93 - Thought
For a moment, she just stared at him. Then her brows furrowed sharply, something fierce igniting beneath the fear.
“No.” It came out quiet but firm.
Zafiel tilted his head slightly, as if intrigued.
Mariana swallowed, forcing strength into her voice. “No.” She repeated, louder this time. “I won’t.”
The chains clinked softly as she shifted, her wrists still bound, her body still trapped—but her gaze no longer wavering.
“I don’t care how comfortable this place is,” she continued, her voice shaking but stubborn. “I don’t care if you give me food, books, or anything else.” Her jaw tightened. “I will never learn to love this.”
Silence lingered between them.
Zafiel didn’t get angry. He didn’t frown. He simply… smiled. Not mocking. Not cold. Just… patient. “That’s what you think.” He said softly.
Mariana’s eye twitched. “No,” she snapped immediately. “That’s what I know.”
Zafiel hummed lightly, leaning back just slightly as if considering her words. Then, almost casually, “But didn’t you once think otherwise?”
Mariana froze. “Wha-What?”
His gaze softened—not in kindness, but in something far more unsettling. Familiarity. “You thought,” he continued slowly, “that being locked away wouldn’t be so bad.”
Her breath hitched.
No...!!
“You thought,” he added, voice quieter now, “that as long as there was food and things to read…”
Her face burned instantly. “STOP—”
“It would be... comfortable.”
“STOP TALKING…!” Her voice cracked, embarrassment crashing into panic all at once. Her cheeks flushed a deep red as she turned her face away from him.
That... Tha-That was... That was just a thought…!
A stupid, lazy, intrusive thought from her old life. One of those fleeting moments where she’d joked to herself about wanting to do nothing, be pampered, just stay in one place and read forever.
That wasn’t...! That didn’t mean—
“Ho-How do you know that…?” Her voice came out small.
Zafiel didn’t answer immediately. And that silence? It was worse than anything he could’ve said. Because it mean, he knew. Not guessed. Not assumed. Knew. A cold dread slowly crept up her spine.
He knows things he shouldn’t know...
Her fingers curled weakly against the sheets. But instead of pressing further, instead of demanding answers she wasn’t sure she wanted...
She changed direction. “Wha-What do you want from me?”
Zafiel blinked once, as if the question itself was unexpected.
Mariana forced herself to meet his gaze again. “All of this,” she gestured weakly around her with her bound hands, “the planning, the trapping, the… everything.” Her throat tightened. “What do you actually want??”
A pause. Then, “You.” No hesitation. No ambiguity. Just one word.
Mariana stared at him. “… what?”
“I only want you.” He repeated calmly.
Her brows furrowed. “Tha-That doesn’t make sense...!”
“It does.”
“N-No, it doesn’t...!” Her voice rose slightly. “Why me...?! What did I even do...?!”
Zafiel watched her quietly. Then, slowly, he spoke. “When I was in the void…”
Her breath hitched.
“In the darkness,” His voice lowered, softer than before. Not threatening. Not possessive. Something else. “You were the only light.”
Silence fell.
Mariana blinked. “… what does that even mean?”
Zafiel didn’t answer directly, instead, he moved. Slowly, he lay down beside her on the bed. Mariana’s entire body went rigid instantly.
Too close. Too close. Too close—
She didn’t move. Couldn’t move.
His hand lifted gently, brushing against her cheek. His touch was warm. Careful. Almost reverent. “Finally,” he murmured, “I have you."
Her breath trembled.
“My lifelong dream,” his fingers traced lightly along her skin, “has come true.”
Mariana’s thoughts spiraled. This isn’t normal. This isn’t obsession anymore. This is something else. Something deeper. Something that started long before she even got here.
But how? How could I be someone’s “light”… when I don't even know him?
Her mind tried to piece it together, tried to find logic, explanation, anything—but nothing fit. Nothing made sense.
Her body remained stiff, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as his presence lingered beside her. She didn’t respond. Couldn’t respond.
Because anything she said would only pull her deeper into whatever this was. So she stayed silent.
And slowly, the exhaustion caught up to her. The fear. The confusion. The overwhelming weight of everything that had happened in a single night.
Her thoughts blurred. Her eyelids grew heavy. No matter how much she tried to stay awake, her body gave in. And eventually, Mariana fell asleep.
Zafiel watched her quietly.
Her breathing steadied. Her body relaxed, tension slowly melting away as sleep claimed her. For the first time since she had arrived, she looked peaceful.
His gaze softened slightly. “You’re finally here.” He murmured.
The chains around her wrists shimmered faintly. Then, slowly, they faded. Not gone. Just… hidden. As if they were never meant to be seen while she rested.
Zafiel reached out once more, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. “I won’t let you go again.”
His voice was quiet. Certain. Absolute.
—
Morning came far too quickly. But not in Zafiel’s palace. In another part of the imperial grounds, the Empress’s Palace. The atmosphere there was anything but calm.
“Explain.” The voice was cold. Sharp. Commanding.
Zafiel stood before her, posture relaxed despite the pressure in the room.
Seated before him was Empress Lilith. Her amethyst eyes burned with restrained fury as she stared down at her son. “Why,” she began slowly, each word deliberate, “did you send the Vernon family out of the capital?”
Silence. Zafiel didn’t answer immediately.
“And why,” she continued, her tone dropping further, “has the Grand Princess not left your palace since last night?”
The air grew heavier. Servants nearby didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare breathe.
Zafiel chuckled softly. That alone made the temperature in the room drop further. “You already know the answer.” He said casually.
Lilith’s gaze sharpened. “I want to hear it from you.”
A pause.
Then Zafiel smiled. Not polite. Not diplomatic. Possessive. “I’m keeping her.”
Silence. Absolute silence. Even the air felt like it had stopped moving.
Lilith’s fingers tightened slightly against the armrest of her throne. “You think this is a game?”
“No.” Zafiel replied simply.
“This is politics.” She continued coldly. “That girl is not just anyone. She is the Saintess. The Grand Princess of the Vernon family.”
“I know.”
“And yet you—”
“I said,” Zafiel cut in calmly, his tone still light, “I know, mother.”
The interruption alone was enough to send tension spiking across the room. Lilith’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Zafiel didn’t flinch. Instead, he stepped forward slightly.
“Then you should also know…” Lilith said, voice low, “that what you’re doing could destabilize the entire empire.”
Zafiel shrugged faintly. “It won’t.”
“And you’re so certain of that?”
“Yes.”
Silence stretched again. Then, Lilith leaned forward slightly, her gaze piercing. “Release her.”
Zafiel’s smile didn’t fade. “No.”
The refusal was immediate. Absolute. The air cracked with tension. For a moment, it felt like something might break.
But Zafiel only chuckled softly. “You should let me do what I want.” He said.
Lilith’s eyes darkened. “… excuse me?”
Zafiel’s gaze didn’t waver. “Because,” he continued calmly, “I won’t let anyone,” his smile sharpened just slightly, “or anything,” a pause, “take her away from me.”
Silence followed. Heavy. Unsettling. And for the first time, even the Empress said nothing.
···
A/n: Finally, Iana has been caught by Zai! I've been waiting for this for a while now. ????
And btw, here's the family portrait of the Clematis imperial family when Zafiel was a kid.