The Crown's Entrapment

As soon as Gideon left the King's study, he couldn't help but feel nervous as the dinner date between his and King Darius's family drew ever so closer with each passing hour. In fact, he dreaded the moment that the day would actually arrive, and he couldn't help but think of ways how to sabotage the dinner date once it lead to the talk pertaining to Aurelia and Calypso's intended Ritual of Marking without somehow arousing suspicion. It just couldn't happen…

Even though he told Aurelia that he would support her decision still… Aurelia was far too good for that Calypso to have her so easily!

"What should I do…" Gideon mumbled to himself as he made his way towards the dining room. "I can't let this pass. Calypso hasn't proven himself changed at all…"

It was going to be an uphill battle. Of that, he was sure. For some reason, his sister seemed to be vouching for Calypso, and he could only assume that the womanizer had somehow gotten his claw on Aurelia in the same way that he usually did with most of the women he played with.

"Maybe I can make Aurelia see reason," he pondered, his feet already taking him closer and closer to the dining room with each step. "Surely, she can see past whatever it was that Calypso did to her…"

It was his only chance. If he knew his sister, then appealing to her pride could work to try and snap her out of this insistence she had on being with Calypso. From there, he could try and delay the Ritual of Marking that the man clearly wanted to be rushed, buying himself enough time to try and help Aurelia shake off the false attraction she had with the man.

[Still, isn't Calypso King Darius's cousin? Freya's cousin?] Eli reminded him. [Why not give him the benefit of the doubt?]

[Because he's proven himself time and again to be a relentless womanizer,] Gideon quickly replied. [People like him don't change. It would take a miracle for that to happen.]

In truth, a part of him knew that he was being stubborn. That he was going exactly what Freya just said to him. His mate trusted Calypso, but for the life of him, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. There was no other way than for him to see that he had clearly changed.

And unless that happened, he would do everything to protect his sister.

Taking a deep breath, Gideon stared up at the door leading to the dining room of the castle. With the amount of time he spent pacing around thinking up ways to stop the Ritual from happening, he could only assume that he was already a bit late to the occasion. The best he could hope was that he wasn't too late, that Calypso hadn't firmly sunk his teeth into their parents using his charm and wit.

[You do know that your King and your mate will actively fight you against this,] Eli reminded him once more. [Do not overstep your boundaries.]

[I know,] Gideon sighed. [I'll be careful.]

With one last nod, Gideon opened the door and stepped into the room. Immediately, all eyes fell on him as he formally exchanged greetings.

"Good evening, everyone, You Majesties. Apologies for being late," Gideon quickly excused himself as he greeted both his king and his family. "I've been rather… preoccupied for a bit."

"It happens, what with the amount of tasks I've given you," King Darius nodded, seemingly allowing his slight lateness to slide. "But nevermind that for now. Take a seat so that we can begin."

Apologetically nodding his head, Gideon took a look at the long table to see who was present. Of course, Their Majesties King Darius and Queen Xenia were by their own side of the table along with Freya, Queen Mother Savannah, and… Calypso. On the other side were his family. Tubal and Rosa, his father and mother respectively, were both already smiling and talking with the royal women at the table. And of course, Aurelia was seated among them along with an empty seat that she seemingly saved for him.

"Thanks," Gideon nodded as he took his spot next to her.

"Of course," Aurelia coolly replied. "I won't ask why you're late, but be thankful that you're only a few minutes behind."

Gideon shrugged off the worry he heard from her voice with a slight chuckle. "Yes, I've been busy, unfortunately."

Once everyone was firmly situated, the dinner officially began. Observing formalities, Gideon made sure to wait for the royal family to begin eating before he allowed himself to take a bite out of the meal prepared for them. As usual, the meal was amazing, and his family was sure to make their appreciation heard.

"This is good," Tubal remarked with a smile.

"My compliments to the chef," Rosa hummed in delight. "This is simply amazing."

"I'm glad that you've found our hospitality adequate," Queen Xenia lightly chuckled. "It's the least we can do after you've all taken the time to attend such a meeting."

And just like that, the queen's usage of the word 'meeting' seemingly flipped a switch in everybody present. An air of formality fully engulfed the table as the two parties discussed the final details for the Ritual of Marking of Gideon and Freya, one that would soon be held at Everett Manor.

Gideon was uneasy knowing the topic would soon be shifted to Calypso, and he expected their King to be the first one to open up the said topic. One that he didn't want to tackle at all.

"As we've all heard, there have been rumors surrounding Calypso and Aurelia. Rumors that are already making the rounds throughout the kingdom as we speak," King Darius began, setting the stage for the discussion that was about to happen. "While it is not in our power to force things to happen, we'd like for the affected parties to see if an agreeable compromise could be reached."

"And I propose that a Ritual of Marking be made in the oncoming days," Calypso remarked, quickly making Gideon's blood boil even as he restrained himself from acting. "This way, these rumors would at least have some truth to them while also limiting the damage to Aurelia's reputation."

"Oh my, isn't that a bit too forward?" his father asked, but it was clear in his tone that he wasn't completely averse to it. "From what I can gather, you two have barely even met before all of this."

"I agree," Gideon quickly added. "What makes you say that this is the only solution to this problem?"

Calypso raised an eyebrow, and while he could feel both Aurelia and Freya's gaze land on him, Gideon didn't care. He was going to protect his sister, and he'll be damned if he didn't try his best even at the last minute.