The Crown's Entrapment

Meanwhile, inside the King's chamber, Xenia had just finished her meal with Jayra.

"Tonight, you'll be having dinner with King Darius together with the Queen Mother and the rest of the court officials," Jayra informed her as she picked up some of the princess's gowns.

"He wants to formally introduce you to them, which means I will have to brief you more about the things that you need to know about Cordon. Although you already have some knowledge from a previous study, let me refresh your memory some more. I'm sure you need it anyway."

"You manage to bring all my things?!" Xenia commented with a frown as she watched Jayra pick up her garments from the luggage. "And what do you mean 'I need it anyway?'"

Jayra had a teasing smile as she explained, "Well, you do. Also, the Werewolf King was considerate enough to let his men carry all of your things with us, milady."

She shrugged, "He didn't want to leave a single piece behind, saying that it might help you during your stay here. Also, having your usual things with you might help whenever you feel homesick."

"No, what I mean is how come I have those? I didn't recall instructing my servants to pack this many clothes for me since we were on our way to the encampment... To war, Jayra," Xenia frowned. "So how come I have those luxurious gowns of mine in here?"

"Hmm... The Werewolf King's men had a stopover at Ebodia Castle to get these for you. Also, they're all still unpacked since King Darius was waiting for your approval to arrange your stuff here in his chamber," Jayra explained. "Or, well, if you prefer, he said, you can also use the chamber connected to this one. The one you used before, he said?"

"We're not even married yet, so it's not proper for me to share a chamber with him," Xenia sluggishly commented. "Also, I don't want to give his subjects the wrong impression of me. I still believe in the saying that first impression lasts, after all."

"Alright then. I'll instruct the servants to arrange all of your things in the connecting chamber," Jayra nodded. "But before we move to that, let's first get started with what's important. First impressions indeed last, so it's better that you be on your best behavior tonight once you meet with everyone."

Xenia simply nodded, and Jayra didn't waste any time as she began her lecture.

"Okay. I hope you still remember that the Kingdom of Cordon, unlike other kingdoms whose rulers are hereditary, is quite different in terms of their political system," Jayra preached on. "Cordon will always base their ruler on meritocracy. Eligible Alphas from every pack in Cordon are the only qualified contenders, of course, the Survival Rites is what they call the main battle for the throne, where the fittest would have the chance to get a hold on the throne."

"Yeah, and Darius won it a decade ago," Xenia interrupted. "As a result, he gained the power to appoint people to political positions in the court. But not all positions are like that, as is the case with the Council of Elders and the Great Constable positions since they're more hereditary in nature. The position of Great Constable is automatically given to the second strongest person to the king if he happens to be alive and able. If not, then it will go to the third, the fourth, and so on..."

Jayra smiled, "Hmm, that's good. As we know, the Great Constable position went to Gilas since he was fortunate enough for King Darius to spare his life the last time they fought."

Her friend sagely continued, "Now, we go to the crucial part of Cordon's political system, which is the Council of Elders. There are some mixed opinions within the group itself, consisting of Elders that are either for or against the current ruler. The Royal Council of Elders is pooled from the ten majorities of powerful packs inside Cordon, where each pack would have an Elder representing their respective packs."

Listening to Jayra ramble on, Xenia started getting dizzy as her friend went on to mention the ten major packs and each of their respective Elders. She tried her best to remember them, of course, even their characters.

Jayra also mentioned that those same Elders held the most power when it came to the royal courts. Their opinions and approval were very important, and King Darius was already lucky to have secured the support of the majority of the Elders. That was why he was often supported with every decision he made.

"Sooner or later, you will need to decide whether or not you want to be Cordon's Queen, because the opposition will definitely let this opportunity slide, knowing how you could be Darius's weakness." Jayra pointed out.

"I... I've already decided that I'll secure the Queenship, by all means, Jayra." Xenia suddenly declared.

Jayra's lips curled up as she teased, "Hmmm... And why is that? You can't imagine your future husband having another woman besides you, right?"

Xenia refused to respond. She had another ulterior motive to do it, of course, but she would also not deny the fact that she didn't want to share her future husband with any other woman. Everyone in their family had their share of sacrifices for their kingdom. And since she was already here, then she might as well play her part adequately.

"I'll give you a few more details, then I'll help you get dressed, it's almost time," Jayra commented as both of them looked out at the balcony, where the sun would soon be replaced by the glowing moonlight.

"By the way... I found something bothersome while roaming around just a while ago," Jayra whispered to Xenia as she was scanning her gowns to choose which to wear.

"What? Wait... Did you use a spell here?" Xenia cautiously asked.

Jayra didn't need to answer, her awkward smile being more than enough to answer Xenia's question.

"Well, I had to make sure that you're properly supported as our King Stephan requested, so I used a few spells to get more details, especially on the family of King Darius, the Queen Mother Savannah, and his sister Freya," Jayra shrugged.

"You see, I used the spell on one of the queen's servants. Apparently, the Queen Mother also plays a very important role, so you will need to be on her good side as well. Then I also found out that the Queen Mother favored this Clara, an Alpha, for King Darius. They're even confident that she would be the one to get chosen as Queen should you not accept to do The Five Trials to become Queen."

"Clara?" Xenia subconsciously murmured, and Jayra began talking about the details she got about the said woman.

The more she listened in, the more Xenia bit her lower lip in deep thought. She hadn't met Clara the last time she was at Cordon in her disguise as Xen.

"Did you find out what Clara looks like?" she consciously muttered out in a gasp. "And how close is her relationship with Darius?" She was more curious about this Clara.