I Just Wanted A Soft Life, Not A Demon Husband

Chapter 279: Best Behavior, Burning Gazes, and the Child Who Refused to Be Scared

Elyn’s POV

I blinked at Zorathys.

Surely I had heard him wrong. There was no way those words had just come out of his mouth, right?

"What?" I asked, just to be certain I had not been hearing things.

Zorathys didn’t reply.

He just turned back to the children, his ruby eyes sweeping across their small faces with an expression that hovered somewhere between mild disgust and reluctant acceptance.

"The pests are complete," he announced, as though he were confirming the arrival of a shipment he had not ordered and did not want. "And though I hate that you are here—" he paused, his gaze flicking to me for the briefest moment, "—I must let you come with us. Because Firefly wants you to come with us. It should be of note that that’s the only reason you all are even in the palace."

The children exchanged glances.

Zayrion adjusted his glasses. A small, thoughtful movement that meant he was processing something and had not yet decided whether to speak on it.

Beside him, Brixton looked between me and Zorathys. His eyes moved back and forth numerous times, his broad shoulders tense, his brown hair falling over his forehead.

I wondered what it was that was going through his head at that moment.

But I didn’t ask him anything, and instead I turned back to Zorathys.

"Don’t threaten the children," I said.

"I wasn’t threatening them," he replied, his voice carrying that lazy, unhurried quality that made everything he said sound like he was moments away from falling asleep.

"You were looking at them like you wanted to set them on fire, and your words just now could obviously pass off as a threat."

"I was looking at them," he corrected, "like I wanted them to stop existing in my presence, which honestly I do...."

I gave him a glare.

"...not," he completed. "Of course I don’t."

Now we both know that’s a lie.

I sighed and shook my head.

"Zorathys, you better be on your best behavior during this tour."

He tilted his head, his earrings catching the light as they swayed.

"When," he asked, his voice dripping with genuine confusion, "am I not on my best behavior?"

I continued staring at him.

"You’re looking at me like I said something unusual," he observed.

"Because you did."

"I did not. I am always on my best behavior. Ask anyone."

"I don’t need to ask anyone. I have eyes."

"Then your eyes are not functioning correctly, Firefly."

"My eyes are fine."

"Then perhaps it is your memory."

"Zorathys, I will advise you to think before you speak. Who knows, perhaps at the end of the day you may be the one who doesn’t come on the tour with us. But then you would like that because you’d have the opportunity to read your books freely and without disturbance, wouldn’t you?"

Zorathys stared at me for a while, and then his lips tilted up in a smile.

"I quite like when you are like this with me," he said. "But what I was trying to point out is that you are the only one who thinks I am never on my best behavior. Everyone else finds me quite tolerable."

"Everyone else is terrified of you," I said.

"Same thing."

I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t get stuck.

Then I rubbed a hand over my forehead because this conversation was giving me a headache, and we hadn’t even started the tour yet.

I turned to the children.

"Don’t be scared of him," I said, gesturing vaguely at Zorathys. "He looks terrifying, but he’s mostly harmless."

Zorathys made a sound of protest next to me, but I ignored him.

Aziren’s eyes lit up immediately—or rather, more than they had been before... I didn’t know how that was possible. I was almost certain that just one step further and fire would pour out from his eyes.

And um... that wouldn’t be shocking in the least.

"We’re not scared," he said, his voice bright and sure.

The flames in his hair danced with the enthusiasm of his words, flickering upward in small, happy bursts. His smile was extremely wide, almost impossibly so for someone his size.

He was staring directly at Zorathys.

With genuine, unfiltered delight, and it was only then I remembered that for some odd reason, Aziren liked Zorathys... a lot.

Zorathys’s shadows stirred around him, and they gave Aziren space like they were scared of getting in contact with the child.

Meanwhile, the other children stared at Aziren in shock.

Thalira recovered first.

"Speak for yourself," she said, her light blue hair swaying as she shook her head at Aziren. "Just because you’re not scared doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t."

Aziren nodded at her words, but his gaze was still on Zorathys, his smile as wide as it was before, perhaps even wider.

He did not look away.

Zorathys gave him a passing glance, mild irritation flickering across his features like a shadow passing over the sun.

Then he leaned toward me.

Just slightly.

Just enough that I could feel the warmth of his presence, the subtle shift of his shadows curling closer.

"Why," he murmured, low enough that only I could hear, "is Ignivar’s spawn staring at me that way?"

I looked at Aziren.

Still smiling. Still bright-eyed. Still staring at Zorathys like he was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.

And then I chuckled.

"Perhaps," I said, "it’s because Aziren likes you... a lot."

Aziren nodded immediately.

"Yes," he said, with the absolute certainty of a child who had made up his mind and would not be swayed. "I like you," he told Zorathys. "I like your shadows too. You are cool."

Zorathys’s face twisted in irritation.

"How is that possible?" he asked me.

I pointed at Aziren. "He’s right there, Zorathys. Ask him."

Zorathys didn’t say anything. He didn’t even need to because then Retheris’s head snapped toward him.

"How?" he asked, his voice carrying genuine bewilderment. "Are you not scared of him? I mean, I like him too, but how are you not scared?"