My Stepmother Is an Ex-Demon Queen-Chapter 47 - 48 – The Bouquet Brawl & The Midnight Ultimatum

Chapter 47: Chapter 48 – The Bouquet Brawl & The Midnight Ultimatum
The moment Lilith turned her back to the crowd, bouquet in hand, every single woman in the reception hall — and a few suspiciously eager men — shifted into battle stance.
Shoulders squared. Knees bent. Spells quietly began to hum on fingertips. The air thickened with the kind of anticipation that came right before someone shouted "En garde!"
This was no mere wedding tradition.
This was blood sport.
Kazuki had seen bouquet tosses before. They were supposed to be lighthearted, sweet, and maybe a little competitive. What he was witnessing now looked like the prelude to a war crime.
A demon bridesmaid near the front had already rolled her sleeves up to reveal forearms lined with faint scar tissue. A banshee adjusted the straps of her boots with a glint in her eye that said she’d trampled people for less.
"Three... two..." Lilith called, her voice silky and mischievous. Her tail swayed like a metronome, counting down each beat.
"WAIT—" Morwen shouted from the sidelines, summoning a shimmering portal at her feet. Before Kazuki could even question her tactics, the countdown hit "one" and the bouquet went sailing into the air.
It never hit the peak of its arc.
A demon bridesmaid with serpentine legs launched herself like a coiled spring, intercepting the bouquet mid-air—only to be tackled by a banshee shrieking battle hymns from the old demon wars. Both went tumbling through a table of hors d’oeuvres, showering the guests in tiny quiches and cheese puffs.
Someone screamed. Someone else cheered. Glass shattered.
And then—chaos.
One of the human bridesmaids whipped out a grappling hook (where had she even been keeping that?!) and tried to snag the bouquet from across the room. Morwen teleported in front of her, caught the rope mid-flight, and tied it in a bow around the girl’s waist before blinking away in a puff of glitter.
Kazuki stood there, jaw slack. "This is... this is madness."
Lilith didn’t turn around, but her tail swished in amused approval. "No, dear. This is tradition."
The bouquet pinballed through the air, batted between claws, wings, and the occasional magical energy blast until it was little more than a blur of petals and desperation. A vampire dove under a centaur’s legs to snatch it, only to be hauled backward by her corset strings. A goblin tried to fake a sneeze before ramming the crowd like a tiny battering ram.
Kazuki swore he saw one demon bridesmaid faint dramatically just to get a closer shot at tripping the competition.
And then, right as the bouquet was about to land in the hands of a short, wide-eyed fairy, a shadow fell over the chaos.
A tall figure caught it effortlessly in one hand.
The room went silent.
It was the ex-husband.
He smirked, twirling the bouquet lazily, eyes locked on Lilith. "Seems like I win, darling."
Kazuki’s blood boiled. He took one step forward, ready to close the gap between them, when a waiter slid past him and discreetly slipped a folded, black-sealed note into Lilith’s palm.
She read it quickly, her expression tightening for just a fraction of a second, then hid it in her sleeve.
Kazuki caught only three words:
"Midnight. The rooftop."
The crowd slowly returned to its usual level of noise, though side-eyes and hushed gossip now filled the space between clinks of glasses. The ex-husband’s smugness was practically a living entity at this point, floating over his head like a crown of invisible thorns.
Kazuki crossed the room in three purposeful strides, stopping just close enough that his shadow overlapped the man’s.
"Drop it," Kazuki said flatly.
The ex-husband tilted his head, bouquet still spinning in his fingers. "Why? Afraid of what I might do with it? Or afraid she’ll decide I still look good holding flowers?"
Lilith stepped between them before Kazuki’s fists made any decisions his brain might regret. She took the bouquet from the ex-husband with a graceful smile so razor-sharp it could cut glass.
"Thank you," she said sweetly, before turning away and handing it to the smallest demon bridesmaid in the room—who promptly fainted in joy.
The ex-husband’s smirk returned, but only faintly. He’d expected to rattle her. Instead, she walked away without another word, her tail curling in lazy amusement.
Kazuki followed her to the edge of the dance floor.
