Lord Grimrose

"Why the fu—"

"That's, uh... ᧁᧁᧁ. Guarantee, Gift, Gallant," Thanatos groaned.

Zhuxen stared at the 'ᧁᧁᧁ' on her wrist, her eyes widening like a child who just got a limited-edition collector's item.

"Wait, wait, wait—this is actually kinda cool." She grinned, tilting her wrist back and forth to admire the mark. "Does this mean I'm officially bound to you? Like, in a dark, mysterious, 'forbidden romance' kinda way?"

Thanatos blinked. "It means I won't break my word. Nothing more."

Zhuxen ignored him. "Oh my gods, imagine how jealous the other girls would be! Oh, what's that on your wrist, Zhuxen? Oh, you know, just a divine seal from the literal Grim Reaper." She gasped dramatically. "Does this make me an honorary underworld queen?"

Thanatos rubbed his temples. "It makes you my problem, that's what it makes you."

Zhuxen barely had time to blink before her room door flew open with the force of divine betrayal.

"My l-lady! Lord Ling is—" Lian, her ever-loyal maid, stumbled in, wheezing like she had just sprinted through the heavens themselves.

But before she could finish, Lord Ling himself stormed past her, sending the poor girl spinning like a startled top.

"Zhuxen! What in the actual fuck is this?!" he bellowed, his face caught somewhere between horror and indigestion.

"Words, darling," a woman chided from behind, as if correcting a rowdy child.

Lord Ling barely had time to sputter before a dramatic gasp filled the room. He practically leaped aside, as if scorched by divine wrath, to make way for none other than his wife—Emerald Veronica Song.

A vision of impossible glamour, Emerald swept into the room like a celestial queen descending from the heavens. Her cascading ebony hair gleamed under the golden light, a silk robe of deep crimson trailing behind her like the very essence of a dramatic entrance.

Jewels adorned her fingers, each more extravagant than the last, and her piercing emerald eyes shimmered with both motherly wisdom and the promise of impending doom.

She took one glance at Zhuxen, then at Lord Ling, and exhaled with all the patience of a woman who had seen some things.

"I leave for one early morning, one, and this is what I return to?" Her voice dripped with unimpressed elegance, perfectly manicured nails tapping against the arm of her luxurious fur shawl.

"Zhuxen, darling, do tell me why your father is making that ghastly face. Is he finally constipated to death?"

"Darling, have you not seen that unbelievable man beside her?" Lord Ling gestured wildly toward Thanatos, his eyes bulging as if he had just witnessed a crime against propriety itself.

"On top of that, they're alone in the room. Is that even the doing of a lady?!" He dramatically turned to Lady Emerald for backup.

Lady Emerald, who had been inspecting her nails with regal disinterest, finally paused. Now that Lord Ling had so eloquently pointed it out by screaming in her ear, she shifted her gaze toward the mysterious man standing beside Zhuxen.

"Ohhh," she gasped, her emerald eyes widening as they took in Thanatos' tall, brooding, and inconveniently handsome figure.

She dramatically pressed a hand to her chest as if she might faint from the sheer otherworldly magnificence before her. "Who is this divine specimen, my darling Zhuxen?" With the grace of a seasoned socialite, she glided forward, eyes practically twinkling with intrigue.

Zhuxen, ever the dramatic actress extraordinaire, let out an elegant giggle. "Right, Mother? Eternally otherworldly." She twirled a lock of her hair, basking in the moment before turning to Thanatos with a look.

"This, dearest Mother, is none other than Lord Aethan Grimrose—son of the Duke in the Northern Skies."

Thanatos' entire being recoiled at the name as if Zhuxen had just cursed him with an eternal debt. Lian clapped a hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh, while Lord Ling looked seconds away from combusting on the spot.

"Oh, what a lovely place!" Lady Emerald beamed, clasping her hands together as if she had just discovered a rare gem. Then, after a thoughtful pause, she blinked and tilted her head

"Where exactly is that supposed to be, darling? I don't believe I've ever heard of this Northern Skies before."

Zhuxen's confident expression twitched for a mere second before she recovered with the agility of a seasoned liar.

"Oh, Mother! I-It's… somewhere out there! A very rich land," she purred, before turning to Thanatos with the most blatant fake smile known to mankind.

She looped an arm around his and practically glued herself to him. "Lord Aethan Grimrose's family owns the entire land, even!" Zhuxen declared, as if she herself had forged their deeds with divine ink. Then, flipping her hair, she delivered the grand finale.

"And he is the one I am marrying, right, my love?"

Thanatos' expression remained stoic, but internally, he was screaming. He barely had time to process what was happening before Zhuxen viciously pinched his arm, her nails digging into his skin like a promise of unholy retribution if he didn't cooperate.

