FALLEN ANGEL: MARRIED TO THE DEMON KING
Chapter 44: THE DISCUSSION OF A KING AND QUEEN (VARZIEL’S POV)

Chapter 44: THE DISCUSSION OF A KING AND QUEEN (VARZIEL’S POV)

The meeting droned on for an hour or so more before the generals finally wrapped up all they had to report. Varziel was still holding onto the fabric General Morvath had brought to the meeting. The situation itself stumped him. Ever since he became the demon king, there had been so many matters he had to take care of. However, they were all straightforward matters. He always knew when the High Lords were acting out. He always figured out when the skirmishes in the towns and villages were caused by protests for better lives.

However, for the first time since he became king, he truly had no idea what the origin of the disturbance in the South could be. If those who had been sighted truly were dabbling in odd magic, they could very well be putting his kingdom at risk. They may not have killed anyone this time, but if it was dark magic, then they would come to need sacrifices soon.

They needed to figure out the origin and nip it in the bud before something absolutely horrible happened. The fabric in his hand felt like it burned his skin. He turned it over in his fingers, the coarse texture somewhat rough against his skin.

Varziel absolutely hated not knowing.

After bowing, the generals and their assistant generals filed out of the grand chamber, leaving the king and queen seated. Varziel’s eyes were fixed on the table as his thoughts swirled, trying to get an answer to the questions that were running through his mind.

Who was to say that the High Lords would not go out of their way to ensure that their displeasure over his marriage partner was well expressed? Would they really use such underhanded means to get what they want? Dark magic had been prohibited ever since he came into power, but that did not mean that some might have gotten their hands on tomes that would teach them this.

His temples throbbed softly as his mind ran a mile a minute.

Arella, still seated beside him, watched him closely but did not make a sound. Echo, her ever faithful companion, huffed softly and settled his head on Arella’s lap. She made no move to remove him. His huff, however, brought Varziel out of his thoughts.

"You’re very quiet." Arella broke the silence. Her light tone had an undertone of concern. For him.

Varziel took in a deep breath, leaning back into his chair. Her scent had been all he could smell since she walked into the room. It had taken all he could to not rip off that velvet dress he wore and take her there in front of all his generals.

However, he was more disciplined than he had thought, and he had managed to restrain himself and concentrate on the matters of the state first. Now that the generals had left and he had been interrupted from his thoughts, his thoughts took a hundred and eighty-degree turn.

He continued to restrain himself, for he did not know if she would accept his advances. He knew that their wedding night had been just but part of a responsibility to her and that she held no feelings for him. He had taken advantage of the fact that angels never shirked responsibility and also the fact that they were very traditional. Varziel internally groaned. Perhaps if he had taken the time to know her better first, then they could have come to a better agreement and he would not be having such turmoil inside him.

He rubbed his fingers onto his temples before finally opening his eyes to look at Arella. Her emerald eyes were staring right at him as she petted her Shadow Hound. The creature had become Arella’s familiar, and she was not even aware of it.

Was Arella even aware of it?

"I am thinking," Varziel finally answered her question, "this is the first time that I have no idea what I should do. If dark magic is truly involved, it is unpredictable. It may even break all I have worked to build."

Arella nodded slowly, her fingers idly stroking Echo’s fur. The action seemed to calm her.

Varziel wished that he could lay his own head on her lap and have her stroke his hair.

"How sure are we that they are acting up against our marriage?"

"The timing is too convenient to ignore." Varziel placed his elbow on the armrest and rested his head on his palm as he spoke, "They may very well use this chance to say that you are a harbinger of misfortune. Even if they are not behind it, they may use it as a chance to undermine our union and strip you of any powers as queen before your coronation."

Arella’s expression remained calm, but her fingers stilled for a moment on Echo’s fur. Varziel drank in every microexpression, every movement of her slender fingers. Fingers that he had bitten onto and kissed only a day prior. The memory sent warmth through his chest all the way down to his groin. He wished to have her once more, to make her cry tears of pleasure, to make her cry out his name, to make her mind filled with only him.

"How troubling." Arella said after a brief moment of silence. "We will need to address it swiftly then."

To distract himself from thoughts of pressing her down onto the circular table, Varziel rested the back of his head onto the chair and shut his eyes. Perhaps if he could not see her, he could restrain her. "What will you have me do?" She continued to speak. "I do not know much of the demon realm, but if there are any traces of the fabric in the human realm, as we have discussed, I may help. But that is all I can really do."

"You may send the letter tonight." Varziel spoke without opening his eyes. He was currently in pure torture. Closing his eyes seemed to have heightened his other senses, for it now felt as if he was bathing in her scent. "I trust Velmoria has shown you to the queen’s study. You may research all you need to and prepare for your coronation for now. After we get feedback on the magic that was used, then you can assist the special department to figure out whether or not the magic originates from the angel realm. Every species has a different signature of magic, so it should be easy to figure that out."

"I see. I will prepare accordingly. In the meantime, King Varziel," Her voice was soft and sounded like a caress as she said his name, "I was thinking we should investigate the High Lords more discreetly."

Varziel opened his eyes and raised a brow. "Discreetly?"

"Yes," Arella said, "since confronting them openly may only make them defensive, or if they are involved, they may cover up their tracks. But if we can learn who among them might be involved, we can deal with it without creating a spectacle."

Varziel had made a mistake looking up at her. She had been staring at him the entire time she had been speaking, and opening his eyes had caused him to look into her eyes. "And how do you propose we do that?" he managed to choke out.

Arella’s smile was so cheeky, almost as if she planned to get herself into trouble. Her green eyes seemed to be twinkling and her halo bobbed up and down. "Leave that to me. I have a way of getting people to reveal their secrets."

Echo lifted his head from her lap and poked his nose in her palm. Arella looked down at him and gave him a smile. Her halo stopped bobbing, and her lips pulled back down slightly. "I am calm." She bopped the creature’s nose with her finger, answering as if she could understand what it said with its actions.

Varziel wanted her gaze to drift back to him. He needed her eyes to remain on him; he needed it like the air he breathed. "You’re remarkably confident." He finally said.

Arella raised her eyes, and that shit-eating grin was back almost immediately. "I am the demon queen. Confidence is now my middle name."

Her words caused laughter to bubble from Varziel’s throat, a rare sound that only seemed to happen around her. "Shall I call you Queen Confidence from this moment forth?"

Arella was pulled out of whatever stupor she had fallen into at his words. She collected herself quickly. "It has quite a ring to it, don’t you think? It shall strike fear into the hearts of my enemies."

Varziel could not help it. He burst out laughing a second time. "Well then, Queen Confidence. If you are planning to get information from the High Lords, I shall leave that to you."

"You trust me?" Arella raised a brow. "What if I make everything worse?"

Varziel stopped laughing and gave her a bright smile. "If you do anything that compromises you, I will be right there by your side, keeping you from getting the blows."

His words caused her smile to drop slightly. "I see."

"Do keep me informed, though. If I am to protect my weak little angel, then I do need information from her, do I not?"

His smile had not dropped from his lips, and Arella seemed to have been pulled into a fluster. "I will do just that." She finally said.

.

S/T:

Varziel the King of restraint: (Googles) How to make your wife want you outside of marital responsibility?

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