The Crown's Fire

Back at Haven Forest, Ezekiel quickly wrapped up things and discussed everything with the Sorel Guild heads, giving them a heads-up on the situation to make sure that extra precautions would be taken cared for. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but there’s still no way for me to determine Devon’s energy in particular. All of them have the same dark energy inside of them, and there’s no way I can distinguish who among them is hosting Devon’s energy," Lurio told him after he checked on everyone on the list who had demon blood in them.

Ezekiel released a frustrated sigh as he stared at King Amon. For some reason, his hunch was telling him that Devon would rather have one of his bloodthreads inside his own half-brother.

"We need to closely monitor King Amon," he instructed Lurio. Then, turning to Cora, he asked, "Is there any news on when my sister, Mineah, will arrive?"

"She’ll arrive in two days, Your Majesty," Cora commented. His sister could see the life essence in the body and energies, so maybe Mineah could help in distinguishing Devon’s bloodthread since Mineah managed to extract it before from their mage Jayra.

Ezekiel absorbed the information with a grave expression, his mind already racing with plans and contingencies. If they couldn’t directly identify who was hosting Devon’s bloodthread, they would need to rely on other methods.

"I’ll head back to Katelina. Meanwhile, stay alert and report anything suspicious," Stephan instructed. Without waiting for a response, he walked straight to Katelina’s tent. Everyone from Zion greeted him with a bow as he passed by. There was no need for him to sneak around in his invisible form anymore, as the news of him marking Katelina had already spread. Marking and forming the flamebond was akin to being formally married.

His smile was radiant as he entered the tent and found Katelina still asleep. With gentle movements, he quietly joined her on the bed, relishing the warmth of her presence. Nestling his face into the crook of her neck, he inhaled her divine scent.

[Behave,] Khal’s reminder echoed in his mind. [Let her rest; her body is still adjusting, not just physically, but also to the inner energies brought on by the flamebond and the dragonrider blood.]

Ezekiel chuckled softly, [You worry too much, Khal. I simply want to feel her close to me.] With that, he allowed himself to succumb to sleep, his exhaustion from the previous night finally catching up to him.

In the dim light, Katelina stirred from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of Ezekiel sleeping beside her. A wide smile spread across her face as she took in the peaceful expression on his face.

Everything still felt surreal to her. Their relationship had progressed so quickly, yet she found herself without any regrets. In fact, she felt a sense of excitement and anticipation about the future with Ezekiel by her side.

With him sleeping like this, she had the opportunity to study his face closely. Gently, she traced his facial features with her fingers. She loved his thick eyebrows, perfectly shaped and it had the same dark brown color as his hair, with hints of auburn highlights. Even his eyelids looked striking to her.

His nose was pointed, and his lips... Her face reddened as she recalled how his lips had been all over her body. Lewd scenes swirled in her mind, making her feel hot and flustered.

’Goodness, I can’t believe I’m thinking about those things right now!’ she inwardly scolded herself.

"Hmm, I wonder what’s going through your imagination to make you feel so aroused right now, my queen," Ezekiel sluggishly muttered with a roguish grin as he slowly opened his eyes. Katelina was caught and she gulped in embarrassment. She tried to quickly get up and escape, but Ezekiel was faster, pinning her down.

"Do you really think I’ll let you escape after you stir me like that?" he hoarsely murmured as he hovered over her.

Katelina pouted and murmured, "But I’m hungry..." She wasn’t lying; her stomach even grumbled, making Ezekiel chuckle as he got off the bed.

"Let me get you something to eat." Ezekiel got up and called for Titus outside, instructing him to have the servants prepare dinner for Katelina.

It didn’t take long for the servants to arrive, accompanied by Asura, who helped serve the meal. Katelina, without her veil, drew amazed glances from the servants, unable to hide their awe at seeing the Queen Regent’s face. Asura quickly ushered the servants out after ensuring everything was in order.

Katelina noticed the servants’ reactions and blushed unknowingly. Meanwhile, Ezekiel began placing meat on her plate, saying, "From now on, you don’t need to wear your veil outside. Everyone knows that you’re my woman now, so there’s no need to cover your face. You’re already my wife since I marked you..."

Ezekiel then pulled something from his pocket and said, "Also, you should put this ring back on your finger. It’s the ancestral ring of my family, passed down to me by my mother."

Katelina allowed Ezekiel to slide the ring onto her finger. She gazed at the exquisite cushion-cut vivid pink diamond, set in a combination of rose and white gold, adorned with colorless trapeze-cut diamonds and delicate light pink brilliant-cut diamonds.

"They’re so beautiful," Katelina gasped.

"I’ll add another ring to your finger for our marriage, along with our couple rings," Ezekiel murmured before leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"Come now, let’s eat. You need to gather your strength," he added with a wink and a grin. Katelina’s face blushed as she sensed Ezekiel’s overflowing emotions. His arousal at that moment was also unmistakable.

"Eat," she mumbled at him with a pout.

"Ahhh," he opened his mouth, gesturing for her to feed him. Katelina chuckled and said, "Isn’t it me who is weak right now?"

Ezekiel grinned and kissed her lips before starting to feed her.

Outside their tent, the servants who had seen Katelina excitedly talked among themselves, describing how beautiful and ethereal their Queen Regent was.

"Ah, they are a match made in heaven!" almost all agreed. Asura, listening quietly from the sidelines, couldn’t agree more.