The Crown's Fire - Chapter 197

Chapter 197: Leader of the Union
That night, Katelina gathered enough courage to sleep without the potion. Asura was right; she shouldn’t rely on the potions made by Queen Mother Dana, especially knowing how hard and complicated they were to make.

Settling herself inside her carriage, she let her heavy eyelids close, hoping she would not encounter bad dreams tonight.

But alas… she was wrong.

She woke up in the middle of the night crying and panting. Devon’s face was vividly etched in her dream, along with the horrendous details of the first night she had with him—the same day she lost her parents.

Katelina felt dizzy, her stomach churning. She immediately got up and rushed out of the carriage to throw up. She felt sick to her stomach and dirty all over her body. Knowing there was a waterfall nearby the camp, Katelina rushed there and dipped her whole body, clothes and all, into the pool.

She was sobbing hard as she dipped herself repeatedly, not minding the cold water.

“Your Majesty, are you alright? Why are you there? Come back here now, or you’ll catch a cold!” She heard Asura’s concerned voice nearby.

Asura cursed under her breath as she instructed the servants to get towels and clothes for the Queen Regent. The royal guard had rushed to her, waking her with the news that Katelina had vomited, and then ran towards the falls.

Katelina did not move, so Asura quickly followed her into the water. “Your Majesty,” she called, grabbing Katelina’s shoulders. Katelina was crying and kept saying, “It’s so disgusting…”

Asura’s heart ached, knowing Katelina had followed her advice and hadn’t taken the potion. She didn’t need to ask, seeing how Katelina’s body was trembling, not just from the cold water but from the fear and trauma of her past, which had started haunting her again through her nightmares.

‘Of all the things you have to dream about, why Devon and not King Ezekiel instead?’ Asura thought as she hugged her friend, trying her best to console and comfort her.

“Your Majesty, we’ll both catch a cold if we stay in this water. Please come with me and get changed.” She released a sigh of relief when Katelina allowed herself to be pulled out of the water.

Asura quickly instructed the female servants to form a circle around them with their backs turned, so she could help the Queen Regent get dried and changed into dry clothes. She also changed herself quickly.

“How are you feeling now?” Asura asked, pouring Katelina some hot tea while the two of them sat in front of the fire. She watched Katelina clutching the blanket around her body as she sipped the tea.

“I’m sorry, I disturbed your sleep and everyone else’s,” Katelina murmured.

“It’s fine, Your Majesty,” Asura answered, followed by a sneeze.

“You should drink some medicine to prevent a cold,” Katelina commented.

Asura smiled weakly and nodded. “I will. But first, let’s get you warmed up and settled.”

Katelina released a deep sigh and muttered, “This nightmare is back and is haunting me. But I must stay strong, knowing it’s all in the past.”

“That’s true, Your Majesty. It’s all in the past now. Look at where you are. That proves how strong you are. You managed to overcome it before, and I’m sure you’ll do the same now,” Asura encouraged, and Katelina nodded with a smile.

It was all in the past. Devon could no longer torture her physically. Though he still managed to torment her mind and emotions, she wouldn’t let that demon trample her, even in her dreams.

“Your Majesty,” Cora approached them in haste.

“What is it?” Katelina asked.

“Master Kasper is here and asking for your audience. Are you somehow related to him? He said he’s the leader of the Union who Luis entrusted with all the arrangements you asked for at Mount Sorel before,” Cora informed.

“Kasper? Who is that? Do you know him, Lady Cora? Can he be trusted? You’re well aware that our Queen Regent won’t remember him if that’s from her latest memory. And why would he seek an audience at this hour? It’s past midnight!” Asura questioned, her voice laced with concern.

“To answer your question, yes, I know Master Kasper. He’s ancient, though you wouldn’t guess it from his appearance. Ebodia’s best mages learned from him, and he’s very selective about who he teaches. Our kingdom can attest that he’s a good man, though he has some negative feedback from other kingdoms. He’s a spirited man who loves wandering the world, so he doesn’t stay in one place,” Cora explained.

“He said he’s the leader of the Union, so Luis probably knows him. You haven’t heard about him?” Katelina asked Asura.

“Luis mentioned him before, but no one knew his name since he keeps his background and identity mysteriously hidden. Yet he’s been helping Luis and the others from the shadows. That’s what I heard. He’s basically the pioneer of the Union built in Zion against Devon. And it’s true that you’ve been exchanging messages with him with my help and Luis’s help. You didn’t have Luis and me directly involved with all your instructions. But let the leader handle everything,” Asura commented.

She took a deep breath and added, “You probably did that to make sure Luis and I wouldn’t suffer and be in danger if your plans to escape Devon didn’t succeed.”

Katelina nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place. “That makes sense. I would want to protect you both as much as possible. Kasper sounds like a vital ally, and if he’s here now, it must be for a good reason.”

Cora chimed in, “I can personally vouch for him. He’s almost family to the royal family of Ebodia, so he can definitely be trusted, although he has a temper and is quite hard to get along with.”

“Alright,” Katelina said, steeling herself. “Let’s hear what he has to say. Also, I think I know him somehow. The name Kasper sounds familiar to me…”

She frowned for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Right! He’s a friend of my parents! I remember him now. He’s the man with the braided silver-black hair who taught me the dragon dance when I was six years old!”