The Crown's Entrapment

"T-Training?" Xenia murmured out.

It was so sudden. Yes, she had planned to start her training, but she thought she was going to do it with Jayra. She didn't expect that Darius would want to personally train her for it at all.

"But... Aren't you going to be busy tending to the affairs of the kingdom?" Xenia logically reasoned. Her training would consume a lot of time, and she knew that Darius, as the king, would be very busy to even try and take some time out of his schedule.

"Princess Xenia is right, Son. You have a lot of responsibilities to attend to," the Queen Mother seconded.

"Wait... Oh right..." Freya trailed off into thought. "Princess Xenia is human, so she would need to pass the Five Trials, huh..."  Her eyes then darted to Clara as she said, "Hmm... The fifth trial will be a free for all against powerful werewolves. Are you going to join the fight?"

Xenia turned to Clara. She had been subtly observing the woman ever since she entered. So far, Clara had been nothing but polite, if outright pleasant towards her, but her keen eyes also noticed how the woman would occasionally sneak glances at Darius, especially whenever he would show some extra care towards her.

She wasn't good at deciphering emotions, but the way Clara looked at Darius bothered her. Could it be true that Clara had feelings toward Darius then? Of so, then Jayra's information was absolutely correct. It would also explain why Clara and the Queen Mother were close with one another. That much, she could tell.

With bated breath, Xenia waited for Clara's answer.

"Ah, I must be nuts for asking the obvious," Freya answered her rhetorical question. "Of course, you'll definitely join. Your pack will also push you to do it even if you didn't want to anyway."

Her eyes then darted back to Xenia as she said, "You'll need to work hard, Sister-in-law. Among the more powerful werewolves, the five strongest would be chosen to participate in the final trial. Then you'll fight for survival against them in the fifth trial if ever you pass the fourth trial, of course."

"Hmm... What if I don't pass the fourth trial?" Xenia hesitantly asked despite already knowing the answer.

"Well, the five remaining candidates will still fight to be our King Darius's Luna," Freya answered.

"I see..." Xenia whispered out, her tone filled with determination. "I'll make sure to succeed in these trials then."

Freya nodded at her conviction. Without much thought, she then blurted out, "Hmm... I guess the rumors circulating around the Princess are nothing but mere rumors then. I can see that you're quite exceptional and genuine..."

"Freya, you're talking as if Princess Xenia isn't in front of us," the Queen Mother scolded.

Xenia frowned at what she just heard. Rumors? Questioningly, she looked at Darius and inquired, "Are there rumors about me?"

That was news to her. She was entirely unaware that there were rumors about her circulating around the kingdom.

"You don't need to worry about that. I already tasked my men to investigate where it came from and find out who is responsible for this blasphemy," Darius gritted his teeth through his smile. "I already spread my word that whoever insults my mate has insulted their king, and would face the corresponding punishment for it!"

"Sire, I'm already working on that problem right now," Clara suddenly chimed in, "I'll make sure to find the one responsible soon."

Hearing Clara, Darius looked at her and said, "You shouldn't involve yourself in the investigation anymore, Clara. If you plan on joining the Fifth Trial, then you should focus more on your own training."

He then added, "Many will probably fight to the death just to secure the final five positions to fight Xen for the fifth trial, and it'll be a shame if you were one of the casualties."

Throughout the two's exchange, Xenia's gaze shifted back and forth between Darius and Clara. She found herself wondering if she was the only one who noticed how Clara's expression paled for just the slightest of moments; her usual smile quickly coming back up to hide her emotions.

'She looks suspicious,' Xenia inwardly thought. 'I can tell that something's off. I have to find out more about these rumors about me.'

Her gaze then fixated on Darius, her heart somehow jumping with joy upon seeing how confident he was that she would pass the fourth trial.

"I never would've thought that the Mate Pull would be this strong," Freya voiced out once more. "Seeing my brother cheer for his human mate like this is-"

Before Freya could continue, she was quickly shot down by a warning glare from the Queen Mother. Letting out a sigh, Freya turned to Xenia.

"I'm sorry, Princess Xenia. It's simply in my nature to talk recklessly like this. I don't mean harm nor have any intention to offend you, however," Freya politely apologized. "I'm just in a daze, I guess... with how my brother has changed over the period of time I haven't seen him."

Hearing the woman's apology, Xenia gave Princess Freya a reassuring smile even though deep down, she was starting to hate the words 'Mate Pull'. Or rather, at how all of them were pointing out that Darius's actions were nothing but the effects caused by that damn 'Mate Pull'. She was honestly getting sick of it!

****

Unknown to Xenia, Clara was also keenly observing her every move and expression. She wanted to make sure that her assessment of the princess was right. Last night, Xenia clearly voiced out in her drunken state how Darius just forced her into this marriage, of how it was clearly a one-sided affair. But looking at her now, one thing didn't sit quite right...

If she was forced into this arrangement, then why was the Princess determined to do the Five Trials to become Queen? It was a life and death matter. Wouldn't it be safer for her to simply settle with being His Majesty's lady consort?

She wouldn't even mind it.

It was peculiar. Clara had her doubts, but she still had more pressing matters to attend to. Darius had tasked someone to look after the source of the rumors... She must find out who it was. Clara never thought that this minor thing would bother Darius so much that he was even willing to give out a punishment for the ones responsible.

Keeping her calm, she bit her inner cheek as the guilt ate into her conscience. What she did was a reckless move, thinking that the Princess of Ebodia was someone with ulterior motives.

'I should fix this...'

She was interrupted from her deep thoughts when she heard Darius's voice.

"Mother, Freya... I will be very busy in the coming days helping Xen train. I will appreciate it if you two can help me with court matters during that time," the king requested before he turned to look at her.

"Clara, I understand that you have to join the selection for the Queen, and I will not hinder you from doing so," the King clearly stated. "It will break my heart seeing you two fight against each other, but you must understand that I will always root for my mate no matter what..."

"I understand, Your Majesty," Clara whispered, holding her emotions under control. Her eyes, in particular, darted towards Xen as she added, "She's your mate, after all. And we all know how that bond works."