101 - Concern
Morning arrived quietly.
Golden sunlight filtered through the curtains in thin streams, illuminating the dim room little by little. The warmth should have been comforting. Instead, Mariana woke with the strange sensation of something solid beneath her cheek.
"... mmm..."
Her brows furrowed slightly. Warm. Firm. And there was something around her waist too.
Wait.
Slowly, her sleepy mind pieced things together. Warmth. Firmness. Breathing. A body.
Mariana's eyes flew open. "... huh?"
For one horrifying second, her brain refused to process what she was seeing. Then reality crashed down all at once.
She was hugging Zafiel's waist. Not only that, her face was pressed against his chest while one of his arms rested loosely around her back.
Silence.
Then, "WHA...?!" Mariana jolted upward so violently she nearly launched herself off the bed. Her face burned instantly. "I-I-I DIDN'T...!"
Zafiel, already awake, stared at her calmly from the pillow. "You didn't?" He asked quietly.
"I DIDN'T HUG YOU...!" She blurted out immediately.
A pause.
Then Zafiel glanced down at the wrinkled fabric of his shirt where her hands had clearly been gripping him earlier.
Mariana followed his gaze. "Tha-That's fabricated evidence..." She said weakly.
Zafiel's mouth twitched faintly.
Mariana immediately scrambled backward across the bed like a startled cat. "Do-Don't look at me...!" She cried, covering her burning face with both hands.
Unfortunately, covering her face did not erase the memory of herself apparently cuddling him in her sleep. Worse. Nuzzling him. Her soul wanted to leave her body.
"I'm going to the bathroom." She declared abruptly. Then she fled. The bathroom door slammed shut behind her. Silence filled the room afterward.
Zafiel stared at the closed door for several moments before quietly exhaling through his nose. "Cute."
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Mariana leaned both hands against the sink, staring at her reflection in complete horror.
"What is wrong with me...?!" She whisper-screamed at herself.
Her face was still bright red. She remembered falling asleep beside him but not... that. Not the hugging. Not the cuddling. Not any of it.
"... traitorous unconscious body..." She muttered miserably while splashing cold water onto her face.
Outside the bathroom, Zafiel sat up slowly. The softness lingering from moments earlier faded almost immediately when he sensed a presence beyond the room's barriers.
A shadow detached itself silently from the corner. One of the Imperial Shadows. Without a word, the figure knelt and extended a sealed letter.
Zafiel took it. The moment he opened it, his expression darkened. "Missing?" The parchment crumpled slightly in his grip.
Grand Prince Aguerico had vanished during an escort mission near the southern territories. The imperial guards accompanying him had been slaughtered.
No traces. No witnesses. No bodies aside from the guards. Zafiel closed his eyes briefly, taking a slow breath. Too fast. That hidden bastard was moving even faster than he anticipated. His fingers tightened around the letter.
Another report followed beneath the first.
Grand Duke Maximus had returned to Forebros heavily wounded after an ambush near the western trade routes. Several villages across western Clematis had already been destroyed overnight.
Not raids. Massacres. The descriptions alone were enough to sour the air around him.
"So it's begun openly now..." Zafiel muttered.
Aura stirred violently around him for a split second before settling again.
Mariana still didn't know. But he couldn't hide it much longer. The scale had already exceeded political unrest.
This is war. No, something worse than war.
A quiet sigh escaped him. Then his gaze sharpened. "Astrid."
Silence.
The divine realm did not answer immediately. Zafiel's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Answer me." His voice lowered. Still nothing.
Slowly, he reached toward the sword resting near the bedside. Violaperditus. The moment his fingers touched the black hilt, the room trembled faintly. Aura surged through the blade-not mana, not faith, but pure destructive force sharp enough to distort the surrounding air itself.
"I know you're listening." Zafiel said coldly. "Appear before I start testing whether gods can bleed."
A beat of silence. Then, "... you remain horribly disrespectful."
A familiar feminine voice echoed softly through the room. Golden light flickered briefly near the window before Astrid's translucent figure appeared. Unlike before, the goddess looked visibly tired.
