The Crown's Entrapment

Jayra spent her spare time in the private great chamber King Darius provided for her where she could continue her own work as a mage. It was also the chamber where she and Xenia would mostly train for her indoor training on spells and magic. It was an area forbidden from most denizens as was ordered by the king, with Jayra being the only one who had full authority on who she could let inside.

Just looking around inside it, she was honestly excited at how spacious the chamber was. To think that King Darius was generous enough to let her have everything she needed there with the help of Bartos.

"I bet King Darius is also rooting for me and Bartos," she murmured to herself, followed by a small squeal as she summarized all the spells her princess would need for the five trials.

Now that she remembered, she also needed to look at the rules just to make sure that they wouldn't commit any mistakes that their opponents could throw at them as grounds for disqualification, particularly during the trial by combat.

"Things to do… things to do…"

Jayra looked out at the window once she was done, noticing how the sun was about to set beyond the horizon. She found herself smiling alone, looking forward to her time with Bartos later in the evening.

Cleaning up the room, Jayra decided to go check on Bartos since she still had a lot of free time on her hands. Princess Xenia would probably take her time in the library, so she had a bit of time to kill before she had to go meet up with her liege. Still, she passed by the library first just to check on Xenia.

"How are you doing in there?" Jayra asked as soon as she was inside the library.

"Bored," Xenia answered with a yawn as she continued. "I'm almost finished here though. Just one more page left."

"Great!" Jayra cheered. "I'll wait for you then. Let's take a stroll around the castle once you're done."

Xenia squinted her eyes at Jayra. Somehow, she felt as if her dear friend was harboring something mischievous. That excited smile on her face was also a dead giveaway of the fact.

"A stroll? Or are we just going to look for your mate?" Xenia couldn't help but tease.

"Come on now. Just focus and finish up that last page," Jayra urged, sidestepping the teasing with some encouragement. "I'm sure you'll also enjoy a bit of a walk around. I'll bring you to a very interesting spot that Princess Freya loves to hang out in."

Seeing her friend's enthusiasm, Xenia simply shrugged as she continued to finish up her reading. She might as well see what all the fuss was about. Besides, she was curious as to what spot Jayra was referring to, and she needed to move her stiff body after sitting too long anyway.

"Okay, I'm done."

Almost as soon as she was finished, Jayra immediately pulled the princess out of her confinement.

"Ah, my back hurts," Xenia managed to complain just as soon as they were out of the castle. Pulling herself out of Jayra's pull, she stopped walking and did some stretching to ease her aching joints.

"Come on, it's almost sunset," Jayra complained back, snatching Xenia's hand once more and dragging the princess along. " Stretch your body there later. We have to hurry."

"Hurry for what?" Xenia questioned. "And are we heading to the training grounds?" The princess had memorized every part of Cordon castle's territory, so she could confidently say that there was no way she would even get lost even if she tried, and that was in spite of how huge and tricky some of the turns inside of it were.

"Yes, we are," Jayra informed.

Xenia could only shrug as she let herself get dragged along. A few moments later, they finally reached that one particular area that Jayra was hyping to her about.

Sure enough, Xenia's jaw dropped as she subconsciously murmured, "Oh wow…"

"I know, right?" Jayra giggled. "Such a feast…"

Xenia could only nod as a parade of muscular naked men sparred below them, their combat swift and precise as they shifted back and forth from their human and wolfman forms. They were all using various kinds of weapons. A spear in one hand, a halberd in the other, some used swords and axes while some used a combination of one or the other.

"So basically, they're given their proper training for combat in both human and wolfman form while also having to secure a weapon in their hands, preventing them from using their sharp claws in attacking," Jayra sagely explained with an amused smile. "Isn't this fun to watch?"

"Wouldn't they mind us being here?" Xenia hesitantly asked, her eyes already fixated on the scene before them. Their location wasn't too close to the training ground where the werewolves were, but it was close enough for them to have a proper view of everyone present.

Currently, there were around fifty soldiers doing their training, with hundreds of soldiers sitting out on the sidelines watching those who were sparring.

"They'll definitely notice us, but this is something normal to them so it should be fine," Jayra giggled as she cunningly stated. "We're not the only ones taking a peek anyway, so they definitely won't mind. Besides, walking around naked isn't a big deal in this kingdom. I guess we should get used to it and just watch them till our eyes bleed. Don't you think so, Princess?"

Xenia could only shake her head as she chuckled. Her perverted friend was obviously enjoying herself with the sights of bounty before them.

"Too bad my mate isn't naked right now," Jayra bluntly voiced out her disappointment.

Xenia laughed hard at that. For some reason, Bartos was the only one dressed among the naked werewolves… aside from a few more others assisting him. This was probably the Moonlight Infantry division where Bartos was the head commander.

"Oh, there are females too. See?" Jayra pointed out. "They don't mind seeing each other naked now, don't they?"

Xenia plainly nodded, and her mind couldn't help but wander to those times when she and Darius were together, specifically, on how many times Darius got naked before her without even caring. Her face reddened at the thought even as her lips unknowingly smiled.

It was such a beautiful smile that she couldn't see, while her eyes still kept their focus on the men training below them.

Those men were definitely not comparable to how majestic her king was. Darius was so perfect and beautiful in her eyes. His muscles, those toned abs, and that sturdy chest… The firm muscles on his arms and legs…

Xenia touched her hot cheeks as her thoughts ran wild. She suddenly felt so hot and ticklish as she bit her lower lip out of habit.

She was too busy daydreaming that she didn't notice a pair of burning eyes and flaring nostrils directed towards her.

Not long after, both Jayra and her flinched at the sudden growl echoing from below. It was then followed by a thundering yell of command. "That's enough for today! Continue with the training tomorrow. Everyone get dressed! Dismissed!"

Xenia's face paled upon hearing the familiar voice of Darius near her.

"Are we in trouble?" Jayra murmured beside her.

Xenia didn't know what to say to that question. Were they actually in trouble?

"Are you sure we're allowed to be in here and watch?" she anxiously murmured behind Jayra, almost at a gasp, making sure that her question was heard only by her friend's ears.

"No!" Darius's annoyed voice rang in Xenia's ear. "No, you're not allowed!"

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AN /July 22, 2022: Once again thank you for voting and giving our book another hundred Golden Tickets. Todate I released a total of 5 chapters as promised. Let's vote more and hit another hundred for 300+ Golden Tickets for another 5 chapters release. Have a great day everyone! *kisses&hugs*