The Cursed Demon Prince-Chapter 244: This Is The End

Azazel’s mind went blank as he stared at Celeste’s beautiful form. His eyes were glued to her as she strode toward him, with every step she took, his stomach churned harder. It took everything in him not to lean against the wall for support.

When she finally stopped before him, he could smell her from where she stood. His fingers itched to touch her, but he fought to keep his body under control.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like an eternity until Azazel finally did.

"Is this Lucifer playing tricks on me?" he asked, unable to believe he was truly seeing the woman standing before him.

"I used to think of this moment, when we would meet again," she breathed, ignoring his question. "My heart would beam in anticipation at the thought of seeing you once more, but..." Her eyes locked onto his, tears welling within them. "But standing in front of you now, I feel only burning anger and sadness. You hurt me so much, Azazel."

He took a step forward. "What do you mean by that? You know I would never hurt you, my dearest. Not a day has gone by without thoughts of you consuming my mind." He cupped her cheek with his palm, caressing her skin gently. "Gods, it feels so good to touch you again. I almost forgot how good this felt," Azazel whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

With her eyes closed, Celeste leaned into his touch, tears rolling down her cheeks. Then she opened her eyes and pulled away.

"You have hurt me deeply, and I will never forgive you for it."

Azazel frowned. "What are you..."

"Don’t," she cut in. "Please don’t you dare act shocked or surprised. You know exactly what I’m talking about." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I thought you would grow to love our son. I thought you would be there for him when I was gone, but I was gravely mistaken. Your hatred for that innocent child almost ruined him. You tried to break my son, knowing how deeply I loved him."

"Celeste, please..."

She stepped back as he tried to reach for her. "Hades didn’t deserve the pain and suffering you put him through. He was only an innocent child, caught in our terrible mistake. We were supposed to protect him, shield him from the world, but instead, you threw him to the wolves, watching as he fought for his life." Her voice trembled. "I’m so disappointed in you. I thought you cared."

"For heaven’s sake, I do care, deeply!" Azazel snapped. "I love you, Celeste. I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I love you so much it drives me mad. Even after your death, I couldn’t rid you from my mind. Your smile, your voice, your laughter, your soft, silky hair, your beautiful face, they are etched into my very soul." His voice broke. "Can you not see that I was suffering too?"

More tears slipped down her face. "You knew the consequences of our actions. Hades was..."

"If you hadn’t tried to break that damned curse, you would still be alive today," Azazel interrupted harshly. "We would be together right now."

"Are you hearing yourself?" she demanded. "I had to try to save my child. He was a part of my soul just as you were. I wanted to help him. I had to." She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head slowly. "After all this time, you still haven’t changed." Her voice softened, heavy with regret. "You know what? They were right. We never should have been together in the first place. It was a sin, an abomination."

"Celeste, don’t say that. What we had was beautiful. We were in love, we loved each other, and that’s all that mattered."

"No," she whispered.

"No?" His eyes narrowed, "Did you not love me?"

"I did love you, Azazel more than anything in this world but I can’t bring myself to keep loving you after all the evil you have done. I no longer want anything to do with you."

His eyes widened slightly as his shoulders fell. "My dearest, you..."

"From today forward, you and I shall have no relation. We will return to how we should have remained, in our very different worlds. This is the end, Azazel. This is our end. Forget us and live your life as a true demon."

"I love you, Celeste. Do not cast me aside as though I mean nothing to you." Azazel tried to move closer to her, but his feet refused to obey his will.

Celeste wiped the tear stains from her face, her features turning emotionless. "Goodbye, Azazel. Return to Hell and live your life."

Azazel screamed her name as everything went blank and silent around him.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking up at the ceiling as he realized he was lying on the ground.

He groaned as he rose to his feet. His head pounded fiercely, and a dull ache in his chest made him wince.

"Finally. Welcome back home, my dear servant," Lucifer’s thick voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Azazel immediately lowered himself to one knee. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am at your service."

"Good," Lucifer drawled before letting out a laugh, his voice echoing through the chamber and bouncing off the walls.

As Azazel waited for the devil’s next command, he couldn’t ignore the lingering ache on the left side of his chest. It caused a subtle but constant discomfort and he couldn’t understand the reason for it.

~~~

Two weeks had passed since Salistra was laid to rest. Valeria and her people were rapidly returning to life. Lilith’s health had fully recovered, with no sign of her previous sickness lingering behind.

As they sat around the dining table having breakfast, Lilith couldn’t help but watch Hades. A warm smile stretched on his lips as he conversed with Viktor, Lucian, and Charlotte. He looked more relaxed now, his eyes shining with happiness and contentment.

His gaze shifted to her, sensing her attention. "Is everything alright, love?" he asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes, of course. I was just thinking about something," Lilith replied.

"Very well, my love. You should have your soup, it’s getting cold."

"Oh yes, I will. Thank you," she said with a smile as she picked up her spoon and scooped a generous amount of soup.

Just then, a knock on the door drew their attention. They turned as a guard stepped into the room, bowing in respect. "My Lord, a visitor from Eryndor has arrived for Lady Lilith."

They exchanged brief glances.

"And what is this visitor’s name?" Hades asked.

"Mrs. Vanessa Stormwell, wife of Chief Gerald Stormwell of Eryndor," the guard announced.

Hades turned to Lilith, who gave him a reassuring smile before facing the guard. "Escort her to the courtyard. I shall join her shortly."