The Crown’s Entrapment

[Third day inside the Element Forest]

“Thank you for the flowers, milord,” Xenia gratefully thanked. “But can I ask when are we going to start with the trial? Or it has already started?”

She felt that something was off, and she wasn’t liking the idea of doing nothing while she was still in the Sphinx’s territory like this. She had to think of a way to leave this place soon. But would the Sphinx even let her leave?

Instead of replying, the Sphinx continued to walk around the place, and Xenia simply followed behind him waiting for something to happen. Still, what he said about his territory was true. She hasn’t seen anything as beautiful as what she was seeing right now.

The abundant nature, along with the breathtaking view they were walking through was undeniably something like a paradise. She doubted that she’d ever see something like this outside this realm.

After a few minutes of walking, the Sphinx finally stopped in front of a lake, where a beautiful and magnificently large tree jutted out in the middle. It was no ordinary tree since it was obviously glowing amidst the waters surrounding it.

“Don’t you like what you’re seeing right now? This place is no doubt a paradise: a place where anyone would dream to live, Princess,” Devas pointed out with a solemn look. “If you want, you can stay and live here in peace away from all of the people who are trying to harm you, Princess Xenia. Away from all the hardship and pain. You’ll have a beautiful life here with me, compared to the life waiting for you outside my realm.”

Turning to him, Xenia could see the sincerity coming off of the Sphinx’s eyes. Was such a thing even possible? Osman had told her that no outsiders were allowed to live in this forest. The Queen Fairy clearly told him that anyone who tried to stay inside the forest would die, simply because it was forbidden.

As if Devas understood what was clouding her mind, he smiled as he continued, “It is indeed forbidden for an outsider to live and stay here, but any of the guardians of this forest can make such happen should we want to.”

He explained further, “Of course, it comes with a price. If we let an outsider stay and live here with us, we’ll have to trade away our lifespan for as long as we want that outsider to remain by our side. That is one of the privileges the Almighty had given us as the guardians of this realm.”

Devas then looked at the raven perched on a tree near them as he rambled further. “Not that anyone trying to enter here will be lucky enough to have this kind of offer that I am willing to give to this Princess,” he chuckled. “More often than not, anyone who enters with malicious intentions in their hearts will meet death in the most horrendous of ways. You can try… if you want to experience that kind of fate.”

His words were a threat to anyone watching the vision. Suddenly, Xenia felt conflicted about how she would handle the situation without also offending the Sphinx.

But before she could think further, her eyes widened when the Sphinx suddenly grabbed her hand and gently caressed them. He had a reassuring smile as he stared into her eyes, his azure eyes growing intense as if they were searching deep inside her soul.

“I am offering you my lifespan, Princess Xenia of Ebodia. You can stay here for a much longer time than your mortal life can offer, and I can make that happen…” Devas sincerely offered. “I will share my life with you inside this forest. A peaceful life that no man can ever offer outside of this realm. No one can keep you safe in this world except for me.”

Hearing his offer, Xenia’s thoughts wandered to Osman, who was probably watching the vision right now. There was no way the Sphinx would lie to her. If that was the case, then Queen Fairy had purposely let Osman go, not even giving him this kind of option that the Sphinx had given her.

She looked at the Sphinx with parted lips, wondering why the Sphinx would offer something like this to her.

Noting her silence, the corner of Devas’ lips lifted up as he asked, “Are you still with me, Princess? You must know that I am very sincere with my offer. A lot of women had already entered this forest, but none of them had been as captivating and interesting enough as you.”

He then expressed himself without batting an eye towards her, “But for some reason, I have this unexplainable feeling towards you that I myself couldn’t explain. I feel as if it’s you that I’ve been waiting for all my life to enter this forest. Someone that I can share my remaining lifespan just to have you.”

‘This must be my test then,’ Xenia mused as she went over the previous conversations she had with the Sphinx. ‘It finally started…’

Sizing up every word that came to his mouth and analyzing the slightest details on it, Xenia tried her best to divine some kind of meaning to them. There could be hidden clues within them, after all, and the Sphinx was supposedly good at talking in riddles. But somehow, none of his words to her so far were in riddles. It was all direct and to the point.

‘This isn’t good… This can’t be happening,’ Xenia inwardly thought. ‘I need to be careful not to offend him while turning down his offer.’

“As I’ve said before, every guardian in this realm also has a dream they longed for. For example, Saha was a Basilisk who couldn’t shift into a human since she was deprived of having any human parts like me and the others. To that end, she would often bargain with human intruders whose parts she would find to her liking,” the Sphinx began.

“Meanwhile, I’m a Sphinx who dreams of having a lifetime partner, so I would end up spending time getting to know any female intruders, trying to see if I can find someone who will make me different… Someone who will give me enough courage to offer my lifespan just to be with them.”

Xenia opened her mouth to say something, but Devas kept on talking. “Outside this realm, you are forced to live with deadly sins around you… pride, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, sloth, and wrath…” he rambled on as he gave her his pitch.

“As I’ve said, the world outside this realm will not save you from experiencing hardship, simply because of those sins circulating the world around them. So tell me, Princess, how could you face a world filled with those sins? Wouldn’t you simply choose to live in this peaceful paradise instead and spend a good life with me?”