I won't fall for the queen who burned my world-Chapter 355: What to do for our anniversary?

The days blurred together as our anniversary approached, the castle humming with its usual rhythm—royal correspondence, endless meetings with advisors, soldiers marching in the courtyards, the occasional shriek of a startled noble stumbling into Kaelith’s path.

Through it all, Malvoria’s mind remained elsewhere: two years married to Elysia. Two years of chaos, laughter, fierce arguments and even fiercer reconciliations, learning how to live not as a lone queen but as a partner and now, most importantly, now as a mother.

Yet with that new role came an unexpected challenge.

Anniversaries before had been simpler—Elysia swept off to a secret dining hall lit by floating candles, or a midnight flight over the demon peaks with wine and fruit tucked into Malvoria’s cloak.

Now, with Kaelith walking (and sometimes flying) about the halls, those sorts of spontaneous romantic gestures had become... more complicated.

Malvoria tried to brainstorm between official duties. She was holding court, Kaelith perched on her lap, waving a tiny wooden sword at bored nobles.

Veylira droned on about land disputes, but Malvoria’s mind spun elsewhere. Should they try a quiet night, just the two of them?

No, Kaelith would sense it and stage a riot. A grand ball? Too public; Elysia hated those. A trip to the hot springs? The last time they’d gone, Kaelith had thrown Malvoria’s crown in the water and tried to drink the bubbles.

Her next idea came at lunch, while Elysia tried to coax Kaelith into eating vegetables. Kaelith, armed with her favorite fork, was busy feeding carrots to her mother’s lapdog, who looked both delighted and terrified.

Elysia, exasperated but still beautiful, tried everything—gentle words, magic tricks, even pretending the carrots were miniature dragons.

"Open wide, little one—here comes the mighty beast!" Elysia sang, making the fork swoop through the air.

Kaelith considered, then stuffed the carrot into her own mouth triumphantly... and spat it right back out, hitting Malvoria square in the chest.

Malvoria blinked, looked at the orange smear, then looked at her daughter. Kaelith grinned, clapped, and shouted, "Victory!"

Elysia pressed her lips together, fighting a laugh. "She’s your child."

Malvoria wiped off the carrot with the dignity of a warlord and tried to look stern. "And you’re lucky I love chaos. Otherwise, you’d be scrubbing the training yard every day until you’re thirty."

Kaelith merely stuck out her tongue and snuggled into Elysia’s side.

After lunch, Malvoria attempted a covert planning session with Veylira and Lara. This proved more difficult than anticipated, as Lara immediately demanded, "Is this a surprise for Elysia or are you finally taking my advice and planning a duel for your anniversary?"

Malvoria arched an eyebrow. "A duel?"

Lara shrugged. "She beat you last time at chess. I thought maybe you’d want to win at something you’re good at. Hand-to-hand, for example. Or fire-magic wrestling."

Veylira, polishing her goblet, shook her head. "If you try to make Elysia wrestle you for your anniversary, she’ll turn you into a toad."

Malvoria rolled her eyes. "I want something special, not violent. Something... memorable. Do either of you have ideas that don’t end with fire damage or magical injuries?"

Lara leaned forward, lips twitching. "Take her dancing. In front of everyone."

Veylira gave her a sideways look. "You just want to see Malvoria humiliated."

Malvoria considered. "A private dance, maybe. But I want more than that. Something that celebrates the three of us, not just Elysia and me."

That evening, Kaelith provided a new complication. Malvoria came upon her in the corridor, surrounded by three maids and a footman, all of whom looked traumatized.

Kaelith had found a basket of decorative ribbons and was now enthusiastically tying them to the palace cat’s tail. The cat, a patient beast named Ember, wore her new streamers like a resigned war hero.

"Kaelith," Malvoria said, "why are you dressing the cat?"

Kaelith looked up, eyes wide and innocent. "For the party. Mama said there will be dancing and cake!"

Malvoria blinked. "The party isn’t for another week."

Kaelith nodded. "Ember has to practice."

Malvoria stifled a snort and knelt. "You want Ember at the party?"

"Yes!" Kaelith pointed decisively. "And Grandpa Thalor! And Sarisa! And all the children from the orphanage! And—and—" She paused, searching for the right word. "And cake! A big cake!"

The maids, still shell-shocked, began detangling the ribbons as Malvoria considered. Was there any way to keep this celebration from spiraling out of control? Not likely.

Later, Malvoria was reviewing reports when Elysia arrived, flushed from training. She dropped a kiss to Malvoria’s forehead, then flopped beside her with a sigh.

"Your daughter challenged the entire castle guard to a race. She beat two of them by crawling under tables."

Malvoria grinned, pulling Elysia closer. "Remind me why we wanted children?"

Elysia nuzzled her neck, voice warm with affection. "Because we thought it would be romantic. Instead, we’ve created a tiny warlord."

They sat in companionable silence until Malvoria, emboldened by Elysia’s presence, finally voiced her idea. "What if... we took a trip? Just the three of us."

Elysia perked up. "A trip? Where?"

Malvoria hesitated, thinking back—pink leaves, hidden springs, the night air sweet with magic. "Do you remember Montis Askrath? The crystal caves, the heart tree—Lorithae?"

Elysia’s face softened at once. "Of course I remember. It’s where we told oursleves about our feelings."

Malvoria smiled, slow and secret. "What if we went back? As a family. Show Kaelith where it all began."

Elysia’s eyes shimmered with something bright—hope, joy, a little mischief. "I’d love that. Kaelith would adore the caves."

Just then, a crash echoed down the hall. Malvoria bolted upright, cursing. "What now?"

They rushed out to find Kaelith in the kitchen, covered head to toe in flour, flanked by two very upset bakers and a trio of terrified ducks (how had the ducks gotten in?). Kaelith, triumphant, held up a loaf of unbaked bread as if it were a royal scepter.

"Victory!" she proclaimed, scattering flour everywhere. "We bake for the party!"

Elysia looked at Malvoria and burst out laughing. "Well, at least she’s enthusiastic."

Malvoria, sighing, knelt to scoop her daughter into her arms.

"That’s it. Montis Askrath it is. We need fresh air, and the mountain’s far enough that maybe—just maybe—we can have a little peace. Just the three of us. You, me, and our tiny chaos storm."

Kaelith cheered, clapping her flour-covered hands. "Mountains! Party! Cake!"

Malvoria met Elysia’s eyes, her heart full and wild. "We’ll go back to where it all began, and this time, we’ll bring our greatest adventure with us."