Chapter 110: Rin Versus Vaelory, Azerion Versus Zorathys
Chapter 110: Rin Versus Vaelory, Azerion Versus Zorathys
Elyn’s POV
Zorathys gave me a cheeky smile like I had just given him the highest praise. It didn’t even surprise me that he was happy instead.
I sighed. "Well, it’s time to go," I told him.
Zorathys gave a sigh and waved me off.
"Oh no, you are coming with me," I told him.
He just stared at me.
"It seems you like to see me suffer, Firefly," he told me.
I gave him a cheeky smile instead this time, and he rolled his eyes.
He waved his hands, and the exhausted shadow demons who had been working with us retreated into the shadows.
Again, I wasn’t surprised.
I turned and started walking towards the door. Azerion’s hand was warm in mine as we stepped out of the office.
I hadn’t realized how tense my shoulders were until the door creaked open and the quiet hum of magic inside the office gave way to—
Chaos.
Something flew past me, something that I suspected was a shoe. And that was not the only thing that shocked the living daylights out of me right now.
Rin and Vaelory were in the middle of what could only be described as a very committed brawl. I’m inclined to believe they signed their names on dotted lines with a vow to finish this brawl... don’t ask how I know.
Hair was being yanked out of each other’s heads. Fingers tangled deep in dark strands and lighter ones, both of them leaning back with the determination of warriors locked in mortal combat. Vaelory’s sleeve was torn clean down the seam. Rin’s collar was half off her shoulder, and there were two pieces of jewelry on the floor that I suspected belonged to Fin—but where she had gotten them from, I had no idea.
There was also a scuff on the floor where someone had been shoved hard enough to slide.
They froze the moment they saw me, which was a whole minute after I had opened the door.
For half a second, all four of us just stared at each other.
Then Rin and Vaelory sprang apart like guilty children caught stealing sweets.
They smoothed their clothes with frantic speed. Vaelory twisted her hair back into place, cheeks flushed. Rin tugged her collar up and quickly picked up the jewels on the floor, which were... shiny. She straightened her sleeves and cleared her throat with exaggerated dignity.
"My lady," Rin said brightly, as if she hadn’t just been trying to scalp someone, "you’re back."
I gave her a dry look. She was behaving like I had gone to the city or something when I was in the office the entire time.
"I never left," I said flatly.
Rin nodded, undeterred by the fact that I had just told her that I had been where I was throughout.
"I see you guys were enjoying yourselves and serving the punishment I gave you," I told them.
Rin and Vaelory looked at each other, then at me, then back at each other before nodding enthusiastically.
"It was a very nice punishment," Vaelory told me.
"Yes," Rin nodded. "Very nice indeed, we got to know the ehn..."
Rin turned and whispered loudly to Vaelory. "What did she say we should do?"
"I’ve forgotten," Vaelory whispered back loudly.
"I told you guys to just stand," I told them.
"Right," they said at the same time.
"Yes, it was a very nice standing while standing the punishment," Rin said to me.
Vaelory hit her. "That makes no sense."
"Well then say something that makes sense," Rin whispered back.
"It was a very nice punishment while standing the punishment," Vaelory said to me.
My lips twitched, but I tried to contain myself, coughing into my hands instead.
"That’s wrong," Azerion told them. "It’s supposed to be, ’It was a very nice punishment, standing.’"
Rin made a face at him, and he made one back.
"So you and Vaelory are now friends?" I asked Rin.
Rin looked at Vaelory, who stared back with wide eyes. They hugged each other awkwardly.
"Best of friends, my lady," Rin said with a fake smile.
"Yes, best of friends," Vaelory said with a fake smile too.
I just gave them a look. "You can stop pretending. I’m not going to punish you for not doing what I said," I told them, and they immediately gave each other space.
Best of friends, my ass.
"Anyways, I need your help," I said, already moving past them with Azerion following behind me. "I’m getting dressed. Zorathys and I have places to be."
That wiped the expressions off their faces immediately.
