The Crown's Fire - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Growing Feelings
Tarah quickly did her best to calm herself, pressing her lips together before responding. “It’s not that, Your Highness,” she stated as she seized the chance to voice her thoughts. “It’s just that you seem to be avoiding me lately, so I assumed Cora would accompany me in the carriage instead.”

“Hmm… You have a tendency to evade directly answering my questions,” he pointed out. “I’m just asking if you would prefer me not to stay with you in this carriage or not.”

“It’s fine,” Tarah swiftly replied. “You can stay if you want.”

“Alright. Let’s go…”

At Ezekiel’s command, the carriage started moving, an awkward silence settling between them as they moved. With nothing better to do, Tarah turned her gaze towards the window, pretending to be engrossed in the passing scenery. Despite this, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that Ezekiel was intensely staring at her.

After some time, Ezekiel broke the silence. “We’ll be spending the night at Cordon Castle and attending my sister Xenia’s coronation tomorrow morning.”

Tarah turned to face him. “Would it be alright if I meet with a friend then?” she asked. “It’s been a while since we last saw each other.”

“A friend?” Ezekiel further asked. “A female friend?”

Tarah nodded. “I met her during the summer while I was wandering near Ebodia’s borders,” she explained, deciding not to detail things about Aurelia further. “She’s a citizen of Cordon.”

“I see.. It’s fine. Just bring Cora and Elijah with you…” Ezekiel nodded in agreement. “We have a dragon bond, so you can easily call out to me if you need help. I will also be checking on you through our bond from time to time.”

Tarah gulped while thinking about the dragon bond. She could only wonder if Ezekiel’s progress on his powers had reached the point where he could sense it if she was in danger. Maybe that wasn’t the case yet, seeing as Ezekiel hadn’t sensed it when she was being harassed by Devon before. So perhaps he hadn’t reached that point yet, as the merging process was still ongoing within his body. But still…

“Can you sense if your dragonrider is in danger?” Tarah curiously asked.

“I’m not sure about that yet, Tarah. I haven’t felt anything during the merging process,” Ezekiel frowned. “Perhaps it’s because you haven’t been in danger yet, but I’m sure it will happen once you are… Though I hope it won’t come to that.”

Another bout of silence then settled between them as he scrutinized her with a gaze so intense that Tarah felt like his eyes were delving into her soul. “What is it, Your Highness?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing…” Ezekiel responded, quickly averting his gaze from her.

Tarah furrowed her brows, sensing that Ezekiel probably wanted to tell her something based on his conflicted expression.

*******

Ezekiel contemplated on whether or not to ask Tarah about the distinct smell that he had noticed on her. That awful scent had been haunting him for days now, even though he hadn’t detected it on her since the incident at the hot spring. The first time he noticed it, it hadn’t been as strong as the odor emanating from her previous dress, which she had removed while she was in the hot spring.

That was the reason he burned that damn dress in the first place. He didn’t want that awful and ominous scent lingering around her for too long. Even more, Vulcan had mentioned before that it was a demon’s scent…

But instead of confronting Tarah about it, he remained silent and averted his gaze from her.

“Damn myself,” he cursed inwardly.

Currently, they still had a few more hours until they arrived at Cordon, but he was confident that they would make it in time to witness his sister’s final trial in the grand arena. Their journey was smooth, and silence filled the carriage as they let time pass them by.

Despite the relative silence, Ezekiel found himself content with the presence of Tarah’s scent around him. Even if there was no hope between them, he couldn’t help the growing feelings he had for her. He tried to ignore her presence, but the more he did, the more he yearned for her…

It was a dilemma for Ezekiel. Somehow, he found it even easier to control Vulcan’s soul compared to the growing emotions he harbored for Tarah.

‘If she’s truly the woman Seer Beirut is referring to, then I guess I’m truly bound to be doomed!’ he mused in annoyance.

It was unlike him to be swayed like this, but the struggle was real. And just as he was thinking about it, his heart skipped a beat when Tarah suddenly faced him, having caught him staring at her for some time now.

“Your Highness, I know you’re worried for my safety which is why you want Cora and Elijah to accompany me later, but I’d feel bad if they miss out on the tournament and not see your sister’s abilities in the arena,” Tarah insisted. “Like you said before… We have a bond, and I believe that’s good enough to keep me safe. I trust you’ll come to my aid upon my call.”

“I still won’t take the risk, Tarah. I need my men around you,” Ezekiel insisted. “To ease your worry, then I will have them dress like ordinary citizens and keep a sufficient distance away from you to avoid any awkwardness for your friend.”

It was the best solution Ezekiel could think of at the moment. If it weren’t for the importance of him not missing his sister’s special event, he would have personally escorted Tarah to meet her friend. That was how protective he was over her safety now, and how possessive he was, not letting her out of his sight even for a second… something he had never felt with any other woman before.

“That won’t be necessary, Your Highness. Please trust me on this. No harm will come my way during my meeting with my friend,” Tarah attempted to convince him with a reassuring smile. “Let your men witness how magnificent this final tournament will be for Princess Xenia instead.”

Their conversation was halted as they arrived at the Grand Arena of the Capital City of Cordon. Ezekiel stepped out of the carriage first before extending his hand to help Tarah down as he had done before. Somehow, he found comfort in these small gestures of assistance he gave to her.

‘I’m really losing it,’ he thought to himself, realizing how much he enjoyed these interactions with Tarah, even something as simple as holding her hand for a moment.