I Raised the Demon Queen (Now She Won't Leave Me Alone)

There were many things Revantra prided herself on.

Her legendary fire magic. Her former dominion over ten demon provinces. Her flawless posture. Her ability to destroy enchanted golems with a single snap. And, more recently, her growing tolerance for public school uniforms.

But patience?

Patience was not one of them.

And definitely not when it came to watching Elias lean a little too close to a woman with glossy red hair and a laugh like falling petals.

Revantra stood in the hospital's side corridor, pretending to admire a mana chart on "the long-term effects of improper healing incantations," though her eyes were very much on the breakroom's open doorway. Through the sliver, she could see Elias and the woman—Mariel, a fellow healer from ward three—laughing about something.

He had that soft, warm look on his face. The one he rarely showed anyone. The one Revantra thought was hers.

She blinked once.

Then the door handle next to her made a high-pitched sizzle and promptly melted into a sad, metallic loop.

She stared at it.

"...Oops."

It had all started innocently.

Revantra had decided, entirely of her own volition (and not at all due to boredom or curiosity or the increasing number of people smiling at Elias when he left the apartment), to stop by Candlethorn after school.

She told the receptionist she was dropping off "an extremely urgent medicinal tea" for her so-called guardian, despite the fact that the teacup was suspiciously empty and still had "borrowed from cafeteria" scratched into its base.

The receptionist, now well-acquainted with Revantra's unique presence, didn't even argue. Just handed her a visitor badge and a Look.

So Revantra had wandered in, already preparing her scolding voice—You're supposed to rest after long shifts, you fool—but paused just before entering the breakroom. Because there was Elias, pouring tea, and there was Mariel, laughing with her hand casually on his shoulder.

It was the casualness that stung.

She had never touched Elias casually. She had thrown herself at him during a demon hunt once, but that was different. That was about saving his life, not leaning in with bedroom eyes while discussing salves.

The salve of betrayal, that's what it was.

Revantra took a calming breath.

Fire magic did not thrive in a state of calm, unfortunately, and the hallway light above her flickered.

She frowned at the ruined door handle. "You didn't see that," she told it.

Then she marched into the breakroom with the poise of a princess and the energy of an approaching thunderclap.

"Rina," Elias said, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just in the area," she said with a tilt of her chin. "And definitely not waiting outside the door eavesdropping."

Mariel raised an elegant brow. "Oh, you must be Elias's niece?"

"Ward," Revantra corrected with a tight smile. "Temporarily. Legally. By unfortunate circumstance."

Elias coughed. "Mariel, this is Rina. Rina, this is Mariel. She's—"

"Very touchy, yes," Revantra said pointedly. "You must be good at massaging bruises."

There was a silence.

Mariel smiled, a little too politely. "I specialize in muscle reformation."

"Do you," Revantra said, crossing her arms. "Fascinating."

Elias gave her a look. One of his classic please-don't-ignite-the-furniture looks.

She ignored it.

"I was just telling Elias about the patient we rescued from a cursed artifact," Mariel continued. "His hands were fused together. Took hours."

"Hours?" Revantra mused. "You must've had so much time to bond."

Elias rubbed his temples.

"I'll be going," Mariel said with professional crispness. "Nice to meet you, Rina."

"Likewise," Revantra said, all the teeth of a smile and none of the warmth.

Once she was gone, Elias looked at her. "What. Was that."

"What?" she said, suddenly engrossed in a chart about enchanted bandages.

"You melted the hallway handle."

"It was defective."

"You implied Mariel was massaging me romantically."

"She touched your shoulder!"

"She's a healer."

"She giggled."

Elias opened his mouth, closed it again, and sighed.

"You're jealous."

"I am not jealous," she snapped. Then added, "I am concerned."

"Concerned."

"Yes. About your emotional well-being. And your gullibility. And your alarming susceptibility to women who use mint-scented shampoo."

Elias pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm allowed to talk to coworkers," he said.

She folded her arms tighter. "Maybe she should heal you forever, huh?"

There was a long silence.

"I mean," she added hurriedly, "not that I care. Obviously. Do what you want." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Right."

"Be happy. Let her massage your bruises or whatever."

Elias sat down slowly. "Rina..."

She flopped into the chair beside him, arms still crossed. "This is stupid."

"What is?"

"This feeling." She scowled at the table. "It's itchy."

He tilted his head. "Jealousy does that."

"I said I'm not—" She stopped. Bit her lip. "I don't understand it."

"You want to protect something," he said softly. "But you're not sure if it still belongs to you."

She looked at him. "Do you belong to me?"

Elias blinked.

She realized what she said and immediately backpedaled. "I mean—not belong belong. Like property. That would be weird. And possessive. And possibly illegal. I just meant—" Her voice faltered. "You're... important. To me."

He smiled.

Warm. Real. That stupid soft look again—but this time, it was hers.

"I know," he said. "You're important to me, too."

Revantra looked away, ears pink.

"I just..." she muttered, "don't like being second to anyone."

"You're not," he said gently. "You're just... learning how to share space in a world that doesn't revolve around you anymore."

"That's a dumb world."

"Maybe. But it has hot tea and mint-scented shampoo and people who care about you even when you're prickly and mildly terrifying."

She snorted. "I'm not terrifying."

"You melted a door handle out of jealous rage."

"It wasn't rage," she mumbled. "More like... aggressive emotional flickering."

He laughed.

A real laugh. Not his polite one. The one that cracked open something old and aching in her chest and filled it with strange warmth.

They sat like that for a while, in companionable silence, sharing lukewarm tea and the soft thrum of awkward understanding.

Finally, Revantra said, "Next time she touches you, I'll burn her shoes."

"Noted."

"And I'll replace your shampoo with unscented."

"Please don't."

She leaned back, smirking. "No promises."

But as they walked out of the hospital together, the melted handle still cooling behind them, Elias glanced down at her and said, "Hey."

She looked up.

"You're allowed to feel things," he said. "Even weird itchy ones."

She scowled. "Don't be nice to me right now."

"Too late."

And despite herself, despite everything, she smiled.

The world might not revolve around her anymore—but maybe, just maybe, she was learning to revolve with it.

One emotional flare-up at a time.

To be continued...