Upon seeing her fiancee, Rias froze. What expression was she making? What emotion within the swirling inferno graced her face? No, that was a foolish question. Rias knew what the answer was. It was a face of pity.
Damian Thaumiel, a cheerful boy who always kept a smile on his face, always seeing the good in any situation. But now… he couldn't smile. His face was impassive as the ice of Cocytus and it was all her fault.
"Hey, it's Valerie!" Gasper shouted happily though it was only a shout for him. His words broke not only the Gremory peerage out of their stupor but also the rest of the party who were surprised to see him.
The young head of the Thaumiel clan had a unique position in Devil society. Officially he was nothing more than the head of a mere Extra Demon clan but his power eclipsed many of the pillars and his combat power was rumored to have reached that of a Satan.
Combined with his rising political strength Damian had gained the hopes of many devils. And naturally, that meant that the nobility wished to profit from him in any way they could. The effect was immediate, the people that had been swarming around Rias practically ran to Damian, surrounding him like flies.
Ignoring them all for a moment he turned his head and spoke a few words to his peerage before they all dispersed around the party, only a small amount of people following after them. It was common sense that if you wanted an alliance you went to the King and not the servants.
However, there was a single exception. Hoshino Ai and her two children stuck by Damian's side like glue, their eyes trailing over the entirety of the hall. Seeing such a sight Rias couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Ignoring her aching heart she made her way over to her savior who she had not seen in so long, her peerage following behind her. In truth, they wanted to meet him just as much as she did if not more.
Shirone had been saved by him personally, he had saved Valerie while she and Gasper escaped, and Kiba and his friends had been freed by Damian. With the exception of Akeno who had never met him before, they all owed a great deal to him.
"Damian." Rias began slowly as she stood before him, suddenly at a loss for words. How should she act? It's been eight years with extremely little communication, how was she supposed to interact with this man who seemed to be a different person altogether?
"Rias. It's been a while." Damian spoke callously to his betrothed, ever so slightly looking away from her. If it was anyone else who had spoken to her with such a tone Rias would have been enraged but with Damian it was acceptable.
Damian had been incredibly close to his parents and naturally, he loved them dearly. He always spoke fondly of them and they did the same. So when they were taken from him it was only natural for him to lose something.
It wasn't that Damian didn't feel anything nor was it that Damian despised reality, he just merely couldn't express himself. No matter what he felt, no matter how powerful the emotion, it would never appear on his face or in his tone.
"So… who are these two?" Rias asked her betrothed awkwardly, her eyes focused on the two children holding his hands. Judging by appearances alone they looked a fair bit like Hoshino Ai and very little like Damian but genetics were strange so she was worried nonetheless.
"My children." Damian replied insensitively, patting the girl on the back to introduce herself even as Rias froze in place. She wasn't the only one, all the other nobles and even Rias' peerage were surprised.
The children looked to be around three years old and considering that both Hoshino Ai and Damian were eighteen at the moment… they had kids at fifteen?! Considering a devil's naturally low birth rate that was a damn miracle! But of course, it also meant that he had betrayed Rias.
"I'm Hoshino Ruby, the daughter of Mama." The girl introduced herself excitedly while looking all around the hall, stars quite literally in her eyes. She didn't even bother mentioning Damian which was strange.
"I'm Hosino Aquamarine. I'm the adoptive son of Damian Thaumiel." The boy, on the other hand, decided to resolve the misunderstanding his 'father' had created. It didn't take a genius to know that such a misunderstanding shouldn't be left around.
"Oh… so you adopted them." Rias spoke, an audible sigh of relief escaping her lips. It was incredibly relieving that Damian had not gone and had kids. It was one thing to love multiple people but it was another to have kids without even telling her.
"Mhm." Damian hummed awkwardly before making up his mind. "Rias, can I talk to you privately?" He requested calmly on the outside yet it was clear to Rias who knew many of his traits that he was nervous internally.
"Of course." Rias agreed without hesitation, forcibly squashing the giddy smile that was trying to make itself known on her face. She wasn't sure of what Damian wanted to talk to her about but it didn't truly matter. She was just happy he wanted to talk to her.
"Go enjoy yourselves. Stay close to the others and stay safe. Do you remember what to do if you feel threatened?" Damian asked his two children and Hoshino Ai seriously, his natural frown deepening slightly.
"We do Dad." Aqua spoke with a sigh as his mother and sister gave their father a hug. Glancing at his son it was clear what Damian wanted. Sighing lightly Aqua also gave his father a hug before he turned away and followed Rias Gremory, somebody whom he cared for deeply to the point of foolishness.
Damian Thaumiel was a man Aqua respected. Nigh infinite power, more wealth than he could ever spend, and the talent to do almost anything. He was the prime example of perfection in the world. Yet at the same time, he was the most flawed.
'Rias Gremory… will she be enough to save him?' Aqua asked himself with a frown.
*****
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