Azron hastily went back to Mort Mansion. There was urgency in every step he took, though he tried to restrain it beneath a controlled exterior. His chest felt tight, restless, as though something inside him was pulling him forward.
He searched for Sera inside Grand Ersi's Quarters but she wasn't there. The absence of her presence unsettled him more than he expected. He tried to be composed despite his urgency so no one would think odd about it, but beneath that calm façade was a growing unease. Even Shrin and Grand Ersi didn't know where she was.
He walked slowly contemplating, though his thoughts were anything but slow, thinking of places inside Mort City where she could go. Each possibility only made his pulse quicken further. He stopped as he thought about the military grounds. The image of her there formed so clearly in his mind that it made his breath hitch. He started to walk a bit faster, unable to suppress the pull any longer—but he was stopped.
"Azron." Madam Han called.
Azron stopped his feet. Though he was angry about what his mother did last night, the anger still raw and unresolved in his chest, he still didn't forget to respect her. That habit, ingrained in him since childhood, held him in place even when every part of him wanted to walk away.
"Can we talk?" Madam Han asked as she approached him.
Azron exhaled slowly, as though forcing down everything he wanted to say. He didn't want to talk to his mother after what she did, not when the memory of it still burned within him, but out of respect, he still followed her to her quarters.
Azron sat across Madam Han without saying anything. The silence between them was heavy, almost suffocating. His mother, guilty of her actions, wasn't sure of what to say to him. The weight of what she had done hung in the air, pressing down on them both.
"I have been looking for you everywhere. Can you tell me where you went last night?" She finally asked, her voice hesitant.
Azron lifted his gaze to her without saying a word. His face was still, almost unreadable, but his eyes betrayed him. They held restrained pain, quiet anger, and something deeper—something wounded. His silence spoke of hurtful words he didn't want to say to her, words that might sever what little remained between them.
Madam Han read that he was indeed angry about it.
"I know what I did was unforgivable. But I did it out of my concern for you, my son. I have learned of your situation, and I just had to do something."
Learned?
Azron's gaze darkened instantly, a shadow passing through his eyes. His sexuality was only known to him and Dr. Fyu. It was something deeply personal, something he had guarded carefully. How could his mother know? The thought struck him sharply. Unless she had him spied on.
"You had me spied?" He finally spoke, his voice low, controlled—but edged with something dangerous.
Madam Han froze at his question, her lips parting slightly, unable to deny it.
"I…I had no choice. I was worried about the gossip about you and Sera. I had to do something to have you get married soon. I was afraid you might get swayed by that girl."
"So you placed that dirty incense in my room, and sent Lady Lia over to push me to do something beyond my control. Hoping it would erase who I am. So I will be left with no choice but to marry her?" Azron said as he clenched his fist, his knuckles whitening as he struggled to keep his composure.
Madam Han was left speechless. Every word from Azron was true. That was her intention.
Azron lowered his head, trying to keep himself calm. He doesn't want to lose control and smash the table out of anger. The fury inside him was sharp, but beneath it was something else—something heavier.
"Well, there will be a wedding soon…" Azron continued, his voice quieter now, but carrying weight. "…for I will be marrying Sera."
"What?"
"The aphrodisiac you gave made me crawl to her…made me violate her." His voice tightened slightly, guilt threading through his words. "I had long admired her, and that incense had shattered my restraint." His jaw clenched. "It is done, mother. Make preparations for my wedding as soon as possible."
Azron stood up and left, leaving Madam Han stunned. Her plans had backfired in the most unexpected way. Instead of ridding Sera, she would become her daughter-in-law. Madam Han closed her eyes, regret crashing over her, heavy and suffocating.
Azron walked hastily. The moment he stepped out, the air felt different—colder, sharper. He called one of the warriors guarding the mansion.
"Find that servant of my mother who eavesdropped on my conversation with Dr. Fyu. Have his tongue cut." He ordered angrily. It was his way to warn his mother not to interfere with his affairs anymore, a line drawn with quiet brutality.
…
Azron continued his search for Sera and arrived at the military grounds. His heartbeat had not slowed since he left the mansion.
He saw her pacing blankly near the stables where Pearl was placed. She was looking at Pearl, biting her lip, her brows slightly furrowed. There was something distant about her, as though she were lost in her own world. She was lost in thought, unsure of what she would do next.
