108 - Extraordinary
Silence stretched between them.
Warm sunlight filtered through the tall study windows, painting golden patterns across the carpet. Dust motes drifted lazily through the air. Everything felt strangely peaceful.
Then-a few knocks. The sudden sound shattered the moment instantly.
Mariana practically launched herself away from Zafiel. The movement was so abrupt that she nearly tripped over her own feet. Her face exploded into flames.
"W-We were not-" She immediately stopped. Because saying that only sounded suspicious. "O-Oh no." Her embarrassment somehow worsened.
Zafiel remained standing where he was, looking mildly disappointed by the interruption.
The knock came again. "Your Imperial Highness." A knight's voice echoed from the other side.
Mariana hastily smoothed her hair and adjusted her clothes as though she had committed some sort of crime. Which she hadn't. Probably. Hopefully.
Zafiel watched her panic for a moment before quietly sighing. "You may enter."
The study doors opened.
A knight stepped inside and immediately bowed. Unlike Leonhard, this knight appeared younger, though no less disciplined. Silver armor gleamed beneath the sunlight. "Your Imperial Highness."
Zafiel nodded. "Report."
The knight straightened. "Sir Clio reporting." His expression became noticeably more resigned. "Her Imperial Majesty the Empress has delivered an Imperial Order."
Mariana blinked.
An Imperial Order?
Even Zafiel's expression twitched slightly. Sir Clio extended a sealed letter.
Zafiel accepted it and broke the seal. The moment he finished reading, he closed his eyes. A long sigh escaped him. "... troublesome."
Mariana tilted her head. "What is it...?"
Zafiel pinched the bridge of his nose. "My mother, she... issued an Imperial Order requiring me to open the gates of the Crown Prince's Palace." A pause. "So she can enter."
Mariana blinked. Then blinked again. Then, a snort escaped her. She immediately covered her mouth. Too late.
Zafiel slowly turned toward her.
Mariana failed miserably at suppressing her grin. "I'm sorry!"
"No, you're not."
The smile widened. Somehow that made Zafiel look even more long-suffering.
Mariana laughed. For the first time in days, genuinely laughed. "You're still a son to the Empress after all."
Zafiel looked personally offended by reality itself. "I am aware."
"You sound unhappy about it."
"My mother is disruptive."
"That's called parenting."
"She's the Empress."
"She's both."
Zafiel looked as though he wanted to argue. Unfortunately for him, Mariana was correct. He reluctantly looked toward Sir Clio. "Open the gates."
The knight immediately bowed. "As you command."
Less than twenty minutes later, the study doors opened once more and in walked Empress Lilith, elegant as ever.
Her dark gown flowed behind her like liquid night. Her posture remained graceful. Her expression calm. And her eyes immediately landed on Mariana. Not Zafiel, Mariana.
"Good afternoon."
Mariana hurriedly curtsied. "Your Imperial Majesty."
Lilith smiled warmly. "There is no need to be so nervous."
"I am speaking to the Empress..."
"A valid point."
Mariana wasn't sure if that was reassuring.
Lilith walked further into the room. Meanwhile, Zafiel remained suspiciously alert like a watchdog observing another watchdog.
The resemblance between mother and son became incredibly obvious. Both beautiful. Both terrifying. Both too intelligent. Both looking capable of ruining someone's life while smiling politely.
Lilith noticed his stare. Zafiel noticed hers. Neither looked away. The atmosphere became oddly competitive. Mariana looked between them.
Are they having an argument without words...? Because it certainly feels like one.
Eventually Lilith sighed. "Oh, stop that."
Zafiel remained unmoved. "What do you want, mother?"
"To speak with Mariana."
"No."
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "No?"
"No."
"She's not your prisoner."
"..."
Lilith's eyebrow rose further.
Mariana suddenly felt like she was watching an ancient battle.
Finally, Lilith shrugged. "I simply wish to speak with my friend's daughter." A pause. Then she added casually, "And my future daughter-in-law."
Mariana choked, actually choked. Air went down the wrong pipe. She coughed violently. "Wha-What...?!"
Meanwhile, Zafiel froze only for a fraction of a second, so brief most people would've missed it. Mariana did. But Lilith did not, her eyes gleaming.
Interesting, Zafiel reacted.
Mariana stared in horror. "Your Imperial Majesty, could you please clarify what you just said...?"
Lilith looked genuinely confused. "Which part?"
"The da-da-daughter-in-law part...!"
"Oh." Lilith waved her hand. "You and Zafiel have probably shared a bed already."
Mariana turned red so quickly she resembled a tomato. "W-We only slept-" Her voice cracked, which somehow made it worse.
Lilith nodded calmly. "Exactly."
"THA-THAT ISN'T EXACTLY...!"
"It is."
"It absolutely isn't...!" Lilith looked unconvinced. Mariana became increasingly flustered. "W-We shared a bed literally...!!"
Lilith blinked. "Literally."
"We didn't do anything...!"
Lilith nodded again. "Of course." The tone suggested she believed absolutely none of it.
Mariana's face grew hotter. "W-We really didn't...!"
"Naturally."
"We just slept...!"
"Mhm."
"That's all...!!"
"Mhm."
"WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE YOU THINK I'M LYING...?!"
