"Hey, Sona!" The crimson-haired girl happily greeted her best friend as soon as she arrived at the Darcaedes Castle.
"Rias."
The two of them hugged, and then their Peerages greeted each other.
"Any idea why he has suddenly invited us over?" The Heiress of the Gremory curiously asked, and her curiosity rose when even Sona shook her head.
"I have no idea." The violet-eyed girl replied."But it seems like it's important." She said and then smiled at a certain blonde knight. "You seem to be doing well."
Kiba respectfully bowed to her and then straightened up to answer her.
"I am, Lady Sona. Lord Beelzebub sent us a message earlier today that he has found a way to break Tosca out of that barrier. I am happy."
"That's a wonderful news!" She sincerely said. "How long will it take?"
"It will take time, a year or two."
"That's fine. Time flies fast. And you will finally be with your friend again."
"Yes." Kiba smiled, a rare sight for them, and everyone was happy for him in their hearts.
"Where's Shirone?" Hanekawa curiously asked, missing the absence of the Nekoshou.
Since the two of them were Youkai, they got along very well with each other, and for Hanekawa, Shirone was like a younger sister.
"Kuroka came to pick her up last night. She has taken her away for a while. I suppose she's training her." Rias smiled and informed her best friend's queen, and then they all suddenly looked at the door of the lounge as it opened.
The one who entered it was Hilda, the maid of Pandora Darcaedes, leading a group of maids who had brought their refreshments.
"Lady Hilda." Everyone greeted her respectfully, and it was not just because she was Pandora's maid, but also because she was a Crocell, a noble Devil, and the mother of Freya Lucifuge.
"Good evening, Lady Rias, Lady Sona." The yellow-haired maid smiled at them and bowed in a greeting.
She then waited as the maids behind her started serving them snacks and refreshments, and only after they were done, did she speak again.
"Lady Pandora has asked for the two of you to meet her in the throne room." Her words suddenly froze the smiles on their faces, and the two of them immediately shot up to their feet, looking quite flustered. "Not right now. After the Supper." She said, providing them a temporary relief, inwardly quite amused at their expressions.
No one in the Devildom could make them this anxious, not even the Four Satans, but Pandora was different.
She was not only their future Mother-in-law but also the most powerful Devil in existence, whom the two of them immensely respected and looked up to.
And ever since the day her older brother had confirmed to her that the Darcaedes Queen was stronger than him, Rias had subconsciously started fearing her even more.
"Lady Hilda, do you know why Raizel has called us over?" Sona asked, curiously looking at the maid.
It was not the first time that they had been invited over, but he had called them urgently, and they could not remember the last time he had asked them to drop everything they were doing and join him in the evening.
"Master Raizel wants to introduce you to his new Rook." She revealed to them, and all of them looked at her in surprise.
"He found his Rook?!" Rias excitedly asked, knowing well what this meant.
Raizel had found someone worthy of his Mutated Rook piece, and that meant that the person he had found was immensely talented and powerful.
"I am afraid I will not be able to answer more questions and give you any details. Master Raizel wouldn't be pleased with me if I did that." Hilda said before anyone could ask anything about this new Rook, and then she excused herself.
The next half an hour was excruciating for all of them as they were all very excited to meet Raizel's first Rook. And they all shared their guesses about the race of the individual.
For some reason, most of them believed that he had found another Dragon, but some believed that it was likely a Demi-God or a Youkai.
"What if it's a Human with a very special Sacred Gear?" Akeno mused, and it was only then that they even considered the possibility.
"I doubt it." Sona shook her head, and they all turned to look at her. "There is a possibility, of course, but then I would say that they are either Half-Human, also belonging to a very powerful race, or they possess one of the Longinus. The chances of the latter are extremely low. We should remember that his Rook pieces are Mutated. It wouldn't be easy to find individuals worthy of them."
"True." Rias nodded her head. "I really think it is a Dragon. He has always wanted another Dragon in his Peerage."
She had just finished speaking when the door of the lounge opened again, and everyone got up on their feet when they saw Raizel enter.
