Chapter 213: Of Foxes, Succubi, and Other Disasters
Chapter 213: Of Foxes, Succubi, and Other Disasters
Elyn’s POV
I gave him a look. "You said the nobles are below me and that I didn’t even need to be introduced to them, neither did they deserve to be in my presence," I reminded him.
"True. They don’t. But come on, firefly, your work ethic and your leadership skills would not let you just abandon the nobles who had come to officially initiate you into this..." He gestured just over the balcony. "...whatever this is."
"The demon realm?" I asked him.
He smirked. "You know it."
I gave him a look. "You know, you are very expressive tonight and you are speaking a lot."
"Because if I don’t do so, you’d make me do more things that I am unwilling to do. But firefly, did you just pretend not to hear what I just said? You are an upright leader. Don’t make yourself scarce. Don’t leave your subjects," he told me.
"All this just because you don’t want to show me around the capital?" I asked him.
He gave me a lazy look. "I never said I didn’t want to nor that I wouldn’t show you around the capital. I will do that in our spare time and hopefully when I am less tired..." He paused. "And without that nuisance who thinks he can take you from me."
"What nuisance?" I asked him, trying to pinpoint which nuisance exactly he was talking about.
He had called Azerion, Aziren, and Velira—Seraphielle’s daughter—a nuisance after all.
"The blue-eyed one that is a crybaby," he said grumpily.
"You mean Azerion?"
His shadows gasped in shock just as Zorathys’ eyes widened. "He has a name?"
This demon... I chuckled.
"You know very well he has a name, and you even know his name. Stop pretending like you don’t," I told him.
He gave me a small smile. "Well, I don’t like him."
"He doesn’t like you too, and I don’t know why you both dislike each other."
"Ask the snake. He disliked me first," Zorathys told me, making me shake my head at him.
There was some quiet then. As much as I hated to admit it, Zorathys was right. I couldn’t just abandon the nobles because I wanted to see the capital. They were gathered because of me, after all. If I left now, the ball would have no meaning for being held because the person it was being held for wouldn’t be there.
Honestly, I know Zorathys wouldn’t have cared if I told him we should just leave and go sleep or just rest, but like he also said, I was more upright than he was and I could not just abandon them.
"Fine," I said with a sigh.
He stared at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Let’s finish the ball first," I told him.
"But," I added quickly, pointing at him, "after the ball is over, after everything, you are showing me around like you promised."
"...Fine," he said at last. "I promise you. And as long as you keep to my terms, I’ll make sure not to go back on it."
I smiled at that.
The shadows around us shifted suddenly, and then they fell away.
I blinked in shock.
"Why did you do that?" I asked Zorathys immediately. "What if they are not done?"
"We discussed for quite a while, firefly, and when we came here they were already at it. I assure you, they are done."
"You are so certain," I told him.
"Try to listen. With how vocal they were, if they were not done, you and I would be hearing moans," he said calmly, like this was the most normal discussion we could ever have.
True to his words, I listened, and there was no moaning.
I was about to speak to Zorathys when I heard a sound from the ballroom. The music had stopped playing too, so everything was clear.
Zorathys tilted his head slightly as well.
"Unlike you, I’ve met the queen before. The only thing you have to boast about is your business. But I have this over you now," the voice said.
I knew that voice. There was an arrogant air to it right now, one that didn’t exist anytime she was trying to flirt with me.
"We even have a meeting scheduled," Seraphielle continued. "The queen asked me to see her, and I don’t mean that she told me that just this night when I greeted her and the king. This is from a while ago."
"So?" The other voice, one I recognized as Aurelixa’s, replied. "The only thing you managed to beat me on is the fact that you met the queen before me, and through underhanded processes, I’m sure."
She paused, then added, "Wait, did you dress like that just so the queen will take interest in you?"
"That’s how they all dress," another voice spoke up.
"That is true. You succubi always dress to seduce when you should be dressed classy. I’m sure that’s one of the reasons the queen wouldn’t even look in your direction," Aurelixa replied to Seraphielle.
"Oh? She wouldn’t?" Seraphielle asked Aurelixa, then she laughed. "That’s what you think. But you should know, she does look in my direction, and oh, I forgot, Velira has met with her, and the queen was enchanted by her."
I turned to Zorathys, who sighed tiredly.
"If it’s not these two, then it’s someone else," he muttered.
"They are arguing," I told him, trying to hold back my laugh at how obscene this whole thing was.
"Firefly," he called out. "That is just the prelude to a war that could likely come out of this, and I’m going to be honest with you, I’m this close to making them disappear. They shouldn’t be arguing at a ball meant for you, even if they are arguing over you."
I ignored the last part deliberately.
"You promised you wouldn’t make anyone disappear," I told him.
"I did, but they are trying to disrupt the ball meant for you," he told me.
I sighed. "Relax, Zorathys," I told him. "Just take us back to the ballroom. I’ll try to settle this."
I could see the doubt in his eyes.
"No one has ever successfully stopped a fight between the fox and succubi demons," he told me.
I swallowed nervously. "Thanks for the words of encouragement," I told him, and he smiled at me.