As Riser saw her, Rias also saw him.
The two were naturally surprised as they saw each other.
Nevertheless, Rias didn't know what kind of words or reaction she should give when they met each other. If it was before, she might have jumped into him and kissed him, doing something filthy and obscene, yet many things happened in her life that forced her to change.
If it was before, Rias might have dreamed of having a love that often appeared in the storybook, but with the blow caused by the death of her older brother, she knew that she didn't have a leeway, especially when many individuals and groups jumped out to take what belonged to her older brother.
While Serafall, Ajuka, and Falbuim could give the Gremory House protection, Rias knew that it was better to let go of a certain heritage left by her older brother as she knew her family didn't have the power to protect them.
Instead of being caught in such a troublesome problem, what Rias needed the most was time to grow stronger, as she didn't want to feel this helpless feeling again.
Watching the death of her older brother...
Watch how her older brother's killer was left with ease...
Watch how others robbed all the heritage collected by her older brother...
Rias didn't want to experience all of that, and that was why she needed to become strong, yet as expected, what she did was just force herself. After all, she didn't want everyone to see the Gremory House as weak after the loss of Sirzech Lucifer.
While the rest was drowned in sadness, Rias stood straight like a pine, facing all the cold rain that poured down upon her.
Yet, as expected, it was impossible for her to stay strong all the time.
When a certain trigger appeared, the weakness that she had been hiding was gushing out.
Rias stared at the man in front of her.
Many things happened between them as their relationship started rocky, especially after they got engaged to each other.
Yet, Riser changed.
This change surprised her and, at the same time, made him attainable, especially after he married her best friend.
By then, Rias realized how luxurious the chance given by fate was.
At that time, he was just at the tip of her fingertip, but now, he was unreachable.
If possible, Rias wanted to blame the others, especially Sona, who had stolen her fiance, but she knew she couldn't since everything was her fault to begin with.
When one loses something, they gain something.
Rias gained maturity from the loss of her older brother.
"Are you okay, Rias?" Riser asked.
His voice was warm and soothing, giving her the urge to lean and cry on his chest, yet she knew she didn't have a right.
Maintaining her gentle and composed smile, Rias said, "I am okay. Thank you for asking, Riser."
At that moment, she couldn't be weak, and she needed to be strong, so she pretended in front of him.
Nevertheless, Rias thought that Riser would give her the cold shoulder, yet unexpectedly, he gave her some advice.
"Be strong. You are the heiress of the Gremory House, and the future of the Gremory House is on your shoulders, so you can't show a weakness. Also, while I know that you hate Azazel and that you wish to kill him, bear with it and use him. Use his everything to grow stronger, so that way, you can have your revenge."
"....."
Rias stared at Riser in disbelief as she thought he would advise her to give up on revenge, yet it was the opposite since, from his words, he supported her.
"Thank you. I will do my best."
Her tears streamed down her cheeks as she said those words.
"Wipe your tears with this."
Riser took out his handkerchief and gave it to Rias, but she didn't accept it.
"Rias?"
She put his hand on his palm as she stared at him before she kissed his lips.
Riser didn't push her away and accepted her kiss.
Unlike all their previous kisses where either he or she did it one-sidedly, this time, the two were cooperating in harmony.
As she kept crying, she hugged him tightly, enjoying the warmth that she longed for.
He was warm.
He was warmer than the sun.
His existence was like a gentle breeze that gently stroked her cheeks and tapped her back to prevent her from giving up.
She wished this kiss to last forever, yet her breathing betrayed her.
As she took a mouthful of air to breathe, she looked at him and asked, "You didn't push me away?"
"Today is an exception."
"Hmm..."
"What's with that stare?"
"Nothing~!"
"I am your best friend's husband."
"But you didn't push me~." Rias stuck out her tongue, feeling a fuzzy and fluffy feeling in her heart.
Riser looked helpless as he tapped her nose.
"Don't get ahead of yourselves, Rias. I will leave. Right now, you can only rely on yourselves. Don't give up."
"You don't need to worry. I won't give up."
Rias showed a cheeky smile and a determined expression.
What did her words mean?
Did she mean that she wouldn't give up to protect her family?
Or was it something else?
Yet, Riser didn't bother to ask that question as he left her, walking to the corner as he saw someone was hiding.
"Sona."
"Ah, um, did you just return from the toilet? I have also just returned from the toilet."
Watching her clumsy lie, Riser wasn't sure what to say at this moment since he knew that Sona had been watching them from the beginning.
"Are you okay now?"
"Um."
"Then, how about we go back now?"
"Okay."
Sona looked at her husband with a complicated gaze as she watched everything.
While Riser didn't do anything, he didn't push Rias away.
To be honest, Sona knew that she had a chance to stop Rias from doing that kind of thing, but she didn't do so and just watched them from a distance, doing nothing. At that time, her heart was beating so fast, and her chest was so stuffy that she couldn't breathe, yet strangely enough, she couldn't look away.
What was this feeling?
"What's wrong?"
Sona looked at her husband, who seemed nonchalant and did nothing special.
If she didn't see what had happened previously, she couldn't tell what he did.
"Dear, you won't leave me, right?"
She hugged his arm tightly as she asked that question.
"What are you saying all of a sudden?" Riser felt weird, but when he saw her expression, he knew he needed to answer this question seriously. "Did you forget the vow that I made that day?" He kissed her hair gently, then said, "I am going to be your husband until death parts us."
"Then, I will be your wife until death parts us."
Yes, that was enough.
Sona felt satisfied, and that was why...
"If it's her, I don't mind."
"What did you say?"
"No-Nothing!"
"..."
Riser looked at his wife and wondered whether his wife had awoken a particular fetish.
Yet, such a thing was meaningless to think about, especially when he had a harem.
Nevertheless, as Sirzech had his funeral, a group composed of two races gathered together for a secret meeting about the weirdness that happened to their acquaintance.
"Lavinia, what do you think?"
Azazel asked that question to the beautiful magician in front of him.
Hearing that question, everyone's eyes gathered on this beautiful magician as she recounted her previous conversation with Vali, yet at this moment, what they didn't know while they were aiming for him, he also aimed at them, targeting them from the darkness where no one realized.