The Crown's Entrapment

Back in the great hall where the celebration continued, Gideon cursed under his breath when one of his men telepathically reported how Aurelia has finally returned to the castle. And apparently, she was currently with Calypso. He would've gone out to check on her, but unfortunately, he was way too busy to go out to see her at this point.

He was currently with the royal family, discussing the matters regarding his parent's arrival tomorrow and the upcoming talk pertaining to the Ritual of Marking between him and Freya. It would be held on the same day as Freya's twenty-first birthday, and that was already four days from today.

From what he could recall, his family had honestly already made the necessary arrangements beforehand, and tomorrow, they would only have to finalize a few small details in regards to the meeting of the two families in Cordon Castle.

[What's wrong?] Freya suddenly telepathically asked him. She probably noticed how bothered he seemed to be.

Gideon sighed and replied, [It's Aurelia. She just got back, and she's currently with Calypso. I may sound rude, but it's just that I really don't trust him being around her.] He let out another sigh as he added, [I mean, Aurelia and I haven't had a serious talk about that matter since we returned to Cordon Castle, and I'm afraid that something might happen.]

It was unfortunate that all of them had become so busy that he didn't have the chance to properly talk about this serious matter with Aurelia yet. He wanted to make sure that his sister really knew what she wanted, and that she wasn't going to get taken advantage of by a known womanizer…

"Big Brother, can I excuse my future husband for a while? I'd love to walk outside with him and have a private talk," Freya suddenly interrupted, trying to excuse themselves from the conversation. "Will it be alright? I promise we'll return soon. Besides, I'd love to show him my working space…"

Hearing Freya's request, Darius looked at Gideon with a frown. But thankfully, their new queen interrupted and said, "I'm sure our King won't mind. Please, you two go on ahead…"

That instant, Freya quickly pulled him with her out of the great hall.

"Freya?"

"Talk to Aurelia and appease your thoughts," Freya insisted even as they kept walking. "I understand how you care for her as a sibling and how you want to protect her as much as possible, so please, just settle this matter right here and now. You should also respect her decision no matter what is it…"

Freya's serious remark made him think as if she exactly knew where the two currently were. Maybe she had already telepathically talked to Calypso and asked about their exact location.

Before Gideon could even ask, they had already stopped in front of Aurelia's door. Without even a knock, the door swung open, and there, he saw Calypso right behind it.

"Why are you the one opening the-" Aurelia spoke, only to pause when Gideon entered with Freya. "Big brother…"

"We need to talk privately, Aurelia. Our parents will be arriving in Cordon Castle tomorrow, and they'll surely hear about the rumors going on between you and Calypso," Gideon directly addressed. "As such, we should clear things up right now. It's only a rumor, and it's still not too late to correct things…"

He didn't care whether or not Calypso would hear him or if he sounded rude. This was about his sister's future, and he'd be damned if he ever thought Calypso would even be qualified for the task!

After a beat, Aurelia looked at him intently and said, "What is there to correct, Brother? I don't care about the rumors. I already accepted Lord Calypso's offer to be his mate. It's my life and my decision is final."

She didn't bat an eye as she remarked, "I'll be formally introducing Lord Calypso to our parents tomorrow. I know you don't trust him because of his reputation, but everyone deserves a second chance. I'll follow my instinct and trust Lord Calypso on this."

"But Aurelia, you don't need to be in a hurry like this," Gideon retorted. "I mean, you can always try and get to know each other first and see if you two are suited for each other before deciding… Why are you doing things in a rush?!"

"Hmm… I think Freya and I should leave. You two best talk privately," Calypso interrupted.

Aurelia nodded, and Gideon was relieved that the man even offered such a thing. But while he wanted to appreciate Calypso for it, Aurelia spoke once again.

"No, Calypso won't be leaving. You, Big Brother, and Princess Freya should all leave," she scoffed. "You two are needed in the great hall, for goodness sake. Why are you two even here?"

She then looked at him with a snapped brow and firmly said, "While I appreciate your care for me for all these years, you must understand that I'm now at the right age to do the things I believe to be best for me, Big Brother. Can't you at least trust me to handle my own personal affairs?" She then asked, "Do you really think I'm that weak that I won't be able to handle simple matters in my life such as this?"

Gideon gulped upon seeing the hurt in Aurelia's eyes. "Aurelia… That's not what I meant. It's just that…"

"I know what you mean, and I'll still say it clearly: I can handle my personal life," Aurelia insisted. "I can handle Calypso. He chose me, and I accepted it. I'll take full responsibility for that decision no matter how it ends."

She shrugged, "If you're that worried about Calypso hurting me, then don't worry because you know full well what I'm capable of… I won't let any man trample over me, and that doesn't excuse Calypso. He'll face my wrath through my own means if he ever does anything to hurt me…"

A genuine and bright smile then slowly carved itself onto her face as she said, "So please, Big Brother… Don't worry about me and be at ease. Focus instead on your coming Ritual of Marking."

She then added, "I'm honestly happy and glad for you, you know. You've been waiting for the Princess for so long already. Enjoy this moment and your coming future with her. Now go back to the great hall. Tomorrow, I'll be present at the family gathering. Tonight, however, let me spend my time alone with Lord Calypso. I'd like for the two of us to talk privately and discuss some important things for our own future…"

That was it then… Maybe he really was overreacting. Surely Aurelia wasn't someone that was weak. His sister was already a grown woman, and he should accept the fact that she could indeed finally take care of herself.

"Alright then, I just wanted to make sure…" Gideon smiled in resignation. "I guess you've finally decided on something about your life. If so, then I have no choice but to support you. Always remember that I'm here for you, Aurelia. And if this man here…" he hung his words, only to turn and look at Calypso as he continued, "Remember that I won't hesitate to kill you if you end up toying with my sister!"

Calypso returned Gideon's stare, and with a serious note, said, "I swear, Gideon, I won't toy with Aurelia. I'm serious with her, and I'll make sure to treasure and protect her with everything I have… With all of what I have…"