Chapter 334: The King Who Refused to Let Go (Literally)
Chapter 334: The King Who Refused to Let Go (Literally)
Elyn’s POV
It was the next day, and somehow, impossibly, the children were already in the palace.
I had barely finished dressing when I heard the commotion echoing through the halls—the unmistakable sound of small feet running, excited voices overlapping, and the occasional shriek of delight that could only come from a group of children who had been waiting for this moment all night.
I walked into the grand entrance hall and was immediately surrounded.
Aziren was the first to reach me, his small arms wrapping around my legs with the kind of desperate affection that made my heart ache. I bent down and picked him up, settling him on my hip as the others crowded around me.
"Your Majesty," Velira said, her wings fluttering with excitement. "You finally decided to grace us with your beauty."
"We’ve been waiting forever," Thalira said.
"Like, forever forever," Retheris added.
Zayrion adjusted his glasses and nodded solemnly.
"It has been at least ten minutes."
"And ten minutes is a long time," Retheris said with an eye roll.
"I tried to keep them company as a good owner," Azerion said, stuffing a pastry into his mouth.
I frowned at him.
"Azerion, where did you get that?"
He froze mid-chew, his eyes darting around like he was looking for an escape route.
Before he could answer, a familiar voice cut through the air.
"He stole it from the kitchen, my lady," Rin said, pointing an accusatory finger at Azerion, who was now trying to hide the pastry behind his back.
"I did not steal it," he said defensively.
"You are literally holding it behind your back right now."
"That’s not stealing. That’s... relocating."
"Relocating?"
"Food belongs everywhere," Azerion declared. "It’s a universal truth."
Rin made a sound of pure outrage.
"That makes no sense!"
"It makes perfect sense."
"It doesn’t!"
"It does!"
"It does not!"
"It really does!"
I sighed, adjusting Aziren on my hip.
"Both of you," I said calmly. "Maintain."
They stopped immediately.
Azerion gave Rin a glare, and Rin gave one right back. One would think Rin was the same age as Azerion with the way she argued with him.
Vaelory tried to take Aziren from me, but the boy only clutched me tighter, and I shook my head.
"You can pick me up," Retheris told her with a wink. "I wouldn’t mind."
Rin chuckled.
"Nice try, kid, but VV here already has someone she’s interested in."
Retheris pouted at that.
"Come on, VV, give me a chance."
"My name is not VV," Vaelory said pointedly.
Rin only beamed at her while Thalira hit her brother.
"That is not a way to flirt. Did you learn nothing from our parents?" she asked him. "Kidnap her."
And here I thought she was going to say something reasonable.
I shook my head, then decided to ignore their conversation. It was also quite sudden how Retheris was into Vaelory. This wasn’t the first time he had seen her, after all.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Zorathys appeared.
As expected, he looked half asleep.
His long black hair flowed behind him, his ruby eyes remained half-lidded, and his shadows lazily drifted around his feet as though they, too, wished to return to bed.
But he wasn’t alone.
Walking beside him was...
I frowned.
A child?
He couldn’t have looked older than seven or eight.
He was dressed entirely in black, from his boots to the long coat that almost reached his ankles. Two black tails lazily swayed behind him. Four crimson eyes blinked curiously at everything around him. Small black horns curled from his head, with shadows swirling around them.
Oddly enough... he was adorable.
I frowned harder.
Something about him seemed strangely familiar.
Then it hit me.
I looked at the child.
Then at Zorathys.
Then back at the child.
"...Dracolthar?"
The child beamed, his four eyes lighting up with excitement. He took a step toward me, his mouth opening to speak when Zorathys’s shadows blocked his path, forming a wall around him.
Zorathys didn’t even blink. He behaved like none of what happened was his doing and instead walked toward me, his ruby eyes fixed on my face. His expression was calm, almost serene, but there was something in his gaze that suggested he was not particularly pleased with the situation.
His gaze flicked to the child in my arms.
Aziren was staring at him with a wide, unblinking smile, his flames dancing with excitement. Well, truthfully, all the children were looking at Zorathys expectantly.
And the handsome demon in question made a face of disgust. His nose scrunched up slightly, his lips pressed together, and his eyes narrowed like he was deeply irritated.
Then he stretched out his hand and took Aziren from my arms.
Aziren settled against Zorathys’s hold, his flames dancing excitedly up and down. He looked like he had just received the greatest gift of his entire existence.
Zorathys’s expression did not change.
I looked past him to where Dracolthar was still standing, blocked by the shadows.
"Zorathys," I called out.
"Yes, Firefly."
"Let Dracolthar go."
He looked at me, then nodded.
"Very well."
He raised one finger.
Immediately, the shadows surrounding and blocking Dracolthar’s path sank back into the ground.
The demon brightened instantly.
"Thank you, Your Maje—"
Before he could finish speaking, every shadow surrounding him shot upward.
They wrapped around his waist, arms, legs, and tails before lifting him several feet into the air.
Dracolthar’s four eyes widened.
"...What’s going on?" he asked, his voice carrying a note of panic.
Zorathys’s voice was calm and unhurried.
"My wife said I should let you go," he said. "And so I am letting you go."
There was a pause.
Then he added, "Back to where you came from."
Dracolthar’s eyes widened in alarm.
"Wait—"
"Zorathys!" I said quickly. "That’s not what I meant."
Zorathys turned to look at me, his expression carrying a note of genuine confusion.
"You said I should let him go," he said. "That is what I am doing."
"I told you to let him go," I repeated. "As in, release him. Not... send him away."
Zorathys blinked.
"But that is what letting go means."
"No, it’s not."
"It is. The English language you humans speak is quite straightforward. Letting go means letting go."
I stared at him.
"That’s not what it means."
I pointed toward the increasingly distressed Dracolthar, who was now dangling upside down as Zorathys’s shadows carried him farther away.
"Let him stay."
Zorathys considered this for a moment.
"Oh," he said.
"I want you to release him," I repeated.
"I see."
He said, but still made no attempt to release him.
"Release him," I said again.
Zorathys looked toward Dracolthar, then back at me.
"I don’t see the point. He has no use in being present," he said. "He should have gone back to his home by now."
"Dracolthar is here now," I said. "We should just let him stay. There’s no issue."
Zorathys’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"He will inconvenience you," he said.
"That’s a lie!" Dracolthar protested from where he was still suspended in the air. "I would never inconvenience the Queen!"