Chapter 269 Armour
The Crown's Entrapment
Yet another morning has come, and Xenia had such an excellently good sleep in Dariusâs arms that she even woke up late, much to her chagrin.
âHe really didnât wake me up, huh,â she mumbled with a pout as soon as she saw that she was alone in bed.
Letting out a breath, she took her time in looking at Dariusâs bedchamber. She smiled when she managed to get a whiff of his scent lingering all over the room⦠Well, it was practically just the scent of their love-making fluids, but it still made her smile all the same.
Quickly getting up from bed, she saw the empty potion on the table that wouldâve hidden her scent on her mate, clearly having been used for its properties. Darius had asked Jayra for one last night, probably since he had foreseen that she would wake up late today for her to personally cast the spell on him.
Sighing, she then performed a quick spell to remove her scent from Dariusâs bedchamber before going back to the adjacent chamber she originally occupied to get ready. From there, she would then go and see Jayra in her own private chamber. She was honestly still feeling ecstatic with the fact that her friend would have to leave today for her own marriage ceremony tomorrow at Bartosâs territory.
She walked out her bedchamber in high spirits, greeting back everyone that passed her with a greeting with a wide smile on her face.
âGood morning!â Xenia beamed as soon as she entered Jayraâs chamber.
âJust in time. Come here and eat your breakfast first,â Jayra greeted with a smile of her own, motioning for the princess to take a seat. âSeems like His Majesty knows you well enough to the point that he can predict when youâll wake up. He even got it down that youâll walk straight towards here so he instructed the servants to serve your breakfast in here as well.â
Seeing the food on the table, Xenia immediately dug in. Jayra promptly sat opposite of her, quietly watching her eat. She blinked. It wasnât like her to be this quietâ¦
Xenia broke the silence and asked, âWedding jitters?â
Jayra shook her head. With a smile, she replied, âItâs just that everything feels like a dream to me. Itâs all going way too perfectly for it to be realâ¦â
âYou deserve all this, my friend,â Xenia said with a wink before quickly finishing her food. From there, she asked, âAny message from wizard Lurio?â
Based on how Jayraâs face paled as she averted her gaze, Xenia could already tell that her friend was already aware of the situation regarding Ezekiel.
âN-Nothing yet, b-but Iâm sure thereâs nothing to be worried about,â Jayra stuttered out.
She was obviously lyingâ¦
Xenia let out a mournful sigh, and with a frown said, âI hate you.â
That instant, Jayra raised her head to look at her.
âI already know everything, so please get that distressed look off your face,â Xenia scolded. âBesides, itâs your wedding tomorrow, and you should be rejoicing instead of sulking.â
It was obvious, in retrospect. Even though Jayra was smiling last night, she could tell that her friend was bothered. And after seeing this kind of reaction, she was right in that it was because of Ezekiel.
âIâm sorry, but-â
âYes, I know. Itâs on my motherâs orders. Howeverâ¦â Xeniaâs shoulders dropped as she continued, âI feel like you all donât trust me enough on this⦠Then again, I guess I canât blame you all since Iâve been the reckless and impulsive Princess since forever. But thatâs not the case anymore. Iâll prove to all of you how much Iâve grown since last time. So please stop worrying about me too much and treating me like I canât handle any major problems I have to face in this lifeâ¦â
âIâm sorry, Xenia. Youâre right⦠I of all people should be able to tell that youâve improved a lot. That youâre more mature now than ever before,â Jayra sighed with an apologetic look. She then curiously asked, âHow did you find out?â
Xenia still had a pout as she then explained how her sister Mineah told her everything.
âAlso, the wedding will be held earlier than initially planned. Iâm sure that by now, theyâre all cooking Darius alive inside the courtroom because of the amount of support he was giving to the war between Ebodia and Helion,â Xenia finished her explanation. âKnowing all that, we have to hurry with the wedding and start the trials soon.â
âRight,â Jayra nodded in understanding. âOn that note, your armour is ready for you to use. Come and take a look. See if it fits you well.â
At her insistence, Jayra pulled Xenia out from her chair and led her to a corner. Her frined then pulled off the cover hiding the armor, and Xenia gasped at the craftsmanship of her friendâs efforts.
âItâs made out of the best materials available, Princess,â Jayra proudly announced. âThis is arguably the best among all of my creations!!!â
Xenia gulped, and a short silence settled in the room. Worriedly, Jayra turned to her with a frown and asked, âWhatâs with the look? Donât you find it to your liking?â
âJayra⦠this is too revealing,â Xenia trailed off in disbelief. âI mean, it looks good, but how come the design doesnât fit most of our armors usual designs?â
âNever mind that. This will look perfect on you,â Jayraâs eyebrows snapped as she scoffed, âI made it based on Cordinian customs. Didnât you see the armour of female soldiers here? Did you see how Clara looks in her armour? She looks great!â
Xenia was aware of how much skin was exposed on Cordonian female warriors, butâ¦
âJayra, theyâre werewolves, so itâs understandable that theyâd prefer less clothing on them. The same goes for armour since itâs basically useless once they shift,â Xenia explained with a sigh. âAs for me, Iâm human. So Iâm sure everyone here will understand if I will wore our full armour during combat.â
Jayraâs eyes widened as she said, âBut thatâs exactly why you should wear similar armour to your opponents. It would show that youâre at the same level as them even if youâre human, and you havenât even heard enough about this armor.â
She chided as she insisted. âCome on, wear it now and Iâll show you. You might think that itâll reveal a lot of your skin, but thereâs actually an invisible thread connecting them together that would protect you better from any kind of steel, iron, or bronze that an ordinary armour couldnât handle.â
Xenia frowned as she listened to her friendâs briefing. It looked like Jayra put a lot of effort into her armour, and it would be rude if she didnât at least indulge her.
âAlright then. Letâs proceed with your idea,â Xenia scoffed. âYouâll be the one to answer to Darius if he reacts negatively at how revealing this armour is.â
Knowing her mate, Xenia was sure that there was a high chance that Darius would prefer her to wear full cover armour of Ebodian design during the trial by combat. But then, she also understood Jayraâs point.
Jayra chuckled, âNo problem. Iâll handle the possessive king if it means youâll wear this thing!â