The Crown's Fire - Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Queen Regent
Dana sighed deeply as she watched her son sleeping soundly on his bed. He had passed out on his way to his bedchamber. Glancing at the servants who had helped clean Ezekiel and settle him into bed, Dana dismissed them with a grateful nod.

“His body needs time to recover,” Lurio informed her. “Though he didn’t sustain any major wounds from his fight with Devon, the exhaustion has taken its toll. He used the maximum amount of his inner and divine energy.”

Turning to her husband, Dana said, “Stephan, you should go and reassure Mineah that everything is fine. I’ll stay with Ezekiel for a while.”

Understanding the situation, Stephan left to attend to Mineah and her husband, who were visiting for a few days of vacation.

“Tarah,” Ezekiel murmured in his deep slumber.

Dana released another heavy sigh. “It’s more than just physical exhaustion,” Dana murmured to herself. “There’s the emotional weight too… Tarah should have returned by now, now that Devon is dead and the spell binding her to him has been broken.”

A knock interrupted her thoughts, and Dana welcomed Atlas into the room.

“How is His Majesty?” Atlas worriedly inquired.

“He just needs some rest. For now, Stephan will continue to manage the kingdom on his behalf. I’m sure the inner court will understand this since the news of him killing Devon and defeating his army alone was enough for them not to question his absence in the inner court,” Dana reassured him.

“Elijah and Cora are taking care of the assistance we’re rendering for the kingdoms that were just freed from Devon. His Majesty instructed everyone who remains loyal to Devon and is proven guilty of evil deeds to be instantly executed,” Atlas informed.

Dana released another deep sigh and muttered, “So he’s been making those movements without telling us?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. King Ezekiel wanted to keep it a secret until he killed Devon. Our armies were on standby behind him, waiting for his signal, but it turned out he could take them all on his own. Everyone witnessed how he became the dragon himself, so the news spread all over the world. He breached Helion’s defenses alone and took down those who blocked his way to reach Devon,” Atlas reported.

“I’m just glad that he’s fine…” Atlas added with a sigh. He looked at Lurio and asked, “How long will he be unconscious?”

“I’m not sure, but right now, his body is slowly replenishing. It’s a good thing that the divine blood in him is recharging and not simply vanishing upon use. It could take weeks or even a whole season, to be precise. But there’s a chance he’ll wake up once in a while,” Lurio answered.

“How about Tarah?” Dana asked Atlas.

“Cora is personally handling it. She’s at the Kingdom of Zion right now, but unfortunately, there’s still no news about her or the kid. It seems that no one recognizes her or the child that Queen Mineah sketched,” Atlas commented.

*******

Meanwhile, at the Kingdom of Zion, Luis shook his head when a Commander from the Kingdom of Ebodia continued to show every Zionian a sketch. “Are you sure you don’t see her or this boy?” Cora asked with a frown.

“I don’t know them. I apologize…” some answered.

Then his eyes landed on Laban, who was being dragged by Ebodian soldiers. He immediately saw Asura, so he quickly went to her side.

“Are you alright?” he worriedly asked.

“I’m fine. He has to pay the consequences of his actions,” Asura weakly murmured as she watched her mother sob while begging the soldiers to spare her husband from execution. But the Zioanians would not let Asura’s father go. Laban was a traitor and he committed a lot of crimes against his own people.

“They are looking for her and Levi,” Asura whispered to Luis with her eyes on the woman who also asked him about the sketch a while ago. “I told her them I don’t know who they are,” Asura informed

“Yes, you did the right thing. No one will recognize them since Devon basically hid them from everyone except those he fully trusted. And those people are gone now. Only you and I know their faces, Asura, so we should not let them know. We’re not really sure if this king of Ebodia can be trusted. Yes, we’re grateful to him for killing Devon and freeing all of Helion’s captives, but we must ensure the safety of our own monarch no matter what,” Luis answered.

It’s too early for them to give their trust that easily after everything they have gone through.

Besides, Katelina grew up hiding her face behind a veil, known only to a few trusted individuals—himself, Asura, and the now-deceased servants from Devon’s siege. Leviticus, merely a toddler back then, remained unseen by anyone outside their circle. With no one left alive to recognize the five-year-old depicted in the sketch, their identities remained safe.

“I can’t wait until we get them and start afresh,” Asura remarked eagerly.

“And who’s going to lead the Kingdom of Zion now?” the Commander suddenly shouted, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“We have a Queen Regent from the royal bloodline,” Luis promptly replied.

“A Queen Regent?” Cora repeated, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

“Yes, the daughter of our late King. She has a brother who is five years old. He’s still unfit to rule, so Lady Katelina Grimaldi will be our Queen Regeant,” Luis answered.

“A woman and a five-year-old boy? Could you take another look at this sketch? Are they not the people we’re searching for?” Cora inquired, scrutinizing the drawing.

Luis maintained a composed demeanor. With a furrowed brow, he replied firmly, “No, they are not our monarchs.”

“Where are they?” Cora wondered.

“They are safe… We need to ensure their safety, so please forgive me if I cannot disclose further details. We’ll retrieve them once we finish clearing the kingdom of dark magic and the remnants left by Devon,” Luis explained.

Luis refrained from asking why they were inquiring about Kate and Levi. It would raise suspicion on his part if he dared to question them. At this point, the future was uncertain. While Ebodia had saved them, it didn’t mean they should place complete trust in them.