The Crown's Fire - Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Memories
At the Kingdom of Zion

“Commander Cora, isn’t it a bit early for you to arrive today?” Katelina asked as she approached the commander, who was sitting on a bench, sipping tea while waiting for her.

Cora immediately stood up from her chair, bowing politely. “Your Majesty, how have you been?”

“I am well, Lady Cora. And you?” Katelina gestured for Cora to sit back down while she took a seat opposite her.

“I am good too, Your Majesty. Yes, our arrival is a bit early because we were also instructed by His Majesty to help clear the southeastern region of Zion from monsters,” Cora commented with a smile.

“That’s true,” Katelina acknowledged. “Our military has been struggling to clear that area. We need more mages, but we lost many of our powerful ones before. What we have left are a few senior mages who are too old to fight. Most of them are just teaching new trainees.”

Cora nodded. “His Majesty is aware of the situation and wants to provide the necessary support. We brought several skilled mages with us to help with the monster threat.”

Katelina sighed with relief. “That’s good to hear. The southeastern region has been a thorn in our side for too long. I appreciate your help, Commander.”

“It’s our duty and honor to assist, Your Majesty. We will ensure that the area is secured before we depart for the summit,” Cora assured her.

“Thank you, Cora. Your support means a lot to Zion,” Katelina said sincerely.

“It’s my pleasure, Your Majesty. But you should thank His Majesty instead,” Cora suggested.

“Right, I should. We owe him so much… I wonder how I can repay this kindness from His Majesty,” Katelina voiced out, her thoughts slipping into words. It was true—they owed King Ezekiel greatly, and she should be more appreciative, but she had been avoiding him.

She took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh, not realizing how audible her frustration was.

“It must have been tough,” Cora suddenly commented.

“What do you mean?” Katelina murmured, looking up at her.

“His Majesty told us that it seems like you forgot a part of your memories. He would like to explain to you the situation you’re currently in, but he said you asked for space, so he’s giving you the space you need until you two meet again at the Global Summit,” Cora casually explained.

Katelina opened her mouth, but no words came out. “He said he knows why you lost your memory and can explain things further if you ask him,” Cora added with a meek smile.

Katelina felt a mix of emotions swirling within her. She had been so focused on avoiding Ezekiel that she hadn’t considered he might have the answers she needed. Her mind raced as she processed what Cora had said.

It seemed there was no room for denial that she was indeed the Tarah they were looking for. To be honest, she was truly curious to know what she had missed in those three years. The gaps in her memory felt like missing pieces of a puzzle, and the thought of uncovering the truth both excited and terrified her.

“Your Majesty,” Cora’s voice broke through her thoughts, “I know this is a lot to take in. But remember, you don’t have to face it alone. We’re all here to support you.”

“Thank you for telling me, Cora. I’ll… I’ll think about it,” Katelina finally replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Cora nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty. If there’s anything else you need, please let me know.”

Katelina gave a faint smile. “I will. Thank you.”

“Your Majesty, I truly missed you too. You may not remember our times and days together, but I’m truly happy to have been your friend and of service to you during those times,” Cora suddenly expressed her feelings.

Katelina bit her inner lip, feeling a rush of emotion. Deep down, she sensed that Cora’s words were genuine, just as she had felt the sincerity in King Ezekiel’s words.

“Cora,” Katelina murmured before taking a deep breath and sighing deeply. Hesitantly, she asked, “Will you tell me everything you remember while I… I was with you?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. I will definitely tell you everything I remember since the first day we met, but you should ready yourself for a long story ahead. After all, we’ve been together for quite some time,” Cora said with a wide smile.

“It’s fine, please tell me everything, Cora. Don’t leave any single detail untold. I will appreciate it greatly,” Katelina requested earnestly.

Cora nodded, her expression softening. “Alright, Your Majesty. Our meeting began when you first arrived at Ebodia Encampment…” she started, her voice steady and warm as she began recounting the story of their shared past.

As Cora spoke, Katelina listened intently, her mind absorbing every word. The memories might have been lost, but the emotions and connections were beginning to resurface, piece by piece, as Cora’s narrative unfolded.

Widening her eyes, she burst out, “What? We slept in the same tent?! I slept inside his tent?!”

Cora chuckled. “Well, he wanted to protect you better. But when he decided it was better for you two to sleep separately, I heard you were the one who insisted on sleeping in the same tent after seeing a bad vision of Devon harassing you while you slept alone in a separate tent.”

Katelina couldn’t believe how things had progressed like that when she and Ezekiel were basically still strangers. Her heart thumped hard as she thought, ‘Did we do intimate things?’ Her face reddened at the possibility, especially considering how Ezekiel had left her a hickey on their first day of seeing each other as Katelina.

Cora continued recounting her memories of their arrival in the Kingdom of Ebodia after Devon’s army retreated, and Katelina could only gulp as she listened.

A few moments later, Katelina burst out again, “What?! I slept in the bedchamber connected to his?! But that’s his future wife’s chamber!” She couldn’t believe she had been that bold! And to think that the two of them were not even married at that time?