The room was silent.
Not an uncomfortable silence—just an empty one.
Elysia lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, the dim glow of the enchanted lamps casting soft shadows across the chamber.
The maids had left hours ago.
She had spent most of the day asleep, exhaustion weighing down on her after a night of...
She exhaled, rolling onto her side. Even thinking about last night made her body burn.
She had tried to sleep it off, but now that the drowsiness had faded, she was wide awake—and completely alone.
No one had co to see her.
Not Thalor.
Not Zera.
The thought made sothing twist in her chest. It's better this way, she told herself.
She needed space.
Ti to think.
Because the mont she had been left alone, her mind had latched onto sothing she had been trying to avoid all day.
Zera.
Elysia squeezed her eyes shut.
They had been together for three years. Three years of trust, of companionship.
And now—
Now, for the first ti in a long ti, they had argued. And not just a small disagreent. A real argunt.
One that left a mark. Elysia never argued with Zera.
Not like this. Not to the point where she questioned everything.
But she had to question it, didn't she? Because Zera had ordered the rebels to kidnap her.
Zera had endangered her. Zera had risked everything—her safety, her life—because she thought she was saving her.
But was it saving?
Elysia's hands curled into fists. Zera thought she was helping.
But instead—
Instead, she had been left in chains. Instead, she had been beaten. Instead, she had nearly—
She shuddered.
And yet—
Yet, the hardest part wasn't what had happened. It was the way Zera had looked at her.
Like Elysia was the one who had betrayed her. Like Elysia had done sothing wrong. Like sleeping with Malvoria had changed her.
Had it?
Elysia hated that she didn't have an answer. She hated that she didn't know how to feel. Because Zera had been everything to her.
Her best friend. Her partner.
And now—
Now, they had beco sothing unrecognizable. Elysia squeezed her eyes shut.
It was too much. Too much to think about. Too much to feel. She needed to distract herself.
She needed to—
Knock, knock.
The door creaked open.
Elysia sat up.
And then—
Malvoria walked in, a tray of food balanced in her hands. Elysia's breath caught.
It wasn't the first ti Malvoria had done this. Since she had returned injured, Malvoria had brought her food.
Every. Single. Ti.
It was starting to feel like a habit.
A nice one.
Elysia quickly shoved that thought aside. She was not going to think about it. She was not going to see it as sothing kind.
Because Malvoria was not kind.
She was—
She was—
Elysia's eyes flickered to Malvoria's face.
For once, the queen looked... relaxed.
Not cold. Not calculating.
Just... Tired.
Elysia hesitated.
Then, before she could stop herself—
"Eat with ."
Malvoria paused. A flicker of sothing passed through her gray eyes.
Then—
She set the tray down and took a seat.
The aroma of warm food filled the air, a mixture of rich spices, roasted ats, and the faint sweetness of freshly baked bread.
Elysia's gaze flickered toward the tray Malvoria had brought, her stomach twisting—not with hunger, but with sothing else.
Sothing unfamiliar.
She had eaten plenty of als in the demon castle.
But never like this.
Never with Malvoria, sitting so close, with the quiet weight of sothing unspoken lingering between them.
The tray was carefully arranged, the portions generous—grilled ats seasoned to perfection, a hearty vegetable stew, warm bread rolls with lted butter, and a side of spiced fruit slices.
Elysia reached for a piece of bread, tearing it apart with slow, deliberate movents.
She felt Malvoria's gaze on her.
Not intense.
Not scrutinizing.
Just... watching.
They ate in silence at first.
Not uncomfortable.
Just quiet.
Elysia found herself focusing on the smallest details—
The way Malvoria held her utensils, movents precise but unhurried. The soft clink of tal against porcelain.
The warmth of the food, spreading through her, grounding her.
It was only when Malvoria finally spoke that the silence was broken.
"You visited the demon village with the soldiers, right?"
Elysia blinked, montarily caught off guard.
She swallowed her bite of bread. "Yes."
Malvoria's expression remained neutral. "Did you enjoy it?"
A part of Elysia wanted to not answer.
To keep her walls up.
To remind herself that Malvoria was still the enemy.
But another part of her...
The part that had walked through the village, tasted its food, laughed with the soldiers—
That part wanted to answer.
She nodded slowly. "I did."
Malvoria humd. "What did you do?"
Elysia hesitated, then found herself speaking before she could stop.
"We tried different foods. The soldiers teased about not handling the spicy dishes well."
Malvoria's lips twitched.
Elysia narrowed her eyes. "Don't laugh."
"I didn't," Malvoria said, though her tone carried amusent.
Elysia huffed but continued.
"I also visited the orphanage."
Malvoria's faint smirk faded.
Elysia took a sip of water before speaking again. "The place itself looked... beautiful. Luxurious, even. But the children..."
She frowned.
"They were starving."
Malvoria's gaze sharpened.
Elysia set her cup down. "They ran to the food we brought like they hadn't eaten in days. The caretakers looked well-fed, well-dressed, but the children—"
She shook her head. "Sothing isn't right."
Malvoria was silent for a long mont.
Then, she exhaled. "I send a lot of money to orphanages."
Elysia looked at her.
Malvoria's expression was unreadable. "Every year, more and more children are left behind. I make sure there are funds to care for them."
Elysia hesitated. "But if you send money, then where is it going?"
Malvoria's fingers drumd against the edge of the table. "That's the question, isn't it?"
Elysia bit her lip.
She hadn't expected Malvoria to care.
Or to already be aware of the orphanage issue.
The conversation lingered between them, heavier than before.
But not in a bad way.
Just... different.
Then—
Malvoria pushed her plate aside and t Elysia's gaze.
"If you want," she said, voice steady, "we can go there when you feel better."
Elysia blinked.
Sothing in her chest tightened.
She searched Malvoria's expression, looking for mockery, for hidden intent.
But there was none.
Just a simple offer.
A quiet promise.
Elysia swallowed.
And nodded.
Elysia sat in silence for a mont, letting Malvoria's words settle. The idea of going back to the orphanage with Malvoria was unexpected.
More than that—
It was strange.
Malvoria wasn't the type to offer things.
She commanded, she demanded, but she didn't offer.
And yet, here she was.
Elysia studied her, searching for hidden motives, for any sign that this was so kind of ploy.
But Malvoria's expression remained steady.
Genuine.
That made it even more confusing. Elysia exhaled slowly, then nodded again. "Alright."
Malvoria's gaze lingered for a second longer before she leaned back, arms crossing over her chest.
"You should rest more," she said.
Elysia arched a brow. "I've been resting all day."
Malvoria tilted her head slightly, her smirk returning just a little. "Not enough, apparently."
Elysia rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
Instead, she pushed her plate aside, suddenly too aware of how quiet the room had beco again.
Malvoria made no move to leave.
And, for so reason, Elysia didn't tell her to. For the first ti since she had woken up injured, sitting in this room wasn't suffocating.
It felt... almost normal.
And she wasn't sure what to do with that.
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