The Crown's Entrapment

Xenia slowly opened her eyes. With a frown, she blinked away the throbbing pain shooting into her head. She inwardly cursed herself, recalling what just happened before she lost consciousness.

'What the hell was I doing...'

She had tried to seduce Darius. She had no intention to kill him by trying to grab his dagger, of course. She only wanted to show him how a woman could dominate a man. Her plan on how to kill the Demon King required her womanly wiles to work once she agreed on the trade, and she was banking on her good looks to really seal the deal.

Unfortunately, she didn't think that her first attempt with Darius was not successful. She frowned at the implications of such a result. If she ever did the same to the Demon King, then the evil king would probably just quickly snap her neck before she could even give him a single scratch. To think that she was Darius's mate, and yet he was still able to control himself around her despite her being on the offensive like that.

"You're finally awake..."

Xenia shook her head as she gathered her bearings. It was Jayra's voice that she heard, right?

"W-Where are we?" she groaned out, sitting on the bed with a frown as she looked at the spacious and extravagant chamber before her. Really, it was fit for a royal... Wait... The room looked so familiar! She had been here before!

Xenia's eyes widened in realization as her gaze darted towards Jayra.

"We're in KIng Darius's chambers, milady," Jayra helpfully answered. "We just arrived here at the Cordon Castle a while ago, and His Majesty brought you directly to his chamber."

"You... You all brought me here without my consent! How could you?!" Xenia burst out in disbelief. She felt betrayed, and she didn't even know who to vent these feelings towards at. Could it have been Darius's decision? It wasn't like she didn't expect this to happen. But still...

"That possessive king," she grunted with burning eyes, thinking about how Darius could've easily orchestrated her abduction like this.

"Actually, it's your brother that requested for this to happen, milady, so please don't get mad at us," Jayra quickly bowed her head in apology. "Although, I personally believe that it was the wisest decision Prince Ezekiel could've made given the current situation. And I'm sure King Darius would've wanted and do the same."

Her friend then handed her a letter. "Here. Please read this, milady," Jayra added. "I'll go ahead and give you some privacy while I inform King Darius that you're already awake."

"What is this?"

"It's Prince Ezekiel's letter for you," Jayra promptly replied as she sat up. "I won't be keeping you company for now. I'll be going on ahead. I'll also ask for a meal for you since I'm sure you're already starving by now."

And with that, Jayra left her all to Xenia's lonesome. Staring at the letter currently in her hand, she let out a pensive hum as her eyes then darted in the direction of the nearby balcony. Sure enough, the sunset in Darius's chamber was as beautiful as she remembered it.

Xenia sighed deeply as she pondered on her current situation. She quickly assumed that they'd traveled at a fast pace with Darius's wolfman form carrying her around. She had lost consciousness at around noon, and they took about a day of travel before they reached Cordon Castle. Obviously, it was only possible to travel that fast either in the wolf or in the wolfman form of the werewolves.

"What did I even expect..."

Shaking her head, Xenia stared at the letter in front of her one more time. With a pensive breath, she gathered her courage and opened the letter for her to read.

'Dearest sister. I know you might feel betrayed by going through this decision of mine without your consent, but I still think it had to be done. Don't be too harsh on King Darius. He only heeded my request after I talked him into doing this.

Look, we both know how stubborn you can be, so you left us no other choice but to make sure that you're unconscious while they escort you to Cordon.

I know very well exactly what you're thinking of doing, so, please... Please don't ever consider that poisoned offer as an option. It's a fool's decision, and if you do... Well, you will only give us, your family, even more heartache.

Make no mistake, the Demon King is the enemy, not an ally like Cordon and Valcrez. You shouldn't have even the slightest consideration to hold hands with the devil, simply because he is evil in nature.

Our Kingdom would rather have blood spilled to fight for what we believe in rather than surrender to such evil deeds. Yes, blood will be spilled, but it will be worthy blood, belonging to those who willed themselves to fight the darkness.

In the meantime, focus on your own battles, right there as the Werewolf King's future wife, the future Queen of Cordon. Ebodia needs you, and if you must sacrifice yourself for the greater cause, then it shouldn't be to become the Demon King's Queen of Helion. Instead, be the Queen of Cordon.

At the very least, Cordon is worth it. The Werewolf King respects humans like us, and he doesn't think of us as weak beings that could easily be trampled upon like how the Demon King.

Please... I beg you, Sister... Trust me on this one, okay? Tarah is with me, and she assured me that you will live a good life if you stay with King Darius. Things might not be easy at first, but you and him are fated to be together. Both of you will be happy together. Of that, I am sure.

I love you, Sister, so again... please wait patiently for any good news about this war ending. Don't make any harsh decisions. Just stay there and behave till this all blows over. Don't make an impulsive move that could make us dwell in pain and regret... for not protecting you well enough...

But I digress. You have to fight your own battles there, and that is for you to become the respected Queen of Cordon. Secure your position, not just within the Kingdom of Cordon, but most especially in the heart of your future husband. I bet this will be a more challenging fight for you than an actual battle here in a warzone.

Once more, I love you, Sister, and I trust you will understand and respect this decision that I made. The news of my victory will soon reach you, hopefully, and I could only hope that the same kind of news reaches our home from your end; of you winning over the hearts and minds of the Cordonians as well as the heart of their King as their Queen.

See you soon...'

Tears dropped from her cheeks as the letter crumpled in her hands. Xenia was sobbing hard by the time she finished reading Ezekiel's letter, and even now she was still crying.

"Look at you being so arrogant... even in a letter..." she weakly chuckled as she wiped her tears dry.

Letting out a long sigh, Xenia looked around the king's chambers. After a while, she decided to get up from the bed and walk towards the balcony. The sun shimmered in a beautiful sunset, and she would bet that the sunrise would look just as remarkable in the morning.

She had a faint smile on her face as she whispered, "Alright... Let's do this... I just have to win everyone's hearts over... No pressure..."