I don’t recall any incidents. It’s been a peaceful morning. Maybe it’s the couch? It’s the only thing I can think of.Should I have another chair brought in? I turn to find Naska before I notice Father n