My Stepmother Is an Ex-Demon Queen-Chapter 45 - 46 – The Demon Ex-Husband’s Toast and the Bride’s Counterattack

Chapter 45: Chapter 46 – The Demon Ex-Husband’s Toast and the Bride’s Counterattack
The room smelled of roses, spice, and too much ego.
Kazuki had been ready for awkward small talk, polite laughter, and maybe a few magic tricks from Lilith’s side of the guest list. What he hadn’t been ready for was this.
The ex-husband stood at the head of the reception hall, one hand tucked into his tailored jacket, the other lazily swirling champagne like it was an extension of his charm. His smile—sharp and confident—looked rehearsed down to the last millimeter.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, voice smooth enough to butter bread. "It’s not every day you get invited to the wedding of someone you once... shared vows with."
Half the humans in the crowd reacted with polite "oohs." Half the demons perked up like they’d just smelled blood.
Kazuki kept his face neutral, but the muscles in his jaw flexed. He knew this wasn’t going to be a Hallmark moment.
"I remember," the man continued, gaze locked firmly on Lilith, "our first winter together. Snow thick in the demon capital... and you, Lilith, insisting the cold couldn’t touch you. But by the second night, you were curled up against me by the fire."
A ripple of "awws" moved through the audience.
Kazuki counted three bridesmaids who were now biting their lips like this was some kind of soap opera rerun.
"And," the man added, voice dipping lower, "you still make that same little frown when you’re pretending you’re not jealous."
The crowd laughed. Lilith didn’t.
Beneath the table, her grip on Kazuki’s hand tightened.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t romantic. It was a silent do not move unless you want this reception to turn into a battlefield.
Kazuki stayed put... barely.
The man went on, weaving his "toast" into something between a eulogy for their marriage and a victory lap for his own charm. Every other sentence carried a needle-sharp insult, cloaked in velvet.
"I must say," he concluded, raising his glass high, "it takes a certain kind of courage... or madness... for a human man to think he can step into the shoes of someone like me."
The champagne in Kazuki’s glass fizzed harder than it should have.
That’s when Morwen stood. Slowly. Deliberately.
The clink of her chair against the floor was louder than it had any right to be. She didn’t say a word, just flicked her wrist, and twelve champagne flutes lifted off their tables. They spun lazily in the air, catching the chandelier’s light until the entire hall shimmered in molten gold.
Gasps. Applause. Murmurs of "Oh, what a show!"
But Kazuki could feel it—the subtle shift in the air, the tightening pressure of magic that said this wasn’t for entertainment.
This was a message.
The ex-husband’s smirk faltered for the first time. His glass wavered ever so slightly in his hand.
Lilith finally spoke.
"Such a thoughtful speech," she said, her voice sweet enough to rot teeth. "I’ll cherish it almost as much as I cherished the day we signed the divorce papers."
A ripple of sharp laughter broke from the demon guests.
Morwen’s floating flutes tilted... just enough to spill a glittering spray of champagne onto the ex-husband’s suit.
"Oh dear," she said innocently. "My magic must have... slipped."
The crowd laughed again, but this time, it had an edge.
Kazuki leaned back in his chair, hiding a grin.
The war had officially begun.
The ex-husband dabbed at his champagne-slick lapel with a cloth napkin, his smile tightening like a drawstring purse.
"Still as... spirited as ever, Lilith," he said, voice pitched for the crowd. "I suppose that’s why you always needed someone who could handle you."
Lilith didn’t flinch. Instead, she reached for her wine glass, holding it delicately between crimson-tipped fingers. "Yes, and thankfully I found someone who doesn’t drop me."
The audience’s collective ooh was immediate.
Kazuki winced internally. If this were a sword fight, Lilith had just drawn first blood.
The ex’s eyes flicked to Kazuki for the first time that evening, measuring him with the cool calculation of a man who had fought a hundred duels and never lost. "And how is our groom? Adjusting well to... married life in the demon realm?"
Kazuki smiled without showing teeth. "It’s easier than dealing with humans who talk too much."
The nearby table of demon nobles burst out laughing. Even Morwen snorted into her drink.
The ex-husband’s jaw twitched. Just slightly.
Then, without breaking eye contact, he snapped his fingers.
Every candle in the reception hall flared at once, the flames stretching unnaturally tall, casting the room in a flickering, almost predatory light. Shadows curled along the walls, taking on clawed shapes.
A display of dominance.
Lilith’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t even blink.
Instead, she reached up and plucked a rose from the centerpiece in front of her. With a flick of her wrist, the petals shimmered, froze into crystalline ice, and then burst into a flurry of frost that drifted across the floor toward her ex.
The frost stopped exactly one inch from his shoes.
"Careful," she murmured. "Wouldn’t want you to slip again."
A ripple of laughter and whispered speculation spread through the crowd.
Some were enjoying the show.
Others were already calculating which side to stand on when this turned bloody.
Kazuki noticed it then—the music had stopped. The band hadn’t played a note since the first toast. Every demon in the room was watching the table.
The ex-husband leaned forward, resting both hands on the back of his chair.
"You always did love a scene," he said softly. "But remember, Lilith—when you play with fire..."
Morwen cut in before he could finish.
