Chapter 154: Falling in Love (Again, Apparently)
Chapter 154: Falling in Love (Again, Apparently)
Guilidern was in the middle of a perfectly uneventful morning. On second thought, the first half of his morning had been eventful, what with the letter from the palace.
He sat in his office, a glass of wine placed in front of him as he went through the latest magazine from the pleasure house. It showed various succubi in skimpy dresses across the cover. He wished his wife was in the magazine too, but alas—she was the boss and not someone who worked in the pleasure house after all.
He flipped through the magazine, taking note of who he was going to spend the rest of his day with, and also who he could invite to his house as a birthday gift for his wife. Seraphielle liked it when they could share demons, and he liked it too.
He also hoped that the queen would accept the advances from his wife. It had been a long time since he’d seen Seraphielle so enamored with anyone.
He had just taken a sip from the wine when suddenly the air warped around him.
There was a familiar ripple—magic folding in on itself—and then, without warning, Seraphielle appeared in the middle of the office in a swirl of purple light and perfume that he was absolutely obsessed with, with Velira clutched securely in her arms.
Guilidern startled so violently that the magazine slipped from his hands.
It fluttered to the floor like a wounded bird.
He stared.
They stared back.
"...Why," Guilidern said slowly, pushing his chair back as he stood, "are you both back so early?"
Seraphielle blinked at him, eyes wide and shining with literal stars in them.
Velira wriggled immediately. "Mama, put me down."
Seraphielle complied absently, setting Velira on the floor like one might release an excited pet. Velira immediately straightened her dress, adjusted her teddy, and bounced on her heels, already vibrating with energy.
Guilidern’s brows knit together as concern crept in. "Did something happen? I thought perhaps you would spend more time in the palace trying to convince the queen to get with you."
Seraphielle clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
"The queen," she breathed.
Guilidern paused.
"...The queen," he repeated carefully.
Seraphielle nodded fervently. Her wings fluttered once behind her, as if unable to contain her excitement. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling with something dangerously close to awe.
"The queen is terrifying," she said reverently.
Guilidern stared at her.
Velira nodded sagely. "Very scary, Papa."
Seraphielle gasped softly, pressing one hand to her chest. "I fell in love with her all over again."
Guilidern stared at his wife. He was falling in love with her all over again by seeing her fall in love with the queen all over again. There was a light in her eyes that he liked. She looked so joyful and happy that he couldn’t help it, but he needed to understand what was happening right now.
"You fell in love again, love?" he asked her, just to be certain he’d heard her.
Either way, he didn’t even mind because he liked that she was falling in love with the queen. To him, Seraphielle deserved all the best in the world. She deserved every beautiful demon in the world.
"Yes," Seraphielle said without hesitation, beaming. "Truly, deeply, overwhelmingly. She spoke and the entire hall obeyed. The air itself listened. I think even the king’s shadows bowed."
Velira looked up at her father. "She’s very beautiful too," she added helpfully. "But there’s one ugly boy I don’t like."
"Ugly... boy?" he echoed, one eyebrow lifting. "The queen already has a child?"
Velira made a face. "The queen can’t make an ugly child like that. This boy is very ugly, and he talks too much too."
Guilidern rubbed his temple. "Velira," he said gently, "why don’t you tell me exactly what happened?"
Velira’s eyes lit up.
"I was trying to get Mama to teach the queen how to dance," she said proudly, hands gesturing wildly. "Because Mama is the best dancer ever. But the ugly boy wouldn’t let her."
Seraphielle sniffed indignantly.
"He kept interrupting," Velira continued. "And he said Mama wasn’t beautiful."
The temperature in the room dropped.
Guilidern froze.
"...Someone," he said slowly, dread creeping into his voice, "said that my wife was not beautiful?"
Velira nodded emphatically. "Uh-huh."
Seraphielle folded her arms. "He was rude."
Guilidern inhaled sharply, eyes widening in disbelief. "Who would dare—"
"And the king was there too!" Velira added.
Guilidern choked.
"The king," he repeated faintly.
"Yes," Seraphielle said breezily. "Zorathys himself."
Guilidern turned to her fully now, panic finally setting in. "Are you alright?" he asked quickly, hands already reaching for her shoulders. "Did he threaten you? Say something inappropriate? Loom menacingly?"
Seraphielle blinked.
Then shook her head. "Oh no. He didn’t even look at me."
Guilidern paused.
"...He didn’t?"
She smiled dreamily. "He was completely enamored with the queen."
Guilidern stared at her like she’d just spoken an alien language.
"Really?" he asked.
Velira nodded enthusiastically. "It’s true! He wanted to see the queen dance."
Guilidern blinked. "Dance?"
Velira giggled. "She’s really bad at it."
Seraphielle coughed into her hand. "Velira."
"What?" Velira said innocently. "She just flails around."
Guilidern sat down very slowly.
He looked... stunned. He could not understand what his daughter was saying. What did she mean by the queen just flailing around? The queen couldn’t dance? But then why would she be queen if she couldn’t dance?
Seraphielle knelt in front of her daughter, placing her hands gently on Velira’s shoulders. "Did you like the queen?" she asked softly.
Velira nodded without hesitation. "Uh-huh."
Seraphielle hesitated, then asked quietly, "Do you think... the queen and I look good together?"
Velira considered this with great seriousness.
Then she nodded. "Yes."
Seraphielle straightened.
Something decisive settled over her expression.
She turned to Guilidern, eyes alight with determination. "I need Velira’s help."
Guilidern’s brows rose warily. "For... what exactly?"
"To make the queen fall in love with me."
Velira gasped, then burst into giggles.
"Yes, yes, I want to do it, I can do it," she said excitedly, bouncing on her feet.
Guilidern watched his wife and daughter for a moment.
Then he nodded approvingly.
"Yes," he said. "That is a very good idea."