The Crown's Fire - Chapter 83

Chapter 83: His Own Weakness
Hours passed, and it was already dark when they arrived at Castle Cordon. They then were escorted directly to the great hall where the celebrations for Xenia’s victory would be held.

“Your Highness,” Wizard Lurio greeted Ezekiel, his direct approach indicating that he had important news for him.

With a smile, he replied, “I hope you’re bringing good news…”

“You’re right, Your Highness,” Lurio nodded. “Fortunately, all of Helion’s forces have retreated, so Commander Atlas is asking for your permission to wrap everything up for our soldiers to come back home.”

“I understand, but we must not let our guard down just yet. Tell Atlas to leave a few soldiers to stay and patrol all possible areas for a surprise attack,” Ezekiel instructed. “Also, come back quickly and go straight to my chamber soon after. We still have a few important matters to discuss with my parents.”

“I understand, Your Highness. I will relay the same message and return promptly,” Lurio affirmed before heading off to carry out his orders.

Ezekiel sighed as he turned his attention to his surroundings. There was mellow music playing in the background along with bright lights scattered throughout the hall which was perfectly decorated with nice flowers. All in all, the scene was very glamorous and extravagant for the occasion.

Looking further, he found great satisfaction in witnessing King Darius treating his sister Xenia with utmost care and respect in every aspect. Making his way to his spot, Ezekiel sat in the chair on the round table together with his family. Just as they were settled in, Xenia quickly walked towards them and immediately sat on the chair next to him with a smile on her face.

“Hmm… Tarah isn’t back yet?” Xenia curiously asked.

“Hmm… I’m sure she’ll return shortly,” Ezekiel replied. In the end he chose not to contact Tarah just yet through their dragon bond.

‘It’s been a while since she saw that friend after all, so perhaps they wanted to catch up for a long time,’ he reasoned silently, still resisting the impulse to check on Tarah. ‘It’s still early anyway,’ he concluded, determined not to give in to the tendency of being an overbearing presence.

Xenia simply nodded. Turning to their parents, she asked, “I’ve heard that Helion is retreating…”

“Indeed… That’s why our Kingdom will also hold a celebration as soon as we return, Daughter…” their mother commented.

“Well, surprisingly, the golden dragon scared the hell out of Helion’s armies out on the battlefield,” Nikolai suddenly commented, snapping Ezekiel back from his reverie.

Ezekiel stoically watched his family exchange meaningful glances. Mineah then turned towards her husband with a loving smile. “I told you, it’s too early to judge that golden dragon, Vulcan…” she insisted. “That dragon helped our kingdom, so I believe it isn’t that harmful.”

“Hah! That’s the first I’ve heard of a dragon that isn’t harmful, especially Vulcan, who has killed so many before. But since my wife says that I should observe it some more, then I guess I’ll just have to listen to her,” Nikolai jokingly shrugged. “But mark my words… The moment that golden dragon shows up and harms innocent lives… I won’t stay idle and hunt it down.”

Nikolai’s eyes remained unblinking as he stared at him. Likewise, Ezekiel met the vampire king’s gaze with an unaffected expression as he firmly stated, “That golden dragon won’t harm anyone innocent. That, I assure you.”

Everyone in his family was obviously doing their best to maintain composure, and Ezekiel felt a pang of guilt knowing they were all currently on edge because of him.

“Big sister, how about I stay here at Cordon for a bit longer?” Mineah quickly suggested to Xenia, obviously changing the topic. “What do you say?”

“What?!” Nikolai suddenly burst out, his eyes now turned to her.

“Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to roam around Cordon, and I want to have some vacation time alone with Big Sister Xenia,” she said with a wide smile.

With a swift shift, the awkward atmosphere dissipated, replaced by lighter conversation as the tension cooled. Seeing these developments, Ezekiel couldn’t help but smile in content, grateful for his family’s unwavering support and protection.

Soon, King Darius arrived to fetch Xenia, and they were all escorted by Queen Mother Savannah of Cordon to their respective chambers for the night.

Once he was inside, Ezekiel paced back and forth in his bedchamber, his anticipation growing as he waited for his parents and Wizard Lurio to arrive. However, his pacing wasn’t due to their impending arrival. In truth, he was still grappling with the problem of whether or not he should contact Tarah through their bond now or if he should wait for her some more.

“This won’t do…” he muttered restlessly as he sank into his chair.

In the end, he ended up contacting her anyway, his concern for her well-being winning out against his better judgment.

[Tarah, I just want to check on you,] he messaged her.

[I am fine, Your Highness,] she promptly replied. [I’ll be there shortly, but I am currently still catching up with an old friend. Please ease your worries…]

Tarah’s reassurance brought Ezekiel a sense of relief, calming his nerves momentarily. With Tarah safe, he could finally focus on his impending meeting with his parents and wizard Lurio.

Soon, a knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. “Son, it’s us,” his father’s voice called out, prompting Ezekiel to swiftly open the door for them.

With a nod, the participants entered the room. The elders then settled into their respective chairs while Ezekiel positioned himself opposite to them, preparing for their discussion. Before they could commence, however, another knock sounded from the door.

“Brother.”

Mineah’s voice echoed from behind the door. Quickly, Wizard Lurio ushered her inside. As she entered, she remarked, “How come you haven’t called for me? It looks like there’s a meeting here that I should be participating in.”

Their mother gestured for her to take a seat beside him.

“We don’t want your husband being suspicious, dear,” her father stated.

Taking a deep breath before sighing loudly, she said, “He left already and he knew everything about Ezekiel already…”

“What?!” their mother burst out.

Mineah simply shrugged before going on to explain how she utilized her newfound energy to assist in infusing her divine blood into the weapons of the Valcrezians. This action helped purify the dark magic from those infected, ultimately saving the infected Valcrezians from harm. That event prompted her to tell Ezekiel the truth about their angelic lineage.

“I told you not to use that power inside you because we don’t know what could happen if you do!” her mother scolded. “Whenever you use that energy, the chaos inside you also grows!”

Fidgeting, Mineah murmured as she weakly defended herself. “But I can’t just do nothing while seeing my people suffer. And I want them to know that I’m more than just the Cursed Princess they thought of me to be.”

“I’m sorry. Everything is all my fault,” Ezekiel could no longer help but interrupt. “The chaos inside wouldn’t have been awakened if not for me.”

He knew he caused the problem for Mineah, as her chaos had awakened when she put his spirit back into his body.

Mineah immediately frowned at that. “Stop blaming yourself, Big Brother,” she snorted. “This is all fate. It was bound to happen anyway. We all know that I’m cursed. It’s heaven’s will.”

Ezekiel let out a heavy sigh, his heart sinking at the weight of his sister’s predicament. He still felt responsible for it all. It was his own weakness, Tarah, that had allowed Vulcan to successfully expel his spirit from his body.