The Crown's Entrapment

After the meeting with Gideon's family, Xenia didn't bother going straight back to her bedchamber. Instead, she walked towards Bartos and Jayra's room in favor of having a talk with Jayra.

She knew that her friend was alone at the moment since her husband had apparently called for Bartos and Osman for a meeting regarding their scheduled journey to Ebodia in the next two days, which meant that now was the perfect time for her to discuss some private matters with her friend.

Also, she wanted to check on her friend to make sure that Jayra was already in a condition to travel.

As soon as Xenia reached the door, she knocked out of politeness. A moment passed, and she couldn't help but still be mildly surprised to see that Jayra had opened the door for her.

"Missed me already?" Jayra humorously asked.

"Should I not?" Xenia asked back as she chuckled. Then, having noticed her friend's slow movements, she asked, "Still, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling much better now, Xenia," Jayra replied, slowly walking back to sit on the nearest chair with Xenia sitting just opposite her. "I'm slowly regaining my inner energy, so I'll definitely be fit to travel tomorrow. Also, I heard that Wizard Lurio and the other mages are currently busy gathering all the people inside the castle that harbors the dark energy… I'll need to recover soon if we want to eliminate that Demon King's bloodthread as soon as possible." Jayra determinedly stated.

Xenia nodded in agreement. Wizard Lurio had created a barrier around the castle while Mineah did the extraction of the Demon King's bloodthread from Jayra. That barrier would at least prevent the bloodthread from escaping the castle's premises, narrowing down their search area for its possible host.

"Hmm, look at you… Being a Queen fits you so well." Jayra murmured with a smile, her eyes landing on her crown that bore the symbols of Cordon. Like Darius's own crown, it was made of onyx polished to an almost mirror-like sheen.

"Yes, and it wouldn't have been possible if not for you, my friend," Xenia gratefully smiled. "So please recover from this. Come back to me soon. You do know that I still need you in my life…"

Jayra chuckled. "I'll do exactly that as fast as my body can do so, my Queen," she cheekily bowed. "In the meantime, you can just enjoy your lessons in regards to your duties as a Queen. I heard that the first few months will be a pain in the ass… You're free to borrow my journal of spells should you have the urge to use some of my arsenals."

"There's no need, I think," Xenia chuckled. "I've experienced more than enough hardship that nothing will faze me anymore. I believe that the lessons wouldn't be that much of a pain for me to consider borrowing your journal."

"Well, at least your past experiences were challenging enough to not be boring," Jayra countered, knowing just how much Xenia hated things that would bore her.

Xenia only laughed, and Jayra laughed with her. She had missed these kinds of moments with her friend. She let out a hearty smile, and she flinched when she suddenly felt Jayra's hand squeezing her own as their hands both rested on the table.

"Look, I appreciate how you wanted to offer your lifespan to me, Your Grace… But next time, I'll appreciate it even more if you didn't put yourself in any more danger because of me. You're a Queen now, and you have a great responsibility not just to one person, but to a whole kingdom," Jayra lengthily began, not batting a single eye as she spoke.

"I for once, knew what I signed up for the moment I became a royal mage. I'm ready to accept whatever the fates give me. If my life will be taken because I did something for the greater good, then I'll gladly give it away honorably… I'd rather have my life taken away than rob someone else of his or her own life… I don't want to live with that kind of burden…"

Xenia gulped, and she could only nod at her friend in understanding.

Squinting her eyes at her, Jayra hummed, "I'll take that nod as you agreeing to my sentiments in the near future, Your Grace…"

"I understand well, Jayra," Xenia reassuringly replied. "I'll most certainly take note of your words…"

Jayra sighed deeply before giving Xenia a smile. "That's all I can hope for," she amusedly remarked. "For now, I need to write a letter addressed to our Queen Mineah. While I'm truly grateful for what she did, it honestly surprised me that she did it so impulsively…"

Xenia nodded her head in commiseration. Jayra was right. Even now, she also couldn't believe that Mineah would do something like that.

She and Jayra stared at each other for quite some time before the former murmured, "Do you think she's up to something?"

Well, Xenia knew her little sister well. She was the epitome of being a good Princess ever since they were young. She might be the weak one in the eyes of others, but no one really knew Mineah except for her family. Of course, Jayra also came to know of her since the mage was practically a sister to her. Well, that, and Xenia had a habit of not hiding anything from her friend.

Knowing this, Xenia knew that Mineah had something up her sleeve. Despite her little sister's kind demeanor, an act of sacrifice always came with a hidden agenda that only she knew most often than not.

"Well, it's still an act of kindness on her part, so I'm really more grateful than suspicious," Jayra said with a smile.

"Hmm, I do believe that she did it knowing that I'd be heartbroken if something bad happened to you," Xenia reasoned. "We all know how Mineah is when it comes to her family…"

Jayra nodded.

Well, Xenia was sure that that was one of the main reasons it happened. Although, she also wouldn't hide the fact that she was kind of curious if there was more to it than just that. After all, Mineah had a habit of targeting two birds with one stone.

She couldn't help but wonder if that other reason involved the King of Valcrez, recalling the way that the Vampire King had suddenly barged into that chamber when all of them knew that he was supposed to have already left to go back to his own kingdom.

Silence passed, and the two were interrupted when a sudden knock echoed from the door.

"Sister, it's me, Bella," the voice from outside called out. "Can I come in, please?"

Xenia smiled at Jayra and said, "Looks like your newfound sister got quite attached to you already…"

Jayra chuckled. "That couldn't be helped. I'm charming enough to be liked by everyone."

Xenia scoffed before signaling her friend to let Bella in.

"Come in, Bella…"

The door opened, and Bella quickly bowed her head as she noticed Xenia's presence. "Your Grace. You're here," she commented as she politely greeted her.

Xenia simply smiled, while Jayra looked at Bella and asked, "What is it, Bella?"

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December 25, 2022 AN: Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you enjoy celebrating this day no matter what situation we are in. Cheer up and fighting!!! Wishing you all the best guys and always keep safe... *kisses and hugs*