The Sitri manor's great hall radiated an air of calm dignity, filled with the quiet ripple of enchanted water running beneath crystal floors. But the moment Riser Phenex stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. His very presence carried heat; his crimson coat swayed lightly, and faint motes of golden flame danced around him as if eager to announce his arrival.
The Sitri family sat at the far end of the hall: Lord Sitri, reserved and analytical; Lady Sitri, elegant but watchful; and Serafall Leviathan herself, who was practically vibrating with contained energy, her aura of ice filling every corner of the room. Sona sat beside her parents, outwardly composed, though the faint tension in her clasped hands betrayed her.
Riser strode forward without hesitation. His footsteps echoed, his confidence as unshakable as a king entering his throne room. He stopped, bowed slightly—not too deep, not too shallow—perfectly measured for formality without diminishing himself.
"Lord Sitri. Lady Sitri. Maou Leviathan." He straightened, his flame-touched eyes steady. "I thank you for receiving me on such short notice."
Serafall narrowed her eyes. "Cut the pleasantries, Flame Boy. You beat my sister in chess, didn't you? And now you're here, talking about engagements?!"
Riser's lips curved into a confident smile. "Indeed. Sona Sitri is the most ideal woman I have ever met in the Underworld. Independent, intelligent, graceful… she embodies what a noble devil should be. She has vision, dreams, and the will to pursue them." His gaze slid briefly to Sona, softer for just a moment before he looked back at her family. "That is why I came here today. Because I chose her. I want her to be my wife."
The statement rang through the hall like a decree.
Lord Sitri's brows furrowed. "You speak boldly, Riser Phenex. But are you serious? This is not a game of pride or political maneuvering. You are already bound to Rias Gremory."
Riser chuckled lowly, the sound carrying both amusement and disdain. "I've already spoken my mind on that arrangement. Rias Gremory may have beauty, but she has achieved nothing worthy of her name. A spoiled girl, living under her brother's shadow. I will end that farce myself. I have no intention of chaining my future to emptiness."
Lady Sitri's expression sharpened. "And you would exchange that bond… for my daughter?"
His voice dropped, firm and sincere. "Yes. Sona Sitri is not empty. She is worthy." He looked directly at Sona this time, his flame-golden eyes locking with hers. "I will repeat what I told her after our match: I may not love her yet—save for liking her, more than a little. But I am serious when I say I want her as my wife. Not as a trophy. Not as a vase. As my equal. My support. The one who will complete me where I fall short."
He took a step closer, embers sparking faintly in his wake. "I promised her that I will never treat her as anything less than a wife and a woman. And in the name of House Phenex, I swear it again before you all."
Silence followed. Even Serafall, usually quick with dramatic outbursts, hesitated. The weight of his words, spoken without hesitation, clashed strangely with the flamboyant reputation that had followed him for years.
Finally, Serafall's aura surged, frost spreading across the crystal floor until it crackled beneath her heels. She stood, her eyes blazing. "You talk pretty, Phenex. But words are cheap. How do I know you won't break my sister's heart? How do I know this isn't just another game to you?!"
Riser didn't flinch. He looked at her with the same steady fire he had shown Sona. "You don't. Not yet. But I will prove it." His voice lowered, intense, as if each word carried the burn of his flames. "Test me. Threaten me. Even try to kill me, if it will soothe your heart as her sister. I will endure all of it. Because Sona Sitri is the only one I want. And I will not bend on that."
The hall grew tense. Frost met flame, two auras clashing, filling the chamber with a storm of opposing elements. And in the middle, Sona sat frozen, her mask cracking just slightly at the sincerity she saw in his eyes.
For the first time in her life, someone had chosen her not as "the Sitri heir," not as "Serafall's sister," but as Sona.
And he was willing to fight the world for that choice.