What Is Love? | My Inner Demons x Reader

Chapter 32: Unwanted Emotions... {Rhys' Route}

~(Y/n)'s PoV~

I stayed in the pool for some time after most of the Daemos left, but I couldn't seem to relax. All I could think about was the anxious, uneasy expression on Rhys' face when he went after Asch. Had Ava or I said something that bad? I really hope not.

I rose up from the water, and stepped out of the pool. "I'm gonna go to bed..." I lie, trying to shake some of the water from my body. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Would you like me to escort you to your room?" Pierce offers, starting to stand as well.

I quickly shake my head. "N-No, no, I'll be alright." I assure him. "Y-You can just stay here and look after Ava."

Pierce hesitates, glancing back down the hall where Ava and I came from, before he nods to me. "Good night, Prime (Y/n)."

I smile, step aside to scoop up my clothes, and start walking back. "'Night, Pierce." I hum. Luckily, as I leave the room, Pierce stops watching me and I'm able to climb up a flight of stairs on the side of the entrance and duck away into the palace.

I begin walking down a hallway, lit by small candles on each sconce on the walls. The flickering lights are beautiful, but at the same time they don't light the passage as well as I'd like and the silence makes it all the more eerie. I creep down the corridor, trying to stay quiet, but also feeling rather anxious about the ominous space.

There's a creak in the palace somewhere around me and my body quickly tenses. I try to calm myself down by thinking that it's just the house settling or a creaky floorboard, but the palace is made of magic and there is not wood flooring beneath my feet. The sound of the creak again, this time much louder, makes my lurch forward in a slight panic.

My paces draw quicker and my eyes dart around everywhere but right in front of me, which is likely the reach I crash into something. It doesn't feel like a wall.

I feel a pair of hands get planted on my waist as I try to find balance and they keep me stable. "Be careful..." A familiar, calm voice says to me. I look up and, sure enough, it's Rhys who was there to help me. "Are you alright?"

I quickly nod, not pulling myself from his grasp as I try to calm myself. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." I say. "Th-Thanks..."

"Of course, Prime (Y/n)." Rhys hums with a small smile. "Now, if you don't mind, may I ask why you're in here so late? I figured you would stay at the sp- h-hot tub or retreat to your chambers for the night."

"Well, after you and Asch left so suddenly, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I admit. "I was worried that Ava or I offended you guys somehow, and I'm really sorry if we did-"

"It's quite alright." Rhys assures me, though he cut me off mid-sentence. "May I say, it's very kind of you to do such a thing."

I can't help but smile at that. I've had other people in my life call me kind before, but the way Rhys says it is just lovely... His tone was sweet and soft and the word itself came out a bit hesitantly, as though he's never said it before. Knowing where he and the others came from, I feel like that could be true. "I-I try..."

Rhys smiles back, just enough for me to see, and he finally steps back, hands trailing off of my waist. "And I can assure you that Prince Asch and I are just fine. Though, I will say that he mentioned prolonging our stay on E-urth." He mutters the last part, not seeming especially enthusiastic about it.

"W-Well, thanks for letting me know." I hum. It hits me that they'll have to go eventually and it hurts. I'm not ready to lose them so soon.