The Crown's Entrapment

Meanwhile, back in the Great Chamber, Darius was currently with King Stephan, discussing the latter's plans that he and his son, Ezekiel, had already put into action. His fellow king was elaborate in his explanations, talking about how almost the entirety of the Ebodian army had gone to meet Helion's armies halfway.

"Ezekiel doesn't want our enemies to go anywhere near our borders, and I agree with him," King Stephan explained. "We want to limit as many civilian casualties within the kingdom as possible."

The king let out a sigh as he continued, "So far, I only have enough soldiers and knights deployed within and around the castle to protect its walls. I already sent most of them, including the majority of our mages, out into the frontline to ensure the safety of our people and the protection of our borders."

King Stephan fought off another sigh as he revealed their current position's weakness.

This decision was the reason why it had been way too easy for the Vampire King to surround his castle. He thought that he and his family could fend for themselves should the worst come to worst, so he reduced the amount of protection they had in their personal abode. He even decided to let their servants leave and go to their families, but none chose to leave when he gave them the opportunity. Instead, they insisted on staying with them to the bitter end.

"I see," Darius nodded, looking at the map his fellow king supplied to him. "My best cavalry will reach the Ebodia Encampment in one day, at the very least." He pointed at the location where Ezekiel supposedly deployed his troops and built the Ebodian Head Encampment.

"From what we know, Helion had sent an army numbering in the thousands. They're currently traveling through the forest, and I'm sure that there's more of them unaccounted for," Darius hummed.

"With enough soldiers from both Cordon and Valcrez, however, we will definitely win this war." It was simply inevitable. Ebodia was a Kingdom with the highest population of mages compared to the other kingdoms, and harnessing that kind of manpower would be a great help against the tricks that the dark witches of Helion were harboring.

"I hope so too…" King Stephan breathed out. He then intently looked at Darius as he wondered, 'Cold… Could he possibly be the powerful man that Beirut foretold? The one that will keep my daughter, Xenia, safe no matter what?'

The identity of that powerful man in their seer's vision had been shrouded in mystery from the very beginning. And yet somehow, King Stephan felt relieved that his daughter would be in what he perceived to be safe hands. He could only hope that their seer, Beirut, was correct.

Looking at King Darius, the Werewolf King seemed to fit the powerful man Beirut described. Somehow he could sense that Darius cared for her daughter with how many times Darius saved and protected her when they were together.

"What is it, King Stephan?" Darius suddenly asked, noticing how the Ebodian King stared at him.

"My daughter, Xenia, can be very stubborn compared to the rest of my children. Even if I didn't allow her to go to the battlefields, I'm sure she would simply sneak out and go help her brother anyway," King Stephan replied.

"Though, she once mentioned how you two met and what the two of you have been through. If what she says is true, then I am indebted to you."

He bowed his head ever so slightly as he continued, "I am very grateful that you saved my daughter. Please continue being patient with her, and I do hope that you will look after her, even if she herself may think otherwise…''

It was the only thing he could do as a father who sacrificed his own daughters to ensure the safety of his people.

Seeing the king's humble gesture, a roguish smile appeared on Darius's face as he said, "Don't worry, King Stephan. As I said, Xen is my mate, and I'm sure you're already aware of what a werewolf could and would do just to protect and keep his mate safe."

Satisfied with Darius's words, King Stephan gave his fellow king a nod of understanding. The two then further discussed the finer details of their future plans before Darius had to take his leave to go back to his chambers.

Walking through the hallway, Darius had a satisfied smile on his face at a job well done. He was glad that King Stephan had practically given him his blessing, and was even vocal in entrusting him with the safety of his daughter.

'He didn't even need to say anything,' Darius musingly thought. 'I can already tell how stubborn Xen can get just by being with her for almost a week.'

[It's good that you're happy but why do I feel like it will take you a long time to mark Xen?] Zeus interrupted, killing the good momentum Darius was having.

[Stop it already Zeus. Patience is a virtue.] Darius sneered. He was getting tired of Zeus nagging him about marking Xen, making her his, and securing the Mate Bond.

Of course, he wanted the same but not with Zeus's ways. Xenia was a human and he understood how it wouldn't be easy for Xenia to accept things so easily as his mate. She might submit as part of her duty and responsibility only but he wanted more than that.

[You wouldn't last long anyway,] Zeus snorted out of the blue, pertaining to the carnal desire Darius was controlling hard in suppressing over Xen's mere presence.

[Well, we have to, Zeus, so stop adding fuel to my torment already,] Darius chided. [Either way, I want to win her heart first.]

[Hmm… It'll be hard with how intense you can get. You need help, and you won't get it from me,] Zeus scoffed.

[In any case, all I want you to do is to just sink your teeth into Xen's neck and mark her. It's the fastest way to form the Mate Bond, after all, so I'm telling you now… what you want to do is the hardest way that you can possibly imagine.]

His wolf mentally shook its head.

[Besides, we're both bad with words. Do you notice her reaction whenever you tell her that she's yours? It's pretty hard to interpret… If she's pleased or not, we can't even tell.]

Darius let out a sigh of frustration. Zeus was right. He was indeed struggling hard with trying to get a read on his mate. He didn't really know exactly what to do or how to even approach Xen without making himself look like a pathetic dog in her eyes.

[You're about to marry her anyway, so you already have a right to have her,] Zeus reasoned.

[I still don't want to do it that way,] Darius insisted. [I want her to willingly surrender to me. Only then will I declare victory.] And he would make it happen by all means.

That was also the reason why he wanted Xenia to stay by his side even during the war. He wanted to take his time with her… For her to like him during those thirty days before their wedding.

Absently walking by, Darius was almost near his private chamber when he suddenly stopped midstep. Hearing bits and pieces of gossip coming from some of the servants, he raised an eyebrow as he paid a bit of attention to those fluttering words.

[Eavesdropping… This is unbecoming of you…] Zeus scolded.

But he heard Xenia's name somewhere, so he somehow just had to hear more. Ignoring Zeus's scolding, Darius braced himself on the nearest wall to hear more.

"It must've been so hard for Princess Xenia," one of the servants lamented. "She clearly didn't want to marry the Vampire King. And while she dodged that arrangement, fate simply had her marrying the Werewolf King instead."

"She even despises them, right? Even calling those that aren't human monsters?" another one of the servants commented.

"Yeah… I even recall her cursing demons, witches, werewolves, and vampires during one of her practice sessions in the training grounds," the first servant replied. "She always goes on about how those dangerous creatures should be wiped out from this world; ranting about how they only bring chaos to humanity."

"Hmm, and yet she's still bound to marry one… Still, I salute our Princesses for sacrificing their own happiness for us… for all of us Ebodians," the other servant hummed. "I also feel bad for our Great Constable Atlas… He loves our Princess wholeheartedly, but…"

"Ugh… I'm getting myself down with this talk," the first servant grunted. "Enough with this gossip already… Let's go back to work."

As the two returned to their duties, Darius could only wonder to himself at what he just heard.

[Atlas?! Who the hell is he?!]

[Good luck to you for winning her over, I'd say…] Zeus teasingly laughed. [I'm telling you, just mark her and claim your right as her husband and King. No need to torture yourself like this, you know.]