Chapter 157: We’re Getting Married
Seraphel
"What the hell are you doing?" I choked out, clawing frantically at the arm clamped around my throat.
Paziel tightened his grip further, squeezing until dark spots danced across my vision, cutting off my breath completely.
What the hell was wrong with him? One minute he was delivering cryptic advice, and the next, he was trying to strangle me to death right in the middle of the arena.
"Paz..." Luceriel paused, his voice faltering for a moment before his expression flattened into a stoic mask. He did not rush forward, but his knuckles turned stark white as his fists clenched at his sides. "What is it you think you are doing?"
Paziel let out a dark, reverberating chuckle right behind my ear. "You vanished so suddenly, and I could not reach you for two whole months. Consider this my welcome-back gift to you, since it seems you have quite forgotten my proposal."
His proposal? My eyes widened in disbelief as I struggled to process his words, realization dawning that the remark had been aimed straight at the Sin of Pride.
It confirmed my growing suspicion that the two of them were absurdly close. Normal masters didn’t address the ruler of Verolona with such brazen familiarity, nor did they share secretive, high-stakes history behind closed doors.
"I told you, Luceriel. I will slaughter this human if you refuse me."
Luceriel took a swift step forward, but Paziel instantly locked his forearm deeper into my windpipe, suffocating me until my knees buckled.
I clawed desperately at his skin, trying to break his hold, but he held me even tighter.
Suddenly, a violent burst of Crimson light tore through the air. Thick, thorny red vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around Paziel’s arms and legs with terrifying force. They yanked him backward, tearing him away from me and breaking his grip instantly.
The force threw me forward, and I stumbled toward the stone floor, bracing for impact, only to fall directly into a broad, protective embrace.
The familiar, intoxicating scent of red lilies and warm sandalwood washed over me. My head snapped up, and I found myself staring into a striking pair of fiery crimson eyes.
"Azriel..." I breathed, the word barely leaving my lips.
"Hello, Little Lotus," he murmured softly.
It was the exact voice I had longed to hear in person through two grueling months of isolation. I reached out at once, pressing my hands against his broad chest and cupping his face, just to make sure he was real, that he was actually standing here in the flesh.
An overwhelming surge of relief crashed over me, and a tearful laugh burst from my chest.
"Azriel!" I sobbed happily, throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder as if my life depended on it. "You... you’re really here!"
Azriel wrapped his arms firmly around me, lifting me off the floor and twirling me in a slow circle. "Yes, I am here. Forgive me for keeping you waiting so long, my love."
I squeezed my eyes shut, clinging to his warmth as a breathless smile spread across my face.
"What a touching reunion," Paziel’s mocking voice broke through the moment.
Azriel’s smile vanished instantly. He lowered me gently onto my feet, placing me safely behind his back before whirling around to glare at Luceriel.
"Who is this," Azriel said, his voice low and trembling with a fury he was visibly straining to leash. "You promised me the finest masters your kingdom had to offer, and I returned to find this lunatic strangling my mate. Tell me who he is, Luceriel, or I will tear him apart myself."
Azriel raised a hand, and the thorny red vines coiled around Paziel constricted viciously, ready to pierce straight through the man’s chest.
Luceriel stepped smoothly between them, placing himself in the line of fire. "You are far too impatient, brother. I told you plainly to wait in my quarters for Seraphel, yet you wander out to where you do not belong."
"I felt my mate’s life threatened," Azriel said, quiet and simmering. "Did you truly expect me to sit idle in your pavilion while some stranger throttled him?"
"Who said anything about murder?" Paziel Cut in lightly.
Both Luceriel and Azriel snapped their heads toward him, roaring in unison, "Enough!"
Paziel merely raised his bound hands in mock surrender, letting out a soft, amused chuckle.
"Tell me, Luceriel," Azriel growled, his aura flaring wildly. "Why was this nobody ever permitted near him—"
"It was a training technique," Paziel interrupted lightly, groaning as he lifted his bound wrists to scratch idly at his forehead. "His spiritual energy has been stagnating for some time. I merely thought that by provoking an extreme, life-threatening reaction from the Sin of Pride, his internal restrictions might finally break. Why would I ever truly offend the great Sin of Lust by killing his precious mate?" He paused, flashing a wicked smirk. "Though, to be fair, I would not entirely mind it."
"You threatened me!" I shouted, stepping out from behind Azriel’s back and pointing a trembling finger directly at Paziel before anyone could stop me. "You said outright that you were going to kill me! And you knew about my unborn child!" My hand flew instinctively to cover my belly. "You knew about Castiel’s light, Mirevale, and the war with Elysium!"
Azriel’s eyes narrowed as he placed a firm hand on my waist, pulling me back gently against his chest. "Is this true, brother? Does this master truly know all of our secrets?"
Luceriel kept his posture stoic, his eyes fixed steadily on Paziel. But for a fraction of a second, I caught the subtle twitch of his brow and the tight, rigid frown pulling at his mouth. Finally, his green eyes flicked back to mine.
"Paziel is a high-ranking seer," Luceriel stated, his voice tight. "He practices ancient divination arts, allowing him to perceive hidden truths across both past and future. Naturally, he is privy to knowledge ordinary realm-dwellers could never grasp."
"And how exactly are you acquainted with him, brother?" Azriel pressed, suspicion lacing every word. "This... whatever he is, because I—"
"brother-in-law," Paziel finished smoothly, letting out a loud, ringing laugh.
I rolled my eyes, exasperated, but the weight of the word hit me a second later.
Did he just call Azriel brother-in-law?
"You... you..." I gasped, my jaw dropping as I pointed a finger back and forth between Paziel and Luceriel. "No way."
Paziel gave me a sheepish, triumphant nod.
It made total sense now. I should have seen the signs weeks ago. Back in my original world, as a devoted NovelPhoenix reader, I should have picked up on the tension between them from the very start.
"Are you two... lovers?" I blurted out, still pointing back and forth.
"Better than that," Paziel said, grinning wickedly. "We are to be married."
Azriel reacted before I even had the chance to process it. He released his hold on my waist and took a stunned step toward his brother. "That... cannot be. Luceriel?" He turned to me, still in shock. "Did you know about this? Did you know your master and my brother were—"
"I just found out two seconds ago!" I insisted, shaking my head vigorously.
Azriel whipped his head back to Luceriel. "Is this the truth?"
Luceriel looked intensely conflicted for a brief moment, but he quickly masked it, crossing his arms and letting out an indifferent sigh. "Yes. I am marrying him."
I could have sworn my eyes were about to pop right out of my sockets and roll across the floor. But as my brain scrambled to connect the dots, a sudden, terrifying realization hit me.
I remembered the original plot of Luceriel’s book back in my world, specifically, who his endgame love interest was supposed to be.
It was the terrifying Demon Prince, Pazuzu.
Which meant, unless the storyline had completely changed, the man standing right in front of me wasn’t Master Paziel at all.
Paziel was Pazuzu.