The Crown's Entrapment

Jayra’s smile only brightened further upon seeing how her sister-in-law kept on blushing.

“Yes, I’m waiting for his return…” Bella dreamily sighed with a wide grin on her face.

“I can only assume that no one knows about how you feel for him, seeing as nobody’s ever mentioned his name before,” Jayra pondered.

“Indeed,” Bella answered with a heavy sigh.

“How come?” she curiously asked. “I haven’t met him back in the castle, but you’re saying he’s the King’s cousin?”

“Well, that’s because he’s gone,” Bella murmured with drooped shoulders. “He left, and no one knows where he went…”

“Sounds like he’s your first love then, Bella. Is he your mate somehow?” Jayra asked.

“I don’t know,” Bella shrugged. “He’s been away for almost ten years now, ever since the former king died. He loved King Lucian like a real father, and Brother once said that Calypso had been so devastated by the former king’s death that he chose to walk away and wander the world.”_.

She rambled on, “I was just fifteen at the time, so there was no way that I could feel the Mate Pull back then. As you’ve probably heard dozens of times by now, we can only start feeling it once we are of the right age: eighteen and above. I can only hope that he comes back soon for me to find out though, Sister-in-law.”

Bella sighed. “Like Mother had mentioned before, women of our kind have a timeline when we can experience the Mate Pull, assuming that we’re even chosen and blessed by the Almighty to do so in the first place. We have a time limit, and we only have till we reach twenty-eight years of age to see if we got it. So basically, we only have ten years to know if we’re blessed to experience the Mate Pull, if at all.”

“I understand,” Jayra commented with a nod. She was well versed about werewolves, so she already knew of such details. Thinking about them further, however…

Then it dawned on her…

“About Clara… How old is she now?” Jayra pondered. “Twenty-six, right? Since you’re twenty-five and she’s a year older?”

“Yes?” Bella nodded. “Why? What is it about Clara?”

“Hmm, you said she’s in love with His Majesty, but obviously they’re not mates,” Jayra postulated. “So it’s possible that Clara’s not feeling the Mate Pull for her mate yet, right?”

“Well, it’s possible that she’s not blessed to even feel the Mate Pull,” Bella shrugged.

“So none amongst the Kingdom has claimed her as his mate yet?” Jayra questioned.

It was just a random question, but she got intrigued by it the deeper she tried to think about it. Well, it was always a habit of hers to get too curious about a lot of things, and the people around her were no exception when it came to her questions. Especially so if it was Clara, who she knew wouldn’t stay idle against her Princess.

“Well, I haven’t heard of anyone doing so. Although…” Bella trailed off, her forehead creasing as she thought deeply. Her eyes then widened as she stared at Jayra and murmured, “The Great Constable!”

“Huh? What about Lord Gilas?” Jayra curiously asked. Bella only stared at her, blinking her eyes as the mage subconsciously picked up what she was trying to say. With a frown, she murmured, “You mean Lord Gilas is her mate? How come he’s not saying anything then?”

Bella shrugged as she puffed out, “Maybe Clara rejected him? Who knows? But one thing’s for sure, Lord Gilas likes Clara, and I can definitely attest to that.” She then hummed aloud in hesitation, “Or maybe I’m wrong? Maybe it’s nothing but a simple bout of admiration on his part?”

Jayra chuckled as she scoffed, “We’re being certified gossip mongers right now, Bella. How I miss Princess Xenia’s presence in times like this…”

Sharing a laugh, the two women immersed themselves in each other’s presence so much that they didn’t notice the door slowly opening.

“Ah, I’m sorry to dis- What is that?!” Livia burst out as she walked towards the two.

Surprised, Jayra looked at Bella, only to gasp as she saw how much her face has paled.

“Is this why you’re constantly rejecting my suggestions about Admiral Osman, Bella?!” Livia burst out in disbelief.

“Mother…” Bella whispered out, her head tilted down in both fear and shame.

“I can’t believe how you’d prefer an irresponsible man like Calypso over a great Admiral! That man’s been gone for almost ten years now, leaving the pack that he should be leading since His Majesty’s appointment…” Bella’s mother pointed out.

Jayra gulped at the inevitable exchange. She really felt like she shouldn’t be in there listening in on their spat.

As if realizing that there was another person in the room, Bartos’s mother looked at her and apologetically said, “Dear, can you leave us for a while? I just need to talk to Bella.”

“Of course.”

Jayra gave her mother-in-law a curt nod before quickly leaving the chamber. Quickly walking away, she was making her way through the hallway when Bartos appeared and asked her, “Why do you look so weary?”

Startled, she looked around the corners before pulling Bartos inside their bedchamber. From there, she told him what had happened before he arrived.

“Hmm, Mother is really quite strict to Bella compared to me especially when it comes to settling down,” Bartos sighed in resignation.

“Bella’s the only daughter in the family, and Mother treasures her more than anything else. So obviously, she wants what she thinks is best for her.” He hummed in thought, “Although frankly, Calypso has a bad reputation with women. And if you also ask me, I also prefer Osman over him. I just think that Bella might end up heartbroken if she still chooses Calypso.”

“When you mean a bad reputation with women?…” Jayra curiously asked.

“I mean, he loves to play around with women, and he’s known to never get serious with any of them,” Bartos explained. “He simply breaks their hearts in the process, seeing as he’s the type who has no plans on settling down…”

“Even though he finally met his mate?” Jayra continued to ponder.

Bartos only shrugged, “No matter what, I suppose… Still, there’s no way that Mother and I will ever allow Bella to end up with that rascal.”

“That’s too harsh,” Jayra frowned. “I kind of feel bad for him now. What if he’s already changed?”

“I don’t even see the point as to why we’re even talking about him in the first place, wife,” Bartos scoffed. “Come here… I’ve been in a hurry to come back here and see you, and yet here you are talking about another man instead? That’s just rude.”

Jayra rolled her eyes, only to scream when Bartos suddenly carried her in his arms in one fell swoop. It looked as if she would be confined to their bed again even when the sun was already up.