The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 208: Great Tension

Chapter 208: Great Tension

Mineah and Nikolai remained quiet inside the carriage on their way to Castle Cordon. There was tension between them, and it was only a matter of time before it was finally addressed.

"Fritz saw you," Nikolai suddenly broke the silence.

"Ah right. I stopped by to check on you," Mineah quickly explained herself. "I mean, I..."

"You saw us hugging," Nikolai finished her thought for her, having noticed that she couldn’t state exactly what she wanted to say. "Dahlia was overwhelmed seeing me."

"Right, that’s understandable," she murmured, her gaze avoiding Nikolai who was sitting right in front of her. "It’s been so many years since she disappeared. She must’ve been excited to see you after so long."

She inwardly hissed at her own hesitation. Why was she acting like this? Like she was some guilty felon when she wasn’t the one who hugged somebody else?

Mineah frowned without her knowing. "I’m fine, so you don’t have to worry," she scoffed. "If you’re worried that I’ll misinterpret seeing you hugging someone else, that is."

Why did she feel like she was some kind of villainess who just stole the king? Then again, it was Dahlia who had Nikolai first, and now she was back. Dahlia probably still had feelings for him, but it was already too late for her since he was already hers and she had no intentions of sharing her husband at all. Even if they currently have a problem in their relationship, there was no way that she would let her husband be swayed by another woman!

Gathering enough courage in herself, Mineah turned her gaze to meet Nikolai’s eyes. Funny enough, it turned out he was staring intently at her as well.

"Look, I know you’re still mad at me right now, but just to make things clear, I won’t allow you to have any other woman," Mineah firmly stated. "Dahlia might be back and I understand that you two had overwhelming emotions after seeing each other after such a long time, but that hug should be the last hug you’ll have with her..."

She inwardly cringed at her own voice. She didn’t want to make it sound like she was threatening him, but it somehow did.

’Did he just snicker?’

Her thoughts were abuzz as she blinked at him, looking for a reaction. Alas, he was back to his usual stoic expression before she could even stare at him properly. Did she just hallucinate him giving her the expression she wanted from him somehow?

"And what will you do if she ends up hugging me more?" he asked as he dropped the question with a serious note.

Mineah parted her lips, then pressed them together just as quickly. It looked like her dear husband was trying her patience.

"It’s up to you if she’ll hug you again or not, Lai," she plainly answered with a dim expression on her face. "If you two hug again, then I will simply assume you want it the same way she does."

A second passed as an awkward silence passed between them. Thankfully, it would seem that her husband quickly got her message as he broke the silence.

"That won’t happen, Mine, so don’t worry..." he promptly said the moment he realized she wasn’t going to speak. Likewise, she didn’t respond, not even bothering to hide her annoyance from him.

Hours passed, and it was already dark when they arrived back at Castle Cordon. There, they were escorted directly to the great hall where the celebrations would be held.

There was mellow music playing in the background along with bright lights scattered throughout the hall which was perfectly decorated with nice flowers. All in all, the scene was just as glamorous and extravagant as the celebration and gathering they once had after Xenia’s wedding ceremony. This time, however, it seemed like they only had a few guests which were among their family and closest friends.

Making their way to their spot, Mineah and Nikolai seated themselves in their chairs on the round table together with the former’s family. Just as they were settled in, Xenia quickly walked towards them and immediately sat on the chair next to Ezekiel with a smile on her face.

"Hmm... Tarah isn’t back yet?" Xenia curiously asked.

Mineah narrowed her eyes at the observation. It wasn’t a surprise for her sister to look and ask for Tarah often since she was the appointed seer bearing the mark of an Ebodian ruler.

As per tradition and custom, the seer should always stay by Ezekiel’s side as the next future King at all times just like how Seer Beirut had done for their father until he was crowned as King. Well, according to her father, Beirut still followed after him after being king, but it wasn’t as stringent as back when he was still a Prince.

"Hmm... I’m sure she’ll be back soon," Ezekiel confidently said.

Xenia simply nodded. Turning to her parents, she asked, "I’ve heard that Helion’s army has retreated..."

"Indeed... That’s why our Kingdom will also hold a celebration as soon as we return, Daughter..."

"Well surprisingly, the golden dragon scared the hell out of Helion’s armies out on the battlefield," Nikolai suddenly commented, making Mineah gulp down her nonexistent saliva.

Xenia gave Mineah a knowing look, and the latter quickly turned towards her husband with a loving smile. "I told you, it’s too early to judge that golden dragon, Vulcan..." Mineah insisted. "That dragon helped our kingdom, so I believe it isn’t that harmful."

"Hah! That’s the first I’ve heard of a dragon that isn’t harmful, especially Vulcan, who has killed so many before. But since my wife says that I should observe it some more, then I guess I’ll just have to listen to her," Nikolai jokingly shrugged. "But mark my words... The moment that golden dragon shows up and harms innocent lives... I won’t stay idle and hunt it down."

Mineah pressed her lips together. Her husband was obviously giving her brother a warning, and her eyes narrowed as she talked to him through their bond. [Please stop it, Lai!]

[I wanted to see if your brother is truly in control, Mine,] Nikolai answered, his eyes unblinking as he stared at Ezekiel. [If he can truly control Vulcan inside, then it shouldn’t be a problem for him.]

Mineah did her best to stop herself from arguing with him. Everyone in her family was obviously doing their best to keep their act together, and she didn’t want to cause a scene just because her husband was being stubborn.

"That golden dragon won’t harm anyone innocent," Ezekiel firmly stated, meeting her husband’s intense gaze. "That, I assure you."

Mineah’s face paled. She could feel a great tension forming between the two men, and she knew she had to do something to somehow ease this brewing situation.

"Big sister, how about I stay here at Cordon for a bit longer?" Mineah quickly suggested, not caring how she obviously changed the topic. "What do you say?"

"What?!" Nikolai suddenly burst out, his eyes now turned to her.

"Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to roam around Cordon, and I want to have some vacation time alone with Big Sister Xenia," she said with a wide smile.

And just like that, the sudden awkward atmosphere disappeared as they were once more back to having healthier topics on the table.

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