The Crown's Entrapment

After having breakfast, each and everyone promptly started leaving to attend to each of their own tasks. With Bella having nothing to do yet, seeing as her schedule for the tournament was for the late afternoon, she had no choice but loiter around the castle. She just wasn't in the mood to go to the arena earlier than usual and staying there until her allotted schedule.

"Want to stay here for a while with me?" Jayra asked.

Just seeing her, Bella already knew why she was being asked like this. Her sister-in-law wanted to have a conversation regarding Calypso and Osman. She would be glad to accommodate her, but maybe she'll do it later. Currently, she had more important things in her mind that she wasn't really in the mood to talk.

"Later, Sis," she replied with a smile. "I'll follow behind you shortly. Just let me have a quick talk with Calypso."

Walking in long strides to follow Calypso, Bella had something in mind as he spotted him walking with Gideon and his sister Aurelia.

[Hey, there's no way you would do that now!] Poona exclaimed, knowing exactly what she was planning to do.

[And why not? Can't you see I got competition here?] she pointedly rebutted. [I'll tell Calypso everything right here and now just to clear things up this instant. I want to know how he sees me!]

It was the fastest way to get things over with. She refused to end up like Clara with having a one-sided unrequited love for a man! If Calypso turned her down, then she wouldn't bother wasting any extra minute on him!

"Lord Calypso," Bella called out.

Calypso stopped walking and turned around. "Lady Bella."

"Can I talk to you?" she asked. "It won't take long."

Hearing her request, Calypso turned to Gideon and said, "You two go on ahead. I'll follow shortly."

As soon as the two had finally left, Bella looked around for someplace more private. She walked ahead, and Calypso followed behind her.

"What is it, Lady Bella?" Calypso asked her with his usual adorable smile. She missed seeing those smiles badly, along with how he would usually pinch her cheeks back when they met.

Gathering enough courage, Bella took in a deep breath before staring directly at Calypso. "I like you. I've been waiting for you for ten years now, and now that you're back, I'm so glad," she confessed. "As you've asked, I did everything you wanted. I dyed my hair and kept it in its purple color. And I'm also a grown-up woman now. I'm no longer a child…"

Calypso simply blinked at her with parted lips.

Bella continued, "You have to keep your promise."

"My promise?" Calypso murmured with a frown before his eyes suddenly widened.

"Do you recall it now? You promised you'll marry me once I became a woman," Bella candidly blurted out.

"Oh, Bella…" Calypso mumbled. "I never thought… This is…"

"I even mastered everything you wanted in a woman," she added, trying her best to keep her composure and not cry even though her eyes were already starting to water.

"Oh heavens, Bella. I didn't know you'll take it seriously," Calypso regretfully sighed. "I honestly just said all that so that you'll stop bugging me all the time. You were only fifteen then, and I never even thought you'll take it this seriously. Is that why you changed your black hair into purple?"

That expression on his face was not the expression she expected to see at all. It was utterly disappointing! She had never felt that disappointed in her whole life.

"I'm fifteen and young then, but I'm dead serious when I told you I like you," she leveled out, her tone starting to falter. "Why? D-don't y-you want to keep… t-that p-romise?"

"Oh, please Bella. Don't cry on me now," Calypso timidly soothed her. "I'm honored and flattered that you still like me even after all these years, but you must understand that I only saw you as a sister then, and even now, you're still like a little sister to me…"

Not liking what she was hearing, Bella almost killed Calypso with how sharp and deadly her glare was.

"How could you be this irresponsible, huh? If you only thought of me as a little sister way before then, you should've just been straightforward and firm with me from the start!" she cried out. "Why would you even give me that fvcking list to master and perfect?! You even promise to marry me when I became a woman!"

She was crying out loud now, not minding if there was anyone around who could hear her. She was so mad that she didn't care anymore. She just wanted to kill the man before her!

"I'm sorry, Bella. It's all my fault. I… You're right… I'm irresponsible, and I'm a piece of trash like what everyone thinks of me," he sighed. "I clearly told you that I'm a big bad wolf, and that you should consider marrying someone else. But you were too persistent that I thought it'll be fine to say those things to stop you and because you're a kid. I never thought you would…"

Bella gritted her teeth. In one solid blow, her palm landed straight on Calypso's cheek.

From a distance, Gideon's face twitched as he gasped, "Ooohh. That must've hurt." He was with Aurelia, Freya, Bartos, and Jayra. All of them couldn't help but be curious about what was going on.

"If I were her, I would've done so much worse than a mere slap," Aurelia nonchalantly scoffed. "I might've ended up castrating him."

Gideon gulped. He turned to her as he whispered, "Right, I forgot you're scarier than you look. I'm sure I don't need to worry about you in regards to men like this. Surely, my sister can handle herself well enough."

Aurelia's lips stretched out into a wide smile as she said, "Of course, I can manage myself. All men are the same. It'll be hard to find someone as perfect as my brother."

"Hah! You got that right!" Gideon proudly declared.

"And aren't I so lucky I nailed this man," Freya interrupted as she hooked her possessive arms around Gideon.

Bella then ran out of the scene. Bartos was about to move to follow his sister, but Jayra stopped him and said, "I'll go to her. Right now, she needs a woman to talk to her."

Bartos could only nod and shrug.

"So that is why Bella changed the color of her hair… It's because Calypso's ideal woma-" Gideon paused. He then turned to his sister Aurelia and said, "Dye your hair to black this instant!!!"

"Sure, I guess," Aurelia scoffed.

********

AN: Looks like no one would want Calypso as an in-law at this rate… lols