Zephirion’s POV

The meeting room was filled with the presence of my most trusted people—Xavier, my loyal right-hand, Cedric, my strongest knight, and the elders, who had served the kingdom for decades.

And then there was her.

Aeris stood before us, arms crossed, looking both bored and irritated, clearly unaware of why I had called her here.

I leaned back in my chair, watching her reaction closely.

I was amused, as always.

"Why am I here?" she finally asked, her tone sharp.

I tapped my fingers on the armrest. "Because I have an announcement."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What kind of announcement?"

I gave a slow, deliberate smile.

"I'm planning to marry you in a week."

Silence.

Aeris froze.

Then—

She choked on air.

Xavier coughed to cover his amusement, and Cedric looked like he had just witnessed the most unbelievable thing in history.

The elders, however, nodded approvingly, as if I had just stated something completely normal.

Meanwhile, Aeris was in a full-blown crisis.

She stumbled back, waving her hands wildly.

"EXCUSE ME?!" she wheezed.

I simply watched, entertained.

Her reactions were always fun.

"Wait, wait—" She placed a hand on her forehead, taking deep breaths. "You—you’re kidding, right? Right?!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I’m joking?"

She gawked at me.

"YES, YOU STUPID LIZARD!"

Xavier had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

Cedric cleared his throat, clearly trying to remain serious, while the elders acted as if she hadn't just insulted their king.

Aeris was not done.

She turned to everyone else in the room, gesturing wildly.

"Are you all just going to accept this insanity?!" she demanded.

One elder spoke first. "A wise decision, Your Majesty. The kingdom has long awaited its queen."

Another elder nodded. "An heir will be needed soon."

Aeris froze again.

Her soul nearly left her body.

"HEIR?!" she screeched, turning back to me with pure horror in her eyes.

I smirked. "Well, that is what happens when people get married."

Her face burned red.

I had never seen someone this close to an emotional breakdown.

"You—you—" She pointed a shaky finger at me, "You CANNOT just drop this on me!"

I tilted my head. "I just did."

She looked ready to explode.

"But—but—WHY?!" she finally shouted.

I tapped my fingers, pretending to think. Then, in the calmest voice possible, I said:

"Because your foolish little attempts at escape and your irritating antics have made me fall in love with you."

The room froze.

The elders blinked.

The knights looked like their souls had been sucked out of their bodies.

Xavier dropped a scroll.

Cedric choked on air.

Aeris?

Aeris stood completely still.

Like a statue.

Like a broken doll.

Like she had just been struck by lightning.

I was highly amused.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she slowly turned to me, her mouth opening and closing, as if her brain had completely stopped functioning.

"You… did you just… say what I think you just said?" she whispered, her voice shaking.

I smiled. "I did."

A long, long silence.

Then—

"NO."

She shook her head aggressively.

"NO. NO. NO."

"Yes," I corrected.

"NO!"

"Yes."

"NO!!"

"Yes."

"STOP SAYING YES!"

I leaned forward slightly, resting my chin on my hand.

She was so easy to tease.

"Aeris, you’ve been trying to escape me since day one," I stated smoothly. "Yet here you are, still in my castle. If I didn't like that persistence of yours, I would have thrown you to the wolves."

She gasped.

"You—you CRUEL—"

"But," I continued, my voice dropping slightly, "it was amusing. Watching you fight, watching you scheme, watching you glare at me like you’re doing right now."

Her glare intensified.

I smirked. "It made me realize I’d rather have you by my side than anywhere else."

The room was dead silent.

Xavier was staring at me like I had grown two heads.

Cedric was gripping his sword like he was going through an emotional crisis.

The elders, to my surprise, actually looked pleased.

And Aeris?

She was losing her mind.

I could see it. I could feel it.

Her hands were shaking, her breathing was heavy, and her entire body looked tense.

Then—

She slowly raised her hands to her face.

She let out a deep, deep breath.

And then, in the most calm, deadpan voice I had ever heard her use, she muttered:

"I hate you."

I chuckled.

"That’s fine," I replied smoothly.

She lowered her hands.

And then—

She took the deepest breath possible before screaming,

"I AM NOT MARRYING YOU!"

Then she stormed out of the room, slamming the doors so hard that the walls shook.

The silence that followed was glorious.

I turned to Xavier and Cedric.

Xavier was holding his forehead.

Cedric was still gripping his sword.

Finally, Cedric let out a slow, shaky breath.

"My King," he said carefully, "did you… did you just say you fell in love with her?"

I smiled. "I did."

Xavier’s eye twitched.

"But… you never love anyone."

"Correct," I said. "And yet, here we are."

The elders, still smiling, gave approving nods.

"A fine queen indeed," one said.

"A true challenge for His Majesty," another agreed.

Xavier and Cedric, however, looked like they were having an existential crisis.

Finally, Cedric groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"This is going to be a mess."

Xavier sighed. "A very, very big mess."

I merely leaned back in my chair, highly entertained.

Because if I knew one thing—

Aeris wasn’t done yet.

And neither was I.

To be continued