Because she sounded exactly like someone lying. Her stuttering wasn't helping. Her red face wasn't helping. Her frantic gestures weren't helping. Nothing was helping.
Meanwhile, Zafiel had quietly begun dying from secondhand embarrassment which was remarkable. Because Mariana had never seen him embarrassed before.
Then she noticed it-his ears, very faintly red. Almost imperceptibly. But red nonetheless. Lilith noticed too. She looked delighted. Zafiel looked horrified that she'd noticed.
Before Mariana could continue digging their collective grave, a warm hand gently covered her mouth. "Mmph...!"
Zafiel sighed. "Enough."
Mariana glared at him. His expression clearly said: Please stop talking. You're making this worse. Unfortunately, he was right. Mariana hated that.
Lilith looked moments away from laughing. Instead, she approached Mariana and gently took her wrist. "Come."
Mariana blinked. "Huh...?"
"We're going for a walk."
"A... walk...?"
Lilith nodded. "Without my son."
Zafiel immediately objected. "No."
Lilith made a shooing gesture. The exact same gesture one would use on an annoying dog. "Go away, you're hovering. It's unhealthy."
"..."
"Let me speak to her."
Zafiel looked deeply unconvinced. Lilith smiled. A dangerous smile. The kind mothers reserved for stubborn children. Somehow that was enough.
Zafiel actually retreated. Mariana stared in disbelief. The terrifying Crown Prince had just lost a battle to his mother, amazing.
-
The palace gardens were beautiful. Flowers bloomed in countless colors. Fountains sparkled beneath the afternoon sun. Birds chirped softly from nearby trees. For a while, neither woman spoke.
Then Lilith suddenly asked, "Did Zafiel... force himself on you?"
Mariana nearly tripped. "What...?!"
Lilith remained calm. "It's a simple question."
"No!" The answer came immediately. Without hesitation. Without thought. Without even a second's consideration.
Lilith noticed. Mariana noticed that Lilith noticed and suddenly became embarrassed.
"He never has."
"Never?"
"Never."
Lilith looked thoughtful.
Mariana crossed her arms. "He only..." Her voice trailed off.
Lilith waited patiently. Mariana opened her mouth, then paused.
Now that I think about it... what exactly has Zai done for me...?
"He only..."
The answer should've been easy. Instead-books. Countless books. His private library. The stacks he always set aside for her. The rare volumes he searched for personally.
Mariana blinked.
Then-food. Breakfast every morning. Lunch prepared exactly on time. Dinner waiting whenever she returned. Snacks. Tea. Sweets. The spicy noodles. The desserts. The way he always remembered her preferences.
Her voice grew quieter. "He cooks..." Lilith listened silently. Mariana continued, "He buys me books." A pause. "He listens when I talk." Another pause. "He remembers everything." Her cheeks slowly warmed. "He pays attention."
The words felt strange. Because she was only now realizing how much attention he actually paid.
"He..."
Gentle touches. Never forcing. Never hurting. Always careful. Always watching her reactions. Always making sure she was comfortable. Always looking at her. Always.
Mariana's voice became smaller. "... gives me his full attention."
Silence followed. Lilith stopped walking. Mariana blinked. The Empress looked stunned. Actually stunned.
"Your Imperial Majesty...?"
Lilith stared. Then stared some more.
Mariana grew concerned. "Did I... say something wrong...?"
Lilith slowly exhaled. "No." The answer came quietly. "That's exactly why I'm surprised."
Mariana frowned. "What do you... mean...?"
Lilith looked toward the distant palace. Toward the tower where her son spent most of his life. A complicated emotion crossed her face. Affection. Sadness. Understanding.
"Pardon a mother's honesty."
Mariana listened carefully.
Lilith smiled faintly. "Zafiel is brilliant." That much was obvious. "He always has been." Her gaze grew distant. "When he was a child, he mastered lessons meant for adults." Mariana blinked. "Everything came easily."
Swordsmanship. Politics. Strategy. History. Aura. Military command. Diplomacy. Magic theory. Everything.
Lilith sighed. "And because everything came easily..." Her smile turned bittersweet. "Nothing ever interested him." Mariana froze. "He succeeded too quickly."
There was no challenge. No excitement. No fulfillment. Only boredom. Years and years of boredom.
Lilith folded her hands together. "I worried about him." Mariana remained silent. "When I learned he had become interested in someone..." Lilith laughed softly. "I assumed the poor girl would be overwhelmed."
Mariana blinked. "... me?"
"Yes." Lilith nodded. "I thought decades of pent-up emotions would explode all at once." A pause. "Knowing my son, I wasn't entirely wrong."
Mariana remembered the kidnapping. The palace imprisonment. The obsession. The threatening gods part.
Okay, fair.
"But..." Lilith looked genuinely amazed. "He paid attention."
Mariana stilled.
Lilith's smile softened. "He listened." Another pause. "He learned your preferences." The Empress looked almost emotional. "Mariana." Her voice became gentle. "Do you understand how extraordinary that is for him?"
Mariana froze completely because suddenly, a realization surfaced. One she had never considered before. For everyone else, Zafiel was a genius. A prodigy. A monster. A prince. A weapon. A legend.
But maybe, just maybe, no one had ever taught him how to love. And yet somehow for her, he was trying.