The Crown's Entrapment

Author's Important Note: Remember that this is Xenia's POV so in her POV, Darius is Darius while Devas is Devas. Don't get confused and kindly note that you, my lovely readers, are the only ones who know the truth, that Devas here is Darius, and Darius in this chapter is the real Devas.

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Darius glared back at Devas, and Xenia knew she had to interfere that instant to make sure her mate won't offend the irate guardian. Her mind was currently spinning due to all of the questions flooding inside her head, and to add to that, the two men in front of her were acting weird, making her pain throb even more.

"Darius, just listen to him alright? Call me Xenia," Xenia murmured with a soft and pleading gaze, signaling to the latter to stop trying to offend the guardian. "He's a guardian, so we..." She sighed. She had no idea what was going on at the moment, and she intended to find out as soon as possible. "Just tell me what is going on. Why are you here?"

"Fine! I'll do as my wife says and call her Xenia," Darius scorned at Devas before he turned to her with a sweet smile. He then explained himself. "Alright, my dear Xenia. Now, to answer your worries, I didn't barge in here like you thought I did, so your trial wouldn't end in failure."

There was a pause as Darius let out a long deep sigh before he continued, "Like what I'm saying before, this Polo let me in here as a part of your trial, so no rules have been broken if that is what your concern is at."

He rambled on, "It's the guardian who let me inside this realm to help you out. So as of right now, you're still in the middle of completing his trial in his territory. You see, among all guardians, Polo is the most ruthless of them all. He will give out deadly trials to all intruders entering this realm. Knowing that I simply can't watch you lose your life. It would be a waste to-"

"Stop that! Just explain to her exactly what she asks for, and stop with those cheesy words staining your sentences," Devas suddenly interrupted. "Hearing you speak like that makes my blood boil so hard that I want to strangle your neck and kill you if you won't stop!"

Xenia's eyes widen as she worriedly looked at her husband, hoping that he wouldn't somehow explode at the threat. Also, since when did this guardian Devas act like this? Yes, she was aware that he became fond and interested in her, but how come he was acting all exaggeratedly like this... Exactly like her possessive husband Darius would be doing if he was here with her?

Looking at the two men before her, the absurdity of the situation wasn't helping her at all. In the end, Xenia decided to close her eyes as she tried to keep herself calm. She cleared her thoughts to focus her attention on the current situation. Darius was right, Osman told her everything about this already. Most of the horrendous scars on the admiral's body were caused by the suffering he had faced inside the merman's territory. He was as good as dead when he managed to get out, and he was only lucky that Darius was there to save him at just the right time.

But the question now was how she could pass the merman's trial. She needed clues... Then it dawned on her. The real reason why Devas was there... Could she get something from the guardian? Like a hint perhaps?

Xenia quickly opened her eyes and turned to Devas as she directly asked, "Why are you also here, Lord Devas? Didn't I already pass the trial in your territory?"

"Right? Why are you also here, Lord Devas? My presence here isn't questionable since I'm Xenia's husband, but you being here shouldn't be necessary," Darius haughtily questioned. He then winked at her before adding, "Right, Xenia?"

Xenia frowned. Something felt seriously off. Thinking it might help, she immediately slapped her face before pinching the skin on her arm so hard it almost bled.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed when she instantly felt the pain.

"What are you doing, Xen?!" Devas exclaimed before rushing towards her and grabbing her arm. He even touched the spot she had just pinched, caressing it gently as if to soothe the pain she just inflicted on herself.

It was so sudden that her eyes only widened after a full half minute, realizing that Devas was touching her while Darius was still there. Gathering her wits, she immediately pulled her arm away and stepped back.

"What are you doing, milord?" she questioned, looking at the ground in an effort to hide her reddening face from Darius. Still, something felt weird. Devas's touch... She felt something that she shouldn't feel...

'What is going on?' she mused, utterly confused at how abnormally her body was reacting to another man.

"What am I doing? You're hurting yourself, Xen," Devas retorted. "And you're asking what's wrong, milord?"

Xenia raised her head, gulping upon seeing how dim Devas's face was as he looked at her.

"Why are you even overreacting, Lord Devas?" Darius fired back. "You forbade me from touching my wife, and yet here you are touching her instead!"

'Oh heavens!'

Seeing the two, Xenia could no longer take the tension. Angrily, she hissed. "You two have to stop! I'm not hurting myself! I'm just checking to see if this is a dream or a reality! I feel like something is seriously off!"

The two looked at her with those weird eyes of theirs.

Devas opened his mouth, moving as if he wanted to say something, only for him to quickly purse his lips as if to stop himself from talking. Darius also did the same, making the lines along her forehead deepen in thought.

"What?!" Xenia snapped. The two only looked at each other, staring as if they were giving each other a knowing look. "What the hell?"

Crossing her arms together, Xenia shifted her suspicions towards the two as she snarled, "Do I have to know something that only the two of you know about? What is it really that's going on here? Something must've happened while I'm resting."

"Yes, something happened while you were sleeping, and both of us ended up here with you," Devas firmly stated. "What matters now is that I'm here, and I won't let even a single scratch wound you, Xen!"

Xen's jaw drop while she stared at the man in disbelief. His words...

"Don't go being cheeky with my WIFE now!" Darius interrupted with a frown. "You're snatching the lines that I'm supposed to say to her!"

Xenia just watched the two, totally baffled at what she was seeing. She felt like her head would burst just watching how these two men interacted.

Letting out a sigh, she looked up to the sky and blurted out, "Seriously?! Do you need me to put up with these two men? Can't you just pull them out of here right now and let me be alone all by myself?!"