However, their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open when they saw him holding the hand of a girl, who had those trademark crimson hair that they were all very familiar with. And then there was the fact that she eerily resembled Rias.
Raizel grinned when he saw their shocked expressions. He had made Mito hide her ears and tails for this very reason. She resembled Rias even more in this form. And it had worked wonderfully on his guests.
"Sona." He greeted the girl who managed to compose herself before anyone else, and she smiled at him before she curiously raised her brow in a question.
"I did not know Rias had a cousin." She commented, and the one who spoke next was not Raizel, but her queen.
"She is not a Devil." Hanekawa's words snapped them all out of their trance, and they all curiously looked at her. "She's a Youkai and an extremely powerful one at that. However, she seems to possess natural Demonic Reserves." The Kako frowned, sensing some Divinity from the girl as well.
She was certain that whatever the girl was, her blood did not lose to her own. And she was very clear about what that meant.
White and Black Tiger races were at the top of the hierarchy amongst the Youkai, and only a few races could match them.
"Correct." Raizel beamed a smile at her words, acknowledging them, and then he smiled at Mito, who was nervously yet curiously looking at Rias. "Meet my precious Mito, Rias' half-sister, a Nine-Tailed Demonic Fox, and my Rook."
"What?" Rias subconsciously blurted out and looked baffled at his words. She looked at the crimson-haired girl in disbelief, and the more she looked at her, the more she believed Raizel's words. "She..."
Everything made sense now, and it explained why they had the same shade of hair and facial features.
But most of them were in disbelief at the fact that the girl was a Nine-Tailed Demonic Fox. A race that was considered extremely dangerous due to its chaotic nature and immense potential.
A slight smile crept on Hanekawa's face as she learned what Mito was. She was now looking at a potential friend and a rival who was just as talented as her, and needless to say, she was quite excited.
Though not a battle manic, she was, after all, a Kako. And she had pride in her bones and blood.
"Hello." Mito nervously greeted them, having never been surrounded by so many people, most of whom were even younger than her.
"Hello, Mito." Sona was the first one to step forward, and she proceeded to hug the girl, which put her at ease. "You are beautiful."
"Thank you," Mito replied with a smile and then accepted everyone's greetings as they stepped forward.
Finally, it was Rias who arrived in front of her, and Mito was curious why she had a bright smile on her face now.
"I have an older sister." She revealed her thoughts. "I am happy." She laughed as she hugged the girl too, and then mischievously said her next words. "I wonder how brother would react to the news when he learns about you. And I am still confused why Father never told us about you." She frowned.
"He does not know that I exist." Mito shook her head.
"Oh. Your mother?" She asked.
"She's gone." The girl answered with a mirthless smile, and everyone could tell that it was a sensitive topic that would evoke her sad memories.
Therefore, for the rest of the evening, no one brought up the matter of her parentage again.
As they sat at the table for supper, Raizel noticed that Sona and Rias had begun to feel a little restless, and it made him curious.
"Is something wrong?" He asked Sona, and the girl smiled at him and shook her head. "I am fine. Lady Pandora asked I and Rias to come to the throne room after supper, so, I am just a little nervous."
"Oh," He grinned, now quite amused at their restlessness. "You think you might be in trouble?" He teasingly asked, and Rias panicked a little.
"Why would we be in trouble?" She nervously asked. "I am sure she just wants to see us..."
"Oh, no. When Mother calls someone to see her in the throne room, it isn't because she wants to see them. She definitely has something to talk to you about or tell you." He smiled, chuckling at the panic that flashed in the teal eyes of his fiancée. "Want me to come with you?"
"No." It was Sona who answered before Rias could say anything. "It would be rude of us to bring you when she has only asked for the two of us."
"Indeed." He smiled and then focused on his meal. "Freya is with mother, so, I think you will be fine. Don't worry," He informed them, and both of them visibly relaxed after his words.
But who would have thought that this was the last time Rias and Sona were seeing Raizel and their family...