The Crown's Entrapment

At one of the famous inns of the Capital City, Darius, along with Osman and Calypso, rented out a private chamber where the three of them could have a private dinner with drinks to celebrate Calypso’s return and subsequent appointment to his new position.

“Too bad that we don’t have Gideon and Bartos with us!” Calypso scoffed as he offered another toast to the two men.

“Well, they’re now with their other halves. You can no longer ask Bartos to randomly go out with you since he would rather just spend his spare time with his mate,” Darius mumbled as he took another sip of his ale. “Meanwhile, Gideon is also very busy with my sister. Those two are apparently mates, so we’ll probably witness their Ritual of Marking soon.”

“I guess I have a lot of things to catch up on while I was away,” Calypso snorted before turning his head to Osman and asking, “How about you, my friend? Do you also have a woman?”

“Hah! He’ll have one soon,” Darius answered for his admiral with a scoff. “You see, Osman is a gentleman, so it won’t be too hard for him to capture a woman’s heart.”

Turning to his king, Osman could already tell that Darius was already drunk after just a few drinks. His face was already burning red, and he was starting to slur his speech despite his apparent lucidity.

With a timid smile, Osman looked at Calypso and said, “I’m still in plans of working on winning her over. We just met, so I don’t want to rush things. Also, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I’m not actually good with women.”

“Hmm, this man here can help you out then, Osman,” Darius interrupted in his drunken stupor. “He’s quite good at making any woman succumb to his charms, but you should be careful to only pick out the good advice from him and disregard the rest. Those are just liable to hurt a woman since he’s also quite good at making women cry.”

“Tsk, don’t listen to this drunkard king. I’m really good with women. And if you need some advice, then don’t hesitate to ask me,” Calypso insisted with a smirk. “I’ll help you out so that you can win over the woman you’re courting right now.”

“You see, there are different types of women, but the most distinct of them all is that most women like men who are very vocal and straightforward,” Calypso began his mentoring. “They want honest men who would be loyal to them. You must make them feel so secure and well-loved that they would never want to leave you.”

Osman listened carefully. He really thought that it would be a good idea to get to learn things from a man who was well-experienced with women like Calypso. It was true, of course, and he had heard a lot of things about how women would constantly flock the man. Well, the admiral didn’t need many women flocking over him. He just wanted Bella Hindman to see that he was actually trying.

It was his first time to meet the lady of House Hindman, and he must admit that he was struck hard by her beauty. There was just something in her that he couldn’t explain. For the first time in his life, he had this peculiar urge to pursue a woman. He was way too interested in her that he wanted to know more about her despite the fact that he had already messed up their first meeting.

“Right,” Osman nodded to himself. “Sire?”

“Yes?” Darius answered.

“You promised you would help me get involved in the tournament,” Osman reminded Darius, to which the king simply nodded. “I’ve written out a decree and placed it in your study. Please don’t forget to put your sign and stamp in it.”

“Oh, right. There’s still a tournament going on. I should also watch that happening,” Calypso absently commented. He then frowned at Osman and asked, “Wait, is the woman you’re pursuing also participating in that tournament?”

Osman bashfully nodded.

Calypso’s eyes widened as he burst out, “Are you out of your mind?! Why would you want a woman fighting for another man?”

“That’s alright, I’m sure she’ll look my way once the tournament is over,” Osman chuckled. “I’m aware that many women in our kingdom have always had this dream of being with our king and being on the throne. I don’t see anything wrong with it, and it’s good that she’s trying to do things that she wants. That way, she won’t have any regrets later on.”

“What a rebound!” Calypso burst out.

Osman chuckle upon seeing how displeased he looked. Honestly, it didn’t bother him seeing Bella fighting for his king so long as he could of course win her over in the end. It wasn’t like he hadn’t experienced having love before like Helena, but he also wasn’t someone who’d be stuck on past feelings, knowing that he should move forward.

Somewhere along the way, you’ll find the reasons why things didn’t work out the first time. There were things that just simply weren’t meant to be. Sometimes, better plans could be in store for you out there.

“Ah, that’s the kind of a woman I’ll never pay attention to,” Calypso commented. “I hated being treated like the second choice.”

“No one would want to be something like that, which is why I have to make a move so that she would choose me because it’s me…” Osman stated, filled with determination. “At least, that’s the plan.”

“Hmm, you’ve been totally captivated by this woman’s charms, my friend,” Calypso pointed out. “You must remember that the one who falls deep will always lose whenever it comes to the game of hearts.”

“Why do I feel like those words hold deeper meanings than you’re letting on? Is that why you’re always careful with women? Is that why you’re always not giving it you’re all just so you can easily walk out on them?” Darius suddenly interrupted, making the two men who had thought he already passed out stare dumbfounded. “Answer your king!”

“I think we’ve all had enough,” Osman worriedly murmured. “We should bring him back to the castle.”

“You’re right,” Calypso nodded. “Let’s go back before he starts losing it.”

“Why are you not answering me, Calypso? Why are you so afraid of falling in love?” Darius continued his line of questioning. “Don’t you know what you’re missing, huh? You’re depriving yourself of true happiness, so please stop playing around already…”

“Oh crap, stop it already. I’ll be good now, alright?” Calypso insisted. “Zip your mouth, or else I’ll tell your wife that you drank with us tonight with many women serving our whims…”

Darius’s face paled, especially after Calypso did a zipping gesture on his mouth zipping using his fingers.

Calypso scoffed as he murmured, “Look at how this man fell so deep that he’s acting foolish just hearing his wife’s name.”

Osman only chuckled as he helped Calypso in carrying their drunk king with them back to the castle.