The Crown's Fire - Chapter 164

Chapter 164: To See the Queen Regent
Ezekiel wasted no time after wrapping up matters in the inner court meeting. He immediately called for Lurio to create a portal directly to Zion. In an instant, he was transported to the Dragon Blood Forest, the nearest area to the castle that wouldn’t attract too much attention.

He could easily confirm Cora’s hunch about the Queen Regent being Tarah due to her unique scent. Even if she was in disguise or covering her face, he would recognize the woman he loved by her scent alone.

As he made his way to the castle, a familiar scent hit his nose. “Tarah,” he murmured. Ezekiel felt the rapid beating of his heart. Instantly, he followed the trail of the scent and found her, hidden behind a veil, performing the familiar dragon sword dance he had once witnessed years ago, performed by the young princess of Zion. He hid himself for her sight while he watched her dance.

“Cora was right. The Queen Regent is Tarah,” he murmured, his body was brimming with excitement. He yearned to crush her into his embrace but restrained himself, not wanting to interrupt her beautiful dance. “I finally found you,” he lovingly whispered while he stare at her filled with longing and adoration.

But she suddenly stopped her movements and looked around. “Who are you? Show yourself!” she demanded.

Ezekiel moved swiftly, appearing behind her. He leaned closer, drowning in the intoxicating scent he had longed for. “I don’t mean to intrude,” he whispered in her ear.

She moved, but Ezekiel quickly disarmed her and held her from behind. There was no way he was letting her go now that he had found her. “Let me go! How dare you touch me! Don’t you know who I am? I am the Queen Regent of this kingdom! Let me go right now!” she demanded.

He chuckled, amused by her fierceness. “You pervert! I said let me go! What you’re doing is punishable by death!” she barked.

Ignoring her threat, he hugged her tightly and buried his face in her hair, whispering, “Tarah, I missed you so much…”

“You’re mistaken. I am not Tarah! I am Katelina Grimaldi, the Queen Regent of this kingdom!” she declared.

Ezekiel frowned and asked Khal, [What is going on?]

[It could be her punishment. Maybe the heavens removed her memory. I can’t feel the dragon bond either, but there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize her as our twin flame. You recognize her scent too. She’s Tarah, no doubt about it,] Khal pointed out.

She struggled in his arms, so he loosened his grip, allowing her to turn around and face him. “You, I told you to release me,” she firmly stated.

Instead of releasing her, Ezekiel pulled her closer, staring intently into her warm steel-blue eyes. “You… don’t you recognize me?” he muttered hoarsely. “It’s me, Ezekiel. How could you forget me when all I think of is you? Even in my sleep, I see no one but you. I didn’t dare wake up, fearing I wouldn’t see your face again,” he murmured feverishly.

He raised his hand to remove the veil covering her face but halted when she firmly spoke. “You may have saved us, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like this. We have customs and traditions you must respect, and right now, you’re crossing the line by not letting me go,” she reminded him, her eyes unwavering.

Ezekiel didn’t want to let her go at all, but he felt her body tense around him, and the last thing he wanted was to scare her. He released her and said, “I apologize if I acted impulsively. So Katelina is your real name and not Tarah. I should address you properly then from now on… I will call you Kate.”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty, but I prefer we formally address each other. And like I said, I am not Tarah. Why are you all even looking for her?” Katelina questioned.

“Did you lose your memory? Is that your punishment from the heavens?” Ezekiel asked directly. “I am looking for you because you are the woman I love. Now that I’ve finally found you, I will make sure not to let you go this time.” he declared firmly.

[I think we should tread more carefully. Look at how confused she still is now. Maybe we should take things slowly and try to gain her trust first,] Khal advised.

Ezekiel balled his fist. His dragon was right. He could feel how tense she was. If she had truly lost her memories, that would explain why she didn’t recognize him.

Suddenly, he sensed danger. Instantly, he grabbed her close. “Someone is coming,” he murmured.

“Your Majesty!” It was Luis’s voice. Katelina’s face paled, and she quickly moved away from Ezekiel. “That’s my men!”

Luis immediately approached her and drew his sword towards Ezekiel. Katelina quickly intervened. “Luis, put down your sword this instant.”

“But-”

“I guess you can’t recognize your savior?” Ezekiel growled, his eyes fixed on Katelina’s hand on Luis’s arm.

Seeing Ezekiel’s glare, Katelina quickly pulled her hand away. “What is this?” she inwardly complained, feeling intimidated.

“Greet the King of Ebodia properly,” she instructed Luis and the men with him.

“Your Majesty, our apologies for not recognizing you,” Luis said, bowing courteously to Ezekiel. “This is a sudden visit. We were taken aback, Your Majesty. If you had informed us beforehand, we could have welcomed you properly. Please understand that our men are still weary from rebuilding the kingdom and ensuring its security.”

“I’m just here to see the Queen Regent,” Ezekiel stated simply.

Katelina gulped, feeling Ezekiel’s intense gaze. ‘What’s with this man? Did we have a romantic relationship while I was a spy?’ she wondered, blushing.

“Your Majesty,” Luis whispered, interrupting her thoughts.

Katelina snapped back to reality and quickly offered, “Would you like to look around the castle, Your Majesty?”

“Sure,” Ezekiel replied, his eyes still on her.

“I will escort you around then, Your Majesty,” Luis offered.

“No. I want the Queen Regent to personally escort me around,” Ezekiel firmly stated.