Chapter 199: Bowing, Wine, and the Queen Who Didn’t Ask for This
Chapter 199: Bowing, Wine, and the Queen Who Didn’t Ask for This
Elyn’s POV
The chaos of the carpet of doom ended the way everything seemed to end in the demon realm—at least how I knew they ended—with shadows, threats, and dramatic fainting, and I don’t mean one or two demons fainting.
Demons fainted... a lot. One fainted when he locked eyes with Zorathys and screamed at the top of his lungs, saying the King looked at him. That Zorathys gave him a glare.
I don’t understand how someone glaring at you could make you faint, nor do I understand why one would be excited that someone glared at them, but then again, this was the demon realm, and my husband-to-be was very famous and, dare I say, worshipped.
It was obvious the demons were scared of him, but it was like their fear was what made them love him more. Don’t ask me; it’s a very toxic relationship, and I hate toxic relationships.
And, um, one demon also fainted because Zorathys’ shadows removed a stray hair from my cheek. According to her, that was perfect, very classy. Again, I didn’t understand it. The only explanation I had for these things was that it was the demon realm.
Well, thankfully, we didn’t stay long on the carpet of doom with the demorazzi asking for pictures. They wanted pictures of me and Zorathys separately, and even though Zorathys complained about it, I made him oblige.
I don’t know if the pictures would turn out good, but I didn’t care. I just did what they asked, and besides, it was better to do it than argue. Once the pictures were done, Zorathys took my hands in his, drawing me closer to him so that there was very little distance between the both of us.
And then, darkness swallowed us.
Zorathys’ shadows wrapped around us like silk drawn too tightly, cool and weightless. The flashes, the murmurs, the exaggerated collapses of the demons were gone in an instant.
When the shadows peeled away, we were no longer outside.
We stood at the entrance of the grand hall.
And I froze in shock.
I had seen the palace halls before, of course. I had walked through marble corridors, crossed echoing galleries, and passed through rooms that could house entire villages. But this—
This was not the same hall... no, it was, but it looked different—extremely beautiful too.
The ceiling arched high above us like the inside of a cathedral carved from black crystal. Chandeliers—if they could even be called that—floated midair, made not of glass but of suspended shards of glowing gemstones. They rotated slowly, casting fractured rainbows of red, gold, and deep violet across the walls.
The walls themselves shimmered faintly, veins of molten gold running through dark stone like lightning frozen in time.
The floor was polished obsidian, so reflective that even those dancing seemed to glide over their own mirrored selves.
Music flowed through the air—deep strings, low percussion, something that sounded like a harp but heavier, darker. It was elegant and haunting at the same time.
I had no idea the hall had been decorated like this. Well, perhaps that was because I was so occupied, especially with trying on my dress and then working with Ignivar and Naviel. All this could have been avoided if someone had told me the date of the ball and not just sprung it on me, but alas, we can’t all have what we want.
The hall looked less like a ballroom and more like the center of a celestial ritual.
Demons flooded the space.
Some floated lazily above the ground. Some glided. Some walked. Some... slithered?
Demons in tailored suits—the suits were sleek and sharp too—flew overhead carrying silver trays lined with glasses of wine, different variations of wine. Some red, some white, some purple in color, some blue, some pink. The servers’ wings were thin and translucent, almost insect-like, humming softly as they moved from group to group.
Others wore gowns that seemed alive with movement—fabric that shimmered like oil on water, jewels embedded into skin rather than sewn into cloth.
My gaze moved across the crowd in quiet disbelief.
There were demons with necks so long they curved like swans, their small elegant heads tilting as they conversed.
There were demons with the faces of wolves... was that a goat?
I paused and took a look again. Yes, there was a demon here with the head of a goat. I’m sure he was a beast demon, but um... I wondered if he only ate grass for food—
A group stood near one of the massive pillars, flames dancing across their backs like cloaks made of living fire. I didn’t even need to be told what they were.
Fire demons.
The heat shimmered faintly around them, yet nothing burned.
I swallowed.
The demon realm never failed to remind me that I was, in fact, in the midst of demons—and demons of various types too.
The moment Zorathys and I stepped fully into the hall—
The music stopped immediately. The note cut short, and it wasn’t elegant either.
Every movement froze, and every demon in the hall turned to us.
Hundreds of eyes landed on us at once.
The weight of it pressed against my shoulders.
For a split second, I considered turning around, especially with the attention we were receiving.
Zorathys did not let me, though. His hand tightened slightly around mine, and that was all the reassurance I needed.
Then he spoke.
His voice was not loud.
It was that same lazy drawl he always carried—as if he had just woken up and found the world mildly inconvenient.
And yet it carried.
It threaded through the hall effortlessly.
"The person standing before you, the person whose hand I am holding," he said, "is the Queen."
"I’m sure the gossip has gone through every part of the realm already. Yes, she is human. Yes, she is also Queen, even though she has not yet been crowned. She is to be recognized as one, and if you have any issues or need to speak with anyone at all... then meet with her. She likes working, after all," he said calmly.