The Crown's Entrapment

'What did he just say?' Xenia anxiously mused, her body remaining unmoving as she kept still. She didn't dare turn her head to look at him, or else, their faces would collide and she didn't want that at all.

'You. Are. Mine…'

The words kept replaying themselves in her head. It wasn't the first time the King had reiterated that he owned her life. However, the way he said those words a while ago felt… different.

It was as if he wanted her in a different way, and not just simply as his own person as his subject.

Xenia frowned as she quickly shook off those unnecessary thoughts inside her head. She was probably thinking too much on it, only to then panic as she finally realized how she had kept as still as a statue.

It was so unlike her to feel as conflicted like this, having no idea what to do as she decided on what to do next.

Gathering her senses, she instantly stepped backwards, afraid that the king would discover the loud thumping of her heart. She didn't want him to see how affected she was by his words.

In a way, she should be annoyed and furious… but she wasn't. Instead, she found herself more nervous than anything, practically cowering, to be exact.

"This lad is with me," the King declared, passing by her with his stoic face like nothing was happening.

By the sidelines, Xenia heaved out a sigh of relief when the king diverted his attention away from her.

Finally, she could let herself breathe a bit normally and compose herself. She kept quiet and meek as she turned around and followed him into the castle. She needed badly to get inside, and at this rate, the King was currently her only way into the castle unscathed.

"King Darius," the Valcrez soldiers bowed in respect to Darius, and Xenia just wanted to hit them all for not being given the same respect.

'Don't they know that I'll be their Queen soon?!' Xenia inwardly scoffed, looking at the soldiers bowing their heads in front of her. 'These dimwits!' But then again, she was technically still in her disguise.

Still, her worry remained as it kept creeping inside her nerves. She could only hope that what was happening now was nothing but an extra precautionary measure, one that was needed because of the approaching enemy forces.

'King Darius and King Nikolai must've been good friends,' Xenia thought. Just from that sight alone, Xenia could already tell that Darius indeed had a good relationship with the Vampire King. Without a single word uttered, the guards promptly let them enter.

Walking through the gate, Xenia let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were firmly within the castle walls. She was finally back, and it was only a matter of time before she could manage to get out of this king's grasp.

Looking around, she frowned as she noticed that not one of their people inside the castle was roaming around. Even servants. Was the castle evacuated?

"What happened?" King Darius asked Gideon. "Why are there Valcrez Soldiers surrounding the castle walls?"

Xenia couldn't help but nod as she listened. That was precisely what she wanted to know as well. As such, she kept an ear out as she waited for Gideon's report.

"Nikolai found out that his bride-to-be, the elder Princess, is missing," Gideon began.

'They found out?' Xenia held in her breath.

"King Stephan had failed to honor the agreement between the two kingdoms, and everything else went on from there. It's honestly a chaotic situation, Your Majesty."

She halted midstep, her face was paler than before as she inwardly gasped. 'This… This can't be…'

Her eyes flitted towards her surroundings once more. With the Valcrez soldiers surrounding the entire castle, Xenia knew that it could only mean one thing. His father failed to talk things out with the Vampire King, and the kingdom was plunged into conflict.

She felt sick to her stomach.

"Unfortunately, Prince Ezekiel had left to secure the borders with Ebodia's armies, leaving the castle with only a few mages and soldiers," Gideon continued.

"The moment I informed them about Helion's Army approaching, they were already mobilizing to defend their borders. It was then that King Nikolai arrived for the wedding, only for him to find out that the eldest princess is missing."

Gideon sighed, "King Stephan then tried offering the hand of his second daughter in return, but King Nikolai simply ordered his men to surround the castle. He then grounded the King and Queen along with the second Princess inside the meeting hall, forcing them into a serious talk with his Valcrez Council that he arrived with."

"Hmm… Nikolai would have a hard time dealing with his Council," Darius pondered. "Those elders will definitely seize this opportunity to siege Ebodia. Though, Nikolai will surely handle this matters carefully."

"What do I do… This is all my fault…" Xenia murmured, her eyes meeting with the King's back as tears ran down her cheeks. She was too late.

"Xen, you stay here with Gideon and Bartos while I find out more about the situation," the King spoke. "I will go to Nikolai directly."

Xenia didn't respond. Instead, she let the two men lead her on as she went through the motions. After a while, however, both men stopped and looked at her, a frown both on their foreheads as they watched her.

"I can't have you roaming around alone, Xen. I will deal with you later. For now, behave and stay with Gideon and Bartos," the King uttered with his stoic expression.

He then looked at Gideon and said, "Make sure that you and Bartos won't let Xen out of your sight. You two will face the consequences if you lose Xen. If Xen tries to escape, I don't care what you both have to do. Make sure you will not let that happen without a single scratch on Xen."

The two saluted despite the confused reactions on their faces. The King's eyes then darted to her as he said, "Xen's been poisoned by the Tatar Berry. Xen's inner force is still suppressed."

Xenia blinked at what she heard. No wonder she felt as if something was missing from her body. Assuming that was the case, if she ever fought with those vampire soldiers, she could die without even seeing her family one last time.

Her mind in turmoil, Xenia met the King's stare. Could she really trust this man with her identity?

Seeing the King approach her, Xenia suddenly felt a chill wash over her. The King's silhouette then became blurry as her eyes shut themselves from the world…

Everything went blank.