112 - Understandable
The argument continued for several more minutes. Or perhaps longer.
Mariana eventually lost track, mostly because neither man seemed capable of ending a conversation once it started.
Belial would throw out a comment. Zafiel would immediately refute it. Belial would then refute the refutation. Zafiel would dissect the refutation of the refutation. Then somehow they would end up discussing a completely different topic.
It was honestly impressive. And exhausting. Mariana sat quietly with her tea, occasionally wondering whether all imperial bloodlines came with a natural inability to let things go. Eventually, however, the conversation began to settle.
Not because Belial stopped. He clearly possessed enough energy to continue until next week. Rather, Zafiel seemed to realize that arguing with his father was roughly as productive as arguing with a hurricane.
With a quiet sigh, Zafiel finally sat down directly beside Mariana, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. Mariana immediately became aware of it.
Unfortunately, Belial immediately became aware of it too. More unfortunately, the older man's silver eyes gleamed. A smile slowly spread across his face. The smile of a man witnessing exactly what he wanted to witness. Dangerous. Very dangerous.
He leaned back comfortably. "Good."
Neither younger person liked that tone.
"Good...?" Mariana asked cautiously.
Belial nodded. "After careful observation."
"Observation?"
"Extensive observation." Mariana had a terrible feeling. Belial pointed toward her. Then toward Zafiel. "I approve."
Silence. The room became suspiciously quiet. Mariana already knew where this was going.
Unfortunately, Belial continued anyway. "I approve of Mariana as your chosen one." The grin widened. "A wonderful decision."
Mariana immediately looked away.
Zafiel did not. Instead, his expression flattened. Not embarrassed. Not flustered. Just calmly irritated. Which somehow looked more dangerous. "Father."
Belial smiled. "Hm?"
"I did not choose Iana with anyone else's approval in mind."
The room fell silent. Mariana froze. Belial froze. Even the breeze seemed to pause.
The Emperor Consort blinked once. Then twice slowly, very slowly. His eyes shifted toward Mariana. Then back toward Zafiel. Then back toward Mariana again. Something changed-a realization, a terrible realization.
Belial stared at his son like he had just discovered an entirely new species. "... 'Iana'?"
Zafiel frowned. "Yes."
The Emperor Consort pointed dramatically. "You gave her a nickname...?"
Mariana looked between them, confused.
Belial looked genuinely shocked. Not teasing. Not acting. Actually shocked. Which was perhaps the strangest thing she had seen all day. And considering Belial had entered through a balcony and threatened the structural integrity of the palace earlier, that was saying something.
"What...?" Mariana finally asked.
Belial turned toward her, his expression looking almost fascinated. "You don't understand."
Apparently she didn't.
Belial pointed at Zafiel again. "My son does not use nicknames." Mariana blinked. Belial continued. "Ever." Still confused. He looked personally offended by the very concept. "He barely uses first names."
Mariana paused. Actually, now that she thought about it, he was right. Even in the novel, Zafiel usually addressed people by title. Or surname. Or some absurdly formal variation of both. Even with people he had known for years.
Belial suddenly clapped his hands together. The sound echoed through the balcony. "Perfect." Mariana jumped. Zafiel looked annoyed. Belial looked delighted. "That's exactly how it should be."
"Father."
"No, no." The Emperor Consort waved dramatically. "This is excellent."
Zafiel looked one second away from removing his father from the premises personally. Mariana decided not to comment, primarily because she wanted to survive.
Unfortunately, the conversation wasn't finished. She slowly shifted in her chair. Perhaps she could leave now. No one would notice. She could quietly walk away. Disappear. Hide. Live peacefully among the flowers.
Then, a hand wrapped around hers beneath the table. Mariana froze completely, her eyes widening. The hand was warm. Firm. Steady. And very familiar. She didn't need to look. She already knew.
Zafiel continued staring at his father as though nothing had happened. As though he wasn't currently preventing her escape. Mariana immediately understood. That was deliberate. The realization made her want to bury herself underground.
Belial noticed, his grin becoming positively evil. Mariana looked away. Belial looked delighted. The universe clearly hated her. Then, perhaps sensing her suffering, the Emperor Consort suddenly changed topics.
"Speaking of possessiveness." Mariana immediately regretted existing. Belial rested his chin on one hand. "You know." His silver eyes gleamed. "I used to be much worse than Zafiel."
Mariana blinked.
Much worse?
That sounded impossible. Zafiel didn't even deny it. In fact, Zafiel simply nodded as though agreeing. Which was concerning, very concerning.
Mariana hesitated, then curiosity won. "How much worse?"
Belial smiled, a smile that should have been illegal. "Well." He leaned back. "When Lilith was still Crown Princess..."
A distant look entered his eyes, the kind people got when remembering the good old days. Unfortunately, Belial's good old days were probably everyone's worst nightmare.
"Many people wanted her hand in marriage."
Mariana nodded. That made sense. Lilith had been the Crown Princess. Powerful. Beautiful. Brilliant. Of course people pursued her.
