The Crown's Entrapment

“Why do I feel like handling this tournament is going to be way more difficult than just fighting on the battlefield?” Gideon snorted as he and the other commanders started lining up the participants, arranging them all per pack for the first round of eliminations.

“So many women are participating…,” Leon wondered aloud as he wrote the names of those who would fight in one-on-one combat. They were still in the arena organizing the sets and schedules for each participant. “I wonder if we’ll have this many participants if the King isn’t our current King right now…”

Aside from the tournament, they still had duties to attend to as their top priority, so they had to make sure that everything was properly organized with the right schedules on top of that.

“If it’s you, I bet only less than a hundred participants will join,” Jargon humorously joked, making everyone around them laugh.

It was very much well-known throughout the Kingdom that a lot of women were swooning over Darius. Even back then when he wasn’t even King yet, Darius was already a known man for his looks and skills. Honestly, it was Darius and Gilas who were both very famous among women at the time, especially during the Battle of the Throne.

Curiously, Gideon looked at Gilas, who like Bartos, was seriously doing his work, not minding the blabbering around them as he did his job.

“Let’s start by screening the packs with the fewer participants as opposed to the larger ones,” Gilas suggested with a frown.

The sun was about to set, and Gideon could only sigh since he wouldn’t be available to prepare dinner for the royal family. He wouldn’t be able to see Freya as well due to all of this work.

“Alright, let’s wrap this up quick!” he exclaimed as he started lining up the participants.

Doing his job, he was so ecstatic with the fact that he and Freya had what amounted to a mutual understanding. Unfortunately, it seemed to have happened with the wrong timing given how busy their schedules were in the following days.

[Stop worrying about all this stuff,] Eli complained, his anxiety reaching his wolf. [You’re disturbing my rest.]

[What if absence makes the heart grow weary and not fonder?] Gideon breathed out. He just couldn’t help but still feel insecure regarding his relationship with Freya somehow. They were just starting out, but the time they could spend together right now was just far too limited for his tastes.

Sure, Freya admitted that she liked him, but she still wasn’t sure whether or not it was love, which was the most important thing of all.

[Do you think she’ll still be awake by the time we arrive at the castle?] Gideon asked Eli.

[How should I know?] Eli snobbishly answered, making Gideon’s face contort into a frown. He sighed as he shook his head, Electing to simply keep his mouth shut knowing that his wolf hated him talking too much.

Focusing on the task at hand, Gideon looked at Leon and said, “Hurry up. Why are you writing so slowly? I want to return to the castle soon.”

He knew he needed to double-check everything. Still, rushing through things felt like it would speed things along for him.

Leon’s face crumpled as he replied, “There’s just too many names.”

“I can cover for you if you have something important to attend to,” Gilas suddenly interrupted.

Gideon lifted a brow at the generous offer. It was rare for Gilas to offer a helping hand like this, so he just couldn’t help but feel suspicious of the man’s actions.

“What?” Gilas remarked with snapped brows as soon he noticed Gideon was narrowing his eyes at him.

[Tell me, are you somehow planning something for the tournament that would benefit your father?] Gideon telepathically conveyed. It was in his nature to confront Gilas straightforwardly like this, so it wasn’t something new. He was sure that Gilas was also used to him being this direct with his questions.

“Why bother asking when you know you won’t get an answer from me about it either way?” Gilas smirked as he openly replied. “If you don’t want to accept my kind gesture, then don’t. It’s not like I’ll gain or lose something about it…”

[Fool… Why do you even bother asking him that?] Eli scolded him.

Ah… If only Gideon could strangle his own wolf, then he would’ve already done it a long time ago.

[Hahaha! You do know that you’re stuck with me in the same way that I’m stuck inside you, right?] Eli amusingly snorted. [Maybe you should try asking some sorcerer to perform a swapping of inner wolves?]

[Why do I need to bother?] Gideon barked. [I’ll just let you be stuck with me for eternity, so enjoy my blabbering…]

Finished with his inner monologue, Gideon then looked at Gilas and said, “Alright, cover for me tonight. Let me do the same thing for you if you need it in the future.” He nodded, “I’ll be going to see my mate now. It’s a very important thing for me to attend to, after all.”

Right then, Gideon left the premises in a flash, leaving Gilas totally baffled at what he just saw. The latter could only sigh deeply before looking at the papers Gideon was working on with. He had intentionally offered to help upon hearing how Gideon seemed to be in a hurry earlier throughout the day.

Of course, it was all because he wanted to arrange the tournament seeding for Clara, which unfortunately fell into Gideon’s hands. He wanted Clara to have a good time all the way to the finals without her having to exert too much energy on her opponents. As such, it would be good for her to have weaker opponents from the start. It wasn’t like she would lose against them or anything. It’s just that he wanted her to not tire herself out too much.

[Look at you, always looking after her in the shadows,] Ham teased.

[After the per pack elimination round, I’ll have to make sure that she won’t face Pinra,] Gilas worriedly thought. [Until then, I won’t be able to guarantee her safety…]

Pinra was a crazy woman. She might listen and follow his Father’s instruction, but there was no way she would let Clara off without a torn limb. She might let Clara live, but one thing was for sure: she would carve her mark on her as a remembrance, and it would not be something good, especially with knowing how cold Pinra is.

[You look hopeless, Gilas,] his wolf commented. [Are you really going to let Clara win this trial and let her be the Queen of another’s man? She’s our mate!]

[But she doesn’t recognize us as one, Ham!] he growled. [What do you want me to do?!!!]

“Are you alright, Lord Gilas?” Leon’s voice suddenly asked, snapping Gilas back to reality.

“Yes, I am,” Gilas answered with a slight smile. He had probably growled out loud enough for Leon to hear him without his knowledge.

[Don’t question my actions anymore, Ham. I simply want Clara to be safe. So please…]

Thankfully, Ham kept his silence. Gilas ended up sighing as he began arranging the list. Above all else, Clara’s safety needed to come first before his own feelings…