The Crown's Fire - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: A Deal
Tessa immediately sought her Master the moment she witnessed how Princess Ezme managed to hypnotize Soka to get details from him. Before they could extract everything from Soka, Tessa acted quickly, killing him with a poisonous needle invisible to the eye.

“We have a problem…” she reported urgently.

“Hmm, I didn’t expect that she’d still manage to hypnotize Soka. I underestimated her exordium blood,” Melrot hummed. He smiled at Tessa and calmly said, “Come here, my dear. It’s time that I transfer you to a new body.”

Tessa nodded. She obediently sat on Merlot’s lap, and as he chanted a spell, Tessa lost consciousness. Her soul left Tessa’s body and floated beside Master Merlot, who disregarded the body and placed it on the chair.

Merlot stood up from his chair and opened a secret underground chamber within his hideout. He walked inside and smiled at the unconscious body of a woman lying on the bed.

“I chose a much better body this time, but don’t worry… I will soon transfer you to the Queen Regent’s body. Just wait a little longer, my dear,” Merlot hummed.

Tessa’s shadow beside him smiled as she remarked, “Anything that will please you, Master.”

She glanced at her original body, frozen in an ice cache in another chamber. She trusted Merlot completely and didn’t mind what he did to her, as long as it pleased him and she remained useful to him. She almost forgot about her real name since she often changed her name according to the name of the body she used.

Merlot began the ritual, his hands moving gracefully as he chanted ancient words. Her shadow watched intently and soon her soul started transferring to the body before her. As the spell progressed, the lifeless body on the bed began to stir. A faint glow enveloped it, signaling the transfer was complete.

The new body’s eyes fluttered open, and her soul settled into its new vessel. She gasped, feeling the unfamiliar yet invigorating sensations of her new form. Merlot’s smile widened, pleased with the successful transfer.

“Welcome back,” he murmured, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

She sat up, flexing her fingers and adjusting to the new body. “Thank you, Master. I feel stronger already.”

“Good. You’ll need that strength for what comes next,” Merlot replied. “We need to ensure you get close to the King and destroy his relationship with the Queen Regent.”

Merlot caressed her face and added with a smirk, “From now on, your name is Floria… And you will return to Jade Palace as the royal healer mage. You’ll gain access to Floria’s memories soon. Until then, stay here while I return Tessa’s body back.”

Tessa, now Floria, nodded obediently. “I understand, Master. I will wait for your signal.”

Merlot smiled, pleased with her compliance. He left the chamber, carrying Tessa’s lifeless body. He had to ensure it was discovered in a way that would not raise suspicions.

As he made his way through the underground passages, Merlot reflected on his plan. Once outside, he carefully placed Tessa’s body in a discreet location, ensuring it would be found by the palace guards. He cast a spell to make it look like she had been attacked and left for dead. Satisfied with his work, Merlot returned to his lair.

Meanwhile, Floria sat in the chamber, waiting for the influx of memories that would guide her new role. She was determined to fulfill Merlot’s wishes and secure her place by his side. The thought of gaining power and influence excited her.

Back at the palace, the discovery of Tessa’s body caused an uproar. Atlas and Ezme were alerted immediately. They rushed to the scene.

“She’s dead,” the guard reported. “It looks like she was attacked.”

Atlas examined the body, his mind racing with possibilities. “This doesn’t make sense. She disappeared, and now she’s dead? Something’s not right.”

Ezme knelt beside the body, her eyes narrowing. “This feels like a setup. Someone wanted her dead to keep her silent.”

Atlas nodded. “We need to find out who.”

As the palace buzzed with the news of Tessa’s death, Merlot watched from the shadows, a satisfied smile on his face. His plan was unfolding perfectly. Now, it was up to Floria to infiltrate the palace and drive the final wedge between the King and the Queen Regent in their arrival.

The game was in motion, and Merlot was determined to win.

****

Elijah, on the other hand, already received the news and quickly went to meet with Atlas.

“We need to inform the King about this. A lot is going on inside the palace, and things are getting out of hand. It only means that the security and protection have been breached!” Atlas grunted.

“More like we have traitors working inside,” Elijah pointed out.

“I agree with you,” Ezme seconded. Elijah looked at the Princess and then at Atlas and jested, “Have her clean up first. She looks like the murderer with blood around her like that.”

