Chapter 200: Who Told You To Rise?
Chapter 200: Who Told You To Rise?
Elyn’s POV
I turned to him sharply. "Zorathys!"
He ignored me and continued.
"It should be known throughout the realm that she is to be respected."
His ruby eyes swept across the crowd slowly.
"And even one word uttered against her, an action or even a sneer..."
His shadows stirred faintly at his feet.
"I will not waste time getting rid of you... that is all. Now that the introductions are done, I think the ball has served its purpose, and I’m sure you all have taken my words clearly."
There was silence after he spoke. It was thick, and I wondered if perhaps the demons hated what had just happened. This was not the way I planned or imagined a speech for the introductory ball would be, but then again, this was Zorathys. And he had oh so conveniently just told the demons to meet with me for any work they had... I was not even surprised.
Just when I thought the demons wouldn’t speak, a voice rang out from somewhere near the left side of the hall.
"We obey your words, Your Majesty!"
I blinked.
I recognized that voice. It was a voice I heard almost every day... at least since I got to the demon realm.
Before I could even speak, every demon followed.
"We obey!"
"We would never disrespect the Queen!"
"Long live the Queen!"
Their heads bowed.
All of them.
Even the demons floating in the air lowered themselves.
Even the ones carrying trays of wine and delicate pastries bent forward mid-flight.
The entire hall bowed.
My heart thudded loudly in my chest.
Zorathys waved his hand lazily, and the demons began to rise.
"Who told you to rise?" he asked them calmly, but his voice held threat.
Every demon froze halfway upright.
Slowly, cautiously, they lowered themselves again.
He glanced sideways at me as if bored.
"I am not the star of this ball," he said mildly. "The Queen is."
His shadows shifted slightly behind him.
"Until she tells you to stand... you remain bowed."
I turned to him with wide eyes.
Was he serious?
He pretended not to notice me staring at him.
As if this was entirely normal.
As if it were common practice to make an entire ballroom remain bent at the waist indefinitely.
His shadows slipped away from him stealthily, weaving between legs and gowns and polished shoes until they reached one of the hovering trays.
They plucked a glass of wine from it.
The demon holding the tray did not dare react.
The glass floated back through the air and settled into Zorathys’ waiting hand.
He took a slow sip, then paused and made a face.
His nose wrinkled faintly. It was obvious to me he did not like the taste. How one could be picky with food and also with wine was above me.
The glass disappeared from his fingers as the shadows whisked it away in search of a better option.
I stared at him.
He sipped a second one; this one was the color of water.
He paused again.
Made the exact same face.
The shadows removed it immediately.
He sighed quietly, as if personally offended by the existence of mediocre wine.
Meanwhile—
The entire hall was still bowed, waiting for me.
I cleared my throat.
"You may rise," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "It is a ball. You should all enjoy yourselves."
There was a collective exhale.
Like an entire room had been holding its breath.
Then they rose.
The music resumed cautiously at first—then fully.
Conversations sparked back to life.
Laughter returned.
Movement resumed.
But—
Something had changed.
Eyes kept darting toward me.
Quick glances.
Careful looks.
As if approaching me required formal training and possibly a written application.
Zorathys took another offered glass. This one was purple in color. He sipped from it, and he didn’t make a face this time, perfectly content with the wine. Now I was curious. I was going to have to taste it.
His shoulders relaxed faintly.
I glanced at him.
Around us, demons resumed mingling.
The long-necked ones bent elegantly to whisper to shorter companions.
The fire demons laughed, sparks flickering brighter with their amusement.
A wolf-faced demon adjusted his cufflinks while staring at me as if unsure whether eye contact was allowed.
And then—
One demon stepped forward.
Her gown was entirely black—deep, matte black that absorbed the light instead of reflecting it. Yet as she moved, small embedded jewels caught the glow of the chandeliers, flashing silver and deep blue like distant stars.
Her eyes were sharp and depthless, black orbs staring back at me.
She stopped a respectful distance in front of me and then smiled... that same smile that seemed to be the recipe for horror stories.
Then she bowed her head.
"My lady," she said in greeting.
The other demons whispered to each other, some asking if she was okay and why she would even approach me when I was with the king. That she was just the daughter of a baron, and even if she was doted on by her father, it did not mean that she should just approach me.
I turned to Zorathys. "Could it be that they don’t know who she is to me?" I asked him.
He shook his head and then sighed. "Some demons are dense," he told me. "Although we didn’t broadcast it, it’s not really a secret."
I turned to the demon still bowed; one would think she was always this obedient.
"Rise," I told her, and she did, her smile still on her face.
"What are you even doing here? You never told me you’d be here," I told her.
She chuckled. "I wanted it to be a surprise, and besides, my lady, it’s your day. I’m not going to spoil it."
I chuckled. "Color me surprised."
"Do you want me to tell you about all the nobles here? I could help you with information," she said excitedly.
"There’s a reason I’m here," Zorathys told her.
"You don’t even like speaking because it’s too much work for you, Zorathys," I told him. "Why would you tell me about all the demons here?"
The demon nodded her head in agreement.
Zorathys smiled at her. "Rin, do you still want to work for the Queen?" he asked her.