The Crown's Entrapment

Xenia felt utterly exhausted after everything that had happened. Her husband Darius had taken it upon himself to escort her back to their bedchamber, and she only agreed after she had made sure that Jayra was already out of danger. According to their wizard Lurio, it would still take some time for Jayra to wake up, which left Bartos to be the only person left in the chamber as the rest of them went to rest.

“How about Mineah? How is she?” she inquired as soon as they entered their bedchamber.

“Nikolai already took her back with him. Your parents, together with your brother and the Seer, have also left due to the recent vision your Seer had seen,” Darius explained. “They didn’t give out too much detail on it, but your Mother said that wizard Lurio will tell you everything about it in due time and that he will remain here until Lady Jayra regains consciousness.”

Hearing the news, Xenia weakly sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Darius poured her some calming tea. He was quiet, but she could still feel his emotions running deep within him. Soon enough, he offered her the drink, and she immediately drank it straight, promptly giving him the cup back without even a second passing in between.

“I’m sorry…” she murmured, knowing just how poorly Darius was feeling because she went against his wishes in offering herself to save Jayra.

Instead of replying right away, Darius turned to her. Without warning, he suddenly fell on his knees before her. Grabbing her hands, he looked up at her with pleading eyes. Her heart sank as she witnessed the tears rolling down his eyes. He was in so much pain, and it hurt knowing that she was the one that caused it.

“I know that Jayra is like a sister to you and that she’s an important person in your life… But  is it poor of me to be this selfish just to ensure your safety?” he questioningly sobbed, burying his face into her lap. “I apologize if I’m acting like this… It’s just that I can’t. I… c…can’t l..lose y…you…”

“It’s not fair… You’ve always been in danger because of these trials, and it’s more than enough already,” he growled. “It’s been killing me inside… If only you knew, then… I don’t like this one bit, Xen. I don’t want you offering your life to save another person at all!”

Xenia bit her lower lip as she bent down and hugged her husband.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

She kept on whispering to him as she cried on top of him. Darius was in so much pain, and she could feel it now as if he was finally pouring out all of his frustrations onto her. He had probably hidden it from her to the best of his ability, but Darius had finally reached his limit, inadvertently letting her know just how much pain he was feeling whenever she would put herself in danger like this.

He tilted his head up to her. His face was dim as he demanded, “Promise me you won’t do this again, Xen! Promise me that you won’t sacrifice your life and put yourself in any danger by any means.” He growled, “Do I always have to remind you that your life is just as my own as my life is for you? You shouldn’t decide about something like this alone! You can’t sacrifice your precious life without my permission!”

Regretfully, she nodded at him just to appease the frustrations he was feeling. “I promise, my love. I won’t do this again, so please calm down… I’m really sorry…”

Both of them were sobbing hard in each other’s arms. Xenia felt bad that she failed to consider Darius’s feelings…

However, she also couldn’t bring herself to regret the fact that she was ready to give her life if it meant Jayra would live…

******

Meanwhile, back inside the chamber where Jayra was currently resting, Bartos remained rooted on where he was seated by the edge of the bed. He was holding onto Jayra’s hand, and he could only hope that his feelings could reach her even while she was like this.

“Wife, I won’t leave your side until you wake up. So please don’t make me wait too long,” he weakly whispered. “Wake up soon…”

He gently brushed her cheek caressing it gently as he observed her color. He was relieved to see her cheeks having their normal hue once again, and he could only hope that her condition would continue to improve.

A while ago, he had thought that he had lost her, and it almost killed him inside with how useless he felt. The link between them had been severed, and he panicked when he was unable to reach her during the search. He was more than grateful that their Queen managed to find her just in time.

He was still ruminating on his wife’s condition when the door suddenly opened. Wizard Lurio had come back,  a tray full catalysts in both hands as he entered.

“The Demon king’s Bloodthread activated the demon blood in her…” the older man explained as he started preparing his things.

“If Jayra has demon blood, then that means she’s from the Kingdom of Helion?” Bartos inquired. His wife wasn’t aware of her origins, and she told him once that she had tried searching for her family, only to fail since she had no idea where she came from. In the end, she gave up.

Lurio let out a long sigh while staring at his wife. “She’s from the demon clan. Our former Seer saw her coming through one of his visions… An abandoned baby outside the castle gate harboring the royal blood of a Black.”

Bartos’s eyes widened. He had heard of how the Demon King massacred everyone of his kind at Helion that could be a threat to his throne.

“For years… Devon had made sure to secure his throne, and would kill anyone harboring a Black’s mark that could endanger his throne,” the wizard explained. “It’s no wonder then that a lot of Black families tried to save those who could be a threat to Devon, Jayra being one of them.”

Bartos gritted his teeth as he asked, “Will he still come for my wife then?” He would kill that devil!

The wizard shook his head. “He won’t. Jayra wasn’t the one he was looking for. She might have demon blood running through her veins, but it wasn’t the kind that could threaten Devon’s position,” he replied. “He was looking for someone who is harboring aether energy…”

There was another deep sigh from Lurio as he continued, “Beirut and I, together with the King and Queen, have decided that it was for the best that we kept this information from Lady Jayra. We didn’t want her to look at her past since it can put her in danger. Instead, we ensured that the light energy in her would be more than enough to keep her dark energy dormant. But since things have come to this, it’s better that she learned of the truth.”