The Crown's Entrapment

“Why would you want me out?! I want to stay here and fight for our kingdom with our warriors!” Xenia stubbornly declared with a frown. “I will never leave as you suggested! And even then, I’ll be sure to come back!”

“Hmm… Thinking about it, I understand from where you’re coming from, Brother-in-law,” Darius hummed.

Hearing the king’s words, Xenia’s eyes turned to Darius as she mused, ‘Brother-in-law? Since when did they become so close to talk casually?’

“I will keep Xen safe while she’s here,” Darius cooly pointed out. “However, when I think that the situation will likely be too dangerous for her, then I will have her sent to Cordon immediately…”

On the sidelines, Xenia found herself shifting her gaze back and forth between her brother and Darius. Once more, she was being talked about as if she was a prized trophy, and she didn’t like it one bit.

How dare these two talk in front of her and come to an agreement like she wasn’t even around?!

The dinner went on, and Xenia kept up her best behavior as much as she could even after she heard Darius’s last words to her brother. As much as possible, she avoided being stubborn while they were around others. After all, her brother was to be the next king, and she should set a good example by following him and showing obedience to his words.

After dinner, Ezekiel asked her to walk with him, to which she agreed. Strolling through the camp, the soldiers and warriors they passed by greeted them with utter respect as was befitting their station.

They then stopped right as soon as they were in spot with enough distance away from others.

“Helion’s army is approaching, and soon there will be a bloodbath in this very place, Xenia. I cannot afford to send you back to our kingdom knowing that it’ll be Helion’s primary target,” Ezekiel began, his tone bringing out a sense of urgency. “Can’t you just cooperate and stay at Cordon for a while until things settle down?”

Xenia took in a breath before she replied, “Do you really think you can get rid of me that easily by bringing up that topic in front of Darius?”

Her brother’s eyes shone at her words. It was then she knew it… Her brother had indeed brought it up in hopes that Darius would agree and send her to Cordon.

Catching him redhanded, she chuckled, “You miscalculated. Darius is a werewolf, and I am his mate… It’s only natural for him to not want me out of his sight. He’s confident that he could protect me, so don’t you dare to try to get rid of me again.”

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“Hmm… So Jayra is right, it seems,” her brother Ezekiel suddenly commented.

“Huh?”

At her questioning scoff, Ezekiel turned to her with a teasing smile, “I guess you and him already have this mutual understanding with one another.”

Xenia’s eyes widened as she quickly denied, “No! Whatever you’re thinking it is we have, you’re wrong! Stop that!”

“But you’re already addressing him so casually. You even let him have his way with you. Like you and him staying in the same tent, for instance…” Ezekiel continued, effortlessly teasing her while keeping a close eye on her reactions.

Xenia’s face reddened in embarrassment, “It’s not like that. I…”

Her words trailed off. She was speechless, unable to find the right words to defend herself with.

“You like him,” Ezekiel finished her words for her. “Or perhaps you’re already falling in love with him without even realizing it yet.”

Once again, she was caught off-guard. As much as she tried to muster up her words, nothing came out of her lips.

‘How come I can’t say NO!?’ she inwardly thought.

Seeing her lack of response, Ezekiel smiled at her. He then tilted his head up to look at the night sky.

“So it would seem… That’s all that matters to me…” Ezekiel sighed. “Ah… My next assignment would be Mineah. I’ll make sure to check on her after this damn war.”

Xenia let out a long sigh of her own as she followed her brother’s lead and looked up at the sky herself. In honesty, she was still confused, wondering if what Ezekiel said about her was true.

Thinking about it, however, her brother had a point. She was feeling something towards Darius, but she was somehow not also able to put her guard down in admitting it. She was in denial to keep herself safe, to not hurt herself in the process of pursuing an admittedly shallow and superficial relationship.

She knew letting herself expect something more than what she had was the worst feeling in the world, especially in a relationship that obviously ran on lust and mystical bonds. In reality, she had no idea how Darius truly felt for her. Being a mate was very different from being the love of his life, after all…

“Mineah… She’s a strong-willed woman. I think she also likes the Vampire King,” Xenia recalled. “Before her wedding, I still remembered the words she spoke clearly. She was hoping that she could capture the Vampire King’s heart somehow.”

“But vampires don’t have a heart,” Ezekiel pointed out. “Then again, Nikolai is a different breed since he’s half-human. But still…”

Hearing his doubts, Xenia chuckled as she turned to him, “If you only saw how Mineah’s eyes were twinkling at the time. She’s pretty full of determination back then.”

“Well, we can only hope then that she succeeds,” Ezekiel shrugged. “There’s no better feeling in this world than to love and to be loved back, after all…”

“That’s some heavy words coming from a single man,” Xenia teased.

“Then I guess I’ll remain a single man forever,” Ezekiel scoffed. “It’s all Beirut’s fault. I started avoiding women because of him.”

“Hahaha! Why? What did Beirut say about the future this time?” Xenia curiously asked.

In terms of behavior, Ezekiel was her opposite. If she was someone who didn’t believe in Seers, Ezekiel was someone who strongly relied on their Seer’s words. He was someone who believed in the supernatural and all of that mystical jargon.

“He told me that a woman will cause me chaos. Or rather, damnation,” Ezekiel explained. “He wanted me to avoid any woman with icy blue eyes and silver white hair, and I’ve done so ever since.”

“That’s too specific,” Xenia teasingly chuckled. “Is it an old white witch then?”

“Stop teasing me, Xenia. It’s not funny…,” Ezekiel annoyingly murmured. “How can I avoid it if it’s already destined?”

Xenia hummed, “Well, what can I say? I suppose don’t let that information hinder you from anything, Brother. Like I always said, destiny is always a choice for us to make, so don’t worry too much.”

She then teasingly added, “Although, try to avoid sexy ladies with white hair and icy blue eyes.”

Before her brother could call her out on her teasing, Xenia quickly ran off. She knew he was reaching his limit, and her cheeks would turn blood red the moment he began pinching them in retaliation.

Making her daring escape, she was still laughing hard when she suddenly bounced off a sturdy chest.

“Careful.”