The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 340: Your Guide

Chapter 340: Your Guide

In the secret chamber of Zoran, Mineah paced back and forth, her patience wearing thin as she anxiously waited with Dani, Krisha, and Zaila.

"What’s taking them so long?" Mineah muttered with a sigh. She was trying her best to remain calm. It was already dawn, yet there was still no sign of Nikolai or her brother Eziekel.

"I’m sure they will arrive soon, your Majesty, " Dani reassured, attempting to ease her worries. Mineah reluctantly returned to her seat under Zaila’s guidance.

She found herself silently praying for their safe return, a knot of anxiety coiled in her chest. The wait felt never-ending until, suddenly, she sensed the familiar presence of Zoran’s teleportation spell. Her eyes lit up, and she shot up from her seat as a portal opened before her.

"Lai," she whispered. Her eyes stayed fixed on the portal as she watched Zoran emerge from it before swiftly vanishing.

"Lord Zoran," Zaila and Dani were quick to help Zoran who suddenly slumped to the floor. Abel and Fritz, who were absent from the room suddenly took over and assisted Zoran back to his feet.

"What happened? Where are Lai and my brother?" Mineah asked urgently.

Zoran held out the magical books that materialized in his hands, his voice heavy with exhaustion as he said, "Here, His Majesty wanted me to give this to you. He said you’ll know what you have to do with them. Everything was a trap. Devon had expected our arrival so King Nikolai and King Ezekiel were left behind. There was no other way... I was ordered to escape alone and bring these magical books to you."

The news struck Mineah like a bolt of lightning, sapping her strength and causing her to slump onto the floor.

"Your Majesty!" one of her shadow maidens rushed to her side, helping her up and guiding her to a chair. She stared blankly at the magical books resting on the table.

"How did it end up like this?," Mineah whispered, her voice weak. Nikolai and Ezekiel were both very powerful, so how could they not escape or defeat Devon?

Fritz and Abel, who had been absent until now, stood nearby. Mineah fixed them with a cold, accusing gaze. "You two don’t look surprised at all," she remarked.

"Apologies, Your Majesty but... the Seer had already warned King Nikolai about this," Fritz replied. It was then that Mineah recalled the last time she had seen Fritz and Abel, which was during her birthday celebration. Now, the pieces were falling into place.

Nikolai had told them everything and made sure that she wouldn’t cross paths with these two. He was careful enough to tell them to hide so that she wouldn’t end up reading their minds and know about his plan.

"He knew this would happen, yet he still proceeded with the plan. He said you will know what you need to do..." Abel explained. She could see that everyone inside the bedchamber was still confused.

Listening to their words, Mineah made a quick decision. She looked at Dani, Krisha, and Zaila and said, "Grab the magical books and follow me. I will get my husband and brother back."

She then turned to Abel, Fritz, and Zoran with an icy gaze and said, "Make sure to keep this matter confidential. No one must find out that my husband is in Helion. I don’t care what excuses you’ll make for our absence but I don’t want anyone looking for us. It’s your responsibility to buy us enough time..."

With all that said, she turned around and left, her shadow maidens following closely.

"Contact Wizard Lurio and tell him to bring Tarah to me this instant," she instructed Dani. She walked through the pathway to the secret meeting chambers. Mineah entered the one she and Nikolai would often use to have a private meeting with trusted people.

Krisha and Zaila quickly placed the magical books on the table. Mineah looked at them and said, "Get all the special gifts my husband gave me on my birthday."

Without any questions, her shadow maidens followed their queen’s orders. They knew better than to question her when she had a determined look in her eyes. No one could stop her from doing what it takes to save her husband and brother.

Now everything made sense to Mineah. For days, she was trying to figure out the reason behind Nikolai’s strange behavior. For days, she had been thinking why her husband would give her these gifts and even going as far as to create an illusion on her birthday. All of them had a purpose...

