The Crown's Entrapment

Inside the carriage, Xen had dozed off into Darius’s embrace during the journey without realizing it. On the other hand, the king had remained awake, taking his sweet time just to relish the peaceful moment he was having with his mate sleeping in his arms like a baby.

“Isn’t she so adorable? She looks so behaved and tamed sleeping like this,” he murmured to himself with a smile.

He didn’t know how long he was just staring at Xen like that, but he was sure that he had been smiling for the entire time that they were alone together. He didn’t even mind the uncomfortable position he was in so long as she laid peacefully in his arms.

After a few more hours of travel, the carriage finally stopped. The door swung open, and Darius carefully laid Xen down on her seat in favor of getting out. Looking up, it was already dark outside, but there was just enough light coming from the moonlight and the campfire to illuminate their surroundings.

“Xenia!”

Darius winced. Hearing some random man screaming for his sleeping mate, Darius immediately glared at him. With a low tone, he harshly growled, “Quiet! She’s resting, so don’t wake her up!”

The man was stunned at his words. It wasn’t until Jayra went beside the man and looked at him that he realized that he should’ve been more lenient.

“Your Majesty, King Darius, please meet our Prince Ezekiel, Princess Xenia’s brother,” the mage introduced with a slight bow.

Hearing the man’s true status. Darius gave the man a respectful nod as he said, “Ah, apologies for my previous behavior. Please show me to my tent. I’ll put Xen down on a proper bed before we can have a discussion…”

He didn’t bother waiting for the Prince to speak as he quickly climbed back into the carriage. Picking up Xen in his arms, Darius then carefully stepped back outside with the sleeping princess.

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The Prince stood rooted on his spot, almost looking unsure of what to do as he frowned, “I already prepared my sister’s tent alongside mine, so please let’s get her there.”

Darius raised an eyebrow as he calmly reiterated, “My mate will stay in my tent. You can give the tent you prepared for her to another.” He then reiterated, “Please show me to my tent and have someone move all the things she needs In. My. Tent.”

Punctuating his words, the king stared at Prince Ezekiel. The latter frowned, looking at Jayra who only gave him a slight nod.

“Alright… I’ll show you to your tent, which is also just beside mine, King Darius,” Ezekiel acquiesced. “Xenia’s still sleeping, but once she’s awake and would refuse to stay in the same tent as you, then I will do what is needed.”

He then continued with a diplomatic tone, “Look, I know that you’re betrothed to my sister, but that doesn’t give you the right to disrespect her wants and preferences.”

“Hmm… I can see that you and Xen do indeed share the same blood, brother-in-law. No wonder she is a fierce and strong Princess,” Darius scoffed.

“Don’t worry. I can assure you that I will not do a single thing that Xen would not consent to. We can discuss more pressing matters later. For now, I want to settle my mate into a more comfortable arrangement. So will you please lead the way? Although, I wouldn’t mind carrying my mate like this for the whole night, Prince Ezekiel.”

Seeing that the king wouldn’t budge on the issue, the Prince sighed before he turned his back. “Follow me…”

Finally hearing the answer he wanted, Darius followed the Prince to the tent he had prepared for him. Sure enough, it was right beside the Prince’s own tent, and was even spacious and decorated enough to be considered grand by his standards.

[I like him. He’s a nice and protective brother,] Zeus complimented their host. [I’m sure he’ll try to make things harder for you just to make sure that Xen’s in good hands.]

The wolf then excitedly added, [Hmm… Don’t you envy Nikolai? It seems like he was spared by not joining this battle personally. By sending reinforcements in the form of a few contingents led by his sister, he dodged the opportunity of being grilled by his brother-in-law. Oh, and there’s Princess Ezme too. That’s another one that’ll make your stay here entertaining.]

Darius ignored his wolf as he gently placed Xen on the bed. He even shamelessly gave her a quick kiss on her lips and forehead as he whispered, “Rest well. I won’t take long.”

Having done his due diligence, Darius let out a small breath as he faced the music. Predictably, all eyes were on him the moment he turned his back to face Prince Ezekiel and the rest who followed him inside the tent. One of them was Atlas, whose face looked way too dark for his tastes.

Seeing the crowd waiting for his response, Darius raised his eyebrows at their attention. He then turned to Jayra and said, “Make sure she’s not disturbed while I’m gone. I’ll be back soon to eat dinner with her.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Jayra answered with a smile.

Darius then turned to his host. “Shall we discuss matters at hand now, Prince Ezekiel?”

Taking the hint, the Prince led him inside his own tent, particularly, at the meeting area where the Prince introduced Darius to all of his high-ranking officers. Once the introductions had been settled, the Prince then signaled everyone to sit.

“I understand that your Moonlight Cavalry will arrive soon as reinforcements. That, along with another batch of reinforcements coming from Valcrez,” Ezekiel commented.

“First and foremost, let me offer my deepest gratitude for the help that you’ve extended to our kingdom. My father’s letter only gave me a summary, which is just enough of a briefing of the situation that I am still in awe of. If it wouldn’t be a bother, would you please enlighten me, King Darius, on how my sister ended up being betrothed to you?” he asked. “How on earth did the Vampire King agree to such an arrangement?”

Hearing the Prince’s curiosity, Darius did his best to keep his pride in check as he explained, “Xen is my mate, and I’m lucky to have found her… As for the Vampire King, I used the Beholden Law against Nikolai to get Xen as my bride.”

He plainly continued, “He had no choice but to give Xen up to me, which led to him deciding to agree to marry the second Princess as your father initially suggested. As for Nikolai’s reason to marry your second sister, I’m not privy to his inner thoughts. It’d be better for you to ask him yourself.”

A brief silence settled across the meeting area as Darius’s words slowly sunk into their heads.

Meanwhile, Darius took the time he gained to look at the men before him. Letting his gaze wander, it stopped particularly at Atlas as he continued, “You must understand, Prince Ezekiel. In this agreement, I didn’t ask for anything from your father. I am willing to extend everything I have and can do as the ruler of my kingdom in favor of this marriage. I only need Xen alone in this bargain, so whoever will stand in my way will meet a swift death by my hand.”

“Are you threatening us?!” Prince Ezekiel scandalously accused with a frown.

Darius turned and smiled at the Prince as he said, “It’s not a threat, brother-in-law… but a reminder…”