They exchanged a look—confusion, surprise, a flicker of alarm—before scrambling after me.
We moved quickly through the halls, the castle’s stones warm beneath my feet, Azerion never letting go of my hand. By the time we reached my chambers, the decision had already settled in my bones. There was no backing out now.
The door opened.
And there was Zorathys.
On my bed.
Very comfortable.
He was stretched out like he owned the place, one arm behind his head, boots still on my blankets. He looked like he’d claimed the space by right of existing in it.
Azerion stopped short, and so did I.
I blinked the shock away, remembering that Zorathys had enough magic to get here before Azerion and I could.
Azerion immediately let go of my hand and marched to Zorathys, who stared at him with half-lidded eyes, his hand picking up one of my pillows and adjusting it so he could sleep comfortably.
"Get up," he said sharply.
Zorathys gave a loud, lazy yawn that showed he had absolutely no concern for anybody in the room.
"And who," Zorathys asked languidly, "are you to tell me to get up from my wife’s bed?"
The room went very, very still.
"Fiancée," I corrected Zorathys.
"Potato, potahto," he told me.
Azerion bristled instantly. "This bed is for the queen. You should not be in her room."
Zorathys cracked one eye open. "Interesting."
He turned his head slightly, red gaze sliding to Azerion. "The queen has been in my room numerous times."
"That’s different," Azerion snapped.
"How so?" Zorathys asked, genuinely curious—or pretending to be.
"This is her room," Azerion said. "You don’t belong here."
Zorathys hummed. "And yet, here I am."
I sighed. Loudly.
"I’ve only been in your room three times," I said, rolling my eyes.
Zorathys turned to look at me fully now, expression wounded. "Three?"
"Yes."
He clicked his tongue. "Firefly, it seems you’re not good with numbers."
I crossed my arms. "Oh?"
"To me," he continued smoothly, "you’ve been in my room a thousand times. Every time you enter, I end up doing a thousand times more work."
I gave him a look. "Turns out I’m not the one bad at numbers after all."
Azerion didn’t care. He pulled at Zorathys. "Leave the bed."
Zorathys gave him a look with those ruby irises of his.
"You should know, Syntheris, I do not like people touching me—especially people I do not give permission to do so," Zorathys told Azerion coldly.
"Don’t bully the boy, Zorathys," I told him with a glare.
Zorathys gave me a look. "How am I the one bullying him?"
"He’s a child, and you are on my bed with your shoes on," I told him.
Zorathys gave me a look, then in the blink of an eye, the shoes disappeared and he was barefoot.
Vaelory squeaked at that.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at me like I’d just confessed to something scandalous and possibly illegal. "Y-Your Highness," she stammered, "are you really sure you want to go to the Beast Territory... alone? I understand you not wanting to go with the raven, but maybe I should go with you."
I had told them on the way to my bedroom why I needed help with getting dressed, and Vaelory had been in shock since then because I told her she and Rin wouldn’t be coming with me.
"There is no need for you guys to go with me," I told them.
"But my lady," Rin cried out, "you can’t be going to the Beast Territory alone. You may need me, and not this human here who thinks she’s better than me." Rin said, giving Vaelory a side-eye.
Zorathys yawned loudly and then spoke up, his voice filling the room even though he looked like he wasn’t making the effort to make it so.
"She wouldn’t be going alone," he said.
Vaelory turned to him. "I do not understand."
"Are you going with her?" Rin asked him.
"Yes."
"That—" Vaelory swallowed. "That doesn’t make it better."
She turned back to me, worry etched across her face. "Your Highness, please think again. He’s a demon."
Then she lowered her voice to a whisper that wasn’t really a whisper.
"He’s the strongest demon to exist. He’s dangerous, your Highness," she told me.
I nodded. "I know."
Zorathys snorted softly. "I can hear you," he said.
"See what I mean?" Vaelory asked me with wide eyes.
Azerion stepped forward then and, in a firm voice, said,
"I will be going with her. I can protect her."