The Crown's Entrapment

“He’s staring at me,” Freya murmured as her eyes met with Gideon’s.

“Stop that. You’ll blow your disguise if you keep staring at him like that,” Jayra reminded her. “Don’t be nervous. Just act natural.”

Hearing her friend’s advice, Freya took in a loud breath as she tried to compose herself. Taking another look, her eyes widened as she murmured, “Jayra… He’s coming. Why is he coming? I think he found us out already.”

“He hasn’t,” Jayra shook her head as she ignored her hysterical whimpering. “He’s just suspicious. Just act properly and you’ll be fine.”

Freya pursed her lips as she quickly avoided Gideon’s gaze. Instead, she focused it on Bella as she shouted, “You can do it, Lady Bella!!!”

She kept herself composed, ignoring the fact that Gideon had suddenly graced her with his presence.

“You…” Gideon called her out with a frown.

Freya looked at him for a while, then she looked left and right as if wondering if he was addressing her.

“You, come here…” Gideon instructed her with a serious expression.

She gulped, giving a look at Jayra who simply ignored her as her friend continued to cheer amongst the crowd. With no other choice, Freya stared at Gideon as she pointed her thumb to her chest and asked, “Are you asking me, my Lord?”

Gideon simply nodded.

[Does he recognize me or not? Why is he calling for me?] Freya asked Yal as opposed to Jayra, who seemed to be too focused on her nonchalance to address her.

[I’m not sure,] Yal lazily replied. [Just go with the flow, I guess…]

Freya got up from the bench, and Gideon signaled for the guards posted by the benches to let her pass.

“Follow me,” Gideon commanded as he turned and walked back to his post.

Freya followed, utterly baffled by what was going on. He looked at her, and he promptly gestured for her to sit on his chair.

“Huh?”

“Sit there and write the names of each winner per pack,” Gideon instructed. “Make sure you write them properly. My assistant has something important to do, so you do it instead. Can you write?” he asked with lifted brows, to which Freya simply nodded. “Then start writing…”

“But… Why me?” Freya questioned.

Gideon frowned as he replied, “And why not you? Are you disobeying your Commander? Tell me, what is your name and from what pack are you from?”

Freya’s eyes widened. Suddenly, she felt a lump form in her throat as she coughed to try and clear it. “I-I’m Fin, milord… From uhm… From the Moonlight pack.”

“I see… The Moonlight Pack has no candidates in this tournament,” Gideon hummed. “His Majesty’s members respected his choice. Too bad not all packs do so. Anyway, why are you cheering for Lady Bella?”

[Seriously? Isn’t he a bit nosy?] Freya inwardly retorted.

Yal laughed. [Who knows? Maybe he’s also just trying to trick you in the same way you’re currently doing.]

With that, Freya frowned as she stared at Gideon, her gaze piercing him intently without her knowing. She was trying to decipher or divine some hint from Gideon’s facial expressions, to see whether or not he was also playing a trick on her somehow. However, he seemed… natural to her?

“Why are you staring? I know I’m handsome but it’s improper for you to stare at me like that,” he scoffed with a suppressed chuckle. “I prefer women, so start working, lad.”

Freya kept a frown on her face as she began tabulating the lists of winners each group would submit. She was here to enjoy and watch the fights so how come she ended up working and writing up here?

Occasionally, she would sneak glances at Gideon, wondering just how exactly he spotted her amongst the audience. Was it because she and Jayra sat in front and were way too easy to see? She was the one that chose that spot since it was near to Gideon, and Jayra agreed to it since it was also one of the nearest spots to Bartos.

“Eep!”

She was startled when she felt Gideon’s warm breath over her ear. “Why are you slacking? Go on and write, lad,” he insisted. “Later on, I’ll treat you to a nice dinner and pay you handsomely.”

Freya bit her inner cheek as she tried her best not to turn her head, knowing that she would brush her lips against Gideon’s face if she did so.

“Milord, you’re too close. And also, I already heard you,” she mumbled with a twitch on her mouth. “I’m now writing, can’t you see?”

Blinking, Gideon moved, letting her breath normally again as she had held it back when he was encroaching on her personal space.

Time passed, and the sun was about to set as Lord Gilas dismissed everyone while he announced the next schedule for the tournament. Finished with his work, Gideon looked at her and said, “Come. Let me treat you for dinner now.”

“But I’m with a friend right now,” Freya commented as she stood up. She then turned to look at where she last left Jayra, but the latter was no longer there.

“Where? We can bring him with us,” Gideon suggested.

“He was just sitting beside me there before you asked for my service,” Freya mumbled, wondering if Jayra had just left her. She then looked around for Lord Bartos, only to notice that Jayra’s husband was already gone as well.

[Did she just leave me out to dry?] Freya mused.

[Well, she probably thought that you’re already in good hands since you’re with your mate…] Yal replied with a scoff. [Who knows? Her husband probably recognized her, and Lord Bartos had probably already informed our mate about our disguise… So many possibilities, and yet one thing was for sure: you can’t ask him that if you want to continue with your facade… Or maybe just ask our mate and stop this nonsense trick already.]

[Hmm… Let’s just go with the flow and see who will give in first…] Freya excitedly decided.

“What’s the name of that friend of yours?” Gideon asked. “I’ll ask my men to announce that-“

“There’s no need, milord. She probably left already…” Freya said with a beautiful smile. For a moment, she thought she had noticed Gideon staring at her with parted lips; as if he looked bewildered at her response.

His expression quickly changed however as he said, “Come now. Let’s look for a good place to eat.”

He walked ahead, and Freya followed Gideon from behind. But suddenly, he stopped, causing her to bump her head against his sturdy back.

“Ouch…” she murmured.

Gideon stared at her with snapped brows. “Walk beside me, not behind me. Long strides will you, lad?”

“Aye!”