The Crown's Fire - Chapter 192

Chapter 192: Effectiveness
Ezekiel contemplated Cora’s suggestion for a while.

“How about trying a different approach this time, Your Majesty? You know the saying, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’? You’ve shown your presence enough. Let her miss you during the journey to Haven Forest.”

“Will that even work?” Ezekiel murmured as he rode alongside Cora. They were back on the road, but he was dying to be with Katelina in her carriage.

[Clingy,] Khal commented, but as usual, Ezekiel ignored it. He wasn’t the type to keep his emotions bottled up. Signaling a halt, he said, “I feel so tired.”

He then looked at Cora and instructed, “Go to the Queen Regent’s carriage and ask if I can ride with her. Tell her I feel dizzy because of lack of sleep and that riding a horse right now is inconvenient.”

Cora blinked at him in disbelief, but when he frowned, she quickly reined her horse and approached the Queen Regent’s carriage.

“Seriously, I at least thought he would heed my advice to leave us alone for now,” Cora murmured with a twitch of her mouth.

Everyone in the convoy was now on their toes because King Ezekiel was with them. Usually, it was fine, but not when he was grumpy. He was such a handful in his grumpy state that her men were probably holding their breath the entire time, making sure none of them committed a mistake.

With a heavy breath, Cora approached the Queen Regent’s carriage, where Katelina was seated with a serene expression, looking out the window. She knocked gently on the door, and Katelina signaled for her to enter.

“Your Majesty, apologies for the sudden stop,” Cora began respectfully, “His Majesty King Ezekiel requests to ride with you. He’s feeling dizzy from lack of sleep, and riding a horse has become inconvenient for him.”

Katelina raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “Is that so? And he believes he will rest better in here?”

She wished the ground would swallow her up, feeling utterly embarrassed by the situation. Cora gulped and managed to nod. “Well then, tell him he may use my carriage.”

As Cora relayed the message to Ezekiel, Katelina asked Asura to get her horse. She stepped out of the carriage just as Ezekiel arrived.

“Where are you going?” Ezekiel asked, his voice filled with concern.

“Oh, I feel a bit stuffy inside the carriage, so I thought I’d get some air. I would like to ride my horse,” she replied with a mischievous grin.

“What?” Ezekiel exclaimed, looking flustered.

“I thought you weren’t feeling well, Your Majesty. Please have a good rest inside the carriage,” Katelina remarked with a satisfied smile before turning around to mount her horse.

Meanwhile, Cora tried her best to control her laughter after witnessing what had happened. Unfortunately, Ezekiel still caught her grinning. She simply shrugged and quickly fled back to her post in the journey, trying to stifle her amusement.

The king of Ebodia was left with no choice but to keep his act together since some had already shown their concern towards him.

“Would you want a royal healer to look after you, Your Majesty?” one of the ministers, who was also riding a horse close by the carriage, asked.

Ezekiel hated wasting time, so he rolled his shoulders and neck and said, “Oh, I think I feel fine now. Thank you for your concern, Minister. I should go back and ride my horse instead to ensure that our Queen Regent is well protected from danger.”

All the women who heard that could only swoon, except for Katelina, who threw a sharp glare at Ezekiel.

Unbothered, Ezekiel mounted his horse and rode next to her. “Let’s continue,” he instructed, and their convoy started moving again.

“Seriously,” Katelina murmured as they rode ahead. Ezekiel signaled Cora to keep the royal guards at a distance from them.

“What is it, Kate?” Ezekiel asked innocently.

Katelina sighed in exasperation. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Ezekiel chuckled. “I just want to make sure you’re safe and comfortable.”

“I can take care of myself,” she replied, her tone firm.

“I know you can,” he said, his voice softening. “But I want to be here for you, too.”

Katelina glanced at him, her expression softening just a bit. “Fine. But you have to stop making everyone worry unnecessarily.”

“Are you even truly feeling dizzy a while ago?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“No,” Ezekiel admitted with a sheepish grin. “I just wanted to stay inside the carriage with you, but since you felt stuffy and wanted to ride a horse, I had to follow you. I guess I’m too clingy, but it’s also because I love your scent. It makes me feel relaxed and happy.”

Katelina’s expression softened for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. “You can’t just make up excuses to stay close to me. It’s not proper, and it causes unnecessary worry for everyone else.”

Ezekiel sighed. “I know, Kate. I’m sorry. It’s just hard for me to stay away from you. Being near you feels right.”

Katelina’s heart fluttered so hard that she was grateful for the veil covering her face, hiding her deep blush. This king was a smooth talker and had a knack for making her heart beat erratically.

“Are you going to drink the potion tonight or keep our deal for the rest of the journey?” Ezekiel suddenly asked. “I would prefer if you kept me as your sleeping potion for the rest of the journey. And how about using those potions once we reach Haven Forest instead? The Global Summit will take weeks.” He coaxed.

Katelina wanted to chuckle but controlled it, keeping her composure. “I’ll probably let you be my sleeping potion tonight to see if you’re truly effective. Who knows, maybe you just got lucky last night? Perhaps I was bound not to have nightmares?” she teased.

Her eyes widened as she quickly pursed her lips. What was wrong with her, saying things like that to him?

Ezekiel chuckled and said, “I’m more than willing to always prove my effectiveness to you, Kate…”

Katelina felt a mix of embarrassment and warmth. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she quickly clarified, trying to regain her composure.

Ezekiel’s smile was playful. “Of course not. But I’m happy to prove myself, regardless.”