The Crown's Entrapment

Xenia was already fully awake, but she remained in her tent as she let herself gather her bearings. Jayra had already briefed her on what she could expect once she arrived at Cordon as Darius’s mate and wife, and it was a load of information that somewhat helped her in keeping herself occupied rather than blaming herself for what happened to Beirut. She knew that she shouldn’t be thinking like that, but…

“Ahhhh…” she breathed out, her tightening chest somewhat easing as she took in a deep breath. She should be out there and showing off her strength. She had to set a good example to her people, especially now that Ezekiel was still not back from their planned ambush.

Putting herself together, Xenia nodded to herself as she got ready before finally going out of her tent. Looking around, everyone was busy, even though the undeniable dimness of the atmosphere was painting a bleak backdrop to their preparations.

Taking her first step, she was immediately greeted by every Ebodian she passed with respect and courtesy. Walking towards what seemed to be some kind of commotion, she frowned as she saw Princess Ezme. She was laughing hard together with her peers, and Gideon and Bartos were with her as well as they all shared a conversation.

She was about to approach when her face suddenly darkened, having recalled the incident wherein the Valcrez Princess had invaded her privacy not just inside Darius’s tent, but also in her dreams. Vampires had the power to enter a human’s dream, and doing so without her permission didn’t sit right with her.

“Look who’s finally out! And here I thought our Princess has decided to enjoy a very deep sleep for yet another whole day,” the Vampire Princess sarcastically announced.

Taking another deep breath, Xenia partly held her breath before she forced a smile to greet the Vampire Princess with.

Ezme was a part of the alliance, and she should avoid getting into a misunderstanding with her to try and avoid a diplomatic incident. She should also remember that this princess could mistreat her sister Mineah back in Valcrez should she play her cards wrong.

“Good morning, milady,” she greeted, also giving off a slight bow to Bartos and Gideon by the side.

“Oh please. Call me Ezme. I’m younger than you, after all, what with me being twenty and you being twenty-one… At least, that’s how I recall it,” Ezme chuckled before taking on a more somber look.

“By the way, I want to apologize for last night. It was rude of me to barge in like that, and for that, I’m sorry… You see, I’m used to barging in and out of Darius’s personal space whenever I want without permission. It’s an old habit of mine.”

Xenia withheld her judgment as she listened to her fellow princess’s apology. She was vulgar with her words, but the former could still sense the hidden meaning behind her vampire counterpart’s words.

‘Did she really like Darius in a romantic way?’ she inwardly thought with a slight frown. Her lips twitched. Somehow, she was displeased at the thought of Ezme liking Darius. ‘Should I just pull out all your hair you bloodsucking female bat?!’ she inwardly retorted.

She really didn’t like the Vampire Princess at all. It all started when this Ezme bluntly declared her disapproval of Mineah saying that her sister is cursed without even so much as an apology afterwards.

Xenia almost let her eyes roll as she let her emotions get the better of her. She was usually a good actress, being able to play various expressions with but a thought. However, she was far from being in the mood to play the damsel in distress against the woman in front of her right now. Still, she reminded herself to be nice to the vampiress, if only for the sake of her Mineah who was now under the care of Valcrez.

“I see. I suppose I’ll have to let it slide just this once. After all, you’re my sister’s in-law, and mistakes are needed for us to learn, don’t you agree?” Xenia coolly replied. “Also, you should start respecting Darius’s privacy more, especially now that it’s not only his privacy that you’re breaching but also that of his mate’s as well. I will appreciate it if you will change your old habits regarding Darius’s privacy then.”

Inwardly, Xenia cringed at her own words. ‘Why do I even care? I sound like some possessive mate of his at this rate…’ She was only glad that Darius wasn’t around to hear her. She was being irrational again. She really had to start changing that.

“Is that so? But you’re now staying in a different tent now, right? I’m sure Darius wouldn’t mind my old habits, seeing as his mate doesn’t care either,” Ezme courteously countered. “Although, I guess that’s just you giving me enough leeway to continue invading Darius’s privacy. How thoughtful of you, Princess Xenia. I can’t thank you enough…” the vampiress slightly bowed with a grin.

‘This!-‘

Xenia was out for words. She had never met someone as unreasonable and crazy as this woman in front of her before. The princess was even obviously mocking her with her sweet voice and smile.

‘Is she testing my patience?!’ her face reddened as she clenched her jaw. The vampiress was getting under her skin!

Seeing the brewing tension between the two, Gideon suddenly chuckled and said, “Ah, Princess Xenia… Please don’t take Princess Ezme’s words to heart. You see, she was born like this. It’s her nature to be a free-spirit, always blabbering about nonsense and playing pranks on just about anyone to her heart’s content. It’s her playful nature. She’s basically a child trapped inside a woman’s body.”

Hearing the man’s words, Xenia managed to calm herself down. Turning to him, she scoffed, “It’s alright, Gideon. I didn’t take it to heart, and I’ve heard that our Princess Ezme indeed has quite a remarkable reputation. It’s a breath of fresh air to experience it personally, really.”

Ezme only raised an eyebrow at Gideon as she commented with a serious demeanor. “Who says I wasn’t being serious? I’m being vocal about it right now; this mate thing on werewolves is just absurd. Darius, as the King of Cordon, deserves someone powerful to rule by his side. He can’t have someone weak dragging him down. And when I say weak, that means not just physically, but emotionally as well.”

Xenia tightly pressed her lips together as she tried to manage her temper. Forcing a beautiful smile onto her lips, she politely rebutted, “I didn’t know that the princess of Valcrez has a lot of free time in her hands for her to easily judge someone’s character. I. Am. Not. Weak. An-”

“Hold that thought. I smell something delicious!!!”

Xenia frowned as Ezme cut her, turning to follow the princess’s movements as the vampiress ran towards a particular direction. It would seem that her brother Ezekiel and Darius had finally arrived, along with the rest of their men as they marched into camp.

Watching the vampire princess, she blinked as the woman sniffed at the arriving men as they passed her by.

“What is she doing?” she murmured with a wrinkled forehead.

“She’s an eccentric vampiress… please don’t mind her, milady,” Gideon sighed. “She just smells something delicious among humans. And whoever that human is, I’m already feeling bad for him or her…”

Shrugging at Gideon’s words, Xenia shifted her gaze back to the crowd to look for Darius, who was already staring at her as soon as their eyes met. She bit her lower lips as she thought, ‘Should I go back to staying in his tent?’

What a dilemma; a simple question that the vampire had triggered within her…

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A/N: Do you think Xenia should stay at Darius’s tent or not? Tell me your thoughts. *wink

E/N: No, not really. Then again, I have no significant power over the story, so don’t worry, dear readers.