Chapter 310: Spouses, Apologies, and the Migraine That Finally Arrived
Chapter 310: Spouses, Apologies, and the Migraine That Finally Arrived
Elyn’s POV
I rubbed a hand against my forehead.
The migraine I had felt approaching was now fully here, pulsing behind my eyes like a drumbeat of pure frustration. I could feel it spreading, settling in for what promised to be a long and miserable stay. The pressure built with every passing second, every shouted word, every accusation hurled between the children who were supposed to be on their best behaviour.
"Be quiet," I said.
The children stopped fighting immediately.
Velira froze mid-grab, her hands still reaching for Azerion’s face with clear intent to do damage. Azerion froze mid-swing, his pastry still raised like a weapon of mass destruction. They stayed like that for a moment, suspended in motion, their bodies tense and ready, before slowly pulling apart. Velira smoothed down her dress with as much dignity as she could muster, while Azerion brushed pastry crumbs from his shirt and tried to look innocent.
I looked at them.
"What," I said slowly, my voice carrying that dangerous calm that I had perfected over the past several hours, "do you mean by ’came to choose spouses’? What spouses?"
Velira and Azerion turned to Brixton, who sighed tiredly.
"We came to look for a spouse for my father," he said quietly.
I chuckled at the absurdity of the words, then I realised it was the demon realm and, yes, what he said was likely the truth.
"You’re serious?" I asked, needing to confirm.
He nodded.
"Brixton’s father has been single for over fifty years," Velira said.
Brixton’s ears reddened further.
"It’s more than that," he said quietly. "It’s been much longer."
Velira nodded as if this confirmed something important.
"That’s why I said ’over,’" she said. "It means it could be more. That’s what ’over’ means, rock face. It’s a flexible word."
I stared at them, choosing not to remark on that insult.
"So what you’re telling me," I said slowly, "is that what you were doing—what all of this was about, what made you disappear without a word, what made me stand in line for an hour—was you trying to get Brixton’s father a spouse?"
They all nodded.
Velira made a face and gestured at Azerion.
"You were not doing anything with us. You only came because of the snacks."
Azerion’s eyes widened in offense.
"I supported you with my presence!" he argued, his voice rising. "That counts for something!"
Velira glared at him.
"Your presence was just you eating everything in sight," she said. "That’s not support. That’s a distraction. You didn’t help with any of the planning. You didn’t help with any of the selection. You just sat there and consumed."
"It’s moral support," Azerion insisted. "I was there. I was present. I was eating, yes, but I was also thinking about how much I supported you."
"You were thinking about snacks."
"Snacks and support are not mutually exclusive! I can do both at the same time!"
"You can’t do both at the same time!"
"I can! I was doing it right then!"
"You’re not doing it right now! You’re just arguing with me!"
"Arguing is a form of support!"
"Arguing is the opposite of support!"
"It is not!"
"It is!"
"IT IS NOT!"
"IT IS!"
I rubbed my forehead again.
The migraine was getting worse.
"Enough," I said. "Both of you."
They went quiet immediately.
I turned to Brixton.
"Did you even ask your father if he wanted a partner?" I asked.
Velira spoke up before Brixton could.
"Of course his father would want one," she said, her voice carrying that same note of certainty she had used before. "My mother and father are happy because they have each other. My mother always says it’s lonely without a partner. So obviously, his father must be lonely too."
I looked at her.
"Just because that’s how your parents feel," I said, "doesn’t mean that’s how Brixton’s father feels. People are different. Demons are different. What works for one person might not work for another."
I paused.
"First of all," I continued, "you should have asked Draeven if he wanted a partner before going behind his back to do something like this."
Brixton’s ears reddened even further.
Velira looked down at her feet.
"But aside from that," I continued, "why didn’t you guys even tell me before you left? You all just disappeared before I could even blink. One moment you were there, and the next moment you were gone. And you told me you were going to be on your best behaviour. Every single one of you."
I looked at all seven of them now.
Aziren, who had been quiet, looked down at his hands.
Zayrion stepped forward, his glasses slightly askew, his tails low.
"I wanted to show Aziren something," he said. "And then I saw the games, and I started playing. I had no idea we had gone that far. I just got immersed, and then when I looked up, he was gone."
Aziren nodded beside him.
"I’m sorry," he said. "I didn’t mean to wander off. I thought I saw my daddy, and I wanted to call out to him, but then I ended up lost, and I didn’t know how to get back."
Velira stepped forward, her wings drooping slightly.
"We’re sorry too," she said. "We should have told you. But the truth is... we didn’t plan to start the spouse selection at first. We just tried to hold Azerion back because he seemed to be following the scent of snacks."
Azerion hit her.
"Shut up," he hissed.
Velira hit him back.
"You shut up."
"We’re sorry too," Retheris and Thalira said. "We’ll try to do better."
I rubbed a hand between my brows, and then I sighed.
How was I to remain mad at them when they were apologising to me and when they also looked so cute doing so?
"For the love of all things... demonic, do not go missing again and stay next to me, please," I told them.