The Crown's Entrapment

Xenia blinked as she watched Lady Bella leave with a reassuring smile. But despite the seeming comfort she exuded, something felt off. Was it only her imagination, or were Bella's eyes not smiling? They were swelling as if tears would fall out of them at any given moment...

Turning to Osman, his gaze was still lingering towards Bella's direction. "Lord Osman..." she called to him. She even had to snap her fingers right in front of him just to get him back to reality.

"Right, Your Grace," he murmured, forcing himself to smile at her.

She sighed before handing him the pouch. She needed to tell Osman the truth, so she said, "The Fairy Queen asked me to give this to you. I'm not sure what's going on here, but I want you to know that it's not true that you'll die if you stayed at the Element Forest. The guardians have a choice to share their lifespan with an intruder that they'd want to live with them inside the forest, and the same goes for Lady Helena."

She then added, "She also won't die if she left the Element Forest. Instead, she'll be stripped of her powers and lifespan, living only as a human being in the outside world."

Xenia observed Osman's reaction to the revelation, and she frowned at what she was seeing. It seemed like the Great Admiral's thoughts were out of it somewhere. She didn't expect him to react like this, and she was about to question it further when it suddenly dawned on her... The Fairy Queen's words regarding Osman's fate...

She gasped. "So this is what The Fairy Queen meant when she said that you... You've finally moved on then, Lord Osman? And you like Lady Bella?"

Lord Osman smiled at her and boldly uttered, "I believe I've already fallen in love with her, Your Grace."

She shook her head and scolded him. "Why are you still here then? Go ahead and follow her..."

Osman looked at her, blinking. He then smiled widely before he nodded. "Thank you, Your Grace."

Murmuring out his gratitude, he then turned around before quickly running towards the direction where Lady Bella had last gone.

"Hah! Looks like I really missed out on a lot of things while I was away!" Xenia laughed, still in awe of how things had turned out. Apparently, Lord Osman had found Lady Bella to be his after all these years. She could only hope then that Lady Bella wouldn't hurt him too much.

Jayra, who she saw approaching her from the corner of her eyes, giggled and said, "Well, I want the Great Admiral to be a part of our family. He's perfect for my sister-in-law, don't you think?"

Xenia shook her head as she turned to look at her friend, "I don't know, but Lady Bella seems dangerous to me. And kind of scary, to be honest," she mirthfully shrugged. "She seems like the playful sort, so I hope she won't play around Lord Osman."

She could still remember how Bella had intentionally brushed her big bosoms against Darius, and that event honestly didn't give her a good impression of the woman from the start.

Jayra chuckled. "Well, she's indeed playful. Not only that, but she's also bold, tactless, and stubborn. However, I can assure you that she's a good woman," she sincerely insisted. "I'm sure you'll like her once you get to know her better."

Xenia smiled at her friend's words. Hugging Jarya's arm, she warmly stated, "I'm glad that you seem to be in good hands, Jayra. With Bartos and your in-laws, you look like you're really having fun."

"I'm indeed in good hands, my Princess," Jayra proudly answered.

"That's nice. As long as you're happy, my dear friend, then I'm happy too," Xenia confessed. "I guess I'll give Lady Bella the benefit of the doubt then. It's too early for me to judge her, but I still can't forget how she tried to flirt with my Darius before."

"Well, she does love getting under people's skin at times," Jayra chuckled. "Maybe she's just curious about how you'll react, wanting to see if you really like their King or not." She then defended, "But trust me when I say that she's not interested in King Darius. She's just trying to annoy Clara most of the time, so she often acts like she likes the king."

Xenia shrugged, and Jayra quickly pulled her by the arm for them to start walking. "Come now. Tell me about everything you might want. I'd love to hear about some of your unforgettable experiences inside that forest," she smiled. "Also, you need to get fitted for the new armor that I made for you for tomorrow. That Pinra is using black magic, and I won't stand idly by when I could do something. So I made sure that the armor you'll wear tomorrow can protect you enough from her darkness!"

Xenia smiled in gratitude before she remembered something important. Right... She was excited to show Jayra her wings and flaunt to her how she could finally control them whenever she wanted. She wondered how her dear friend would react to such a skill.

As soon as they reached Jayra's private chamber, Xenia quickly positioned herself before her and announced, "Look at this!"

With a practiced flex and a bit of digging in deep, her wing suddenly popped out from her back, making a silent singular flap as she spread them wide. As she expected, Jayra's eyes widened, and her friend even touched her white shimmering wings with awe.

"Heavens! They're so beautiful, Xenia!" Jayra burst out in wonder and amazement as she inspected her wings. "I can't believe I'm seeing angel wings right now! I mean... I heard Queen Dana had them, but she lost them the moment she received her punishment for having a forbidden affair with the king..."

"Well, going through the Element Forest is honestly a blessing in disguise for me, Jayra. I feel like it was meant to happen to me, and it was my destiny to be there," Xenia enthusiastically uttered. "I managed to bring out my wings there, and the Queen Fairy, along with Devas, helped me out on how I can control them along with most of the angel powers within me. I honestly can't wait to show Mother and Father this great progress I've made."

"I'm sure they'll be thrilled," Jayra smiled. "Seeing you like this now, do you think Princess Mineah will also have wings like yours? I mean, I doubt Prince Ezekiel will have them since he already has a pair of wings of his own... They're dragon wings, but- Right, the good news! I almost forgot!"

Xenia almost jumped at her friend's enthusiasm. "What is it?"

"Queen Dana and Princess Mineah managed to cast a spell that can help Prince Ezekiel control his form shifting on his own without the golden dragon overpowering him. That Vulcan is really strong, but thankfully, Prince Ezekiel has his angel blood that helps prevent the dragon king from fully taking over his body," Jayra excitedly informed her. "It's not permanent, but it's at least good progress for now. Also, they managed to suppress the enemies, and Helion's armies are already falling back for the time being."

Xenia inwardly cheered at the new developments from her homeland. Indeed, those were pretty good news to hear! Still, Xenia knew that it wouldn't take long before Helion would make another attempt in conquering their kingdom. She had a feeling that it was only the beginning, and they would soon field an even larger army than any of them could even imagine...