"...you usually get burned out of your own mansion, isn’t that right?"
The hall roared with laughter now. Even the humans were catching on.
Kazuki realized something in that moment: this wasn’t just a toast, or a fight, or even about Lilith’s pride.
This was politics.
Every eye here belonged to someone with power, and whichever side "won" this exchange would walk away with more than just bragging rights.
Lilith knew it too. She straightened, her gaze cool, her voice level.
"This is my night," she said. "If you want to be remembered at all, I suggest you sit down, drink your wine, and pretend to be relevant."
The ex-husband’s smirk cracked.
Not much. But enough.
He sat. Slowly. Deliberately.
But his eyes promised this wasn’t over.
Kazuki finally let himself exhale.
The first battle was won. The war? Just getting started.
The band struck up a slow, velvety tune, but there was no warmth in the air—only a kind of electric tension that made Kazuki’s neck prickle.
The ex-husband didn’t waste a second. He rose again, all courtly grace, and extended a hand toward Lilith.
"Tradition," he said smoothly. "The first dance between the bride and her... most memorable partner."
The gasp from the crowd was audible.
Kazuki knew this game. It was a power move wrapped in etiquette—if Lilith refused, it could be spun as an insult to every noble in attendance. If she accepted, it would give the ex a stage to stir trouble.
Lilith didn’t answer right away. She let the silence stretch, her eyes narrowing.
Then, with deliberate slowness, she rose from her chair.
Kazuki’s heart dropped.
But instead of taking her ex’s hand, Lilith walked straight past him and held hers out to Kazuki.
"My current partner," she said, her voice carrying through the hall, "is the only one who touches me tonight."
The applause was thunderous.
Kazuki allowed himself a small grin as he took her hand, leading her to the dance floor.
They moved together in a slow, almost dangerous rhythm—Lilith’s demonic aura brushing over him like molten silk. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest, though whether from anger or something else, he wasn’t sure.
The ex-husband didn’t sit down. He circled the floor’s edge, shadowing them like a wolf stalking prey. Kazuki caught the flicker of a spell being formed in his fingers—small, subtle, the kind meant to trip, to embarrass.
Kazuki timed his next spin perfectly, twisting Lilith just enough for her gown’s enchanted skirts to sweep across the marble. The magic scattered harmlessly, dissolving in a burst of glittering sparks.
The crowd cheered, thinking it was part of the dance.
Lilith smirked without breaking step. "He’s going to try again."
Kazuki chuckled under his breath. "Let him."
Sure enough, the rest of the night became a game of magical cat-and-mouse.
The ex sent a waiter stumbling toward Kazuki with a tray of drinks—only for Morwen to "accidentally" trip the waiter into the ex’s own lap.
A champagne tower was nudged dangerously close to collapsing—until Kazuki caught the top glass mid-fall, flipping it back into place to wild applause.
Even the bouquet toss became a battlefield, the flowers briefly transfiguring into a writhing snake before reverting just as Lilith caught them.
Every failed attempt chipped at the ex-husband’s composure, until by dessert he was drinking hard enough for his words to slur.
Lilith leaned close to Kazuki, her breath warm against his ear.
"He won’t stop tonight," she whispered. "He’s going to make his move before the last toast."
Kazuki squeezed her hand.
"Then we’ll be ready."
The clink of silverware on glass cut through the chatter.
The ex-husband was standing again, glass raised, eyes sharp despite the wine.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "let me tell you the real story of how Lilith met her groom..."
The reception hall stilled again, every fork paused midair.
Lilith didn’t move, didn’t breathe—just locked eyes with her ex-husband across the glittering expanse of tables.
Kazuki could feel the heat of her fury under her calm exterior, and he knew one thing for certain.
Whatever the ex was about to say... it wasn’t going to be polite.
A slow, dangerous smile curved Lilith’s lips. She reached for her wine, never breaking eye contact.
"Careful," she said softly enough for only Kazuki to hear. "This next toast might be his last."
The ex’s smirk widened.
The guests leaned forward.
And somewhere in the back, Morwen whispered, "Oh... this is going to be fun."
Fade to black.
[End of Chapter 46]
Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 47: The Bride’s Counterattack
The ex-husband’s smug toast is still echoing when Lilith finally stands, her gown catching the light like a warning flare. The room hushes—half expecting a polite rebuttal, half expecting hellfire. They’re about to get both.
Lilith doesn’t shout. She doesn’t need to. Every word drips with the kind of lethal grace only a former Demon Queen could wield, each syllable wrapping around the ex-husband’s ego like a silken noose. Guests gasp. The Demon Bridesmaids swoon. Kazuki struggles to keep a straight face as the verbal battlefield tilts entirely in their favor.
Tonight, the bride isn’t just walking down the aisle—she’s walking over someone’s pride.
Call to Action:
You’ve seen the smirk, you’ve heard the digs... now it’s time to watch Lilith turn a wedding toast into a full-blown verbal execution. Will Kazuki manage to keep his cool while the love of his life dismantles her ex’s pride in front of a hundred witnesses? Or will the champagne glasses start flying before dessert is even served?
Click ahead to Chapter 47, where every smile hides a dagger, every laugh masks a threat, and the only thing sharper than Lilith’s words... is the moment she decides she’s not done yet.