"Who was that note from?" he asked in a low voice.
Her eyes flicked toward him, unreadable. "No one important."
"Lilith—"
"It’s fine, Kazuki," she cut in, voice soft enough to sound convincing, but with that undercurrent of steel he’d learned to hear. "Enjoy the reception. I’ll be back before you miss me."
She left before he could argue, gliding through the crowd toward one of the side corridors that led to the grand staircase.
Morwen appeared at his elbow, sipping champagne through a bent straw.
"Y’know," she said, "when a demon bride says she’ll be back before you miss her, that’s usually code for ’I’m about to do something reckless and/or illegal.’"
Kazuki didn’t answer. He was already moving.
The note.
The rooftop.
Midnight.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be a conversation over cake.
Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 49: Hunter’s Instinct
Separated and under fire, the group’s fragile plan has already unraveled. Kazuki follows Lilith’s trail through the labyrinthine upper floors of the venue, but every hallway feels longer, every door just a little too far away. Somewhere above, the rooftop waits—and with it, whoever sent the note that lured her away.
Morwen and two of the demon bridesmaids stay close, their whispers full of half-baked theories: a rival clan, a debt collector, or maybe something worse. The truth, Kazuki suspects, will be none of those—and far more dangerous.
Meanwhile, on the roof, Lilith arrives to find a shadow waiting for her. Not the ex-husband. Not anyone Kazuki knows. This one carries a hunter’s aura so sharp it cuts through the night air like frost.
The moon catches on their eyes, and for a moment, Lilith’s breath stills.
They know her true name.
And they didn’t come to talk.
Call to Action (Expanded)
The chandeliers may still gleam and the music may still play, but the celebration is over. Somewhere above, a hunter waits under the moonlight, and every step Lilith takes toward them is a step deeper into the trap.
Kazuki’s race to the rooftop won’t just be a chase — it will be a collision between past secrets and present danger, and whoever reaches Lilith first will decide how the night ends.
Read on to find out who the hunter really is, why they know her true name... and whether Lilith will walk away from the rooftop under her own power, or be carried away in silence.
The hunt has begun.
Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 49: Hunter’s Instinct
The music and laughter from the reception fade behind Kazuki, replaced by the echo of his footsteps and the thrum of blood in his ears. Lilith’s trail winds through the shadowed corridors of the venue, each turn feeling less like a hallway and more like the tightening coil of a snare. The further he goes, the colder the air feels, and the faint hum of magic presses against his skin.
Somewhere above, beyond the grand staircase and the silent, locked doors, the rooftop waits—a place chosen with purpose. Whoever sent that note knew she’d come. Knew she couldn’t resist.
Morwen follows at his side, two of the more battle-hungry demon bridesmaids in tow, their whispered guesses bouncing between absurd and chilling: a rival clan settling an old score, an ancient contract come due, or something older—something that remembers Lilith from before Kazuki even knew her. Kazuki says nothing. His instincts tell him the truth will be worse than any of them imagine.
On the rooftop, the night is sharp and silver beneath the moon. Lilith steps into the open, heels clicking against the frost-dusted stone, her breath clouding in the cold air. A lone figure waits in the center, framed by the city skyline, their posture calm but coiled—like a predator in no hurry to strike.
Not the ex-husband.
Not anyone Kazuki has seen before.
The air changes as they meet her gaze. Power radiates from them, a hunter’s aura so pure and focused it feels like the night itself is holding its breath. The moonlight flashes against their eyes, revealing something that makes Lilith still—not in fear, but in recognition.
They speak her true name.
The one she has kept hidden for centuries.
And they didn’t come to talk.
Call to Action:
The rooftop is no longer just a meeting place—it’s a hunting ground, and Lilith has just stepped into the center of the snare. The hunter knows her true name, her oldest secrets, and the weaknesses she’s buried deeper than bone.
Below, Kazuki tears through the halls, every second stretching thinner than the line between rescue and regret.
Under the cold gaze of the moon, one truth is certain: before the night ends, someone will bleed, and someone will disappear.
Turn the page to uncover the name, the motive, and the moment the hunt truly begins.