The Crown's Entrapment

“Can you add more details and energy into your introduction, dear sister?” Gideon remarked with a teasing grin.

The woman looked at Gideon with a twitch in her mouth, before showing a half smile at Freya. “Hello, Princess Freya. I’m Aurelia, Gideon’s sister,” the new arrival deadpanned still. “It’s our second time meeting each other. The first was ten years ago during the coronation of King Darius. It’s nice to meet you now for the second time as my future sister-in-law.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Freya replied with her lovely smile as she returned Aurelia’s curt bow with a bow of hers.

Freya didn’t know the whole story about Gideon’s adopted sister, but seeing her now, she was curious since they would become family soon. She was currently interested to find out more about her future husband, taking in every single detail concerning Gideon that might help her in dealing with her mate.

“Hmm, Aurelia is very private, so not everyone knows of her or is even aware of her existence,” Gideon explained as they continued with their dinner. “She doesn’t like going outside. Instead, she prefers to work often, discovering new things about different races walking in our world.”

Freya simply nodded, fighting the urge to ask for more. She should probably just do it later once she was alone with Gideon. But then, that doesn’t mean she should limit herself from having conversations with her future sister-in-law just by asking some basic things.

“How old are you now, Aurelia?” Freya curiously asked.

“I’m twenty-five years old, milady,” Aurelia politely answered.

Freya couldn’t help but inwardly point out how Aurelia was so different from Gideon, not just physically, but also with their personality. In contrast to Gideon’s jovial attitude. Aurelia had those rare and radiant purple eyes, but they looked soulless and stoic, unlike her brother who was very expressive with what he was feeling.

Freya smiled and said, “Please, just call me Freya, like how I plan to address you as Aurelia whenever we’re alone or with family and friends.”

“If that’s what you want then, Freya,” Arella said. This time, she flashed a genuine and lovely smile.

“You’re lovely,” Freya couldn’t help but compliment.

“I know, right? But she loves to hide it under her stony exterior,” Gideon remarked with a scolding voice, his eyes narrowing at his sister. “I’m sure our manor will be flocked with suitors if only Aurelia will come out more often and attend gatherings. Unfortunately, she’s quite an introvert.”

The latter simply shrugged and mumbled, “I’m fine with my peaceful life right now, Brother. Please don’t concern yourself too much with my affairs. You know I prefer silence and peace…”

“And you find that by spending time with corpses?” Gideon snorted.

“You two… That’s enough. We have a guest over, so just focus on dinner,” Tubal scolded. He smiled in Freya’s direction and asked, “How is your brother doing, dear? I mean, with the trials going on with his mate, he’s definitely anxious.”

The older man sighed deeply as he continued, “I know the feeling since my wife and I were brought together by the Mate Pull. The Mate Bond with the Mate Pull’s blessing is quite stronger compared to a couple that’s not connected by the pull. Their lives will be connected. If someone bad happens to the other, the pain will be too much that the other half might just die due to the stress it deals.”

“But there are some cases in which they also die together with their mate. It’s honestly still a question of why there are different cases like that,” Aurelia commented with a hint of interest in her tone. “A phenomenon that had no definitive explanation, but has different interpretations throughout generations.”

“And don’t tell me that you’re also working on finding out the mystery about that?” Gideon scoffed.

“I love mysteries,” Aurelia nonchalantly replied. “It gives me an adrenaline rush.”

“But the Princess is human and not a werewolf, so her case will be different. No human comes to that point of dying unlike werewolves,” Rosa interrupted. “Whenever a werewolf dies, the human mate always remains alive, but when a human dies, the werewolf mate dies.”

“Ah, our King is doing fine, so let’s change the topic. Nothing will happen to Princess Xenia, and she’ll come out of the forest alive,” Gideon commented. He then added, “Let’s just focus on visiting my future in-laws soon and the presents we should bring them. Let’s ask Freya what the Queen Mother and the rest would love to receive.”

At that, all eyes went to Freya. In response, she timidly smiled as she said, “Please, you all don’t need to bring much in terms of gifts. My mother and brother, including my sister-in-law, will be happy enough knowing that Gideon and his family’s sincerity towards me are genuine.”

“Hmm, true, but we still want to show our gratitude to you and your family by giving them presents from House Everett,” Gideon’s mother insisted. “It comes from our deep sincerity in our intention to tie our son with Your Highness.”

In response, Freya no linger insisted her point, instead simply smiling at Gideon’s parents with a nod. The rest of dinner went well, and Freya loved her interactions with Gideon’s family. She felt lucky that everything was going smoothly. Soon, dinner ended, and Freya was assisted back to Gideon’s bedchamber by the servants. They also helped her with cleaning up and getting ready for bed.

“Do you think he’ll sleep in the other chambers?” Freya mumbled as she lay comfortably on the bed.

[Why? Are you hoping to continue being intimate with him after the last one got cut off a while ago?] Yal teased.

“Shh, stop teasing me,” Freya blushed. “Can’t you see how nervous I am right now?”

[Fine, no teasing then, but at least admit that you want him to sleep here with you,] Yal insisted. [You should voice it out. Remember? Gideon wants you to be vocal about what you think especially around him, so…]

“But I’m shy. Let him do it if he wants to sleep here. It’s not like I’m going to kick him out,” Freya mumbled. “For now, let’s just wait and see… But Yal… Did you notice something odd about how Aurelia looks at Gideon? Or is it just me?”

[I’m not following you,] Yal pondered. [What do you mean?]

“Hmm, it’s probably just nothing,” Freya murmured with a sigh.

Still, she wondered just what this weird feeling she was having towards Aurelia was. She seemed to be a good lady. Quiet and mysterious, sure. But the way she looked at her mate made her feel uneasy somehow.

‘Just what is this uneasiness…’ she mused as she stared at the ceiling.

******

AN: Hmm, we have a new character to look forward to… XD