Married To The Villain
Chapter 76: Confession By The Firelight

Chapter 76: Confession By The Firelight

Chapter 76: Confessions by Firelight

Pedro knelt beside the growing flames, stacking dry wood into the crackling campfire.

The warmth spread quickly through the clearing, a welcome reprieve from the biting chill of the night air.

Kael crouched nearby, carving notches into a branch with his dagger.

"Good firewood, Pedro," Kael remarked, tossing the branch aside. "Your survival instincts are finally kicking in."

Pedro grinned, poking at the fire with a stick.

"What can I say? A couple of decades trapped as a bird didn’t exactly prepare me for the finer points of camping."

Kael smirked, but his face softened as he glanced toward the forest’s edge.

Lirian and Gabriel were walking side by side, just visible in the moonlight.

"They’re talking," Pedro said, noticing the direction of Kael’s gaze. "Do you think she told him everything yet?"

Kael shook his head.

"Not everything. That’s a lot to unload on someone who’s barely escaped with his life."

Pedro snorted. "You think? The guy’s been through hell. And now he finds out his godfather is some ancient, cryptic mage. Can’t wait to see how he takes the bird part."

Kael chuckled quietly. "That’ll be the highlight, no doubt. I wonder how he will feel, knowing his fame was dragged here by the bird from another world."

"No comments."

A little further into the forest, Lirian walked alongside Gabriel, her arm brushed against his occasionally as they moved through the trees.

"Who are they, Lirian?" Gabriel asked. "Pedro, Kael... What’s their story?"

Lirian hesitated, glancing back toward the campfire.

The light made the moment feel strangely intimate, as if the rest of the world had faded away.

"Pedro... well, it’s a long story, but he was once a guardian of the crystal," she explained, carefully.

"Magic turned him into a bird—a parrot, actually—years ago. He spent centuries trapped like that before I accidentally freed him. Now he’s... himself again."

She hid some facts.

Gabriel stopped walking, staring at her in disbelief.

"Wait. The prophet parrot? That ridiculous bird that used to perch on the castle windows and lecture me about destiny... was a person?"

Lirian laughed a little.

"Yes. That ridiculous bird is now Pedro. And as much as it pains me to admit it, he was right about a lot of things."

Gabriel shook his head, trying to process this information.

"And Kael? Who is he?"

Her smile faded slightly as she glanced at Gabriel.

"Kael... He’s one of the first mages born after the crystal’s creation. He’s also..." She hesitated, watching Gabriel’s reaction closely. "...your godfather."

Gabriel’s eyes widened. "My Godfather? Mother never mentioned him."

"She asked him to protect you if anything ever happened to her," Lirian said softly. "He’s been watching over you, even if you didn’t know it."

Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head.

"So, a talking bird and a centuries-old mage... This is a lot, Lirian."

She placed a comforting hand on his arm. "It gets easier to believe. Eventually."

Gabriel exhaled deeply, leaning against a tree.

"I wish I could say the same about what I’m about to tell you."

Lirian frowned, sensing his tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Meylo," Gabriel began, tightening his voice with anger.

"He’s made a deal with demons. Powerful ones. Daria... she’s no longer human. She’s something else, something dark. They’ve twisted her, Lirian. And Meylo plans to attack the castle soon. We don’t have much time."

Lirian’s breath hitched as she absorbed his words.

"Demons? And Daria..." She closed her eyes briefly, steeling herself. "We’ll have to act fast. There’s no other choice."

Gabriel nodded, but then his jaw relaxed as he studied her face. "Lirian..."

She turned to him, searching for him. "What is it?"

Gabriel hesitated, his throat worked as he tried to find the right words.

Finally, he said, "Who are you to me? What do you see when you look at us?"

The question caught Lirian off guard.

She blinked, her heart raced slightly. "What do I see?"

Gabriel stepped closer, his eyes darkened with the moon’s light.

"I’ve asked myself that question so many times. And the answer... It’s always you, Lirian. Only you."

She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Gabriel dropped the bundle of firewood he’d been carrying.

He reached for her, his hands cupped her face as he leaned down and kissed her.

The kiss was intense, raw with everything they hadn’t said.

Lirian gasped, her hands instinctively gripped his arms, but the force of his passion overwhelmed her.

She pushed him back, her breath started coming in gasps.

"Gabriel—"

"I’m sorry," he whispered, dropping to his knees before her.

His hands trembled as he reached for hers. "I’ve been holding it back for so long. But Lirian, you have to know..."

Her throat tightened as she stared down at him. "Know what?"

He looked up at her.

"The first time I saw you, you were crying in the garden. You were so angry, stabbing at the grass with your shears, muttering about something your brother said."

He smiled faintly at the memory.

"You were grumpy, stubborn, and completely unaware I was watching. And that was when I fell in love with you."

Lirian’s heart ached as his words ran her over.

"Gabriel..."

"I watched you at the academy," he continued.

"I saw you do things—terrible things—and I couldn’t look away. You were brilliant, ruthless, and so full of fire. I liked it. I liked you."

She shook her head, tears prickled at the corners of her eyes.

"You can’t mean that."

"I do," he said firmly. "And when I found out what Lucius was doing to you... humiliating you in front of the nobles... I swore I’d do whatever it took to get you out of there. Your brothers helped me marry you, but..."

He looked down, guilt traveled across his face.

"When I found out you tried to run away, I was terrified. Not because of what it meant for me, but because I knew what kind of people were out there. I couldn’t bear the thought of them hurting you."

Lirian’s breath caught. She tried to speak, but he pressed on.

"After we got married, I didn’t know how to reach you," Gabriel admitted, breaking a little.

"You were so stubborn, so determined to do things your way. And I—I was helpless. But in that prison cell, Lirian, all I could think about was you. Were you eating? Were you safe? Were you warm? Every second I spent locked away, I was praying you were okay."

Tears slipped down Lirian’s cheeks as she knelt in front of him, gripping his hands tightly.

"You idiot," she whispered, as her voice started trembling.

"I didn’t need you to tame me. I just needed you to be there."

Gabriel lifted her hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

"I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere, Lirian. I promise you that."

For a moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath, the world narrowed down to just the two of them.

Then Lirian pulled him into a fierce hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

"We don’t have much time, Gabriel," she murmured. "But if we’re going to do this, we’ll do it together."

He held her tightly, his arms protectively shielded around her.

"I love you, Lirian..."

"I-I love you too, Gabriel..."