Chapter 220: The Demogazine Strikes Back (And Apparently I’m the Cover Model)
Chapter 220: The Demogazine Strikes Back (And Apparently I’m the Cover Model)
Elyn’s POV
It was strange, but sometimes these demons actually listened.
No one had disturbed me while I slept the previous day. Not once.
Everyone had respected the peace I had requested.
And I had slept like a baby.
But this was the demon realm, and rest—especially for someone who was about to become queen—never lasted long.
Which was why I was currently sitting in the office.
There was work to be done.
Instead of doing any of that, however, I had three mismatched creature...two were demons and one was a human...standing in front of me staring at me like I had suddenly grown another head.
Or perhaps like I had exploded and reassembled incorrectly.
They looked both terrified and excited.
I glared at them.
Morthen—who was normally the most composed of the three—adjusted his glasses nervously. His large compound eyes stared at me with a strange mixture of excitement and fear.
The fact that I could recognize excitement in a face that resembled a scholarly moth said a lot about how long I had already lived in this realm.
At this point I had grown used to their appearances.
And their behavior.
Mostly.
Rin stood beside him trying very hard not to smile.
Unfortunately for her, she was failing.
Her grin kept breaking through and every time it did she pinched the edges of her lips with her fingers to force them back into a straight line.
I had no idea how that technique worked.
But somehow it did.
Vaelory stood on the other side looking just as excited, and because she was human, her expressions were far easier to read. She looked like someone who had just discovered treasure and was trying very hard not to shout about it.
"Okay," I said slowly. "There is clearly something happening."
All three of them froze.
"What is it?" I asked.
Their smiles widened immediately.
Rin elbowed Vaelory.
"Show her," she said.
Vaelory turned to her with a frown. "It’s not with me. You said you were bringing it. You show her."
"Me?" Rin asked. "When did I say I was bringing it?"
"Yesterday," Vaelory said firmly. "After Her Highness sent us away from her chambers."
"But I didn’t bring it with me. I thought you did."
"That wasn’t what we agreed on," Vaelory said, scandalized. "How was I supposed to know you didn’t bring it? And why didn’t you say anything before?"
I leaned back slightly in my chair.
What were they talking about?
"Um," Morthen said cautiously as he cleared his throat.
Both of them turned to him instantly.
"Shut up, Morthen."
Morthen’s eyes widened.
Then he nodded and adjusted his glasses obediently.
Meanwhile Rin and Vaelory continued their argument as though nothing had happened, no surprise there.
"You should have said you didn’t carry it," Rin insisted.
"Me?" Vaelory gasped. "You were the one who said you were going to bring it."
"But we—"
"I brought it!"
Morthen’s voice cut through the room suddenly.
Both women turned toward him slowly.
"Well," Rin said, narrowing her eyes, "why didn’t you say so from the beginning?"
"I tried to..."
"You just let me and Rin argue for nothing," Vaelory added accusingly.
"But I tried to speak," Morthen said helplessly. "You both told me to shut up."
"Next time," Rin said seriously, "you should speak clearer."
"And louder," Vaelory added.
Morthen looked like he regretted existing.
"Where is it then?" Vaelory asked, holding out her hands.
I watched all of this like someone who had come to see a theatrical performance.
A confusing theatrical performance.
Morthen sighed.
Then he reached into the inner pocket of his trousers and carefully pulled out a small parchment wrapping.
He handled it with the seriousness of someone presenting an ancient relic.
He untied the ribbon and unfolded the parchment.
Inside was a glossy book.
At first glance it looked exactly like a magazine from my previous life.
I frowned.
The cover was thick and smooth, made of high-quality parchment treated to shine slightly under the light. The edges were reinforced with delicate black threading.
Morthen gave it to me and I took it from him delicately.
Across the top of the cover, written in elegant gold lettering, were the words:
DEMOGAZINE
The font itself was dramatic, curling and stylish, as though the letters were made of smoke.
The moment I saw the cover image, I froze.
Because I was staring at myself.
"My lady," Rin said proudly.
"You made..." Morthen began, smiling so widely that his moth-like appearance became even more pronounced.
"Front page!" Vaelory finished excitedly.
All three of them shrieked in celebration.
I stared down at the demogazine in my hands.
There I was.
Standing beside Zorathys on the carpet of doom.
The cover photograph was stunning.
The background was filled with blurred jewel-lights from the demorazzi cameras, glowing like scattered stars. The carpet stretched beneath our feet in deep crimson, and shadows curled subtly along the edges like living smoke.
I stood in front of him wearing the black silk gown Zorathys had chosen.
The gold embroidery climbed from the hem of the dress like rising flames, the ruby threads catching flashes of light. The high neckline framed my posture, and the long embroidered stole flowed behind my shoulders like dark wings.
In the image I was standing with my back to the paparazzi as I turned towards someone who I was pretty sure was Zorathys.
Bold headlines surrounded the image:
"THE QUEEN: BELLE OF THE BALL"
"ONE GLANCE AND THE REALM FALLS AT HER FEET"
"A NEW ERA OF FASHION IN THE DEMON REALM?"
I blinked slowly.
I wasn’t one to brag.
But...
I looked good.
Actually, I looked incredible.
If I hadn’t known it was me, I might have been fangirling right now.
Who was I kidding?
I was already fangirling.
"I look... amazing," I admitted.
Rin nodded enthusiastically.
"You are the best dressed," she declared proudly.
I flipped the page.
The next spread filled both pages.
It was another image.
But this one of me and Zorathys.
He stood close beside me, one hand holding mine. His posture was relaxed but powerful, his shadows faintly curling along the floor behind him.
And I was looking directly at him. The image had captured the moment perfectly.
My expression was softer than I remembered feeling. My eyes held warmth and focus, as though nothing else existed.
And Zorathys...
He was looking back at me with that same quiet intensity.
The headline above the image read:
"THE KING AND HIS BEAUTIFUL QUEEN."
Another caption followed beneath:
"MATCHING BLACK SILK AND GOLD EMBROIDERY — A SYMBOL OF UNITY, POWER, AND STYLE."
I stared at the page.
"...When did they even take this picture?" I muttered.
Rin leaned closer and grinned.
"The demorazzi are very good at their jobs."