Chapter 329: The Bowing Battle That No One Asked For (Part Two
Chapter 329: The Bowing Battle That No One Asked For (Part Two)
Elyn’s POV
"Explain yourself," I said to Vaelory. "Why are you kneeling?"
And kowtowing too, which I never thought I would see in any of my lives, this from someone who in a way has had to live two lives...if my situation could be classified as that.
Anyway, this was a first. Even in my previous life, I had never witnessed anyone kowtow. It was the kind of thing you saw in historical dramas or ancient texts, not in real life. And yet here I was, standing in my bedroom in the demon realm, watching my human maid press her forehead to the floor like she was begging for mercy from an emperor. It was surreal, almost comical, if I wasn’t so exhausted.
Vaelory nodded, and then — I am not kidding — she placed her hands on each other and bowed. It was approximately forty-five degrees. I blinked, wondering if I was in some period drama or something. The way she moved, the precision of her gesture, the dramatic flair of it all — it felt like something out of a historical production.
Where were the cameras?
It was stupid of me to ask because I was obviously not in any period drama. This was just Vaelory being... I don’t even know what the fuck she was being at this moment. Her actions were so dramatic, so over-the-top, that I almost expected a director to yell "cut" and for the scene to reset.
"Vaelory," I called out, my voice carrying a note of exasperation. "What is going on?"
"Please take me with you next time you go on an outing, Your Highness!" she screamed.
"Um..."
I began, when the other occupant in the room gasped loudly in outrage.
"You thief," Rin said.
Yes, her head was still on the ground, her hands in the air. And her voice was muffled as she spoke, but the outrage was unmistakable. Even from her position on the floor, she managed to convey her indignation.
"I have no idea what the raven is talking about," Vaelory said to me, her voice carrying a note of innocence that was entirely unconvincing. "Please, Your Highness, take me with you."
Suddenly, Rin raised her head and turned to Vaelory.
"You knew I was going to ask her to take me, and suddenly you want to go with her?" Rin demanded.
"How was I supposed to know?" Vaelory asked.
"I said it a few minutes ago," Rin replied.
"How long ago?"
Rin paused and tilted her head in thought.
"Um... I don’t know," she said finally. "Anyway, you can’t go with my lady. I asked her first."
"Since when was that a rule?" Vaelory asked.
"Finders keepers, askers goers," Rin replied.
I... what the fuck was that? That didn’t even make sense. It was like Rin had just strung random words together and hoped they would form a coherent sentence.
"That makes no sense," Vaelory said.
"Of course it does. Your human brain just can’t keep up. I asked Her Highness first, so I have to go first," Rin argued.
"That still doesn’t make any sense," Vaelory shot back.
"What is so hard for you to comprehend?"
I sighed, rubbing my temples.
Why do I always get myself involved in situations like this? I had just come back from a day that had been nothing but chaos, and now I was dealing with a bowing competition and a nonsensical argument about who got to accompany me on my next outing. It was like the universe was testing my patience.
"My lady," Rin said, her voice carrying a note of desperation. "I can cook. I can clean. I can wash. I can dress you. I can even watch over the children. I’m the best at what I do. Take me."
"You vile demon!" Vaelory gasped.
Then she turned to me too because apparently this had now turned into some sort of battle between the both of them, which if I was being honest wasn’t at all surprising. This was Rin and Vaelory after all. I would be more at alert if they didn’t argue, and more at peace if they did.
"Your Highness!" Vaelory called out.
Again with the screaming.
"I can cook too," she said. "I don’t steal jewelries. I can look after the children while you enjoy your time with the King."
"I wouldn’t leave you to go after a siren!" Rin said to me.
"I wouldn’t leave Her Highness to go after him," Vaelory replied.
"History proves different," Rin shot back.
"It seems the both of you don’t want to go with me at all," I told them.
They immediately turned to me, their eyes wide.
"Your Highness!"
"My lady!"
"You guys!" I said, copying their tone.
They stopped immediately, their mouths closing up.
"I just came back from a hectic outing," I said, my voice calm but firm. "One that gave me a lot of headache, if that wasn’t obvious. One I’m still trying to recover from. And I came back here wanting nothing more than to get some rest, to sleep preferably. And what do I get instead?"
They swallowed nervously.
Rin opened her mouth to speak, but I continued before she could do so.
"I get the both of you arguing like there’s no tomorrow, like the only thing in your brains or the only thing you are wired to do when you see each other is to argue."
"Yes," Rin muttered to herself with a nod. "Yes, that’s it."
I ignored her.
"If you want to go with me tomorrow, then the best you can do is bring this up tomorrow. For tonight, you both are going to help me change out of my clothes without saying a word, and then I’ll go to bed. And if I so much as hear you breathe loudly in my direction, then there would be no opportunity for you to go with me and the children on the outing at all. Is that clear?"
They nodded immediately.
"Good. Now get up, the both of you."