I won't fall for the queen who burned my world-Chapter 143: I just want to spend time with my wife

Malvoria watched with mild amusement as Elysia groaned, running a hand through her hair like the weight of this so-called "date" was already too much for her.

"We'll see about that."

Malvoria smirked, extending a hand. "Come on. We'll go over the details."

Elysia hesitated, eyes narrowing slightly as if she were trying to decide whether this was a trap. Then, with a dramatic sigh, she reached out and took Malvoria's hand.

The moment their fingers brushed, Malvoria felt something odd—something warm and irritatingly pleasant and her heart beat faster.

She ignored it.

Instead, she led Elysia toward her office, walking with the same commanding pace she always did, though she was acutely aware that Elysia's presence beside her made the space around her feel... different.

When they arrived at Malvoria's office, she stepped aside, letting Elysia walk in first.

And just as she predicted, Elysia's reaction was priceless. Well it was not usual that Malvoria bring people to her own office.

Elysia blinked, visibly stunned as she took in the meticulous neatness of the room.

Towering bookshelves filled with ancient tomes lined the walls, maps of the demon realm and beyond were pinned with delicate precision, and not a single item was out of place on Malvoria's mahogany desk.

The room exuded order and power, every inch of it carefully curated—just like the woman who owned it.

Elysia turned to her with an expression that was half impressed, half horrified.

"This," she said, gesturing to the impeccably arranged bookshelves, "is unnatural."

Malvoria raised a brow. "Because I keep my workspace organized?"

Elysia nodded sagely. "It's terrifying."

Malvoria smirked. "I'd offer you a seat, but I wouldn't want you to fear for your life."

Elysia rolled her eyes but sat down anyway, crossing her legs as she leaned back in the chair, looking far too comfortable for someone who had just insulted Malvoria's office. But she looked cute so Malvoria didn't say anything about it.

"So," Elysia said, drumming her fingers against the armrest. "This date of yours—what's the plan?"

Malvoria sat down across from her, clasping her hands on the desk. "We leave tomorrow at sunrise. It'll take a few hours to reach Montis Askrath. The terrain is a mix of forested trails and rocky paths, but nothing too dangerous."

Elysia blinked at her. "Okay, but why hiking? Why not something... less likely to kill me?"

Malvoria smirked. "Well like I said before, I thought you'd prefer an adventure over a boring dinner. Was I wrong?"

Elysia opened her mouth, paused, then sighed. "Damn it, no."

Malvoria's smirk widened. "Then it's settled."

Elysia crossed her arms, giving her a long look. "And why exactly are you planning this? You're acting suspiciously... nice."

Malvoria tilted her head, pretending to consider. "Maybe I just want to spend time with my wife."

That was actually true, Malvoria did want to spend more time with Elysia alone since they came back from the orphenage.

Elysia snorted. "Check the temperature in hell, I think it's freezing."

Malvoria chuckled. "You're unbearably dramatic."

"And you're unbearably you," Elysia shot back, smirking.

They sat there for a moment, a strange yet comfortable tension settling between them. It was the same tension that had been lingering since the lake, since Malvoria's confession, since the kiss.

And Malvoria—damn her—was enjoying it.

But then, as if suddenly remembering herself, Elysia stood up abruptly. "Well, this has been weirdly tolerable, but I should go."

Malvoria blinked. "You're leaving already?"

Elysia nodded. "If I stay any longer, I might start thinking you're actually fun to be around, and we can't have that."

Malvoria gave her an unimpressed look, but before she could respond, Elysia smirked and turned toward the door.

Elysia is running away what a coward, thought Malvoria seeing how quickly Elysia reached for the door.

"See you at sunrise, wife," Elysia teased before walking out, leaving Malvoria sitting there, slightly stunned.

Malvoria sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair after Elysia had left.

That almost worked on her.

Almost.

But, of course, Elysia had to ruin it by fleeing at the last second.

Still, Malvoria could not deny the small flicker of satisfaction in her chest.

She had been trying.

And maybe, just maybe, it was working.

For years, Malvoria had never allowed herself attachments. Love, affection, desire—these were things that made rulers weak. She had learned that lesson young, from watching her mother, from seeing what emotions had done to Veylira.

Lucindra.

Malvoria's jaw tightened slightly at the name.

Her mother's former lover.

The one who had abandoned her.

She had seen the devastation it had left behind—the way Veylira had once been fierce, unstoppable, and how, for a time, she had become nothing but a hollowed-out shell of herself.

Malvoria had sworn never to be like that.

Never to be vulnerable.

Never to let herself be loved—or worse, to love.

And yet...

She exhaled, rubbing her temples.

With Elysia, something was different. The frustration, the tension, the way her heart reacted in ways it never had before... Malvoria could not ignore it any longer.

She had already lost control of this. So she might as well fall for it.

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Damn her mother and her stupid romantic advice it's making her do reckless things.

The hike to Montis Askrath was her way of testing this decision.

She wasn't good with grand romantic gestures or poetic words, but she could show Elysia something beautiful. She could see how Elysia reacted—how she reacted.

And if, at the end of it all, this feeling inside her did not fade...

Then maybe she would stop pretending it wasn't real and she would accept it.

Malvoria ran a hand through her hair and sighed again.

She had so much work to do.

But instead of reaching for the paperwork on her desk, she found herself reaching for a map—finalizing the last details of their trip, double-checking every part of the plan.

And as much as she hated to admit it, she was...

Looking forward to it.