The Crown's Entrapment

In the Capital City of Cordon, Darius, along with Osman and Calypso, walked through the streets disguised as commoners.

“A lot has changed since I’ve been here,” Calypso commented as he looked around.

“Is it good or bad?” Darius curiously asked.

“It’s definitely a good change,” Calypso praised. He could tell that progress had been made since he last left.

“Osman here played a big part in making the living standards of all Cordnanians easier because of his inventions,” Darius praised the admiral as he placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “This man here is a genius.”

“You flatter me too much, Sire-“

“Tsk, words-“

“Ah, but Dar, they’re merely ideas,” Osman cut his liege off with a timid smile. “It’s the skillful workers that make things happen every time.”

“Wow, what a humble man you are,” Calypso teased.

They all ended up laughing after that. A brief silence followed before the conversation continued.

“Osman has always been like that,” Darius chortled at Calypso. “Unlike you… You’re just an arrogant brute sometimes.”

“You’re breaking my heart there, cousin,” Calypso snorted. “I’m not arrogant. I’m mostly just stating just the facts. Still, I can admit that I’m a proud man at most.”

As if on cue, the women around them started noticing their presence. They seductively smiled their way, and Darius and Osman promptly ignored them even as Calypso gave them a smile.

Darius could only shake his head as he pointed out, “You’re a womanizer too, and that’s just the worst.”

“I am not… I’m simply accommodating their desires,” Calypso defended himself. “It’s not like I’m the one chasing after them anyway.”

“Pity those women whom you’ve shown your hospitality then,” Darius snorted.

“Stop that,” Calypso mumbled with a pout. “You’re making me look bad in front of Osman here.”

Darius chuckled. “And why do you care about Osman’s opinions when he’s also a man himself?”

“I have a new position in the courts now, so I’m trying to at least have a good image to portray,” Calypso defended himself further. “It’s been ten years already, and a lot of things have changed. I rarely touch women nowadays except if it’s the only option I have to guarantee the success of my mission.”

“Fine. Then I do hope that you’re truly a changed man,” Darius warned him with a scoff. “I don’t want to hear any women crying here again in Cordon because of you, understood?”

“I got you,” Calypso replied with a wink.

Darius sighed. A lot of what made Calypso clearly hadn’t changed, but he was still glad his cousin was finally back. And this time, it was for good, especially now that they were almost there in bringing Nasser down. They were breaking off Nasser’s men and connections one by one, and they were being systematic in making sure that all will be done with a single clean sweep.

After a bit of walking, they finally reached the shrine where Darius intended to watch Xen’s trials along with the rest of his people.

“It’s crowded,” Osman commented.

“There’s no vision playing, but so many people are already here and waiting,” Calypso seconded.

Despite this, Darius was unstoppable as he tried to make his way through the crowd. He would make sure that he had a perfect view of the trials once the vision reappeared. He didn’t even mind if he needed to stand for so long, and of course, Osman and Calypso simply followed him as they tried to squeeze themselves up beside him.

…

…

“What do you think will happen next? I’m sure the princess won’t be swayed, right?” one of the women near Darius’s spot commented. “That Sphinx was obviously trying to have his way with her. He’s treating her nicely, and did you notice the way he looked at her this morning before he stopped the vision? It’s clear that he’s planning something…”

“I’m sure our future queen won’t be swayed,” another random woman commented. “She’s obviously in love with our king, and her dedication to proving herself is so admirable that I’ll cheer for her no matter what.” The random continued, “It’s no wonder our king chose her. I can still clearly remember her words last night before the vision disappeared… Her words were for our king.”

“Don’t worry about me, alright?”

“I’ll come back to you soon…”

Darius couldn’t help but smile as he heard the gossip. The other women were even copying how Xen delivered those words with heartfelt emotion.

…..

…

Calypso chuckled, and Darius had to elbow his cousin to keep the latter quiet and not say a word. It was no wonder now why Freya and Jayra preferred to watch the trials with so many people like this. It was good to hear the different opinions circulating the masses and his people.

A few moments later, a white light finally traced the symbol onto the air, and a cloudy smoke puffed itself up before the symbol till the vision became clearer. There, everyone gasped as they keenly watched what was currently happening in front of them.

Meanwhile, Darius’s face dimmed upon witnessing that Xen was currently in a very beautiful paradise. Devas even gave her flowers as they talked for some reason.

……

….

“See? I told you that Sphinx has a different motive. He likes the Princess, and now he’s trying to coax her to be with him!”

Murmurs filled the open shrine, different opinions mixing with one another as they filled the air.

….

….

“Shhhh! Quiet! We can’t hear what that ugly Sphinx is saying!” Darius barked out. “He’s not even comparable to our mighty King to begin with, so there’s no way Xen- I mean, the Princess will fall into his trap! The princess is very much in love and committed to our king!”

At Darius’s rant, all eyes turned to him with suspicion.

Seeing that they’re cover was almost blown, Calypso quickly tried to divert everybody’s attention away from Darius as he called out, “Oh right. Come on. Let’s all just focus and watch how things will unfold. Look! The Princess is saying something!”

Osman let out a long sigh of relief when he saw that everybody’s attention went back to the vision.

“Can you just keep quiet while we’re watching?” Osman murmured with a frown.

“I bet that was already the controlled version of his rant, my friend,” Calypso chuckled as he teased. “Now, I can see who’s the one very much in love here… aside from the Princess, of course.”

Darius didn’t say a word, but his frowning face remained dim as he shot daggers toward the Sphinx direction, hoping that he would somehow kill the guardian with his glare alone. He didn’t like the special treatment he was giving to Xen, and they should just start the trial instead of roaming around the place while trying to impress his woman with what the forest had to offer!

‘How dare this lion try to sway my wife like this!?’