Zafiel didn't lower the sword. "Can you track the enemy?" Astrid went quiet. That alone was answer enough. Zafiel's expression darkened further. "... troublesome."
Astrid crossed her arms lightly. "If even I cannot perceive him properly, then you should understand what that means."
Someone stronger than a goddess. Or at least someone capable of hiding from one. The implication alone was horrifying.
Astrid looked toward the bathroom door briefly before returning her gaze to Zafiel. "Protect the people." Silence. "And protect Mariana."
Zafiel's eyes sharpened slightly. "That goes without saying."
Astrid sighed softly. "You say that, but your priorities are terrifyingly uneven."
"She comes first."
"You're proving my point."
Before the conversation could continue, the bathroom door clicked open. Astrid vanished instantly.
Mariana stepped out moments later, freshly washed and dressed in a soft cream-colored outfit laid out for her beforehand. Her slightly damp hair framed her face as she adjusted her sleeves absentmindedly. Then she noticed Zafiel standing near the bed.
"... what?" She asked cautiously.
Something about him felt different. Tired. Not physically. Deeper.
Before she could think further, Zafiel crossed the room toward her. Mariana blinked once. Then suddenly, warmth enveloped her. "Eh...?"
Zafiel pulled her against him tightly. Not forcefully. Desperately. Mariana froze completely. His arms wrapped around her securely while his face lowered slightly near her shoulder. For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Mariana's heart began racing again. "Yo-Your Highne-I-I mean, Zai...?"
His hold tightened slightly. "Stay like this for a bit." His voice came out quieter than she had ever heard before. Not commanding. Not teasing. Almost weary. "Please."
Mariana's eyes widened faintly.
"Please"? From him?
Slowly, uncertainty replaced embarrassment.
"Did something happen...?" She asked softly.
Zafiel didn't answer immediately. She could feel the faint tension in his body. The exhaustion buried beneath his calm exterior.
For the first time since meeting him, he felt less like the terrifying Crown Prince and more like someone standing at the edge of collapse while pretending otherwise.
"I just need this right now..." He admitted quietly.
Mariana's fingers twitched at her sides. Part of her wanted to push him away out of sheer embarrassment. Another part, the softer part she kept trying to ignore, couldn't.
Because despite everything strange and overwhelming about him, his exhaustion felt real. Carefully, awkwardly, her hands lifted slightly before lightly gripping the back of his shirt.
Zafiel froze for the briefest moment. Mariana immediately regretted it internally.
Why did I do that?!
But she couldn't take it back now. "... only for a little while." She muttered defensively.
Silence.
Then she felt him exhale slowly against her shoulder. Relief. Actual relief. His arms loosened slightly-not because he wanted to let go, but because he finally relaxed.
Mariana's chest tightened strangely. "You look terrible..." She whispered before thinking.
A quiet laugh escaped him. "Is that concern?"
"N-No...!" Immediate denial. "You just look like someone punched your soul repeatedly."
"Accurate."
She blinked.
Wait, he admitted it?
Mariana hesitated before speaking again. "... can I ask something?"
"You can ask anything."
"That doesn't mean you'll answer."
A pause. "Fair."
She looked down slightly. "What's happening... outside this palace...?"
Silence returned. Heavy this time.
Zafiel's expression shifted almost imperceptibly. Then slowly, he rested his chin lightly against the top of her head. "The world," he said quietly, "is becoming dangerous faster than expected."
Mariana's grip tightened slightly on his shirt. "How dangerous...?"
Zafiel closed his eyes briefly.
Dangerous enough that even gods can't see the enemy. Dangerous enough that entire villages were disappearing overnight. Dangerous enough that he was beginning to understand why this world ended before.
But he couldn't tell her all of that yet. Not while she still looked at the world with those clear golden eyes.
"Dangerous enough..." He murmured softly, "that I need you to stay close to me."
Mariana frowned slightly against his chest.
There it is again. That terrifying sincerity. And somehow, that sincerity scared her more than his obsession did. Because it felt real. Too real.