Chapter 214: The Queen’s Patience
Chapter 214: The Queen’s Patience
Elyn’s POV
By the time Zorathys brought us back into the ballroom, the argument had escalated far beyond what I had expected.
I stood between Aurelixa and Seraphielle now, my hands folded across my chest.
It was not exactly the position I had imagined myself taking tonight.
Across from me, the fox demons stood behind Aurelixa in a loose formation. Their tails flicked impatiently, their eyes sharp and glowing with irritation.
Behind Seraphielle, the succubi and incubi had gathered as well. They leaned casually against pillars and tables, but there was nothing casual about the tension in their shoulders.
Both sides looked ready to go at each other.
Over what, you may ask... meeting me first.
I sighed and shook my head slowly.
"What," I asked calmly, "do you think you are doing at my ball?"
Aurelixa blinked.
For a moment, genuine surprise crossed her face.
Then she immediately bowed.
"Your Highness," she said quickly. "Please forgive us. I deeply apologize for the disturbance."
Seraphielle bowed as well.
But unlike Aurelixa, she lifted her head almost immediately.
"Your Highness," she said smoothly, "I am genuinely sorry for disrupting your ball, unlike this fox demon who is pretending to apologize."
I wasn’t even able to say a word before Seraphielle continued without hesitation.
"She does not mean her apology. Only I truly mean mine."
Aurelixa slowly turned her head toward Seraphielle.
The look she gave her could have peeled paint from walls.
"Are you alright?" Aurelixa asked flatly.
Seraphielle nodded calmly.
"Yes," she said. "I am perfectly fine. I simply know that you did not mean your apology."
Aurelixa’s eyes narrowed.
"I apologized first."
Seraphielle rolled her eyes.
"Just because you apologized first does not mean anything."
"Oh?"
"Yes," Seraphielle continued smoothly. "You are only upset because my daughter met the queen before your child could."
Aurelixa rolled her eyes so hard I was slightly concerned they might disappear into her skull.
"You mean Velira?" she said dryly. "Please."
Seraphielle lifted her chin proudly.
"Yes. Velira."
Aurelixa snorted.
"You know very well what you are trying to do."
Seraphielle tilted her head.
"And what exactly is that?"
"You are trying to use Velira to seduce the queen," Aurelixa said bluntly.
A collective gasp ran through the succubi and incubi behind Seraphielle.
Seraphielle blinked.
Then she laughed.
"When," she asked lazily, "have I ever needed help in seducing someone?"
Aurelixa crossed her arms.
"Oh please."
Seraphielle waved her hand dismissively.
"Though the queen is beautiful," she added, glancing briefly at me, "I would not go as far as to seduce her, especially not with my daughter."
Well, maybe not with her daughter, but the seducing part... yeah, she was trying to do that. I just wasn’t giving in to her advances.
Aurelixa scoffed.
"You expect anyone here to believe that?"
Seraphielle smiled sweetly.
"Yes."
"You are pretending," Aurelixa said. "It is obvious you want to seduce the queen."
Seraphielle’s smile thinned.
"Well," she said lightly, "it is a good thing your imagination does not determine reality."
"Oh, it is not imagination."
"It very much is."
"Oh?" Aurelixa said. "So I didn’t see you adjust your breasts to make them pop out more from your chest so the queen could take note of them?"
Seraphielle scoffed loudly, even as her eye twitched. "You know, Aurelixa, you should really get creative with your arguments. I only adjusted my breasts because I felt like doing so."
I slowly turned my head. First toward Aurelixa, then toward Seraphielle.
Then back to Aurelixa.
Then back to Seraphielle again.
They were not even looking at me anymore. They were glaring at each other, their argument resumed from where it had stopped.
"You—"
"I cannot believe—"
"You are the one who—"
"Oh please, as if you are any better—"
They were not even letting each other finish their statements anymore. I opened my mouth to say something then, thinking it was my time.
"Actually—"
Neither of them stopped. Instead, they spoke over me.
"—trying to manipulate the situation—"
"—coming from you—"
"—your daughter—"
"—your entire territory—"
Yeah, it really wasn’t my time.
My head moved back and forth between them as their voices overlapped.
Left.
Right.
Left.
Right.
I tried again.
"If you would both—"
Neither of them even acknowledged I had spoken.
Seraphielle stepped closer.
Aurelixa stepped closer.
The distance between them shrank as they did, moving even closer to me.
Behind Aurelixa, the fox demons bristled.
Behind Seraphielle, the succubi and incubi shifted forward as well.
The funny thing was, while some demons were watching with open curiosity, some others went about as though there was not a serious argument happening right now.
"You seducing, manipulative demon!"
"You manipulative, money-hungry demon!"
"You only know pleasure."
"You only know tricks to get more money."
"At least I am not the one parading my daughter around to gain favor."
"And I am not the one bitter that her own child was not chosen first."
I slowly closed my eyes.
Then opened them again.
My patience was already running out.
I looked at Zorathys from where I stood and he gave me a lazy look, his head tilted in question, and I—
Seraphielle and Aurelixa stepped closer again and the suffocating smell of their perfume mixed, giving me a bloody headache as their voices grew louder.
Remember when I said my patience was running out?
Yeah, I was wrong.
My patience had already run out.
"Enough," I said softly, but they kept going at each other.
"...you are insufferable—"
"...you are delusional—"
My eye twitched badly.
Then I spoke again, and no, I did not increase the sound of my voice. I spoke coldly though.
"If I hear one more word from either of you, you will cease to exist this instant," I said.
Immediately I said it, silence descended in the ballroom.
Every single demon in the hall froze.
No one moved. No one spoke. No one even shifted their weight. Those drinking had stopped drinking; those eating had stopped too. Only Zorathys drank from his glass with a smirk on his face.
All eyes turned toward me.
Across from me, Aurelixa’s ears had flattened against her head.
Seraphielle’s confident smile had completely vanished.
The silence deepened.
The hall was so still that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.