The Crown's Entrapment

"Where is he?" she asked out loud as if the cave walls could answer her.

"I'm here."

To her surprise, King Darius commented from seemingly out of nowhere. She quickly looked at the small pool of water and gulped as soon as Darius's head appeared from beneath the waves.

"Prepare the food and let's eat," King Darius coldly instructed even as water dripped from his body. "We have to leave soon, and we have no time to waste."

Xenia quickly moved and prepared to roast the rabbits. Working tirelessly, their food was almost cooked when she saw that the King was still in the water. She was honestly getting worried, so she asked, "How are you feeling, Your Majesty?"

"I'm not feeling well, Xen, so I need to stay in the water for some time," he coldly answered. "My body feels like it's burning for some reason."

"I guess that's still the poison's doing…" Xenia pondered. "But I heard no poison could kill werewolves, so you'll probably get better soon. That burning sensation will pass," she comforted.

"I doubt it…" King Darius murmured, almost barely audible despite having reached Xenia's ears.

"I'm sorry? What is it, Your Majesty?" she promptly asked, trying to clear up any misconceptions.

"Nothing, Xen," Darius denied. "You should eat first, then you can help me get out of the pool and get dressed. I still feel a bit weak since some of the poison's still in my body."

Xenia's face paled at the instructions. She could only hope that she could stomach yet another showing of the King's naked body.

After a few moments later, Xenia felt so relieved when Darius stopped insisting on her to assist him in getting dressed. In the end, he just surprisingly asked her for his clothes before quickly dismissing her to prepare their food.

'Weird… That seems so unlike him...'

Nevertheless, she could only hope that Darius would keep acting like this in regards to her assisting him with his clothes. It'd be one stressor off her back at least, and she really hoped it stuck that way.

Well, assuming that her so-called Master wanted it that way.

"Let's eat, then we'll travel in my wolf form nonstop till we reach Ebodia's border."

Xenia flinched at his voice, as the King suddenly sat beside her. He was close enough that their arms brushed against one another.

"Eat as much as you can, Xen. Bring some fruit with you if you must, you can eat them whenever I slow down," Darius instructed, not caring about their apparent closeness as he spoke.

"I'll let you rest and take a nap at night while in my wolf form. I have no plans on shifting back into my human form once we get going. That way, it'd be easier for both of us to escape. With you riding me in my wolf form, along with my heightened sense of smell and instincts, we'll be much better off."

Xenia nodded, but she quickly asked, "What about you, Your Highness?"

"I'm a werewolf, Xen," Darius nonchalantly answered, grabbing one of the roasted rabbits off the fire and eating it alongside her.

"Unlike you humans, I can keep my strength up for a longer period of time without bothering to eat. Water will suffice for the time being."

"I see," the incognito princess replied. "In that case, I'll bring as many fruits as I can, Your Majesty. So-"

"Just call me Darius."

Xenia paused mid-sentence, turning to him with her jaw dropped as she unabashedly stared at him. She didn't speak a word, but her wide eyes said all that she currently thought.

'This is highly unnatural…'

"Or call me, 'My King' instead, if you're uncomfortable with my name," Darius casually spoke, seemingly reading her thoughts based on her expressions alone.

Listening to him, Xenia could only tilt her head to the side, her eyebrows squished together as she struggled to form words.

"Do you understand, Xen?"

She absently blinked, simply nodding with eyebrows still furrowed.

King Darius seemed to note her half-hearted response. "You look like you didn't understand me enough, Xen," he commented with narrowed eyes.

As if spurred into attention, Xenia replied, "I did, 'My King."

"Good," King Darius contently answered. This time, Xenia swore that she saw him smirk, even if it was gone in a flash.

'What's with that smirk? And why the sudden change in atmosphere?' Xenia inwardly thought.

She wanted to ask her thoughts aloud, but she chose not to. Instead, she continued eating in silence while mulling over the strange string of occurrences. The King was acting weird for some reason. Could it be a lingering effect of the poison?

Then again, why was she even thinking about it? With a shrug, Xenia decided to drop the matter. It was a good thing that the King was acting a tad friendlier than his usual frowns and growls as if he was irritated all of the time.

Time passed, and they promptly went out of the cave as soon as they were finished eating. As she was instructed, Xenia gathered an appropriate amount of fruits and secured them all using his extra cape.

"Turn around. I'll be shifting into my wolf form now," Darius instructed. "Secure my clothes before climbing onto my back."

Xenia only stared at him, her mouth agape as she wondered if she heard him right. What was with him asking her to turn around now of all times? Was he not in the mood to flaunt his perfect body before her eyes this time?

"What? Do you prefer me to undress before your eyes, Xen?" Darius spoke out, snapping her back from her trance. "I really don't mind it."

Xenia quickly gathered her wits. "Don't you need my assistance, Your… My King?" she mumbled out, only for her eyes to widen as she realized what she just said.

Hearing her blunder, Darius flashed a mischievous smile. It was so devious, and yet she couldn't help but think of it as enticing.

"Hmm, I do need your assistance. If you want to do it, then do so," the King scoffed. "You're my warrior-servant, after all. But then, I also don't want to force you into this duty given your so-called disorder about nudity."

Xenia had a hard time fathoming just what was going on. The King's expression remained stoic this time, even after her careful observations. Still, she kind of didn't care anymore.

"Oh, I'm honestly relieved with your consideration on this matter," Xenia hastily replied, not even bothering to look at him one last time as she turned around. "I'll be turning around now, My King. I'm still really struggling with my fear of nudity right now."