For a brief moment, Azron simply stood there, watching her. Relief washed over him, sudden and overwhelming, softening something inside his chest.
Azron was greeted by the warriors, making Sera's focus shift at the sound of his name. She saw him walking towards her—and something in her expression changed instantly.
She turned and walked the opposite direction, avoiding him, as though distance was the only thing keeping her steady. But Azron walked faster to catch up to her, unwilling to let her slip away.
He held her arm and stopped her from walking away. His grip was firm, but not harsh.
"Please don't talk to me," Sera said as she tried to loosen his grip, her voice strained, her eyes refusing to meet his.
"We need to talk. Just hear me out…please." His voice softened at the end, almost pleading.
Sera faced him, her face pleading to let her go, her eyes conflicted—but Azron wouldn't. Not this time.
He took her to the Officer's Quarters so they could talk in private, closing the distance between them and the rest of the world.
"I'm sorry…" Azron started, his voice quieter now, carrying something raw. "…I lost it. My mother placed a dirty aphrodisiac incense in my room, planning to make me lose control to Lady Lia, so I will be forced to marry her." He explained, his gaze fixed on her, watching every reaction.
Sera's eyes widened by the truth and she sat down, the weight of it settling over her.
"Aphrodisiac…?" It was the first time Sera heard of such a thing. "…Is that the strong scent I smelled from your clothes?"
"Yes. It will make you lose your control and give in to your desire."
"Wait…did you go over to my house after losing your control with Lady Lia?" She asked. Hearing Lady Lia's name unconsciously made her jealous, though she tried to suppress it. It slipped through anyway, quiet but undeniable.
Her question shocked Azron.
"No. Of course not. I…right. I remember I almost killed her." He said, recalling the fury that had surged through him at the time.
Sera leaned back. What he said was almost funny to her, in a strange, disbelieving way.
"But why did you come to my house? Why…why did you come to me?" She asked, her voice softer now, more vulnerable than before.
Azron also sat down across from her. Silence took over him for a moment. He was thinking—no, deciding—that it was finally time to tell her what he feels.
His face shifted to something more serious, more open than she had ever seen before. "The aphrodisiac had made my body follow my greatest desire…and that was you."
His words made Sera speechless. The confession hung in the air between them, heavy, intimate, impossible to ignore.
She couldn't believe it. She couldn't accept his confession.
"No, I am not…" She said as she shook her head, stepping back from the weight of it. "…you're bluffing."
Sera stood up to leave but was stopped.
"Marry me."
The words froze her in place. The surprise made Sera look back to Azron who was now standing. His gaze was steady, serious, unwavering.
"What?"
"It's only right that I marry you. I touched you. I had to be responsible for what I did."
Sera remembered this world was different from hers. A man and a woman can never have sexual relations outside marriage. And when a woman was touched or violated, the man should take responsibility and marry her. A total old school where she came from.
"You don't have to…be responsible. We can pretend it didn't happen. That was a mistake. You and I were driven by that dirty incense. It wasn't real. You don't have to burden yourself."
Her words came quickly, almost desperately, as if she was trying to push something away before it could reach her.
Her words surprised Azron. The idea was absurd to him. It wasn't how it is done in his world.
"I can't just pretend it didn't happen."
"But you can. Just think of it as a…nightmare."
"Do you hear yourself? I can't do that to you. Do you really think I am that low?"
"Can you please just ignore it? If you want that marriage because you feel burdened by what happened between us, well don't. You can marry anyone you want. Women are literally lining up to be Lady Mort. I wouldn't mind."
"But I would. What happened between us was not a mistake. I didn't make a mistake. I…I want you, Sera. And I want to marry you."
Azron stepped closer to her, drawn to her in a way he could no longer deny, but Sera stepped back, trying to keep the distance between them, her heart betraying her composure. Still taken aback from his confessions, from the intensity in his voice, from the way he looked at her. The warlord who was once so cold towards her had shown affections she never expected.
"I never felt this attraction towards anyone…until you came. It's you or no one." He continued, his voice quieter now, but filled with certainty.
Sera held her temple for a moment, overwhelmed, her thoughts spiraling. Thinking if she missed any detail about this world.
