Chapter 205: Of Fangs and Formalities
Chapter 205: Of Fangs and Formalities
Elyn’s POV
The moment the sneers sharpened and the air turned brittle, the husbands moved.
Guilidern was the first to react.
He stepped in smoothly, one arm sliding around Seraphielle’s waist with practiced familiarity, the other hand firm at her elbow. His charming expression did not falter, but there was steel beneath it now.
On the opposite side, Xaleron mirrored him.
His seven black tails flared once—just once—before settling behind him like dark banners folding in. He caught Aurelixa gently but decisively by the wrist, guiding her back with a quiet murmur that didn’t reach my ears but clearly reached hers.
Seraphielle and Aurelixa leaned forward despite being restrained, sneers sharp enough to cut stone.
"Oh, don’t pull me away," Seraphielle purred mockingly, though she allowed Guilidern to guide her backward. "I was just beginning to enjoy this."
Aurelixa’s lips curved into a thin, lethal smile. "You call that enjoyment? I call it embarrassment."
Their eyes locked one final time—centuries of rivalry compressed into a single glare—before their husbands steered them in opposite directions.
Guilidern led Seraphielle toward the western part of the ballroom. Xaleron guided Aurelixa toward the eastern part.
Only after they did did I notice something I hadn’t noticed before, and I’d been in this ballroom for quite some time now.
The ballroom was divided. It was subtle and, dare I say, done so strategically, but yes, it was divided.
On one side, near the arched windows and dark velvet drapes, stood the succubi and incubi—radiant, provocative, shimmering in silks and satins that seemed to breathe with them.
On the opposite side, near the elevated marble pillars, stood the fox demons. Their posture was sharper. Controlled. Tails kept disciplined and aligned.
A line had been drawn between both demons. They conversed with other demons, but the two didn’t cross the line, and I noticed them glaring at each other after what had just happened between Aurelixa and Seraphielle.
I turned slowly to Zorathys, who was already watching me.
His ruby eyes flicked briefly toward the divided ballroom before returning to me, his expression lazy but knowing.
"If the two groups are even remotely close," he said casually, swirling the dark wine in his glass, "there will be a fight."
I blinked. "I really didn’t think it was that serious. Morthen told me about the rivalry, but I never expected that it was to this point."
He gave me a look. "What else were you expecting when you were told there was a long-standing rivalry between both demons? Handshakes?"
I rolled my eyes at that. "Of course I wasn’t expecting handshakes, but Zorathys," I said, gesturing toward the ballroom, "they are not even standing in the same place. It’s like there’s a clear line drawn between the both of them."
He gave me a look. "Again, Firefly, what were you expecting? They are rivals; of course they will avoid each other. Is this not how rivalry is shown in the human realm?"
"To the point that they stand on separate ends? No," I told him. "It’s less dramatic than this."
He looked surprised at that. "You are telling me rivals could stand close to each other like I am standing right next to you?" he asked me, and I nodded.
"Yes, it’s a simple rivalry. It’s not hatred," I told him.
He was surprised at that. "There’s a distinction?"
Now it was my turn to be surprised. "Isn’t there?"
"I thought rivals were enemies? Sworn enemies at that, and enemies obviously hate each other," he told me. "How is there a distinction?"
I paused at that. In my previous life, there were numerous tales about how couples hated each other but then ended up together. How people who were rivals also ended up being best of friends. But looking at the succubi and fox demons... perhaps for them there was not a thin line between love and hate?
I glanced back at the two demons—silk and seduction on one end, fur on the other.
"You should know that the fox demons, if even standing as close as both of us are right now, would result in a fight... which could lead to a war," Zorathys told me.
"Again, it’s that serious?" I asked Zorathys.
He took a slow sip of his wine. "Again, Firefly, yes. This is not the human realm. This is the demon realm, and rivals are enemies who hate each other."
"But don’t worry, if any of these foolish demons attempt to start a fight during this ball," he said mildly, "I will kill them."
I turned to him slowly.
He met my stare without blinking.
The music continued playing. Somewhere at a distance, someone laughed. The chandeliers sparkled as if we weren’t discussing homicide in the middle of a diplomatic event.
I just stared at him with raised eyebrows, and he cleared his throat immediately.
"What I mean is... I will make them disappear," he said.
I just stared at him.
He blinked once. "What? I didn’t say I’ll kill anyone. I’ll just make them disappear instead. Isn’t that better?"
"How exactly will you make them disappear?"
"Why exactly are you curious? Disappearing isn’t the same as killing. They’ll disappear like how I teleport," he told me.
I rolled my eyes at that. He was just using a less violent way to tell me he’ll make the demons die—or in his words, kill them. But I decided to play along with him.
"You are not allowed to make anyone disappear at my first official ball, Zorathys. We’ve been through this," I told him.
"No, we agreed that I wouldn’t kill anyone. There was no agreement on me making them disappear," he told me.
"Tell me it’s not the same thing you mean."
"It’s spelled differently with different meanings, Firefly."
"And it can have a different meaning based on the context it is used," I argued.
"I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear that, but just so you know, if anyone disappears in this ball, just know they would deserve it."
"That is not the point."
"It is always the point."
I folded my arms.
He studied me for a moment, then sighed dramatically, as if I had asked him to personally rearrange the stars.
"Very well," he murmured. "I will restrain myself."
"You promise?"
"No."
I narrowed my eyes at him, but he just smirked faintly in reply.
How someone so infuriating could be so handsome even when he wasn’t trying to be... I have no idea.
Before I could scold him further, the shadows slid forward.