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, attempting to calm herself and organize her thoughts. Once ready, she opened her eyes and turned her attention to the first magical book, the Chronicles of the Fallen Angels. She started reading, her gaze focused as she read all kinds of curses that befell the offspring of a fallen angel.

As Mineah delved deeper into the Chronicles of the Fallen Angels, her heart sank. It looked like the curse of chaos, one of the most dreaded curses that she could bring on all of humanity, had befallen her generation.

"That bastard..." Mineah cursed when she reached the part with a torn page. It held the key to breaking the curse. Devon probably intentionally destroyed it but even without it Mineah already has an idea about the process although she was unsure of how to kill Vulcan’s immortal soul with the divine dagger.

Once she finished with the first book, she moved on to the second, which was all about dragons. Her eyes focused, she absorbed the knowledge contained within the book. It contained information about how to extract the power of a dragon. As she continued to read, she couldn’t shake the chilling thought that if Devon somehow managed to capture her brother, he wouldn’t let go of the opportunity to extract Vulcan’s power from him.

These books were in Devon’s possession before it reached her so it was fair to assume that Devon already knows what’s inside. Mineah was still in deep thought when her shadow maidens entered with the items she had requested, interrupting her thoughts.

"Your Majesty, we will go with you," Dani said, filled with determination.

Mineah frowned and said, "No... You all go back and help Abel and Fritz keep up the pretense. Make sure that none of our opposition gets suspicious. I won’t take long. I will come back soon."

"Please leave... Trust me on this, I know what I’m doing," Mineah begged when the three women didn’t move.

"We understand, Your Majesty." It was Zaila who spoke and quickly pulled Dani and Krisha with her. Mineah didn’t want to drag them with her knowing how dangerous it could be. Also, taking them with her would garner too much attention especially since her plan was to sneak in and save her husband and brother.

Though she was not confident, determination fueled her enough, so much so that she was ready to even face hell if it meant getting Nikolai and her brother back.

Moments later, she sensed the arrival of the Wizard Lurio’s magical energy, and with a flash of white light, a portal opened before her. From it emerged Tarah and the Wizard.

"Your Majesty," the two greeted her with a curt bow. Mineah acknowledged them both. "You may return alone for now, Wizard Lurio," she instructed. "Brother Ezekiel and Tarah will be journeying to Ebodia together. Please inform my parents that they should temporarily assume control as my husband and brother still have some important discussions and planning to make."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I’ll go ahead and relay this message," Wizard Lurio replied before casting another teleportation spell to depart.

Now alone with Tarah, Mineah’s gaze became more piercing as she asked, "Did you know what’s happening? Are you aware of the situation?" Mineah didn’t need Tarah to speak as her expression was enough to know the answer.

"I humbly apologize, Your Majesty," Tarah began. "King Nikolai explicitly asked me to keep this from you. He knew you would not let him go if you knew. But we have no time to lose. You must prepare yourself immediately. We need to go to Helion now! Devon will stop at nothing; he will torment King Nikolai and snatch his immortal life essence and power. Furthermore, Devon will waste no time in completing the extraction of Vulcan’s power to harness it for himself. If he succeeds, then it will be the end — the annihilation of everything in this world whenever he wanted."

"I am ready, Tarah. I have brought everything," Mineah replied resolutely as she began to wear the armring, boots, and cloak she had brought.

"I will summon Zoran," Mineah said as she needed Zoran’s help to navigate the terrain of Helion Castle.

Tarah, however, shook her head. "No, Your Majesty. I’m afraid Devon has already identified Zoran’s power. You have to do it on your own. I will be your guide and help you move through the castle," Tarah said.

Mineah frowned and questioned, "What are you saying? Do you know the insides of the castle?"

"Yes, I know every corner of the castle. There’s no time to waste. I will explain everything as we go. Let us leave immediately. Please cast a teleportation spell now. I will guide you along the way..." Tarah replied.