Chapter 215: Order Restored
Chapter 215: Order Restored
Elyn’s POV
The silence that followed my words was so complete it almost felt unreal.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Aurelixa and Seraphielle both bowed so quickly it was almost comical.
"We apologize, Your Highness," they said at the same time.
Their voices were sharp with urgency, the earlier hostility between them completely gone.
I stared at them for a second.
Then I sighed.
"To be honest," I said, "I care very little about your apologies."
Both of their heads snapped up slightly, but neither dared straighten fully.
"This," I continued, gesturing around the ballroom, "is a ball."
My gaze swept across the grand hall. The chandeliers above glowed softly, casting warm golden light across polished floors, glittering jewelry, and elaborate gowns.
"This is my ball," I added calmly.
Their shoulders stiffened.
"And you are not here to argue at my ball."
Neither of them spoke.
"I will not condone arguments," I continued, my voice steady, "or fighting at the ball that was meant to welcome me."
The fox demons behind Aurelixa shifted uncomfortably.
Across from them, the succubi and incubi suddenly looked far less relaxed than they had earlier.
I folded my arms again.
"Especially when the argument makes absolutely no sense."
Both women remained very still.
"I personally do not care who meets me first," I said flatly.
That seemed to surprise them.
"Really?" they asked.
I nodded. "Yes."
"In fact," I continued, "Aurelixa, if you wish to bring your child to the palace to see me, you are free to do so."
Aurelixa blinked in surprise.
"I like children," I added simply. "Quite a lot, actually."
Zorathys suddenly cleared his throat—loudly too.
Well, I wasn’t speaking for both of us, so I ignored him.
My attention stayed fixed on the two demons in front of me.
"So if either of you believes that meeting me first gives you some sort of advantage," I continued, "you can stop worrying about that immediately."
"More importantly," I said, my tone growing colder, "if you both know what is good for you, you will not even think about having the ridiculous argument you were just having."
"I will not have a war break out at my introductory ball," I continued firmly.
Behind them, their respective followers were now avoiding my gaze entirely.
Fox demons suddenly found the floor very interesting.
The succubi and incubi seemed fascinated by the ceiling.
"Is that understood?" I asked.
Neither answered immediately.
They simply stood there.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Did I make myself clear?" I asked coldly.
They both froze and then nodded quickly.
"Yes, Your Highness," Aurelixa said.
"Perfectly clear, Your Highness," Seraphielle said.
I studied them for another moment.
Then I nodded once.
"Good."
I lowered my arms.
"Now go dance."
They blinked.
"Your Highness?"
"I said you should go and dance with your partners and do behave like adults while you are at it too."
"Yes, Your Highness," they said and then bowed again before turning and walking in opposite directions—no surprise there.
The rest of the nobles still stared at me, their mouths ajar, shock on their faces too.
I sighed.
Then I turned toward the orchestra.
The poor musicians looked like they had forgotten how instruments worked.
"You may continue playing," I told them.
They blinked at me.
"Music," I clarified.
"Oh!"
One of them jumped.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The conductor hurriedly lifted his baton.
"Everyone," I added, raising my voice slightly so the hall could hear me, "please return to dancing and enjoying the ball."
For a second, no one moved.
Then several demons nodded quickly.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Of course."
"Certainly."
The tension in the room slowly began to dissolve.
The orchestra began playing again.
The music started softly at first. Then it gradually grew louder.
Couples began moving toward the dance floor again.
Conversations resumed.
Laughter returned.
Within a minute, it almost looked as though the earlier confrontation had never happened.
Almost.
I turned away from the center of the hall and walked toward where Zorathys was standing.
He had watched the entire situation unfold with a lazy sort of amusement.
When I stopped beside him, he smiled.
"Well," he said.
Then he handed me his glass of wine.
I took it without looking, mostly because I was still thinking about the chaos I had just dealt with.
I took a sip from it and immediately made a face. At least this time I wasn’t coughing.
"Why," I asked slowly, "did you give me this?"
Zorathys chuckled.
"You took it without asking."
"You know I don’t like this... whatever it is you are drinking."
"I do."
"Then why give it to me?"
His shoulders shook slightly with quiet laughter.
"Because it was amusing."
I glared at him.
He raised both hands.
"My apologies, firefly."
Just then, one of his shadows stretched toward us.
A moment later it offered me a glass of water. I accepted it gratefully and drank from it.
"Are you certain you are not a demon?" Zorathys asked me.
I blinked in shock.
"What? Where did that come from?"
"Firefly, what you just did," he said slowly, "is exactly the sort of thing a demon would do."
I tilted my head.
"A demon wouldn’t let the situation escalate?"
Zorathys actually considered that.
He hummed thoughtfully.
"Well," he admitted, "a demon would absolutely let it escalate."
"That’s what I thought."
"But," he continued, raising one finger, "a demon could also put a stop to it the way you just did."
I chuckled at that but didn’t say anything, and neither did Zorathys.
For a while we simply stood there and watched the others dance.
Demons flooded the dance floor.
The orchestra had switched to a faster song.
The rhythm of the music had changed completely. This one was energetic and lively.
Zorathys suddenly yawned, his hand covering his mouth lazily.
Then he sighed again.
"The after-party should probably begin now. I’m tired of watching these demons behave like they have a sense of decorum, and at least that would give me an excuse to escape," he said.