The Crown's Fire - Chapter 230

Chapter 230: Confessed
At the Kingdom of Ebodia

Elijah went directly to the throne hall and didn’t waste time distributing King Ezekiel’s edict and statement to the inner court. He signaled his men to distribute vellums to everyone in the throne hall, each containing the king’s edict and statement bearing his seal.

“Are you saying that it’s the truth? The Queen Regent of Zion is also a victim and not a spy?” one of the ministers questioned after reading the content of the documents.

“Are you questioning the king? It’s the truth. You all should be thankful to the Queen Regent because she’s the one who saved King Ezekiel. If not for her sacrifices, King Ezekiel wouldn’t be as powerful as he is now, and Devon would still be alive,” Elijah answered.

“But there are also rumors about the possibility of Devon being revived,” Minister Greg pointed out.

“And King Ezekiel will easily remove Devon’s remnants, just as he effortlessly wiped Devon out of this world,” Elijah proudly replied. Everyone fell silent, not daring to question their king’s capabilities.

“This has been disseminated all over Ebodia as I speak, upon the King’s order. He reiterates that he will spare no one, even high-ranking officials, who speak against the Queen Regent of Zion,” Elijah stated firmly, his clear voice resonating in the hall.

“I have tasked Greta to investigate this matter and ensure that this negative news does not escalate,” King Father Stephan informed him. His eyes accidentally darted to Greta, whose face had turned pale. He recognized that expression. It meant something had gone wrong during Greta’s investigation.

“I understand, Your Majesty. I will coordinate this matter with Minister Greta directly,” Elijah replied with a curt nod. “I need to go now, as the king has tasked me with other duties,” he said, bowing and bidding farewell to everyone. As he passed Greta, he stopped and said, “Minister Greta, may I have a word with you?”

“Of course, Commander Elijah,” Greta answered. “Please follow me,” he courteously requested, and Greta followed him outside the throne hall. Elijah walked straight to one of the meeting chambers.

“Tell me everything from the start,” Elijah demanded, his tone serious.

Greta took a deep breath and began narrating everything. “Did you investigate this Tessa thoroughly?” Elijah asked, frowning.

“I did. Her mother was really sick yesterday and I…”

“What?” Elijah interrupted, sensing that Greta wasn’t telling him everything.

Suddenly, there was a knock. “Commander, it is I, Lucian,” one of his men who had been tasked with investigating the matter announced. “Come inside,” Elijah replied. The door opened, and Lucian looked surprised to see Greta inside.

Elijah frowned, noticing how restless Lucian appeared. “What’s wrong? What did you find?” he asked.

Lucian gulped, glancing between Greta and Elijah. “Tell me, Lucian! What’s wrong with you? What did you find?” Elijah snapped, growing annoyed with Lucian’s hesitation and glances at Greta.

“I asked the boy who started spreading the vellums with the false rumors. He said that…” Lucian paused again, then looked at Greta.

“What did the boy say? And stop looking at Minister Greta. I’m the one talking to you!” Elijah stressed.

“He said he can’t remember the woman’s face because she was wearing a mask, but the woman claimed it was Minister Greta’s instruction to distribute those so the citizens of Ebodia would know the ‘truth,'” Lucian explained.

“What?!” Elijah burst out, his frustration palpable. Lucian scratched his head and added, “You can talk to the boy yourself. I brought him here.”

Elijah’s mind raced as he processed this information. He turned to Greta, noting how she was fidgeting and turning pale, which meant that Lucian’s report was likely accurate.

“Lucian, leave us,” he commanded.

Once they were alone, he looked at Greta and asked, “What’s going on? Are you the one who spread those false rumors?”

“No!” Greta quickly answered. “I’ve been framed. I don’t know who it was, but someone is setting me up. I’m investigating this matter. I thought the information was accurate and even made sure Tessa was well-guarded…”

Elijah studied her, searching for any signs of deceit. “Then who could be behind this? If someone is trying to undermine you, they are also undermining the King and Queen Regent.”

