MAIN HALL OF THE GREMORY MANSION
The long table was already occupied, the dishes served and the servants positioned around it, maintaining absolute silence while the environment functioned with precision. Venelana occupied the head of the table, watching everyone naturally, while the rest were already seated and eating.
Rias was seated to the right of the main table, maintaining a firm posture while moving through her own plate without losing attention to the environment. Beside her, Akeno remained calm, a light smile appearing from time to time as she followed every movement around her.
Gasper was seated beside Venelana, occupying a direct position at the table, aligned across from Rias while maintaining a steady rhythm as he ate, showing no discomfort with the proximity or with the weight of the position he held there.
Beside him, Asia ate in silence, clearly more restrained than usual, while Koneko maintained a steady pace, showing no external change. On the other side, Saji and Kiba were seated facing each other, both trying to maintain proper posture, even with the evident pressure of the environment.
Venelana didn't take long.
"So, Gasper-kun, what are your intentions with my daughter?"
The reaction came immediately.
"Mother—" Rias froze mid-sentence, her face turning red as she tried to hold back the urge to interrupt.
Akeno let out a low laugh, clearly interested in the situation, while shifting her gaze just enough to observe Rias's reaction without missing the moment.
The others didn't interfere.
They kept eating.
But they were listening.
Gasper didn't answer immediately.
His movement stopped for a second, his gaze lowering slightly while he organized the answer, not for lack of options, but because he understood the exact weight of that question.
'…She is Rias's mother.'
The thought came directly.
'This is not just any conversation.'
He raised his gaze again.
Without hesitation.
"My desire is for Rias to be happy." He kept his tone steady. "Whether as a girlfriend… or as a wife."
The pause was minimal.
But clear.
"After everything she went through… the decision is hers."
The sound of cutlery stopped.
Silence fell over the table.
Rias turned completely red, her gaze shifting away for a second before returning, unable to hide her reaction.
Akeno tilted her head slightly, her smile becoming more evident.
"Ara ara…"
Venelana didn't answer right away.
She simply observed.
And then smiled.
"That was unexpected." She kept her tone calm. "And quite mature of you."
Gasper didn't change his posture.
But the air came out lighter.
'…It worked.'
The feeling came simple, direct, like someone who knew he had answered exactly what was necessary.
And this time…
He was satisfied.
Venelana kept the smile.
But her gaze changed.
"If you had answered differently…" She rested her chin lightly on her hand, without taking her eyes off him. "This conversation would have been much less pleasant."
The pause was minimal.
But heavy.
"And I also wouldn't ask questions… about what you did before arriving here."
Gasper swallowed dryly.
The read came instantly.
'…She knows.'
Rias reacted first.
"MOTHER!" Her face turned completely red as she leaned slightly forward, unable to contain her reaction.
Akeno let out a low laugh, clearly enjoying the situation.
Rias didn't back down.
"You heard!" She kept her gaze firm, even red. "I'm the one who decides… and I accept marrying him."
The silence returned for a second.
Venelana then smiled.
"So much determination, my daughter." She leaned back slightly in her chair. "I'm only joking."
Her gaze returned to Gasper.
"Smile, Gasper-kun." She kept her tone light. "You don't need to be so tense."
Gasper didn't answer right away.
'As if…'
The thought came directly.
'I felt a real chill… that wasn't a joke.'
He adjusted his posture.
"Of course… mother."
The answer came out controlled.
Venelana nodded slightly.
"See?" She shifted her gaze to Rias. "Everything is fine."
Rias crossed her arms, still red.
"Hmph."
Venelana didn't prolong it.
"By the way…" She turned her gaze back to the two. "I need to talk to you."
The pause was short.
But enough.
"I received a proposal for Gasper."
The reaction was immediate.
Gasper raised his gaze.
Rias froze.
Akeno lost her smile for a second.
The focus of the table changed completely.
"A marriage proposal." Venelana continued without changing her tone. "From a young woman… from a powerful family."
The silence fell heavier this time.
Gasper blinked once.
'Marriage… me?'
The thought came dry, not fitting immediately within his logic.