"O-Of course, my love, he he he," he forced out, his voice as stiff as an old wooden door creaking open.

Lady Emerald sighed dramatically, pressing a delicate hand to her chest. "Oh, Lord William Aldrich de Vesci is so unfortunate."

She shook her head, a picture of elegant pity. Then, with a grand sweep of her hand, she turned to Lord Ling. "But since our only daughter has already chosen, it is our duty as her loving parents to honor her decision, is it not, darling?"

Lord Ling's mouth opened, most likely to object to this madness, but one sharp glance from Lady Emerald was enough to make him deflate like a punctured balloon. He sighed, rubbing his temples as if mentally preparing himself for an oncoming headache.

"Yes, my love," he muttered in defeat.

"Wonderful!" Lady Emerald beamed before turning back to Thanatos, her eyes alight with expectation. "Now, where are your gifts, Lord Grimrose?"

Thanatos barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Gifts? What gifts? He is the Grim Reaper, not some extravagant nobleman showering people with luxury!

He briefly considered faking his death to escape, but knowing Zhuxen, she might even just summon him back out of spite. On top of that, he had made a vow not to disappear until this madness is over.

After all, when gods make vows, they're bound for all eternity.

With an internal sigh of pure suffering, he straightened and gestured toward the enormous window in Zhuxen's room.

"If you'll follow me," he said stiffly, leading them over with the grace of a man walking to his own execution.

The moment he pulled the velvet curtains aside, a collective gasp filled the room.

Outside, parked in front of the grand estate, was a parade of lavishly adorned carriages, each one overflowing with unimaginable riches. Jewels of every color glittered under the sun like captured stardust.

Rolls of the finest silks spilled out, their golden embroidery catching the light in mesmerizing patterns. There were chests overflowing with gold coins, rare artifacts, and even a cage carrying an actual white peacock—because why not?

Lord Ling looked like he was about to faint. Lady Emerald, for the first time in her life, was speechless. Lian had to slap herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Thanatos, still grimacing, dramatically waved a hand toward the mountains of wealth as if he totally meant to do this.

"Behold," he intoned in his most regal voice, "a mere token of my boundless devotion to my beloved Zhuxen." Please kill me now, he added internally.

Zhuxen, never one to miss an opportunity, sighed dreamily. "Oh, my love! You spoil me!" She clutched his arm as if overcome with emotion.

Lord Ling, still in shock, could only blink. "This… this is a mere token?"

Thanatos bit back a groan and forced a gracious nod. "Yes. Of course. The rest is still being prepared."

Where? In his nightmares, probably.

Lady Emerald turned to Zhuxen, her expression one of pure approval. "Darling, I love him."

Zhuxen practically glowed at her mother's words, while Thanatos was having the worst day of his afterlife.

Lady Emerald, still beaming, turned back to the lavish display outside. "Such generosity! Such grandeur! Lord Grimrose, I must say, your devotion to my daughter is… commendable."

She eyed the extravagant treasures with the keen precision of a cultured noblewoman who knew exactly how much things were worth. "That peacock alone—marvelous! Is it trained?"

Thanatos stiffened. "Absolutely," he said, having zero knowledge about birds. "It… dances."

Zhuxen gasped and clapped her hands together. "It dances?! Oh, my love, you truly know how to steal my heart!"

Lord Ling simply stared at the wealth before him, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like my heart… my weak heart…

Lady Emerald turned to her husband, her expression smug. "See, darling? This is how a true suitor treats our daughter."

Lord Ling pinched his forehead. "Yes, my love."

Zhuxen tugged Thanatos' arm, forcing him to face her as she batted her lashes dramatically. "Oh, my dearest Lord Grimrose, you must stay for dinner so we can properly celebrate our engagement!"

Thanatos was this close to faking another war between the heavens and the underworld just to escape. But judging by the way Zhuxen's nails dug into his sleeve, he was not getting out of this.

More. A little bit more. Thanatos mentally groaned.

He took a deep breath. "It would be my honor," he said through gritted teeth.

Zhuxen smiled sweetly. "Oh, I know."

Thanatos froze, his entire body tensing as a strange sensation crawled over the arm Zhuxen had been clutching. It started as an odd, barely noticeable brush—almost like a whisper of silk—but quickly turned into something far worse.

A sickening, unnatural warmth spread across his skin, sending an unpleasant shiver up his spine. The discomfort escalated into something deeply unsettling, twisting in his gut like a parasite burrowing into his very existence.

His breath hitched as a wave of nausea washed over him, making his vision swim for a fraction of a second and then the entire sensation disappeared.

"What was that?" He muttered.