The Crown's Entrapment

After some time of recollecting herself while walking away, Freya turned to him, knowing that he was still following her from behind.

As if nothing even happened, her eyes were gleaming, a broad smile plastered on her face as she explained herself. “You asked for it, so I thought ‘what’s the harm of giving you that quick kiss?'” she shrugged, her eyes darting towards a different direction. “You helped me a while ago with Elder Nasser, so think of it as me showing you my gratitude for your quick response and getting my signal.”

She knew she might’ve looked stupid, but she just couldn’t keep her eyes on him for too long. She felt like she would melt with the way he was staring intensely into her.

“Thank you then,” Gideon candidly replied. “However, I would prefer to receive more of it next time.”

Hearing him, Freya turned to him with a frown on her face. She had almost forgotten just how naturally shameless her mate could be. He didn’t even look phased at what he just said. He was scratching his head, acting all timid despite what he just said.

She opened her mouth to say something, but there were no words to be had. She was so speechless that she didn’t even have the right to act angry or annoyed, seeing as she was the one who first kissed him. How infuriating… She still couldn’t believe she did it on impulse.

As if seeing her indecision, he chuckled, “Would you like us to continue? Seems like you’re still having a hard time moving fast and controlling it.”

Freya had a pout as she simply nodded. With Gideon extending one of his hands to her, she had no choice but to accept it.

Holding onto her firmly, Gideon extended his other hand to her, with Freya holding onto it just the same. To her surprise, however, he suddenly turned her around. She could feel him hugging her from behind, and she didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispered, his cheek close to hers as he continued. “If you panic, you’ll lose control of your balance, sweety…”

Holding her breath, she gasped, “Why are you calling me sweety?”

“Because you always smelled so sweet to me, and it’s very tempting,” he whispered into her ear. His hot breaths were making Freya shiver. “I can smell you perfectly, Freya… how you-“

“Tell me more about yourself, Lord Gideon,” she cut him off, hoping that she could somehow steady herself.

Starting out with a new topic, she hoped that it would allow them to brush off the tension still filling the atmosphere.

The Mate Pull was no joke, and Freya didn’t expect herself to initiate a kiss on him despite him asking her politely. If she hadn’t managed to get a hold of herself just now, she might’ve ended up not just brushing her lips against his, but mostly going further beyond a simple chaste kiss. And now his hot breath… Damn… she was already well aware of what he was about to say. He probably smelled her…

She bit her inner cheek. She felt that hunger… and his scent was just so damn good that she wanted to bury her face into his body.

She wondered how Gideon was able to control himself when she was already struggling hard just to keep herself from pouncing at him right then and there. He even managed to tease her subtly like this. He was so annoyingly good at it too.

Moving ahead, she felt Gideon following her from behind. He had released her other hand now, and they were currently skating beside each other with him still holding her other hand.

“Tell me about your likes and dislikes, Lord Gideon,” Freya encouraged as she relaxed her body around him.

“Hmm… I like short-haired women with a few strands of their bangs hanging over their forehead,” Gideon cheekily commented.

Freya’s eyebrows snapped at him as she exclaimed, “Stop flirting with me. I’m serious.”

“But I’m serious too, sweety,” Gideon smiled. “That kind of hairstyle looks adorable on you, so I like it. I also like your ash-gray colored hair.”

Freya’s frown deepened as she meant to hide her blush as she complained. “But I’m talking more about knowing you in general,” she pouted. “What are your likes and dislikes? Like, how do you know everything about me? With all the flowers, food, and other things…”

Gideon shrugged as he murmured, “But I don’t have any likes, in particular, to be honest. Anything is okay with me… I mean, all I can think about is how much I like you, and how much I dislike it whenever you don’t see me in your eyes.”

Her stomach was at it again… churning… going upside down at his flowery words. Not to mention the heart’s constant drumming inside her chest.

Letting out a long and heavy sigh, she stopped herself from gliding on the ice as she turned to him. They were still holding hands, and Gideon’s warmth was still seeping throughout her body.

“What is your favorite meal?” she asked with a lifted brow.

“You.”

Freya’s eyes widened, blinking at him several times in disbelief. As much as she wished it was a joke, Gideon wasn’t smiling at all. He was dead serious staring at her.

“Favorite flower?”

“You.”

“But I’m not a flower, nor am I a meal!” she complained with a frown.

“But you look like a beautiful flower to me, always brightening and giving color to everywhere I look,” Gideon explained himself. “Also, you’re a delectable meal, even if I’ve yet to taste you…”

Freya shook her head, her jaw dropping as she murmured, “What should I do with you?”

“Marry me…” he answered without batting an eye.

Freya was left astounded.

“Come now, Princess. Let’s enjoy the ice,” Gideon seemingly diverted the topic. “I’ll tell you more about my likes and dislikes later.”

However, Freya shook her head as she mumbled, “No… Tell me more.”

Gideon chuckled as he gently pulled her close to him. “I can’t help it. I just like you more than anything else in this world.”

“You’re too much to handle,” Freya complained.

“So handle me with care then, sweety,” Gideon roguishly stated.