Belial smiled fondly. "So I handled it."
Mariana immediately knew she wouldn't like where this was going. "Handled it?"
"Yes." Belial looked proud. "I cut off their hands if they tried touching her." Silence. "I cut off their tongues if they insulted her." Mariana nearly dropped her teacup. He shrugged. "And if they acted arrogantly toward her." A pause. "I killed them."
The room became very quiet. Very, very quiet.
Mariana stared at him. Belial smiled back, completely unbothered like a man discussing gardening techniques.
A cold shiver ran down Mariana's spine. The terrifying part wasn't that he said it. The terrifying part was that he clearly meant it. Every word. Without exaggeration. Without shame. Without remorse. Just simple honesty.
Mariana slowly turned toward Zafiel.
Surely, Zai would object...
Instead, Zafiel nodded thoughtfully. "Understandable."
Mariana nearly choked. "Understandable?!"
Both men looked at her as though she was the strange one. Mariana suddenly understood why half the continent feared this family.
Belial laughed loudly. The sound echoed through the balcony.
Then Zafiel spoke calmly. Reasonably. Which somehow made it worse. "I am different." Mariana wasn't convinced. He continued. "Iana doesn't like people dying."
Mariana appreciated that he remembered that.
At least someone did.
Zafiel's thumb brushed lightly across the back of her hand beneath the table. A small movement. Subtle. Almost absentminded yet strangely deliberate.
He looked toward his father. "So killing people would be counterproductive."
Belial nodded. "A fair point."
Mariana couldn't believe this was an actual conversation.
Then Zafiel continued. Instead of violence. Instead of threats. Instead of force. His voice remained calm. Steady. Certain. "I should become someone irreplaceable."
Mariana froze. The words settled heavily in the air.
Zafiel's gaze shifted toward her, deep amethyst eyes meeting hers. Steady. Unwavering. The same way they always did. As though once he focused on something, nothing else existed.
"Someone she would choose." His voice lowered slightly. "Over everyone else."
Mariana's heart skipped... unfortunately. Very unfortunately.
Belial immediately burst into laughter. "There it is!" He pointed triumphantly. "There it is!"
"What?"
"My blood!" Belial looked absurdly proud. "The possessiveness definitely came from me." Zafiel looked unimpressed. Belial continued anyway. "But the self-control?" The grin widened. "That's Lilith."
Mariana blinked.
Belial nodded sagely. "A very dangerous combination."
"Father."
"I'm serious." Belial pointed between them. "You inherited my obsession." Then pointed upward. "And Lilith's restraint." He laughed. "Honestly, that's probably the ideal outcome."
Mariana finally recovered enough to protest. "No, it isn't." Both men looked at her. She folded her arms. "That is definitely not working...!"
Belial raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"
"Absolutely not!"
Belial looked amused, very amused. Which meant he wasn't taking her seriously again. Eventually, however, he stood, stretching lazily. His chair scraped softly against the floor.
Mariana blinked. "You're leaving?"
Belial smiled. "I should." He stepped toward the balcony railing. Then paused, his silver eyes shifting toward Mariana. For the first time since arriving, the teasing faded. Only slightly but enough. "Don't forget what I said."
Mariana hesitated.
Belial smiled faintly. "Look at the why."
Then without another word, he stepped onto the railing, jumped and vanished. Mariana rushed forward. Nothing. No trace. No sound. No figure. It was as though the man had dissolved into air itself.
The balcony suddenly felt much quieter. Mariana slowly sat back down. Then immediately became aware that she was now alone with Zafiel. Which was somehow a completely different problem.
Silence settled between them. Not uncomfortable, just present.
Eventually, Zafiel spoke. "What did you talk about?"
Mariana immediately looked away, a terrible decision. Because it only made her look more suspicious.
Zafiel noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Iana." Mariana refused to look at him. "What did Father tell you?"
Nothing, she was saying absolutely nothing. Because repeating Belial's conversation sounded like social suicide. Unfortunately, Zafiel was persistent. Mariana remained stubborn. The standoff continued.
Finally, he sighed a long suffering sigh. One that sounded deeply familiar. "Don't take him too seriously."
Mariana blinked.
Zafiel leaned back. "He enjoys causing problems." That part was undeniably true. "He exaggerates."
Mariana remembered Belial casually admitting to murder. Then remembered the terrifyingly sincere expression on his face.
No, no, he definitely wasn't exaggerating.
"He says whatever entertains him."
Again, technically true.
Yet Mariana found herself remembering everything Belial had said. About Zafiel. About intentions. About understanding the why instead of the how. About how feelings could become impossible to ignore once they grew too deep.
And perhaps most importantly, about how Zafiel's actions often looked terrible. But his reasons rarely were.
Mariana looked away before the Crown Prince could read her expression.
No. Belial might be chaotic. A disaster. A menace. An ancient threat to public peace. But somehow against all logic, everything he had said so far had been true.