The Crown's Fire - Chapter 80

Chapter 80: All Worth It
“Just a bit more… Just a bit more…”

Tarah repeatedly chanted the same few words to herself as she did her best to compose herself. Despite telling herself that she was ready, there was truly no way for her to get used to Devon’s constant harassment. It was still the usual fare of him doing everything he could barring just taking her purity, but every session she spent with him never truly allowed her to adapt.

Every minute she had to spend being with the demon king was torture. She could only hope that things would finally get better just so she could finally stop seeing the man.

Thankfully, it was all worth it, in her opinion. Sacrificing herself to keep her brother away from the demon’s wrath was more than enough to make her actions have meaning. And even now as she made her way to Levi, she couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of seeing Levi alive and well.

With those thoughts in mind, Tarah made her way to her brother’s tower. As always, it was under absolute guard, and she promptly entered the room without so much as a warning. She was keyed into the doors, after all, which meant that she didn’t need to tell anyone why she was there so long as she had Devon’s permission.

“Sister!”

Immediately, Tarah felt all of the stress and exhaustion she felt while she was under Devon slowly melt away upon seeing his brother well and happy. By his side, her friend Asura was with him, still dutifully watching over him just like the last time she saw her.

“Levi,” Tarah smiled back as she spread her arms wide for a hug. “Come here.”

As one, the brother and sister moved in for a loving hug, their arms locking around their respective backs as they savored their short reunion. Truly, every time they did this, they had to make sure to relish it for as long as they could. There was no telling when they would have time like this again, which meant that they had to spend every waking moment they had together like it would be their last.

Still, that didn’t mean that they would acknowledge such a thing. It was just something they knew deep down even if neither of them would admit it.

“I missed you, Sister,” Levi greeted her with his ever present innocent smile. “How are things in your duties?”

“They’ve been going rather smoothly,” she replied, making sure to avoid revealing too much. “I’ve done my best to keep things going, and I still have the Demon King’s favor.”

“I’m glad then,” he beamed at her. “I can’t wait for you to be done with your tasks.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she smiled back as she squeezed him tightly in his arms. “Don’t worry… Everything will be over soon. Of that, I’m sure.”

Or at least, that was what she hoped. Even if she had an idea of the general timeline of future events, she still didn’t want to think that everything would be alright. There was still a chance that things could fail, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up even if she did everything in her power to rig things in her favor.

“Truly? That means you’ll never leave me again, right?” Levi asked with a hopeful smile. “We’ll finally be together forever?”

“Never again,” she smiled back. “Just be patient, alright? Good things come to those who wait.”

“Alright,” Levi beamed. “I trust you, Sister.”

Tarah smiled back as she gave her brother another squeeze. This was all that she could ask at the moment. It wasn’t much, but it was more than enough to keep her going. At least until her plans could finally start rolling.

“My lady?”

Asura calling out to her took her out of her musings. Giving her brother one last peck on his forehead, she gave him a soft smile as she held him by the shoulders.

“I’ll be talking to Asura now,” she told him. “I’ll be back shortly.”

“Alright.”

Leaving her brother for now, Tarah made her way to where her friend was waiting for her. Judging by the look on her face, it would seem that she had some good news for her regarding their correspondence.

“It’s been a while,” Asura smiled at her. “I hope things are going well on your end, my lady.”

“There’s progress being made at the appropriate pace, yes,” Tarah smiled back, replying to her friend’s vagueness with her own cryptic messages. “How about you? Are things well on your end?”

“I suppose I can say the same thing you just said,” her friend chuckled. “Some pieces are still being prepared, but overall, it is all starting to fall into place.”

Tarah smiled at what she just heard. Based on what Asura said, it would seem that those who needed to read her message received them, and all of the preparations for their inevitable gambit to escape were slowly being put into motion.

“How’s Luis, by the way?” Tarah further asked.

“He’s currently busy preparing a few pieces of the puzzle with the others,” Asura told her with a broad smile. “Rest assured, my lady. They will be ready to deliver the finished product to us in due time.”

“Very well,” she smiled back with a faint giggle. “It would seem that our game is going along smoothly.”

“What game is it?” Levi suddenly asked, having probably overheard their conversation.

“Oh, it’s something that Asura and I have been spending a bit of time on,” Tarah quickly lied with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll appreciate it once it’s finished.”

“Oh? Can we play it together then?”

“We will, Levi,” Asura beamed. “I’m sure we’ll get to play it soon enough.”

The two women shared a knowing glance at one another, knowing full well just what kind of game they were truly talking about. Hopefully, it would indeed be finished, and it would be just as good as they hoped it was once they put it into action.