Chapter 274: An Apology He Didn’t Understand
Chapter 274: An Apology He Didn’t Understand
Elyn’s POV
Zorathys stared at me for a while, and then he gave me a lazy shrug.
"I don’t know," he told me.
"You don’t know?" I asked him.
He nodded.
"I only remember being annoyed that those pests cut our time together short," he said.
That didn’t make any sense to me.
"And that’s why you left?" I asked him.
He shrugged again.
"Zorathys," I called out, "are you even listening to yourself? You are telling me you left me for two whole weeks without a fucking word just because you were annoyed the children cut the time you wanted to spend with me short?"
He shrugged again.
That stupid action.
"Don’t shrug and answer me!" I told him.
He blinked, and then his lips tilted up in a smile.
"You are quite cute when you—"
"Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Zorathys. We are talking about something serious now. I do not need you to tell me how cute I look when I’m obviously annoyed at you, and very much so," I said, annoyed.
"Okay," he drawled. "But yes, to your question. I left—"
"Don’t lie to me, Zorathys," I interrupted him. "You do not almost kill your people just because some children cut the time you wanted to spend with me short."
"But I can," he told me. "It was a time we were supposed to spend together."
"Do you not get the point?" I asked him.
"That I almost killed every demon in the realm? I do."
"No," I said, frustrated. "That’s not it. That’s what I’m trying to say. It doesn’t make sense that you tried to kill every demon in existence because the children cut our time short. It doesn’t make sense that you would just leave after that for two whole weeks without explaining anything. I was here in the palace the whole time, doing your work while I was sick with worry about you because you left abruptly. And even days after that, you have still not said anything. You’ve not explained to me why you left—why you did what you did."
He just frowned.
Even his shadows stilled, like they were confused.
I stared at him.
Was I speaking a different language? Was that it?
Because I was very certain Zorathys could understand me, so what exactly was happening right now, and why wasn’t he understanding what I was telling him?
He looked at me like he was trying to solve something.
His brows pulled together just slightly, and his gaze stayed on me, steady and unmoving in that way he had when something caught his attention in a way it normally didn’t.
"You were worried," he said slowly.
"Yes," I said.
"Why?"
I stared at him.
"I just told you why."
"No," he said. "You told me you were worried. You didn’t tell me why."
I exhaled.
"Because you disappeared," I said.
"I was in the palace."
"You hid your door."
"The door does what it wants."
"You avoided me."
"I did not seek you out," he corrected.
"That is the same thing."
"It is not," he said calmly. "There is a difference between not seeking something out and actively avoiding it."
I stared at him.
"Zorathys."
"Yes, Firefly?"
"You disappeared for two weeks."
"I remained in the palace."
"You did not come to see me."
"I did not come to see anyone."
"That is not better."
He paused.
Then he tilted his head slightly, like he was considering that.
"I do not see how that is worse," he said.
"Because I was worried," I said.
He frowned again, confused.
And it was... infuriating.
"You knew I was alive," he said. "My shadows were present. I was in the palace. There was no threat. No danger. No injury." He looked at me. "So why were you worried?"
I stared at him. "Are you serious right now? I’m telling you I was worried because you disappeared for two weeks without a word. That is enough to make me worried."
He tilted his head again.
"You worry too much," he said finally.
I stared at him in shock.
"That’s your conclusion?" I asked.
"It is a reasonable one."
"It’s not."
"It is."
"It’s not."
"It is," he repeated.
I closed my eyes for a second.
Then opened them.
"You know what," I said, releasing a frustrated sound. "I’m done."
"Done?" he asked.
"Yes," I said as I stood up. "Just bring the children back. You can go back to avoiding me."
Then I paused.
"You don’t even have to do that," I added. "I’ll do it myself."
I began walking toward the door.
I had just walked past Zorathys when he held my arm.
"Firefly," he said softly.
"Let me go," I told him. "I’m not important enough for you to explain why it was you went missing for two whole weeks, avoiding me like I had some kind of plague, so I’m going to spend time with the ones who made time for me when you clearly didn’t and apparently wouldn’t tell me I worry too much."
"But I’m here now," Zorathys told me. "You can speak to me."
"Then explain to me what happened or let me go, Zorathys."
He stared at me for a while.
Then he sighed.
"I..." he started, and for once, there was something uncertain in his voice. "I’m sorry."
I paused.
"I really don’t know what happened that day," he said. "But I’m sorry for ignoring you. I’m sorry for avoiding you."
I blinked.
That... was not what I had been expecting.
At all.
For a moment, I just looked at him.
He looked back at me, just as steady as always.
I exhaled slowly.
I couldn’t just forgive him like that.
He still hadn’t explained anything.
"Yes, you’re sorry," I said. "But that doesn’t explain anything. You still haven’t told me what happened."
"I told you," he said. "I don’t know."
"That’s not an answer."
"It is the only one I have."
I studied him.
"Was it because of the children?" I asked finally. "Perhaps... did they say something to annoy you? Was that why you left?"