The Crown's Entrapment

Morning came, and Jayra woke up feeling so sore all over her body. She smiled as she slowly opened her eyes to greet Bartos, but unfortunately, his side of the bed was currently empty.

“You’re finally awake!”

Bella’s enthusiastic voice made Jayra bolt up from the bed as she quickly covered her naked body with the nearest sheets available to her.

“Where’s Bartos?” Jayra inquired with an awkward smile. The embarrassment she was feeling from being seen in that kind of state almost made her want to curl up and hide, but she couldn’t really do so at the moment.

Thankfully, Bella probably understood her current expression as she said, “I’m sorry, Sister-in-law, but Brother told us not to disturb you since he said you were exhausted from being up the whole night. If you’re looking for him, he’s out early to take a peek throughout our territory to ensure that everyone in the pack is ready for the early winter.”

“I see,” Jayra nodded in understanding.

“Hmm… I just came inside to peek at you since Mother wanted to check if you’re already awake. You see, she was a bit worried since you’re a human,” Bella smiled as she took a seat on her side of the bed. “You’re more fragile than us, which was why she wanted to make sure if you felt any type of discomfort… Or do we need to ask for a physician for you?”

“Ah, there’s no need,” Jayra quickly denied. “It’s tolerable, Bella. Besides, I’m a healer myself, so I can just take care of my body on my own.”_.

Well, that was what she told people, at least. Looking down, she saw the blood stains dotting the bed, which she quickly did her best to cover. Unfortunately, Bella had probably seen them already.

‘Ah, this is really embarrassing,’ she inwardly thought, absently wondering how she could kick Bella out without also offending her new Sister-in-law.

“Goodness, your bedroom reeks of- Hmm…” Bella trailed off, cutting herself off with a pleased hum. “Anyway, please get ready to join us for breakfast before Father leaves to go to the capital for the usual luncheon meeting. The servants will be going into your room to help you ready.”

With that, Bella finally stood up from bed. Watching the woman walk away, Jayra let out a sigh of relief at not being called out for making the room reek of sex.

Still, she had to at least make her call off the additional help.

“It’s fine, Bella. I can manage to take care of myself,” Jayra managed to voice out, finding her voice just before Bella finally left. “I mean, there’s no need to call the servants over to assist me.”

“Oh?” Bella turned to her with a smile as she explained, “Hmm… You should get used to it, Sister-in-law. The men in this household love to pamper their women. And now that you’re officially part of the Hindman Family, you can expect Bartos to do the same. You’re Brother’s wife now, so every servant in this manor should treat you as the Lock Heart Alpha’s wife and mate.”

Bella then added, “Oh right… Not just the servants, but everyone in the Lock Heart Pack will. There will be a formal introduction for you so that the pack can welcome you and know you personally, but that will probably be delayed since tradition dictates that the king should be present for such gatherings.” She smiled, her eyes turning into crescent moons as she spoke, “Do look forward to it, Sister. It’s a fun gathering you’ll surely enjoy.”

‘She seems more excited than me…’

Jayra mused with a contented smile. Her sister-in-law was so cheerful and good to her that she suddenly felt bad when she was reminded of her mission to know more about the woman. Her strengths and weaknesses, she had to find those as well… She was already a part of the family, but Jayra knew that she still had to help her Princess…

‘Ah! This is crazy!’

Sure enough, as soon as Bella left, a few servants came in to assist Jayra with everything that she needed. It honestly felt kind of awkward. She wasn’t used to this kind of treatment, and she would’ve preferred if she could just dress on her own. She should probably discuss this matter with Bartos at a later date. While it was nice being pampered, she still preferred having her privacy and taking care of herself alone like usual.

After a few moments of preparing, Jayra finally looked at herself in the mirror to see if everything was in order.

“You look beautiful, Milady. You’re glowing,” the servant commented, making her blush even further. Well, what else could she say? She was now a married woman who was very much in love with her husband. Of course, she’d be glowing.

Giving herself a nod, Jayra left her room before walking toward the dining area. There, she saw Bartos’s mother signaling for her to sit. To which, she did as she was asked.

“I’m glad that you can join us,” Livia hummed in approval. “Bartos will be with us shortly, I’m sure. He’s nearby, so let’s wait for him before we start.”

“Of course.”

Waiting patiently, the two women waited for their respective husbands to come. And soon enough, Chancellor Talon, followed by Bartos, joined them at the dining room table.

It was then that Jayra found herself being congratulated before she could even prepare herself for it.

“Oh, congratulations and welcome to our family, Jayra! You’re officially a part of the Hindman’s, as well as being the Luna for the Lock Heart Pack! We should all celebrate!” Talon instantly greeted her with a broad smile, making Jayra blush hard at the sudden attention. “Truly, it’s no wonder my son can’t wait for you to get settled in your bedchamber last night.”

“Stop teasing her, Father,” Bartos jokingly chided despite the deadpan tone he held. “Let’s eat and let her gain her strength. Besides, you’re going to Cordon Caste today for the luncheon meeting. We will have to delay the celebrations to wait for His Majesty.”

Hearing this, Jayra couldn’t help but ask, “Are you going to the castle as well?”

“I won’t be. I’ll be staying here with you,” Bartos replied with a smile. “We’ll return to the castle together. Besides, I have my assistant commander taking charge in my absence. Today, I’ll be touring you around our pack.”

Jayra’s eyes sparked at that. She could wait to see what kind of life she now had in store for her.

“By the way, how old is Princess Xenia?” Bella suddenly asked.

“She’s twenty-one but turning twenty-two in a few more days, Lady Bella,” Jayra promptly answered.

“Oh, please… Just call me Bella or Sister-in-law,” Bella shook her head with a grin. “Anyway, is the Princess nice to you?”

“Bella, what kind of question is that?” Livia coolly scolded.

“What? I’m just curious about the Princess’s personality!” Bella defended herself with a pout. “I mean, if she’s not good to my sister-in-law, then I can at least make her suffer a bit in the trial by combat. That’s assuming that she’s even lucky enough to pass the four other trials though.”

Hearing the casual case of slander to her princess, Jayra chuckled as genuinely replied, “Hmm… I will honestly be more at ease if you will go easy on Princess Xenia. I suppose you fighting her fair and square will have to be enough though. And to answer your previous question, she’s someone dear and important to me. She’s family, but I understand that you also have your own goals to achieve. I can respect that.”

“I see,” Bella hummed in understanding. “Now I’m curious about the part where you and Princess Xenia become family. Do you mean that the two of you are relatives?”

At that, Jayra felt all the eyes in the room land solely on her. She could tell that everyone was eager to know more about her, and it was only a given since she was now the new Luna of the Lock Heart Pack.

[Tell me if you’re feeling uncomfortable, Jayra,] Bartos telepathically talked to her. [Just say the word, and I’ll interrupt-]

[No, it’s alright, Bartos. You and your family should know more about me.]

Sending out her thoughts, Jayra smiled at them as she let out a sigh, willing herself to relax as she told Bartos’s family about her and how she and Xenia became as close as family.