Rias Gremory was sweating buckets. She hadn't felt this kind of fear since that day—the day her world broke and everything stopped making sense. Her irises trembled, and she could feel herself shivering in sheer fright. Her mind spiraled, conjuring every path that could lead to his doom, and her knees went weak.
She turned her head and let out a soft gasp when she saw the Strongest Queen—a descendant of Lucifer and her sister-in-law—clenching a fist over her heart, trying in vain to hide the tears pooling in her eyes. She was no better off than Rias.
Rias's eyes darted toward Akeno, just in time to see her fall to her knees, staring at him in sheer horror and confusion—like she knew this shouldn't be happening, yet was powerless to stop it or change his mind.
Rias knew it too.
For all his pacifism and good nature—for all his kindness and love—he was also single-mindedly stubborn. Once he made up his mind, no one could dissuade him. She loved him for that. But it never failed to make her want to tear her hair out.
A heat bubbled up within her. This feeling… yes, it was desperation.
How could she forget it?
She had been desperate her whole life. Desperate to prove to the world that she was more than just a Gremory, more than a pretty face atop an otherworldly body, more than the little sister of the Lucifer himself. She wanted to rise above the diamond spoon she was born with and make a name for herself—not for them, but for her.
But all of that went out the window the moment he decided to step in.
No, this wasn't the usual desperation that threatened to drown her breathless. This was bigger than her dreams. This made everything she had ever wanted seem childish and petty—and she could live with that.
But she could never forgive herself if something happened to him.
She was desperate enough to seek help from the very people she'd sworn to protect. She looked to Koneko, but the girl was hiding behind the couch in their clubhouse, peeking over it like a cat assessing danger. She met Kiba's eyes but had to look again—his once calm expression now twisted by a storm of emotion. Issei stood beside him, oblivious to the tidal wave of dread crashing through them all.
Rias took a step forward and did the only thing a person who loved with their entire soul would do.
"Riser," she broke the suffocating silence that had settled over the room after he dropped that bombshell of an intention. She looked him in the eye and, for once, felt no satisfaction at his discomfort. All she felt was the crushing weight of her decision—and his eyes piercing into her back.
"Riser," she called again, her voice heavy with the gravitas of someone about to surrender their freedom. She exhaled and steeled herself.
This was for her little brother.
"I will marry you. So let's not go through with the Rating Game," she spat the words, and for two painful beats, silence hung in the air—until Issei's scream of confusion shattered it.
All eyes in Riser's peerage widened in shock, while the smug satisfaction radiating from that man-whore made her stomach turn. She felt sick. She had just sold herself to the Phenex clan—as a mare to breed pure-blooded devils and elevate their political status. None of her peerage could look her in the eyes—except Issei, who seemed like his entire world was crumbling.
Asia looked like she might faint from the shock.
Grayfia couldn't meet her gaze either. Her head hung low, her lips drawn in a thin, silent line. What could she possibly say to someone who had just sacrificed her future to prevent disaster?
Rias felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned—like a moth to a flame—and met his turquoise eyes. Her gaze briefly flickered to the birthmark on his temple before returning to his eyes. The sunlight caught in his hair, setting it ablaze. And for once, he wasn't wearing that small, peaceful smile.
His mouth was set in a hard line. His eyes narrowed.
He stared at her long enough to make her feel completely laid bare. With him, you never knew if that was just a feeling—or reality.
"Onee-chan," he said. She would never tire of him calling her that, but this time, she wished he wouldn't speak another word.
"I will fight him. And that's final."
There was no room for argument in his voice—no space for hope.
A terrible dread gripped her heart.
"I will have to inform Lord Lucifer of this," Grayfia said, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. She vanished in a shimmer of light, urgency written across her posture like fire licking her heels.
Rias could only open and close her mouth, helpless. Her legs moved on their own, taking her to the couch, where she collapsed. She buried her face in her hands, trying to quell the headache pounding her skull and the fear twisting her chest.
What happens now?
Will they find out?
What if the gods learn of this?
What if something far worse does?
She bit her lip hard enough to taste blood.
No one came to comfort her. Her peerage felt it too. They were mourning in silence.
"What..." Riser looked between Rias, her brother, and the rest of her peerage, baffled. "What is going on here? Why does it feel like I've done something I shouldn't have? Enough of this nonsense—someone tell me what's happening!"
His gaze landed on Rias.
And when their eyes met, he froze.
They brimmed with tears—tears of a woman who had just lost her soul.
"You've doomed us, Riser," she whispered, voice strained with heartbreak. "You've doomed us."
And Riser Phenex would never forget that moment for the rest of his life.