I won't fall for the queen who burned my world-Chapter 90: You reek of her

Malvoria knew she was in trouble the moment her mother tilted her head and took a slow, deliberate inhale.

The smirk on her lips widened.

Oh no.

Malvoria kept her expression perfectly neutral. "What?"

Her mother hummed, eyes gleaming with entirely too much amusement. "Oh, nothing."

That was a lie. Malvoria could practically feel the mischief radiating from her.

Her mother's arms remained crossed, her golden eyes watching her like a hawk. "You seem... flustered."

Malvoria scoffed. "I'm not flustered."

Her mother stepped closer, sniffing again, and Malvoria resisted the very undignified urge to run.

Then—

"Oh my."

Malvoria clenched her jaw. "Don't."

Her mother grinned. "Oh, I will."

Malvoria exhaled sharply through her nose. "It's not what you're thinking."

Her mother arched a brow. "Oh? And what exactly do you think I'm thinking?"

Malvoria refused to take the bait.

She would not stand here and have this conversation.

No. Absolutely not.

She was the Demon Queen.

She commanded armies.

She burned kingdoms to the ground.

And yet—

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

She could not escape her own mother's relentless teasing.

Malvoria straightened, smoothing her jacket. "I have work to do."

Her mother blocked her path.

"Funny," she mused. "I thought you'd just finished some... very important work."

Malvoria glared. "Mother."

Her mother smirked. "You reek of her."

Malvoria's brain short-circuited.

What.

Her mother leaned in, taking another obnoxiously slow sniff.

Oh. Gods.

Malvoria stepped back. "Stop that."

Her mother cackled.

"Oh, this is delicious."

Malvoria's hands twitched. "I will kill you."

Her mother waved a hand. "Yes, yes, you always say that."

Malvoria scowled. "I am not discussing this with you."

Her mother sighed dramatically. "You wound me."

Malvoria crossed her arms. "I could actually wound you."

Her mother ignored her.

"So," she continued, tone far too gleeful, "did you enjoy yourself?"

Malvoria's brain imploded.

She physically turned away. "I'm leaving."

Her mother grabbed her arm. "Oh, no, you're not."

Malvoria growled. "Let go."

Her mother's grin widened. "Not until you tell me—"

"There is nothing to tell."

Her mother scoffed. "Then why do you look like you want to throw yourself off the balcony?"

Malvoria swore the ancestors were cursing her right now.

She had to get out of this.

Now.

Before her mother—

"Oh, I know that look," her mother gasped theatrically. "You liked it."

Malvoria went still.

Her mother's smirk exploded into a grin.

"Oh. Oh."

Nope.

Nope.

Malvoria turned on her heel. She was leaving.

Immediately.

Her mother laughed behind her, the sound echoing down the hallway.

"Oh, this is my favorite day!"

Malvoria refused to acknowledge it. She kept walking, fast, her boots striking the stone floor with far too much force.

But her mother's voice still reached her, filled with pure, unfiltered glee.

"Say hello to your wife for me!"

Malvoria almost incinerated the wall. Malvoria slammed the door to her chambers shut behind her, exhaling sharply.

The moment she was alone, the weight of everything settled in.

The teasing. The humiliation. The utter lack of control she had felt in front of her mother.

And—

Elysia.

Malvoria ground her teeth, running a hand through her red hair.

She had left before the situation could spiral further. Before words could be exchanged. Before—

Before she could think too much about it.

But now, standing in the solitude of her room, she could think.

And that was the problem.

A very big problem.

Her body still ached—not from battle, but from the night before.

And she hated that she liked it.

She needed to cool down.

Without hesitation, Malvoria strode toward the adjoining bath chamber.

The large, polished obsidian tub gleamed under the soft glow of enchanted blue flames. Steam rose from the water, swirling lazily into the air.

She stripped out of her clothes, barely registering them falling to the floor before stepping into the tub.

The moment the freezing water touched her skin, a sharp hiss left her lips.

Good.

She needed this.

Needed the cold to shock some sense back into her.

She leaned back against the edge, closing her eyes, letting the chill seep into her bones.

But then—

Traitorous thoughts.

Elysia's hands.

Elysia's lips.

Elysia's breathless gasps against her throat.

Malvoria's eyes snapped open.

"Enough." Her voice was sharp, echoing in the chamber.

She refused to do this.

Refused to let herself drown in the memories of last night.

She scrubbed at her arms, her chest, her throat—everywhere Elysia had touched.

It didn't help.

Her skin still burned with the ghost of Elysia's fingertips.

With a growl of frustration, Malvoria dunked her head underwater, staying beneath until the cold numbed her thoughts.

When she surfaced again, she was breathing harder than she liked.

She clenched her jaw.

This was nothing.

It meant nothing.

She finished the bath quickly, stepping out and grabbing a towel to dry herself.

But as she moved toward the large mirror in the corner of the chamber—

She froze.

Because there—

Across her back—

Deep, red scratch marks.

Her breath hitched.

Elysia's nails.

Malvoria stared at them, unmoving.

The faint sting of the scratches burned against her skin, a stark reminder of the night before.

Proof.

Her fingers twitched at her sides.

For a long moment, she simply stood there, staring.

Then—

She tore her gaze away.

Dressed swiftly.

And left the chamber before she could think about it any longer.

---

The walk to her office was a blur.

By the time Malvoria reached her desk, she had shoved every unnecessary thought deep into the recesses of her mind.

She was fine.

She was back in control.

She settled into her chair, exhaling as she ran a hand over her face.

Then—

A memory resurfaced.

Not of Elysia.

But of her.

The rebel woman.

The one who had injured Elysia.

Malvoria's hands tightened into fists.

She had almost forgotten about her.

Almost.

But now?

Now, Malvoria remembered exactly what she still needed to do.

And this time, she would not be distracted.

A slow, dark smirk curled at her lips.

It was time to finish what she started.