The Crown's Entrapment

Darius woke up in a cold sweat. He was feverish. No… It wasn't him. It was Xen that was feeling the pain.

"Sire, you're burning…"

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Osman hovering over him, wiping his face with a cold cloth as a possible means to keep his temperature down.

"Why are you here?" he murmured as he slowly got up from bed.

"I'm checking on you, Sire," Osman chuckled. "Her Majesty, Princess Xenia, will kill me if anything happens to you."

"What?!" Darius gasped out, only to be stifled by a cough as he forced his body upright. He felt too uncomfortable. This was the first time he felt sick like this. His body wasn't used to this kind of feeling.

"Xenia is sick," he weakly whispered as he comfortably rested his back on the headrest of the bed.

"It shall pass. I'm sure her body will recuperate in time since the angel blood's power has already been activated," Osman commented. "Please bear with it for a while like how she's doing, Sire."

Darius frowned upon having noticed the chair beside his bed. He looked at Osman and questioned, "Don't tell me you're looking after me while I'm sleeping?"

Osman had an awkward smile as he comfortably sat back on the chair. "I did what I have to do."

"That's creepy," Darius mumbled. "You're acting like how my wife should."

"Don't mind me, Sire. Go back to sleep," Osman chuckled as he waved his hand. "Besides, it's the least I can do. Don't you remember how you nursed me back to health when you turned me into a Lycan? This is nothing compared to what you've done to me."

"Stop that, Osman. Don't go being cheeky with me right now," Darius scoffed. "You're giving me goosebumps. Ah, the pain in all my muscles…"

It was then that Darius gasped, feeling bad while thinking about how his mate had probably been suffering up to that point.

"Hmm, there's more to come, Your Majesty. I've clearly briefed the Princess on how ruthless and merciless that merman could be. He's the reason I have nightmares, him and that Sphinx," Osman sighed with a shrug. "Still, I'm glad that Sphinx at least didn't make her suffer. I guess he favors females, which means I'm just unlucky to be a male."

"Tell me everything, Osman," Darius remarked with a frown. "You think I didn't know that you skipped over a lot of your experiences while you talked to Xen while I'm around? I know both of you so well that I bet the two of you talked a lot behind my back."

He often saw how both Osman and Xen were talking with serious expressions on their faces whenever he was at a distance. But whenever he would ask the latter for more details, she would simply tell him the same thing, that it was nothing more but a few particulars regarding the training along with some points to remember. Still, Darius could tell that there was more to it than just that.

"The Princess is aware of it all. I told her everything, but she wasn't discouraged at all. I don't know why she was feeling too overconfident at the time, but she would always say that she will definitely survive it seeing as to how I survived," Osman replied with a scoff.

Then, with a knowing smile, he added, "Seeing all this, however, now I understand where all that confidence is coming from. She knew in herself that she was someone special. But I guess nothing can still beat the determination she had to stay by your side, Sire. She always mentioned how she wouldn't let any woman be in your life aside from herself."

"That stubborn Xen. And who says I'd let any woman aside from her into my life even if she didn't accept these trials?" Darius grunted. "It's not like anyone could stop me from doing whatever I wanted. I'm prepared to be a tyrant king who would burn down any tradition to hell just so she would not suffer like this!"

He was about to go on another rant, but he was promptly interrupted by a striking cough and a wince. The sudden pain shooting through his muscles every once in a while also made him unable to continue.

"Well, you have to respect her wishes. Like she would always say: she won't let you exercise your powers for selfish reasons like that. She wants you to rule in harmony with her assistance as your Queen; a crown that she'll wear with every Cordonian's approval," Osman reminded him with a satisfied smile. "That way, her rule by your side wouldn't be easily shattered by any sort of calamity. It will be well supported by your people, who will then be her people as well."

"Stop that! Don't smile like that while talking about my wife," Darius pointed out, hearing and seeing the admiration on both Osman's tone and look as he spoke. "And blink away those eyes! They're shimmering too much!" he pointed out. He was being petty and possessive again.

Osman laughed, but he did what Darius asked him to do. He even blinked exaggeratedly before him and asked, "Is it still shimmering, SIre? If it does, then rest assured that it's no longer because of your future Queen, but simply because I'm excited to witness tomorrow's tournament and see how my Bella fights."

"My Bella? Since when did you become this cocky towards a woman?" Darius blinked curiously at Osman. "Haven't you always been too reserved ever since you came out of the forest?"

"I'm honestly surprised with these turn of events too, Sire. I mean, since that day I saw lady Bella… I've been haunted by her visage in a good way. I honestly thought I will never look at any woman again after my experience inside the forest; having been in a one-sided love with the Queen fairy for years," Osman confessed.

"But… this heart of mine started thumping erratically ever since that day when I saw her walking down the stairs. She's like a goddess, and I'm inevitably captivated by her at that very moment."

Darius's eyes widened. Never had he thought that he would see Osman in that kind of state ever. The latter never involved himself with any woman, nor even talk like that because of it. Osman had a habit of talking about words of wisdom, but never a romantic blabbering such as this. Hearing him speak like this now, he just wasn't used to it…

"Heavens, Osman. Leave me alone, will you? Go back to your chamber," Darius exasperatingly sighed. "You're making all the hairs on my skin stand on their ends. Besides, you too should rest as well."

"And you know well enough that I won't leave you feeling like this, Sire," Osman chuckled. "So please go back to sleep so I can also rest in this chair. I still have to make sure you're breathing well after all. Because if not… well, we're ready to siege the forest any time it's required."

Oh right, Osman was also a part of his Elite Moonlight Shadow Warriors, the last who had insisted and begged him to let him join the moment he found out about his elite warriors. Darius let out another sigh as he closed his eyes. There was no point in debating with Osman at the moment, knowing especially that none of his words would ever make this man budge whenever it came to looking after him.