Chapter 180: Whispers Behind the Throne
Chapter 180: Whispers Behind the Throne
Ignivar and Naviel stood in silence long after the shadows swallowed their king whole.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them moved.
They simply stared at the empty space Zorathys had occupied moments ago—as if the air itself had offended them by daring to return to normal.
Naviel was the first to exhale.
Ignivar blinked once, slowly, like a demon attempting to process something that defied every natural law of his existence.
They had no idea how the queen was still alive even after speaking to the king like that. Everytime they witnessed the king and the queen talk, they always ended up in shock at how the queen spoke to the king.
If it had been any other demon—any other creature—who had looked at Zorathys the way the queen just had, spoken to him the way she just had, called him a nuisance to his face... there would have been blood on the floor.
Heads would have flown. Limbs would have followed. The walls would have needed repainting.
Sometimes blood wouldn’t exist because he’d make the demon seize from existence with just a snap of his fingers.
Zorathys did not tolerate insolence.
He did not tolerate familiarity except from a few people. Very few people and even those people controlled themselves around Zorathys.
And yet—
He had stood there. He had smiled, teased and even invited her on a picnic.
Ignivar dragged a hand down his face. He knew the reason why Zorathys had invited the queen on a picnic, he was jealous because she had spent time with Aziren and Azerion and he wanted her to spend time with him too.
But even at at that...the last potential queen never even received an invitation.
That demoness had chased the throne like it was prey. She had sought favor, status, advantage. She had attended gatherings, flattered nobles, ignored the endless conflicts within the realm. Work had never interested her. The demon realm burned, and she had been busy selecting jewels.
Zorathys had never once asked her to skip anything.
Never once hovered.
Never once watched.
But with Elyn—
He lingered.
He watched.
He appeared out of nowhere simply to observe her or to annoy her because he found her interesting. Ad he even admitted although in a roundabout way that was exactly like what Zorathys would do, that he liked the queen .
The queen may not have believed him. She had looked at him as if he were playing a game. As if his words were nothing more than another attempt to distract her.
But Ignivar and Naviel knew their king. They were among the select few who could be considered Zorathys friends. Ignivar grew up with Zorayhys too.
He lied for amusement.
He lied for strategy.
He lied to manipulate outcomes. He lied when it was convenient for him to lie. He was the embodiment of everything the human realm referred to as vices.
They should have known from the moment the door reacted to her. That she was the perfect match for the king.
The shadows had reacted to her too. The listened and even bowed to her. The shadows only ever obeyed Zorathys. They were like an extension of Zorathys himself but yes, they also had a mind of their own and Ignivar and Naviel suspected that the shadows were just Zorathys subconscious, they were actually just him in another form.
And they were stubborn, extremely so but they recognized the queen as their own.
Elyn wasn’t aware of the thoughts going through Naviel and Ignivar’s head. They worked together after all and not once did they voice anything out.
There was a knock at the door and they paused.
"Come in," Elyn spoke out.
The door opened and Versha stepped inside, elegant and efficient as ever.
She offered a respectful nod.
"Your Highness, you need to try on the final selections for the ball."
Ignivar and Naviel exchanged a knowing look.
Elyn’s shoulders visibly sagged at those words.
She had been trying on gowns for days.
Silks. Velvets. Embroidered clothes. Most of the clothes she liked but they still had not found something suitable for the ball itself.
And seeing how the demons valued beauty like currency, Elyn couldn’t go dressed as just any regular person or wearing her regular clothes. She needed to be sophisticated and breathtaking, something that would.make every demon pause and turn to her especially a nice she was to rule over them...Rin’s words.
"I’m sorry," Elyn said to Ignivar and Naviel, genuine regret in her voice. "We were halfway through—"
"We can handle it," Naviel interrupted immediately.
Ignivar nodded. "Focus on yourself, your highness."
She studied them for a moment.
Then smiled.
"I can make Zorathys help you," she offered.
Both demons reacted instantly.
They shook their heads in perfect, synchronized refusal.
The image of the king "helping" with seating arrangements felt like inviting a wildfire into a library.
Elyn laughed softly at their reaction.
"I understand," she said.
But her eyes gleamed mischievously.
"When I get the chance, I’ll be right back."
Ignivar opened his mouth to protest.
Then closed it.
Arguing with her when she made that expression was unwise.
Naviel inclined his head instead.
"We will await your return."
Satisfied, she turned.
Morthen fell into step behind her as the three of them, Versha, Morthen and Elyn walked out of the office.
The door closed softly behind them as they did.
Silence returned once more.
Ignivar stared at the door for a long moment.
Naviel exhaled slowly.
"There would be no better queen," Naviel said quietly.
"No," Ignivar agreed. "We have to make sure she stays."
And they could only hope that the ball didn’t result in a war outbreak because they could see that if it did, then the queen would look for every reason to leave.
"Should we go through the sitting arrangements again?" Naviel asked Ignivar.
Ignivar nodded. "We have to make sure she stays after all. Let’s do that."