The Crown's Entrapment

Because of Lady Bella's sudden surrender, the tournament schedule for the day finished earlier than anyone expected.

"It would seem that the final battle to become Cordon's Queen will be concluding tomorrow!" the announcer declared. "The final battle between the Princess of Ebodia, Lady Xenia, and Lady Pinra of the Silver Crescent Pack will be starting tomorrow morning as soon as the sun rises! The vision of the battle will be played out through the runes in each territory's shrine, so every Cordonian won't be left behind in the action! Especially more so for those who won't be fortunate enough to be accommodated in Cordon's Grand Arena!"

Xenia heaved out a sigh of relief at the announcements. It'd be nice to have a bit of rest after everything that happened today. Besides, she would love to have a bit of short quality time with her husband before going off to fight in another crucial battle.

With that pleasant thought in her mind, she had a wide smile on her face as her eyes darted towards Darius whose gaze had never left her even after all that had happened.

[I'll start melting soon if you don't stop ogling me like that…] she teased him through their Mate Bond link.

[It's just that I can't wait to hug you, Xen,] Darius chuckled. [Hmm… How about we ride together? That's allowed now since you've already returned to the Capital and secured your seat to be in the last fight tomorrow. Come and ride with your husband.]

[That sounds good,] Xenia excitedly mumbled. [We can even cuddle up with each other inside the carriage!]

After all was said and done in the arena, everyone left without much fanfare. As per tradition, the Moonlight Pack would be responsible for the Princess's security while the Silver Crescent Pack would be responsible for Lady Pinra's security while the two contenders waited for their final battle tomorrow.

Soon enough, men from each of the respective finalists' packs arrived to escort both contenders to their respective carriages, both of them heavily guarded by their respective guards. Following her guard detail, Xenia simply shook her head upon seeing the malicious smirk Jayra threw at her as the two of them walked out of the arena together.

"Princess Xenia!!!" Jayra called out to her before she reached her own carriage. Without any care at all, the mage ran towards her, and her guards were about to block her when Darius interfered.

With their meeting uninterrupted, the two of them hugged each other tightly, both of them sobbing in relief.

"I knew you'd make it!" Jayra burst out.

"I did, and a lot of things happened alongside that too," Xenia chuckled as she returned her friend's hug. "I can't wait to tell you everything about it, Jayra. By the way, are you going straight to Hindman Manor?"

"No… I'll go with you to Cordon Castle," Jayra replied. "I need to be present once our King and Queen finally arrive. I also have a bit of good news for you, but let's talk about it later."

Xenia simply nodded before she broke away from the hug. Moving forward, she smiled when Pluto automatically approached her.

"Hmm, I won't be riding you for now, Pluto," Xenia disappointingly stated. "Although… Can you let my dearest friend here ride you instead?"

Hearing its master's request, Pluto looked at Jayra from head to toe before sighing in agreement. The horse nodded, neighing in grumbling approval.

Xenia chuckled as she stroked Pluto's cheek. "Good," she smiled in gratitude. "Thank you so much, dear. Make sure to protect my friend and the sack saddle with you, alright?"

Pluto sighed once more. Shaking her head at her mount's attitude, she then turned to Darius and said, "Shall we go inside the carriage, my king?"

Darius nodded, and they soon entered the King's carriage. The moment the door closed behind them, he instantly enclosed her in his warm embrace, burying his face into the crook of her neck as he lovingly whispered. "I missed you so much, Xen… My love."

She smiled at the overwhelming emotions coming through their Mate Bond. It was so pure and heartwarming that she couldn't help the tears that finally rolled down her eyes. "I'm finally back home in your arms, my love," she murmured as she tightly clung to him.

Even as the carriage began to move, they remained in that position for quite some time. Darius simply cradled her in his arms like a baby as they dwelled in each other's warmth and love.

After a while, Xenia gently pushed away her husband just so that she could cup his face and look closely at him.

"What?" Darius cheekily grinned, noticing how she wasn't even batting an eye at his gaze.

"Devas did a great job with your hair, my love… Don't you think?" Xenia couldn't help but tease him as she took a proper and closer look at her husband. "Or maybe I just missed you so much that you look extra appealing right now?"

"Hah! I'm just fortunate to be born with good enough looks that any kind of hairstyle would look good on me!" Darius snorted. "He intentionally messed up with my hair, and I'm only glad that I still look great in it!"

"Well, you did mess up his head in return, my love," Xenia giggled with a teasing tone, fighting the urge to laugh. "There isn't even a follicle of hair left on his head. Totally clean-shaven."

Darius opened his mouth, but before her dear husband could complain or defend his action on Devas's head, Xenia quickly pulled his neck closer to her and sealed his lips closed.

She couldn't help but hum in satisfaction. How many days had it been since they'd last tasted each other's lips? Thirteen days? It might've sounded short, but it still felt like forever. Their kiss was passionate, relishing their longing for each other with each second that passed. The only reason they even had to pause was just so that they could quickly gasp for some air before returning to ravishing each other's lips again.

"But you're right, my king… You're the only man who looks good in my eyes even though you ended up losing your hair…" she murmured against his lips with a smile.

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A/N: I will post Darius's AI-generated visual in short hair in the comment section lmao.