"Tenraku, is she Valerie, the one you went to rescue?" Rias naturally noticed Valerie, who was standing beside Gasper, and inquired.
"Yes, Valerie, introduce yourself to Rias and the others," Tenraku nodded.
Appearing somewhat nervous, Valerie stepped forward. Having heard a lot about Rias and her group from Gasper and Yubelluna, Valerie couldn't help but admire them. This was the fiance of Tenraku, a truly beautiful princess.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Valerie Tepes. Nice to meet you," she introduced herself briefly and then lowered her head, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Though she had improved since the beginning, helping Valerie escape from the painful memories and experiences wouldn't happen overnight. What she had achieved so far was already commendable.
"This is Valerie. When I was captured in the Vampire castle, I met her. Like Gasper, she's a Vampire who doesn't even dare to drink blood," Tenraku explained while patting Ravel's head.
Valerie blushed, while Irina and the girls whispered among themselves, and even Ravel, who was enjoying Onii-chan's head-pats, opened her eyes to glance at Valerie. According to Onii-chan, she seemed like a genuinely tragic and pitiful character!
"Do you have to describe her like that?"
Glaring at Tenraku, Rias stood up and held Valerie's hands.
"Valerie, I'm Rias Gremory, Tenraku's wedded. No one will bully you anymore. This is your home, and we are your family."
Women were emotional beings, and after hearing about Valerie's tragic past, Rias felt deep sympathy for the girl. The same sentiment was shared by Asia and the others.
"Valerie-san, I'm Asia Argento. Nice to meet you. Let's get along well in the future."
"Hehe, I'm Irina, Shidou Irina. As long as you don't drink my blood, we can be friends."
"Ara Ara, Valerie is quite popular. I'm Himejima Akeno, Rias's Queen. Please take care of us in the future."
With each of them saying a few words, the girls introduced themselves to Valerie and warmly welcomed her into the family.
"Everyone..."
Feeling the warmth and sincerity from everyone, Valerie was moved to tears. Gasper stood on the side, grinning foolishly. To rescue Valerie and let her live together with everyone was a scene he had dreamt about countless times.
"Valerie will live with us from now on. Asia, help her choose a room later, and get her some necessary items," Tenraku instructed. "Now, let me introduce another person."
"Come out, Elmen."
Snapping his fingers, Tenraku called out. With a bit of awkwardness, Elmenhilde stepped out from behind Yubelluna and Gasper.
"Elmenhilde!"
Unsurprisingly, both Rias and Sitri Sona's girls revealed expressions of surprise. This arrogant Vampire princess, representing the Carmilla Faction, had left a deep impression on them during the negotiations between Vampires, Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils.
Rias, who had not noticed her earlier due to her hiding behind Yubelluna, furrowed her brows.
"Tenraku, what's going on? Why is Elmenhilde with you?"
"Many things happened when we went to the Vampire territory..."
"In short, because I helped the Carmilla Faction Vampires eliminate the Evil Dragon, the Queen decided to reward Elmenhilde by allowing her to serve me," Tenraku briefly explained the events in the Vampire territory. Of course, he selectively omitted things that were not suitable to be spoken about, such as secretly controlling the Vampire clan. Nevertheless, even with the omissions, Rias and her girls were still utterly shocked.
"Rizevim, Holy Grail, Evil Dragon..."
The influx of information overwhelmed Rias, leaving her feeling a bit disoriented. She had initially thought that Tenraku and the others were on a simple mission to rescue Valerie, but it turned out that so much more had transpired.
Both Rias and Sitri Sona were certain that disclosing the details of Rizevim's actions would cause a significant shock to the world. The gravity of the situation was not lost on them.
"Princess Rias, Princess Sona, please forgive my previous rudeness," Elmenhilde spoke, bravely approaching Rias and Sitri Sona and bowing down. She had shed her identity as a Vampire princess and was no longer the favored servant of the Vampire Queen.
She was now simply belonging to the Red Dragon Emperor, Kamiya Tenraku. And the two standing before her were the Demon King's Younger Sister and Tenraku's wedded – her mistresses.
Elmenhilde was well aware that her previous behavior might have left a negative impression. Despite the embarrassment, she had to apologize and seek forgiveness. If the wedded harbored any resentment due to those incidents, her future life would be far from pleasant.
As Rias and Sitri Sona exchanged glances, they both noticed the surprise in each other's expressions. It was unexpected for the once arrogant Vampire princess to lower herself to apologize. However, despite their astonishment, both mistresses were not the type to hold grudges. Rias extended her hand to help Elmenhilde up.
"Elmen San, there's no need to bring up the past. Since you're choosing to follow Tenraku, you are now our companion," Rias graciously accepted the apology. "I acknowledge your apology, but trust is something you'll have to earn through your actions in the future."
While Rias displayed warmth, Sitri Sona remained stern and indifferent. Tenraku couldn't help but find amusement in the dynamic between his two mistresses – one playing the role of the 'good cop,' the other the 'bad cop.'
Elmenhilde understood that gaining their trust wouldn't happen overnight. Nevertheless, she nodded firmly, "I will not disappoint both mistresses in the future."
The title 'mistresses' caught both Rias and Sitri Sona off guard, causing a blush to creep onto their faces.
To be continued...
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