Chapter 309: Explanations, Accusations, and the Children Who Fought Like Demons
Chapter 309: Explanations, Accusations, and the Children Who Fought Like Demons
Elyn’s POV
I placed Aziren on the floor.
His small feet had barely touched the ground when he immediately tried to move toward Azerion, his little body already leaning in that direction, his eyes bright with excitement at seeing his friend again. But before he could take more than a single step, Zayrion’s hand shot out and held him back.
"Wait," Zayrion whispered urgently. "The Queen is angry."
Aziren froze at those words. His eyes flicked toward me with uncertainty. Then he nodded slowly and stayed where he was, his small hands clasped in front of him.
I appreciated that.
One child who actually listened, even though he had basically been missing some moments ago, but well... that wasn’t the point.
My focus was now on the three riffraffs who sat like they were conducting important business... except Azerion, though. That one looked like he was stuffing his mouth with food, which, yes, he was.
I crossed my arms over my chest and fixed them with a look.
"What," I said slowly, my voice dangerously calm, "is going on here?"
They swallowed at the exact same time.
It was almost impressive how synchronized they were—Velira, Brixton, and Azerion all gulping in unison, their eyes going wide, their expressions shifting from panic and composed to even more panic... I don’t know how that was possible.
They looked at each other, then back at me, then at each other again, and I could practically see their minds scrambling for an explanation that wouldn’t get them in more trouble.
Then Azerion and Velira pointed at Brixton.
"It was his idea," they said in perfect unison.
Brixton’s face went pale.
His ears, which had already been slightly red, deepened to a shade that was almost alarming. He looked like he would rather dissolve into the walls and disappear entirely than be here, being accused by two children who had just thrown him under the carriage without a second thought.
I stared at them.
"You know what," I said with a fake smile. "While you all were in here, I spent my time outside behind a huge number of demons. The line moved so slowly that I even thought I was going to decompose, but then finally my number was called and I walked into this place. And... oh well, I don’t even know what I was expecting, but I stayed in line for minutes..."
"It was close to an hour, Your Majesty," Zayrion said.
"I stood in line for an hour," I corrected. "An hour just to get to see you all?"
I paused and then, as if I had just remembered, I told them again.
"I stood outside for an hour!"
Azerion’s voice came out small and uncertain, his cheeks still puffed with the remnants of whatever he had been eating.
"Are you mad at us," he asked carefully, "or are you mad that you spent time standing?"
I looked at him.
"Both!" I told him.
The children exchanged glances, their eyes wide, as they calculated their means of survival.
"You know what, you all better have a good explanation for what’s going on before I count to ten, and just so you know, if I don’t get a good explanation, then you all are banned from the palace," I told them.
Before they could say anything, I started counting.
"Two."
Their eyes widened, and foolish Azerion spoke up.
"That’s not how you count," he said. "You’re supposed to start with one."
I jumped to five without acknowledging his comment.
"Five."
Velira gasped sharply. Her small wings fluttered with alarm, and she immediately turned to Brixton and hit him on the arm—hard enough that he winced.
"Explain, you rock face!" she hissed at him. "You’re the one who—"
"Why should I be the one to explain?" Brixton shot back, rubbing his arm where she had hit him. "You were the one who said we should come here in the first place!"
"Seven," I said.
Velira’s eyes widened even further. She turned back to Brixton, her voice rising with desperation.
"I only said we should come here because it seemed like the best idea at the time!" she insisted. "You were the one who agreed to it!"
"I only agreed because you made it sound like a good idea!" Brixton argued.
"I didn’t make it sound like anything! I just said—"
"You said it. I still remember..."
"Eight," I said.
Both their eyes went wide. They looked at each other, then at me, then back at each other. The argument died in their throats as they realised they were running out of time.
Then, at the exact same time, they spoke.
"We came to choose a spouse!" they blurted out.
At the same moment, Azerion’s voice cut through.
"They lured me with food!" he shouted, pointing accusingly at them. "I never wanted to be here! They said there would be snacks, and I followed, and then I was stuck! And then they wouldn’t let me leave because there were more snacks! They trapped me!"
There was a beat of stunned silence. A very stunned silence, and then suddenly everything was in fast motion.
Velira jumped from her chair.
Her small body launched itself across Brixton, who was between them, so she could reach Azerion, who yelped as she descended on him.
They fought.
Well, if it could even be called fighting. It was more like Velira trying to grab Azerion while Azerion tried to fend her off with a pastry he had somehow managed to keep hold of throughout the entire confrontation. They tumbled across the floor, their voices rising in overlapping shouts and accusations.
"You betrayed us!" Velira shrieked.
"I didn’t betray anyone! I just told the truth!" Azerion shouted back, swinging the pastry like a weapon.
"You threw me under the carriage!"
"I threw the truth! It’s not my fault the truth was under the carriage!"
"YOU ARE THE WORST FRIEND EVER!"
"I DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO BE HERE!"
"THEN WHY DID YOU FOLLOW US?!"
"BECAUSE I’M EASILY LURED BY PASTRIES!"
"THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER!"
"IT MAKES IT UNDERSTANDABLE!"
"IT DOES NOT!"
Oh, migraine, how clearly I see you coming toward me.