Rias didn't think.
She reacted.
The pressure appeared at the same instant, the red aura of destruction magic escaping her body without control, distorting the air around her before she even realized what she was doing. The plate in front of her cracked, the table trembled and some cutlery was thrown to the side, while the servants automatically stepped back, maintaining formation, but clearly affected.
"Who?" Her voice came out low, but loaded.
Akeno remained silent, but her gaze changed at the same instant, following the pressure growing around Rias. Koneko stopped eating without making a sound, Asia froze completely and Saji and Kiba didn't even breathe, because the energy escaping left no room for an ordinary reaction. The entire table felt it.
"Rias." Gasper called in the same steady tone, without raising his voice, but firm enough to cut the advance.
Rias didn't answer, and the energy kept increasing for one more second, distorting the air around her and keeping everyone under direct pressure. Venelana didn't move, she simply observed, as if she had already expected exactly that reaction before it happened.
"I said you would decide, Rias." Venelana kept her tone calm, without any sign of tension. "So calm down… look at the state of this table."
She laughed softly, without interrupting her own reading of the situation, as if that were only one more confirmation of what she already knew. The contrast was direct, because while everyone was tense, she remained comfortable.
"You heard her." Gasper kept his gaze on her. "You're the one who decides… so calm down."
Rias turned her face toward him, and the reaction came before any response, because her gaze met his and held there for an instant. The energy was still present, but its direction began to change.
'I don't want him to think I'm crazy.'
The thought came clean, cutting the previous impulse before it could advance further.
The fragments stopped moving, and the pressure began to retreat at the same rhythm as her breathing stabilized. Rias closed her eyes for a second before opening them again, her gaze still firm, but now under control.
"Who was it, mother?" She kept her tone steady, even with the trace of irritation. "Who asked for my boyfriend's hand in marriage?"
Venelana didn't take long.
"You know her." She replied in the same rhythm. "Ravel Phenex."
Rias stayed silent for a second.
The read came.
"Ah…" She relaxed her shoulders slightly. "It's just her."
The change was immediate, and the tension disappeared as if it had never existed, returning to its previous state effortlessly. The table felt the opposite impact, because the absence of pressure was as clear as the previous presence.
Gasper observed.
'…That's it?'
The thought came directly.
'So she wasn't irritated… or she was, but decided to stop.'
Akeno was the first to respond.
"She has no chance." She said without hesitation, her smile returning at the same instant.
Gasper slightly shifted his gaze.
'Because she's a Phenex…?'
The analysis remained incomplete, because the conversation advanced before it could close.
"She also offered herself to enter your peerage." Venelana continued, without changing her tone, but completely changing the weight of the information.
Rias didn't react the same way as before.
"I'm against the marriage." She kept her gaze firm. "But about the peerage…"
The pause was minimal.
"Gasper-kun decides."
Akeno, Rias and Venelana turned their gaze to him at the same instant, shifting the axis of the table without any transition. Asia also looked, clearly tense, Saji went rigid in his chair, while Kiba remained calm and Koneko kept eating as if that wasn't enough to change her rhythm.
'Great… now I'm the focus.'
Gasper didn't take long.
"I still have to think about who will enter my peerage." He kept his tone steady, without looking away. "Ravel is Riser's sister… and I don't want anything to do with him."
The reaction came from Venelana first.
"You don't need to worry about that." She replied in the same rhythm. "If she joins… she will join as your servant."
The pause was short.
"You will be in control."
Akeno tilted her head slightly, following the line of the conversation without losing interest.
"And about the marriage?" She kept her gaze on him. "What do you think, Gasper?"
Rias focused completely on him, without trying to hide it, as if the answer carried more weight now than before.
Gasper didn't hesitate.
"There's nothing to think." He answered directly. "Rias already gave the answer for me."
The pause was minimal.
"Just like she let you enter our relationship."
Akeno didn't look away.
But her smile changed.
Rias reacted at the same instant.
"That's right." She lightly crossed her arms, keeping her tone firm. "You can always thank me, Akeno."
Akeno rolled her eyes without losing her smile.
"Thank you, Rias."
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