Greta took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out. I’ll get to the bottom of this. I just need more time.”

Elijah nodded, his expression stern. “You better. This is a serious accusation, and the King won’t tolerate betrayal from within. Prove your innocence quickly, Minister Greta.”

Greta nodded determinedly. “I will. I won’t let whoever is behind this get away with it.”

“I have to report this to our King…” Elijah sighed. His heart almost jumped out of his chest when Greta suddenly grabbed his hands. “Can you please delay this until I clear my name? I don’t want our king to think of me negatively…”

Elijah’s disappointment deepened. “Why? Do you still think you have a chance with our king? Can’t you see, Greta? Our king is in love! He and our future queen are fated to be together,” he reiterated. Greta should move on by this point. He was so disappointed in her right now.

“I… but what if Devon comes back and takes her-” Greta stuttered.

“Seriously! Are you out of your mind? Are you hoping something bad happens to our future queen? Are you planning to side with the enemies just so you can have our king?!” Elijah questioned directly.

“No! It’s not like that. It’s just that the future is still uncertain, and until I see them wed… I will not lose hope,” Greta muttered while staring at the floor.

“Our king has already marked her and formed the flamebond with her. Their lives are connected now, and our future queen is the last descendant of dragonriders. Like I said, they belong together, a perfect match made in heaven!” Elijah asserted firmly.

Greta’s face soured, and Elijah released a heavy sigh. He wondered why Greta’s heart had to be so complicated. Why couldn’t she just let go? It’s not like their king was the only man in the world.

“There are plenty of fish in the sea, so why focus on just one golden fish?” he mumbled.

“What?” Greta asked, frowning.

He squeezed her hands and simply said, “Do you need help moving on? Because I’m telling you, King Ezekiel will not hesitate to break your neck if you even touch a single hair on our future Queen. That’s how into her he is, and you’re no match for it. Even if an unfortunate event happens, King Ezekiel will not spare you a glance and will remain devoted only to Queen Katelina!”

“He needs an heir,” Greta defended.

Elijah shook his head and answered, “He has many nephews who would surely love to be his crown prince in Ebodia… Ah, Greta, I can’t believe you’re this helpless.”

Elijah sighed, contemplating his next move while ignoring how gloomy Greta’s expression was right now. He knew he needed to handle this delicately. “Greta, I’ll make you a deal. I will delay the report to the King but on one condition.”

Greta looked at him, her expression wary. “What condition?”

Elijah paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “You will agree to spend time with me during the time you want me to delay the report to our king. Try to see if you will learn to like me during those times and move on from King Ezekiel,” he offered.

Right now, he was seizing an opportunity for himself to deal with his long unrequited love for Greta and also see if he could help Greta move on from Ezekiel.

By the looks of it, Greta might end up getting in trouble because of her stubbornness, and he didn’t want that to happen to her. She stood no chance at all with their king, and he was more than sure of it since he knew their king well enough.

Greta’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Spend time with you?”

Elijah nodded. “Yes. Consider it a chance to explore what else life has to offer rather than pining over someone who’s already chosen another. And who knows, you might find that there’s someone out there who’s truly meant for you.”

Greta’s eyebrows raised as she scoffed, “And you’re saying that you’re that someone?”

“And why not?!” Elijah quickly answered. Greta glared at him and questioned, “Hah! Do you even like me, Elijah?!”

Elijah’s face became serious. He just simply wanted to let it out of his chest, and he felt like now was a good opportunity.

He looked straight into her eyes and confessed, “I don’t like you, Greta, since you’re so hard-headed, but I’ve loved you for all these years. My feelings for you started that night you confessed to me, thinking I was Ezekiel and kissed me. Ever since then, my heart has only beaten for you, and my eyes have only seen you. It’s been frustrating and killing me knowing you’re in love with someone else!”