The Crown's Fire - Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Seer’s Life
“Our Prince has been acting peculiar lately,” Cora remarked as she dined with Elijah in the guest dining area of the Ward Palace. “He’s infatuated with our Seer.”

“He’s more than just infatuated, Cora. It’s something deeper,” Elijah murmured as he chewed on his meat. “I wonder how he’ll navigate this situation. I feel for him. For years, he’s kept his distance from women. I’ve seen countless attempts by women to catch his eye, but none succeeded. And now, he finally shows interest in one, but she’s someone forbidden to him.”

“It’s not that it’s forbidden since our Seer has always had the freedom to choose her own path, right? But if this were to come to light, it would cause quite a stir in the inner court. No one has dared to defy the norms regarding Seers in our kingdom,” Cora began to remark.

“This would be the first instance of such a kind of romance if our prince and Seer were to pursue each other. From what I can see, the opposition would seize this opportunity to go against our Prince. The Dukes of East and West would surely join forces in this matter.”

“Not only that but in truth, we’re also unsure if Heaven’s will would allow this. Who knows? What if there’s a corresponding punishment for it? It’s a risk. It’s something His Highness wouldn’t want to take…” Elijah murmured with a sigh. “But the way I see it… he’s making compromises because of Seer Tarah. He’s deeply affected, I suppose. He’s defying logic for love.”

Cora remained silent, acknowledging Elijah’s point. It was likely love already, considering how their prince was behaving. He had always kept a distance from women except for his family and confidants like her. But with Seer Tarah, he was constantly by her side, acting unlike himself.

“Is there any news about the mark?” Cora remembered to ask, her curiosity piqued.

Elijah inwardly cursed. “Tracking Master Kasper is a pain in the ass. I’m sure he, of all people, would recognize it,” he replied. “Now that we’re back in Ebodia, I’ll personally try to track him down. I’ll be leaving tomorrow early upon His Highness’s approval.”

Cora nodded in understanding. It was clear that Master Kasper held vital information for the situation, and tracking him down was crucial to their cause. He was a legendary figure who had walked the earth for more than a millennium now. An enigmatic ancient, his true origin remained shrouded in mystery even now, baffling all who encountered him.

As far as she knew, the man was only acquainted with their Queen, having stayed in Ebodia for some time upon Queen Dana’s request to impart his knowledge of magic and spells to the Ebodian scholars.

Cora’s expression soured at the memory of his rejection, recalling how he had dismissed her and others claiming that magic and spells were not for them. Despite her initial excitement, his rejection left her heartbroken, especially after witnessing him turn away other hopeful students for seemingly no reason other than he didn’t see anything interesting in them.

In addition, despite his ageless face, he was not a vampire, leaving Cora to ponder about his mysterious origins.

“He’s probably a fallen angel like our Queen,” Cora hypothesized, recalling what Tarah had told her about fallen angels. “They are immortals, right? It’s just that our Queen didn’t retain her immortality since she already used up almost all of her divine powers.”

According to Tarah, fallen angels were indeed immortal, but they lost their immortality once they were drained of their divine powers. This typically occurred whenever they performed spells and magic that required a significant amount of divine power, much like what their Queen Dana did when she single-handedly sealed away all of the dragon souls into a forbidden forest thirty years ago.

“Who knows? You could be right, or you could be wrong. But now that everything has come to light regarding our Queen Dana, I guess the opposition will tread more carefully knowing how powerful the Ward Family truly is,” Elijah trailed off. “Imagine, the three siblings are all half-angels. Our future king as a half-angel, and-”

Before he could finish, he abruptly coughed, causing Cora to raise a brow.

“And what?” she questioned, her curiosity piqued. “Is there something you know that I don’t?”

“Oh, nothing… Anyway, I’ll be going now, Cora. I need to talk to His Highness,” Elijah muttered before quickly rushing out of the dining area.

Left behind, Cora shook her head as she watched Elijah’s retreating back. “Those men are at it again with their brotherhood secrets,” she snorted with a pout.

With nothing to do at the moment, Cora quickly finished her dinner. She still had a task to do after this, which was to check on their Seer and ensure that she had everything she needed for the night. Finishing off her meal, she then left and personally instructed the servants to prepare the chamber right next to their prince’s.

“Our new Seer will stay here, Lady Cora?” asked one of the servants.

Cora sported a confident smile. “Well, you see… our Seer’s life is still in danger,” she explained with a smirk. “She had a vision where the Demon King Devon would try to get a hold of her with all his might. Thus, our Prince has to ensure her safety by any means necessary. And you all know how important our Seer is to our Kingdom, right?”

All the servants inside the chamber nodded.

“She has the power to see the future, and with that, we’re able to plan ahead using that foresight to our advantage. As such, don’t misunderstand whatever you may see happening between our Prince and our Seer,” Cora further instructed. “The top priority now is to secure our Seer’s safety so that she won’t end up dying in enemy hands like Seer Beirut. The best solution for that right now is to have her stay near our prince for her protection.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Cora sighed in relief. She had exaggerated the situation since Seer Tarah had asked her this favor to ensure that no false rumors would befall Prince Ezekiel.

“Our Prince is set to ascend the throne in just a few more days,” exclaimed one of the servants, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “I’m certain that all the noble women from the powerful families in our kingdom are preparing eagerly already!”

Indeed, Cora realized. With the upcoming coronation, the customary selection for a suitable queen would soon follow.

“Who do you suppose will capture our Prince’s attention?” the servants muttered to themselves.

Cora merely shrugged. Only she and Elijah truly understood the complexities of their prince’s sentiments. Knowing what she knew now, she couldn’t help but wonder how the next few events would unfold and how their prince would navigate this situation.