I won't fall for the queen who burned my world-Chapter 272: ’Normal’ lunch

Malvoria couldn’t stop smiling.

Which, admittedly, made several people nervous.

Not that she could blame them. She was the Demon Queen, after all.

Smiling wasn’t something people expected from her—certainly not the open, radiant, and borderline ridiculous grin currently plastered across her face.

But after what had just transpired in their chambers (and the bath afterward, which she fully intended to revisit in memory every time she felt even a hint of war stress), she was in what one might call an indecently good mood.

Elysia walked beside her with Kaelith in her arms, who was making tiny delighted noises that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

Her silver hair was twisted into a loose bun, cheeks glowing faintly, and her violet eyes sparkled every time Kaelith squealed at a passing flower or tried to eat her own sleeve.

Malvoria’s heart clenched in her chest. She could’ve taken on an entire battalion of war priests in that moment and still walked away smiling.

They stepped into the dining hall, where lunch had been laid out already—an assortment of grilled meats, charred vegetables, soft breads, and chilled fruits.

The scent alone made Malvoria’s stomach rumble, but it was the sight of the others that brought her back to reality.

And with reality came the awkwardness.

Veylira was seated at one end of the table, sipping her wine like it had done something personally offensive.

Raveth sat beside her, very deliberately not looking at anyone in particular. Lara, across from them, had her arms folded and was glaring at her plate like it had insulted her combat record.

Saelira, of course, looked like she was having the time of her life.

"Ah," she said smoothly as they entered.

"Look who finally emerged from the private wing. I assume the reason you’re both late is the same reason you’re both walking a little slower than usual?"

Elysia blushed immediately.

Malvoria just grinned wider. "We were... busy."

"I’ll bet," Saelira purred. "The walls are thick, but not that thick."

Lara choked on her water.

Raveth muttered something about needing stronger wine.

Veylira didn’t even blink. "I regret everything."

"Too late for regrets," Malvoria said cheerfully, sliding into her seat and pulling Elysia down beside her.

Kaelith, meanwhile, was placed in her special padded chair, where she immediately slammed both hands on the tray like a tiny warlord demanding tribute.

A bowl of soft mashed vegetables was placed before her.

She rejected it with a full-body scowl.

Malvoria sighed and reached for a tiny silver spoon. "Fine, Your Fiery Highness. I shall serve you myself."

Kaelith brightened instantly and squealed. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"She’s training you well," Elysia whispered, laughing under her breath.

"She’s manipulating me," Malvoria whispered back. "Just like you do."

Kaelith opened her mouth for another spoonful and then promptly sneezed, sending a small explosion of carrot mash across the table and onto Raveth’s sleeve.

There was a long pause.

"She’s got your aim," Lara said grimly.

"Sorry," Malvoria said, though she didn’t sound sorry at all.

Kaelith looked immensely proud of herself.

Veylira, dabbing at her forehead with a cloth napkin, finally spoke up.

"Well. Now that lunch has taken a turn toward the absurd, perhaps we should acknowledge the fact that tomorrow we are storming a palace controlled by one of the most dangerous women in demon history."

The room went still.

Even Kaelith stopped mid-giggle.

Malvoria’s smile faded just slightly.

Yes. Tomorrow.

The assault on Lucindra.

The moment they’d been preparing for, planning around, dreading and anticipating in equal measure. There was no turning back. The moment they left this estate, they would be at war.

Elysia’s hand brushed against hers under the table, fingers intertwining.

"I’m ready," Malvoria said softly, then louder: "We’re ready."

"You’d better be," Saelira said, resting her chin on her palm. "Because I plan to stay behind and babysit your daughter, not the throne."

Kaelith let out a happy squeal at the word babysit and then threw a grape at Lara.

It bounced off Lara’s forehead with a tiny, squishy splat.

"I’ve trained assassins," Lara muttered. "I’ve killed warlocks with a glare. And now I’m being attacked by produce."

Elysia gave her an encouraging smile. "She likes you. That’s how she shows affection."

Saelira chuckled. "You should’ve seen her try to incinerate the morning’s blanket. Pure love."

Malvoria stared down at her daughter, who now seemed to be trying to light the tablecloth on fire by staring at it intensely.