"Why can't you just ignore it? Are you a…werewolf? Do you guys do imprinting?" She asked seriously, trying to grasp at logic to shield herself from what she was feeling.
"What are you saying?"
"I can't marry you, Azron. I am not cut out to be a wife…a mother. I was used to taking lives, not giving it and to nurture. Do you really want an assassin to bear your children? And your mother, she hates me. Do you think she would allow me to be your wife? I don't have time to butter up an angry mother-in-law." Her gaze was more serious, hurtful—not to him, but to herself, as if she had already decided what she deserved.
Her words struck deep within him.
"I don't care about everything…I just want you."
Silence fell between them. Their gazes locked onto each other, unguarded, exposed. Both were surprised at the honesty laid bare between them. Azron never expected himself to say such words, to feel something this consuming, this undeniable. Nor did Sera expect to hear them—from him of all people.
It became heavy on Sera as she stared into Azron's eyes. The sincerity in them, the intensity, the quiet desperation—it all pressed against her defenses. It almost made her give in.
She hides it, but deep inside, she also wants to be with him.
But she can't.
All her life, she believed she didn't deserve such treatment, such love. And she refused to be swayed. No matter how much she wanted him.
…
The events had left Sera feeling down as she sat on the gazebo in her garden. The stillness around her only deepened the heaviness in her chest. Her mind wandered off as she stared blankly at the star jasmine swaying gently in the breeze, its soft movement a stark contrast to the chaos within her.
She couldn't bear to stay inside her house. Every corner of it haunted her. The memories of her and Azron that night always flashed through her mind wherever she looked in the interior of her house. The memories clung stubbornly to the floor, the furniture, and most painfully… her bedroom, as if refusing to let her forget.
It has been days since she locked herself in her house, isolating herself from the world outside. She didn't even go to the military grounds, afraid—no, certain—that Azron would be there. She was avoiding him with all her might, as though distance alone could quiet the storm he had stirred inside her.
She was still lost in thought when Shrin suddenly barged in the gate, panting heavily, breaking the fragile silence.
"Yan…I mean Sera." She paused to catch her breath, bending slightly as she tried to steady herself. "You… sneaky girl. Why didn't you tell me you were getting married?"
Sera's eyes widened instantly and she stood up, her heart skipping in confusion and alarm.
"What do you mean?!"
"Madam Han had instructed everyone to prepare for Lord Azron's wedding. I thought it would be with Lady Lia…but…." She gasped again, clearly rushing to deliver the news.
"But what?! Spill it out!"
"But Lord Azron had come to Grand Ersi…just now. Asking her blessing to marry you!"
"Wh…aa…at?" Sera's voice dropped from disbelief, almost turning into a whisper.
"How did you and Lord Azron end up together?" Shrin asked curiously, completely unaware of the storm brewing behind Sera's eyes.
The news ignited something fierce within Sera. Anger surged through her chest, sharp and immediate. Azron had gone to Grand Ersi—to corner her, to make her accept his proposal through someone she respected deeply. Thinking Grand Ersi would convince her, knowing Sera could never easily refuse his grandmother.
Without another word, Sera dashed out of the gate, her movements quick and determined, her heart pounding with urgency and frustration. She made her way hastily toward Mort Mansion, her thoughts racing ahead of her. She needed to stop him—before everything slipped beyond her control.
"Sera…wait."
Shrin hurried after her, still gasping, struggling to keep up.
…
AT GRAND ERSI'S QUARTERS
Azron was kneeling in front of Grand Ersi. His posture was straight, but there was a quiet tension in his shoulders. He had just finished confessing his intentions and the reason for his decision to marry Sera. Every word he spoke had been deliberate, firm—but beneath it was something raw, something deeply personal.
Grand Ersi looked at him intently. She was stunned after knowing what happened. Azron had told her honestly of what he did to Sera, leaving nothing hidden.
The idea of the marriage between Azron and Sera somehow pleased Grand Ersi, a quiet satisfaction settling within her. But that feeling was quickly overshadowed by anger—anger at what Madam Han had done that pushed things to such a point.
