The Crown's Entrapment

Coming back to Cordon Castle, Bartos and Jarya rode on a carriage as they passed by all of the nature that they once saw on their way there. Jayra couldn’t help but keep on sighing as she looked out the window, the changing scenery reminding her that winter had indeed come early.

“To think that time flew by so quickly,” Jayra wondered aloud. “The roads were still covered with grass the last time we passed through here.”

“It’s only been a few days. The changing of the seasons just arrived faster than expected,” Bartos chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon enough. His Majesty will be arriving in three days, then we can marry the day after back at the Hindman Manor.”

“Right… Still, it’s just that I can’t believe how much I came to love living out there in such a short amount of time.” Jayra admitted. She then turned to Bartos and continued, “You see, I have this habit where I usually prefer going out from one place to another, wandering around to wherever my feet or horse can carry me. That’s why Princess Xenia and I get along so well. We just love sneaking out whenever we could. Though surprisingly, I found that it’s the other way around back at Hindman Manor.”

Hearing her thoughts, a beautiful smile appeared on Bartos’s lips. And the sight of it almost made her heart stop beating with how roguishly handsome her mate was being.

Raising her hand, she found herself gently touching the scar on his face as she murmured, “Only a few more sessions left… and this scar will soon be gone…”

“All thanks to my very beautiful and capable wife, of course,” Bartos whispered as he gently held her wrist, pulling it down and giving it a gentle kiss. “You’ve been doing so much for me.”

“I-I’m simply doing my best,” Jayra blushed. “You’re my husband now, after all.”

Even as her words escaped her lips, she still found it surreal that she now had something to call as her lovingly wedded husband. Well, technically, they still weren’t married, but they might as well be with the Mate Bond connecting them in both heart and soul. Truly, their ceremony will be nothing more than a celebration and formality for those that would inevitably be blindsided by their new status.

She could already imagine her Princess’s face once they finally met again.

Settling into the silence of their ride back to the castle, the couple basked in the comfort of each other’s presence, content in simply leaning on each other’s shoulders as the cold winds of dusk seeped through the seams of the carriage. Eventually, the green and white colors of nature were replaced with the gray stones of Cordon Castle, their ride finally arriving at their desired destination.

With the biting cold starting to set in, Bartos made sure to cover Jayra with a fur coat. He probably would’ve used his own body heat if he could get away with it, but they still had to at least look decent while they were out in public. It wouldn’t do for most people to see him acting like a hot-blooded boy, especially with his reputation being that of a stoic no-nonsense lord.

He could already see Gideon and His Majesty’s faces once they saw him acting just as badly as they were… It would be far too annoying to deal with the inevitable embarrassment.

“We’re finally here,” Jayra breathed out.

“Indeed…”

Silently, Bartos made to open the carriage door, leading Jayra out by the hand as he assisted her down the steps.

“Thank you, husband,” Jayra sweetly smiled.

“You’re welcome, wife,” he responded in kind.

From there, they made their way to the warmer confines of the castle, inevitably running into a few of the men and servants working within the castle.

“Congratulations, Lord Bartos.”

“Congratulations, Milord.”

Jayra couldn’t help but blush as each person they passed seemingly congratulated them. It was embarrassing, but the hint of pride welling up inside her only made her puff up her chest with each congratulatory greeting they had.

Likewise, Bartos was inwardly swelling with happiness at the attention they were getting. He was practically showing to the world that Jayra was his. With his mark proudly on display on her partly exposed shoulder blades, there was no doubt that they had done the deed. She was truly and utterly his, and there was nothing in the world that would ever take that away from them.

“You’re finally back,” Gideon warmly greeted, raising an eyebrow as his gaze landed on Jayra’s shoulder. “And it seems that a round of congratulations is in order.”

Having reached the hallways of the castle, Bartos blinked in silent smugness as Gideon’s annoyed smile registered in his view. And while he knew that his friend and colleague were happy to see him, he did leave him to dry in terms of dumping all of his responsibilities onto his plate just to have more time with his wife.

“My thanks,” Bartos nodded. “And apologies for taking an extended break. As you can see, it was needed.”

“That I can see,” Gideon nodded with a smirk. “At least you two already tied the knot. As for myself-“

“Lord Gideon? I was- Oh?” Freya suddenly appeared behind Gideon, having come from a turn in the hallway. Addressing his fellow lord for a bit, her gaze quickly landed on the couple as she greeted them back. “Lord Bartos, Jayra, You’re back. I… I see that you two have been busy~”

“That’s right,” Jayra proudly declared, her eyes twinkling as she motioned in a way that accentuated her mark. “We’ve been… busy.”

“Ah- I see~” Freya nodded, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Jayra beamed.

“I’ll be fully expecting details as soon as you two are situated,” Freya knowingly smiled. “Or maybe the day after? I’m sure you two are tired.”

“Yeah, maybe later,” Jayra nodded. “I promise I won’t skimp out on the details though~”

Bartos couldn’t help but chuckle at his wife’s words. He didn’t mind it one bit. It only meant that he was more than adequate as a lover and that his mate was eager to share her experiences.

With that, the two went off to get situated in their respective rooms. Or rather, in their new shared room. There was no way that they’ll stay in their own rooms after what they’d done together, and starting that night, they’ll be presented not as two individuals, but as a single loving couple.