The Crown's Fire - Chapter 84

Chapter 84: He Alibi
Back at the tavern, Aurelia gazed in the direction where the black portal had long disappeared, murmuring, “It took all my restraint not to follow you into that portal, but I’m relieved to see you’re back safe with me. I just hope you can overcome whatever it is you’ve been going through, my friend.”

“I’m hoping for that too, Aurelia,” Tarah muttered back with a sigh. “Hopefully, we can hang out soon without hiding like this. And I’d finally be able to use my true identity.”

Aurelia took a sip of wine from her cup and refilled it from the bottle. “So, can we stay up late?” she asked with a grin while munching on some piece of meat.

“Hmm… Let’s just finish this drink and then head out. There’s a celebration at Cordon Castle, and they’ll be expecting you there, right?” Tarah replied. “I’m not sure when we’ll see each other again, but how about breakfast tomorrow?”

“Sounds good!” Aurelia enthusiastically smirked. “I know a great place near the castle with private rooms where we can meet safely.”

Tarah chuckled. “Tell me more about yourself then, or we could just save time and—”

She then reached out to touch Aurelia’s hand, but Aurelia quickly pulled away.

“There’s no way I’ll let you delve into my past memories,” Aurelia snorted. “You know I hate that.”

Tarah laughed, enjoying the playful banter with her friend just like old times.

“There’s nothing much, but I’ve been focusing on learning more about healing using my mana lately. Also… I’ll be doing the ritual of marking soon. It would be nice if you could witness that, but if you can’t, it’s alright,” Aurelia shrugged with a soft pout. “Just make sure you’ll be safe wherever you are and come see me as soon as you’re done with your fight.”

Tarah chuckled and teased, “Why the long face? Shouldn’t you be happy to finally have someone to share your life with? Don’t worry about me; you’ll be the first person I bother as soon as I wrap things up on my end.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m sad, but anyway… I’m sure things will work out on my end,” Aurelia replied.

The two of them continued to discuss their future plans until they finished their one bottle of wine. After a while, Tarah decided it was time to head back, so she left the tavern first, mounted her horse, and rode directly to Cordon Castle.

After a few minutes of riding, Tarah frowned as she approached the gates of the castle. A man standing nearby caught her attention, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity from him.

‘That man looks familiar,’ she thought, recognizing him as the werewolf Asura had sex with, the one who had been searching for her at Zion because of her clairvoyance. Thinking about it further, her face soured. The damn man just used her friend to get information about her. ‘Asshole!’ Tarah inwardly scorned.

Not giving the man another glance, Tarah quickly approached the guards and quickly introduced herself, “I am Tarah, the Ebodian Seer. I am expected inside…” She then displayed her identification tag as proof of her identity. She wouldn’t want to cross paths with the man at all.

As she glanced back, she sighed upon seeing Aurelia on her own horse following closely behind her. With a nod of assurance, she turned back to the guards and proceeded to enter the castle walls.

Truthfully, it was comforting to have Aurelia by her side again, and Tarah looked forward to their breakfast tomorrow and continuing their conversation. She made a mental note to give Aurelia one of her journals containing some of the more important healing techniques she was proficient in using magic and spells to try and help her friend out.

A few moments passed, and as soon as Tarah entered the main castle, a servant promptly escorted her to her assigned bedchamber. Inside, her first request was for a warm bath. She felt sticky and grimy from not having bathed since her encounter with Devon, and she couldn’t shake off the feeling of dirtiness despite her best efforts.

Once the servants finished preparing the bath, Tarah dismissed them to start cleaning herself. Sighing to herself, she was just about to undress when she heard a knock on her door.

“Tarah, it’s me…”

Ezekiel’s voice made her gulp with apprehension. Nodding to herself, she quickly opened the door for him.

“Your Highness,” she greeted with a curt nod, gesturing for him to enter.

“I heard from the guards that you’re back,” he casually remarked as he took a seat on a nearby chair. Tarah followed suit, seating herself opposite him.

Looking at him, she couldn’t help but notice the dark expression on his face, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Is there a problem, Your Highness? You look like you’re in a bad mood,” she asked straightforwardly, her concern evident in her voice. She wanted to know if something bad had happened while she was away.

“Your scent… It’s tainted with an ominous and stinking stench…” Ezekiel growled, causing Tarah to flinch.

The color drained from her face, but she quickly composed herself. She couldn’t afford to make a mistake now, not when she was so close.

“Oh, that,” she muttered innocently, awkwardly sniffing at herself. “It’s probably because of my friend. She hugged me tightly, and she’s a physician who just finished dissecting dead bodies in her private chamber of practice,” she explained confidently, mustering a smile.

“Dead bodies? Dissecting?” Ezekiel’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Yes, she’s quite dedicated to her work. I’m not entirely sure of the details, but she’s been busy studying other beings,” Tarah elaborated, mixing the truth with a few half-truths for good measure. “She mentioned she had just come from work to meet with me directly. Apparently, there was a case here at Cordon involving dark magic, and she’s involved.”

Aurelia had indeed mentioned something about it earlier, and being surrounded by the scent of dark magic in a room filled with dissected dead bodies could easily transfer to her clothing. However, not everyone could detect it. Only those with exceptional senses like werewolves and dragons could even hope to detect it. Given Ezekiel’s dragon powers, his senses were as sharp as a dragon’s as far as she knew.

Knowing that Tarah made a mental note to be extra careful in the future. She scrutinized Ezekiel’s impassive expression, uncertain if he accepted her alibi.