Though Azron didn't tell her that it was his own mother who had left the aphrodisiac in his room, Grand Ersi still managed to piece it together. The incident with the servant whose tongue was cut out had already spoken volumes. Everything that had happened inside Mort Mansion never escaped Grand Ersi's grasp.
"Have you talked about this with Sera?" Grand Ersi asked.
"Yes. But she refused."
Grand Ersi's eyebrows slightly furrowed upward, surprise flickering across her face.
"Refused? You already did the deed. She can no longer refuse. This wedding needs to be done."
Azron bowed before her, his lips forming a faint smile. There was relief in it—quiet but unmistakable. He knew going to Grand Ersi was the right decision.
At that moment, Sera arrived just in time. Her steps slowed as she saw Azron kneeling in front of Grand Ersi, the sight tightening something in her chest.
"Sera. I'm glad you're here already. Come sit with Azron." Grand Ersi ordered.
Sera walked slowly toward him, each step heavier than the last. Azron didn't even glance at her, as if afraid of what he might see in her eyes—anger, rejection… or something worse.
She knelt down beside him.
"Sera, you and Azron already shared a bed. A proper ceremony is all that is left. You two are considered husband and wife already."
Sera gave an awkward smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. Quietly, she extended her hand toward Azron's waist and pinched him. It was subtle, hidden from Grand Ersi—but carried all the frustration she couldn't openly show. It was the only revenge she could manage in that moment.
Azron's gaze flickered slightly at her pinch. It didn't hurt him—not at all. If anything, it stirred something softer, almost fond, beneath his composed exterior.
Grand Ersi smiled, noticing their closeness in her own way. To her, it seemed natural—intimate—that Sera could act so freely around Azron without fear of anger.
"Grand… can I talk to Azron about this?" Sera asked.
"Yes. You can talk. Talk about your preferred date of the wedding ceremony," Grand Ersi said as she stood up, leaving Sera momentarily caught off guard. "I will go now to prepare things for your wedding."
Grand Ersi stepped toward them, lowering herself slightly. She gently placed her hands on their heads.
"You two will bear great children," she said, blessing them before leaving.
Sera's eyes widened in shock at what had just happened, her thoughts spinning, while Azron stood up, straightening himself and fixing his clothes as if grounding himself.
He looked at Sera, who was still on the floor, and extended his hand to help her stand. But she met him with a hard stare—cold, sharp, unyielding.
She was angry.
Sera stood up on her own. She stared at him, her gaze piercing, then turned away from him.
Azron held her arm gently but firmly. "You left me no choice."
Sera turned to face him again. She didn't utter a single word. She just stared at him, her gaze unreadable at first—then slowly, subtly, it softened. That change was enough to make Azron pause, searching her expression, trying to understand what she was feeling.
But before he could, she turned and left.
That single look lingered in his mind, leaving behind a question he couldn't answer. Was she angry… or was there something more? Her silence unsettled him more than any words could.
…
A day had passed, and that look on Sera's face still lingered in Azron's mind. It haunted him, replaying over and over, each time stirring something deeper within him. It unsettled him so much that he couldn't take it any longer.
He went to Sera's house to check on her, despite her clear warning not to visit again.
Azron knocked on the gate, but no one answered. The silence made his chest tighten. So he went inside.
He knocked on the door—still no answer. His restlessness grew into unease. He opened the door and stepped inside, calling out silently with his eyes—but there were no signs of her. Not even in her bedroom.
Then he saw a note on the table.
On my way to one of your Generals.
Please don't follow me.
I took Pearl so don't worry.
Give me time to think.
I'll be back…I promise.
Azron exhaled deeply, pressing his hand to his temple as tension flared in his head once more. Sera had crossed Mort City walls—and he hadn't even received a report about it. It only proved how easily she could slip past his defenses. She had finally done it.
Azron immediately went back to the military grounds to send letters to his four generals, his movements sharp with urgency. He needed to inform them about Sera's escape.
Sera had deliberately not mentioned which general she was going to, making sure Azron could not follow her instantly. Mort State was vast—far too vast for him to search blindly.
He needed to inform the generals that Sera was outside Mort City so they could extend their protection, especially with the looming threat from Lurion still unresolved.
And especially because Sera didn't even realize that stepping beyond those walls had placed her closer—dangerously closer—into Lurion's grasp.