“I already told her that, but she insisted on also looking for Tessa. Anyway, take over from here and I’ll go now with my wife. Also, I’ll send this news to the King,” Atlas commented.

“So does this mean that Greta can go back to her post now since her name has been cleared already? There’s no way that Soka will lie with Princess Ezme hypnotizing him to tell the truth,” Elijah reconfirmed.

“Yes, she’s cleared and innocent, so there’s no use to keep her on house arrest,” Atlas commented.

“Yes!” Elijah suddenly cheered and then looked at Ezme and said, “Thank you so much, beautiful sister-in-law!”

Ezme chuckled and reminded, “Keep your promise!”

“Promise?!” Atlas questioned with a frown.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious,” Elijah said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Just a little favor I asked from Princess Ezme.”

Atlas raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced but too focused on the current crisis to delve deeper. “Fine, but let’s stay focused. Elijah, inform Greta immediately. Ezme, let’s get you cleaned up. We can’t have the palace in more turmoil than it already is.”

As they walked away, Elijah couldn’t contain his excitement. Finally, Greta would be free, and he could spend more time with her without the shadow of suspicion hanging over them. He hurried to Greta’s quarters, eager to deliver the good news.

Elijah was whistling and humming happily on his way to Greta’s quarters. It had been two days since he last saw her, and he intentionally gave her some time to miss him. “I wonder if she remembers the kiss reward she gave me last time. But Greta has a tendency to forget things when drunk, so I should expect that she didn’t remember it,” he mumbled before stopping at her door.

He knocked and said, “Greta, it’s me!”

“Come in,” she answered, so he quickly opened the door and entered.

Greta looked up from her desk, a surprised but pleased expression crossing her face. “Elijah! What brings you here?”

“I have great news,” Elijah said, unable to contain his excitement. “You’re free to return to your post. Your name has been cleared.”

Greta’s eyes widened with relief and joy. “Really? That’s wonderful news! What happened?”

Elijah quickly filled her in on the recent developments, including the interrogation of Soka and the involvement of Princess Ezme. Greta listened intently, her expression was so vibrant that Elijah couldn’t help but drown himself as he stared to her beauty while talking.

“That’s a relief,” she said after he finished. “Thank you, Elijah. I’m so grateful for your support during this time.”

“Anything for you, Greta! I told you that I’d do everything for you!” he shamelessly declared. Greta’s face reddened, and she looked away from his intense gaze.

“What about Tessa? How come she just died like that? Didn’t you put a tail on her?” she curiously asked.

“Right. The man I tasked with tailing her lost her when she went out from the dungeon. But you seem correct in your suspicion. There’s something more to this Tessa. Her body was sent to the laboratory so our expert can analyze the cause of her death. Hopefully, we’ll have their report by tomorrow,” Elijah commented.

“By the way, did you forget about your promise?” he quickly reminded, a mischievous glint in his eye. “You promised a kiss for the favor of tailing Tessa.”

Greta’s blush deepened, but she met his gaze with a determined expression. “I haven’t forgotten. A promise is a promise, after all.”

She took a step closer to him, closing the distance between them. Elijah’s heart raced as Greta leaned in, her eyes locking onto his. She gently pressed her lips to his cheek, then quickly kissed his forehead.

“There,” she said with a teasing smile. “Satisfied?”

Elijah grinned, though a playful pout appeared on his lips. “Almost. But maybe we can save the rest for another time.”

Greta chuckled softly. “Always pushing your luck, aren’t you?”

“Only with you,” he replied, his tone sincere. “Now, back to business. We need to stay alert. If Tessa was involved in something more, we might be facing a bigger threat.”

Greta nodded, her expression turning serious. “Agreed. Keep me updated on any findings from the lab. And thank you again, Elijah. For everything.”

Elijah’s smile softened. “You’re welcome, Greta. I’ll always be here for you. But if you’re really grateful, then how about having dinner with me whenever I’m here in the palace?”

Greta raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in her eyes. “Dinner, huh? You really don’t give up, do you?”

“Not when it comes to you,” Elijah replied, his tone sincere yet light-hearted. “Come on, it’s just dinner. We can discuss work or anything else you want. No pressure.”

Greta pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, dinner it is. But don’t expect me to cook.”

Elijah laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll make sure we have the best food the palace has to offer.”

“Fine,” Greta said, smiling despite herself. “It’s a deal then. Dinner whenever you’re in the palace.”