"Maybe she thinks the war starts early," Malvoria murmured.

Raveth finally spoke, her voice low. "She’ll be protected."

"I’ll die before anything touches her," Saelira said, with the weight of a queen who meant every word.

The room was silent for a beat too long.

Then Kaelith farted loudly.

Malvoria clapped a hand over her mouth to suppress a snort.

Elysia did not even try. She burst out laughing, and once she did, everyone followed suit. Even Veylira’s wine choked slightly in her throat.

Malvoria leaned into Elysia’s side, her smile returning, softer now.

For a moment, the tension broke.

They ate.

They teased.

And they reminded themselves what they were fighting for.

By the time dessert was served some kind of vanilla-pomegranate tart that Kaelith tried to grab with both hands Malvoria was feeling more grounded. Tired, but steady.

Kaelith, eyes glittering with glee and determination, made a grab for the nearest slice of tart with all the force of a tiny, determined general launching an offensive.

Her chubby fingers slapped down onto the plate with an audible splat, palms smearing the delicate cream in an instant.

"Absolutely not," Malvoria said flatly, intercepting with the speed of someone who had fought off assassins and rogue spirits but knew there was no terror like a baby covered in pomegranate filling.

Kaelith let out an offended squeal and tried to bite her. Well bite is a big words with her so small teeth, demon baby grow a bit too fast.

"I said no," Malvoria added firmly, plucking her daughter up and away from the dessert with practiced precision.

"You’ve already had mashed vegetables, half a pear, and tried to consume your own boot. You’re not getting sugar on top of that."

Kaelith didn’t agree.

She wriggled in Malvoria’s arms like a possessed eel, jaws open in a dramatic show of baby rage, and sank her barely-there teeth into Malvoria’s wrist.

It was more drool than pain but the message was clear.

"She’s trying to eat me," Malvoria announced.

"She’s hungry for power," Saelira said, sipping her wine. "It runs in the family."

"She has teeth now," Elysia added, laughing as she leaned over to wipe tart from the tray with a cloth. "Sort of."

"She has suggestions of teeth," Malvoria muttered, shifting Kaelith to her other hip. "Pointy little nubs that don’t hurt, but they threaten to."

Kaelith growled an actual growl, deep and oddly guttural for someone who still occasionally forgot how to sit up on her own.

Raveth, seated quietly near Veylira, looked over and smirked. "She’s definitely yours."

Malvoria raised a brow. "Why do people say that every time she tries to start a fire, bite something, or establish dominance through eye contact?"

"Because it’s true," Elysia said, smiling as she pulled a second slice of tart toward herself. "Though she takes after me when she’s being dramatic about bath time."

Lara groaned. "Don’t remind me."

"She set the water on fire," Malvoria said. "I was there."

"I was in it," Lara muttered, crossing her arms. "I smelled like burnt lavender for three hours."

Kaelith, pleased with herself and no longer restrained by dessert denial, settled in Malvoria’s arms with a smug burble.

"Oh, now she’s happy," Malvoria said, rocking her gently. "The chaos has passed. Her mission is complete."

"She’s a demon," Saelira said with a smile. "She grows fast. In two more months she’ll be crawling, then flying, then ruling her own province."

"Don’t joke about that," Elysia said quickly. "She already tried to eat the throne cushion."

"She made a dent in it," Malvoria added with a grim nod. "With her gums."

Kaelith cooed proudly.

The rest of dessert passed in cautious peace.

Kaelith continued to eye the tart like it held the secrets of the universe, but seemed content to gnaw on one of the silver utensils instead, occasionally glancing at Elysia with adoration and at Malvoria with the smugness of someone who had won some battle today.

And in a way, she had.

Malvoria looked down at her daughter, then across the table at her wife, and for a moment just a brief, fragile breath of time she forgot about Lucindra.

Forgot the coming war.

Forgot the palace she’d have to reclaim, the throne she’d have to defend, the blood she’d likely spill.

Right now, there was Elysia, licking pomegranate glaze off her fingers and smiling through exhaustion.

There was Kaelith, babbling nonsense and chewing on polished metal. There was family, strange and whole, fractured and fighting, but together.

And for now, that was enough.

Even if Kaelith was now trying to eat the spoon. Again.