The moment he heard that, Vali's brows knitted tightly.
Azazel, with his arms folded, narrowed his eyes as well. Based on what he knew of Vali, once the boy had decided on something, he would never feel regret or guilt over it.
And his decision to cooperate with the Old Maou faction this time definitely wasn't some impulsive whim. It was the result of careful thought.
Even if Vali did harbor something like motherly affection toward Lavinia, there was no way he would actually admit he was wrong.
After all, he had always been like this since childhood.
"Just apologizing?"
"Of course not. I also want to pat Va-kun on the head."
At that, Vali fell silent, his brows still furrowed. For him, being patted on the head was clearly far harder to accept than apologizing.
Azazel was even more dismissive.
If Vali admitting fault had even the slightest chance of happening, then maybe there was something to discuss. But getting him to stand there like a child and let someone pat his head? Impossible.
A man as prideful as Vali would never allow anyone to touch his head.
"In front of all these people?"
Vali asked with obvious difficulty written across his face.
"Yes."
Lavinia nodded with a gentle smile.
"Give me some time to think."
After saying that, Vali closed his eyes, folded his arms, and sank into deep thought with an unusually solemn expression.
Everyone unconsciously held their breath.
A few minutes later, Vali finally made what looked like an incomparably difficult decision.
"...All right."
The moment those words left his mouth, Lavinia's smile brightened even more. She slowly raised her right hand, her expression full of tenderness, while Vali very consciously lowered his head a little.
The instant Vali felt her palm settle on the back of his head, his entire face flushed red like a monkey's backside.
"Your hair's a bit stiff, and a little oily too. Va-kun, you need to wash it properly."
Lavinia said it earnestly, like a patient elder advising a child.
After about a minute, Vali abruptly pulled away and, at the fastest speed possible, snatched those two notebooks from Lavinia's hands.
Once he had hidden them away, he put on a serious expression again.
"Lavinia, there's something I want to ask you too."
"Go ahead. If it's Va-kun asking, I'll definitely answer."
Lavinia replied with complete sincerity.
"That man!"
The moment the subject changed, Rod immediately felt a surge of strong hostility wash over him.
But at this point, he no longer cared much about the White Dragon Emperor, now that he'd already become a defeated opponent.
"What exactly is your relationship with him?"
"Eh? Is that important? Rod is just Rod."
Lavinia looked puzzled.
"That's not what I mean. What I want to ask is, why are you so close to that man? Is he... is he some younger brother figure you took in or something?!"
Vali desperately needed an answer along those lines.
Because based on what he knew of Lavinia, she really did like taking care of boys younger than herself.
And without even realizing it, she gave off a distinctly maternal kind of warmth.
That was also why Vali had fallen for it so quickly back then.
His childhood had been miserable.
His grandfather was Rizevim Lucifer, the only direct descendant of the first Maou Lucifer. As for Rizevim's personality, it couldn't just be said to resemble a lunatic's. It was practically identical.
Because Vali had been born carrying the Longinus White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings, he was relentlessly persecuted by Rizevim, who even demanded that his own son, Vali's biological father, join in tormenting his grandson.
And because his father feared that Vali's talent might surpass his own, he abused him often as well.
Even Vali's human mother, who wanted to protect him, was beaten and tormented, and only dared comfort her son in secret by cooking him pasta.
Later, unable to endure the persecution any longer, Vali fled that home and was taken in by Azazel.
Since then, he had never returned to devil territory.
As he grew older, his yearning for the familial affection he had never truly received only deepened. Then Lavinia appeared, filling that empty place in his heart. And because she often cooked pasta for him too, Vali had unconsciously begun to see Lavinia as a mother figure.
That was why, when they met again after all those years apart, the moment he saw Rod by Lavinia's side, Vali's jealousy flared up instantly, and a fierce hostility toward Rod took root.
And now that nothing could change that reality, he wanted, at the very least, some answer he could barely force himself to accept.
"Mm... Rod isn't my younger brother. At first, I really did think of treating him like one, but because of certain things, I couldn't keep thinking of Rod that way anymore."
As she said that, a faint blush rose to Lavinia's face.
At first, her climbing into Rod's bed had simply been because she was half asleep and confused. But Rod had never fought fair, and time and again he had taken liberties with her.
At first, Lavinia just thought Rod was a little mischievous and somewhat overly fond of girls. But as his actions gradually became bolder, and because of the words he had spoken when he first took her in, Lavinia had naturally come to accept it all.
And as time passed, she had come to think of Rod as her partner, not merely a companion.
"What kind of relationship, specifically?"
Vali pressed, his expression grave.
"It's... it's... mm..."
Lavinia might be a bit airheaded sometimes, but having to openly state the nature of her relationship with Rod in front of everyone still made her feel deeply embarrassed.
Seeing that, Rod stepped in and said it himself.
"Lavinia is my woman now. That's the kind of relationship we have."
The moment those words fell, several different reactions sounded through the room.
"Oh!"
Serafall slammed down the conclusion on the spot.
Sirzechs pondered it for a moment, then visibly relaxed. That meant his little sister Rias still had a chance.
The Underworld had never enforced monogamy, after all.
The rest would depend on Rod's own intentions.
Grayfia, however, frowned. This matter had nothing to do with her, but hearing those words still gave her the urge to punch him once.
Not just that urge, even the unprovoked irritation rising in her chest.
"Wh-what?!"
The one who reacted the most strongly, though, was Vali himself.
He had just heard the answer he least wanted to hear.
But seeing Lavinia's face flushed bright red, he knew the truth was already beyond dispute.
And just as Vali stood there with clenched fists, looking as though the sky had fallen, Rod, unable to bear it, spoke up.
"Since you thought I was Lavinia's younger brother just now, let's do this."
"From now on, you call me Dad, and I'll call you brother. We'll each go with our own version."
The moment those words were spoken, even Lavinia laughed.
Serafall laughed even harder, completely ignoring the fact that the suffering party was standing right there.
Vali's eyes went wide.
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