26. A Reunion

[A/N: We are almost at 500k reads guys!!!! 💥💥💥 I am really happy cuz of that!]

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"Wow." The word left my mouth even without my realization.

The woman who stood in front of me was beyond beautiful.

A breathtaking crimson gown made entirely of silk, embroidered with black flowery patterns running from the bust of her dress till the hem, accentuated by long flowing sleeves. It fit her so well, that she can be compared to a princess of the imperial empire or the first few rays of dawn filling the sky mixing rich shades of red and the black of the night.

Her blonde hair was beautifully curled and a black ribbon keeping them in place. 

She didn't wear any makeup… She didn't need to. She was a natural beauty and makeup would have ruined that natural look.

"You look gorgeous." I said. Anyone would be mesmerized by her otherworldly beauty, and I was no exception.

She smiled which made her appearance ten times more appealing. "You look quite handsome yourself." She complimented me.

I didn't go with anything extravagant. I wore a white shirt with a black dinner jacket on top, with equally black pants and shoes. I don't like bow ties so I went with a neat, narrow tie. Overall, it was a basic formal attire.

"Are you ready?" I asked which she replied with a nod.

She walked closer to me as a magic circle appeared below us, teleporting us to our destination. 

…

…

Unlike the previous one, this girl had a different look. A snow-white dress with blue frills that complimented her equally blue hair, pink lip-gloss, and a white hairband. 

Despite her not being on par with Layla… Well, almost no one can be compared with Layla.

Anyways, Clara looked like a little fairy, wearing that dress. She is pretty cute and blue suits her. So, overall… I would give her a 9.5/10 with Layla being an 11/10. 

"You look great." I said with my usual smile, which made her blush ferociously.

"Y-You look good as well."  She said, stuttering a little.

What happened to her personality? Previously she was the hyperactive type? She has been quite timid since the 'Honor Duel' incident.

"So, are you ready to go?" She nodded and so I activated the teleportation circle again.

…

…

While not as massive as the Bael Mansion, the Gremory Mansion was still big. Probably a bit bigger than ours. But then again… We are not exactly rich… I will be changing that soon enough, by the way.

.

.

.

.

"Layla honey, I haven't seen you in such a long time." came the voice of a woman.

Turning around I find a busty brunette walking towards us.

"She is Venelana Gremory née Bael, wife of Zoeticus Gremory." Layla whispered into my ear.

"Indeed it has, Lady Gremory." She gave a respectable bow.

"Aww, you don't have to do that sweetie. We are friends, remember?" She said smiling brightly. But Layla instantly shook her head.

"We are friends, but today I am here as the young master's maid." 

I already knew that my mother, Lady Gremory, and Layla were good acquaintances. So, this is not that surprising. 

"And this cute little boy must be Shisui." She said looking towards me. "And… You are Clara from the Gaap pillar, am I correct?" 

She visited me right after I was born… which I don't remember. But she didn't visit me on my 5th birthday. So, I don't remember her at all.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Gremory." I said, giving her a polite bow, while Clara did the same but in a womanly way.

"My, my, what a cute couple." She said with a 'noble' laugh, which somehow irked me more than her calling us a couple. But unlike me, Clara was red… tomato red. 

...And I decided to ignore the death-stare that Layla was giving her.

"Now, I have some other guests to attend, you should talk with my daughter. She should be somewhere around here." She said looking around the room.

"Ah, there she is." She pointed towards a crimson-haired girl who was wearing an equally crimson-colored dress.

"Now, you guys enjoy the party. I will go and greet the other guests." She said and walked away.

Why does all the Gremory act so reserved towards us? I remember Sirzechs doing the same on my birthday. *Sigh* I don't care.

"Do you want to greet the Gremory princess?" Layla whispered.

I could meet her, but do I want to? In all honesty, I don't. Our relationship with the Gremory isn't bad, so even if I don't interact with the Gremory heiress… it shouldn't matter much.

"Nah. We won't be here for long. After greeting the 'Birthday Boy' we should go home." I whispered back. "Do you want to talk to her, Clara? You girls might become good friends." 

But she instantly rejected it. "No. I... don't quite like her."

Now that's interesting. But I would rather not ask… for now.

"I see. What do you two want to do?" I asked both the girls.

"Umm… Let's just enjoy ourselves for now." Layla suggested and Clara nodded.

"You two do that. I have something to deliver to Lord Gremory." I said remembering that my father gave me a book to deliver to Lord Gremory.

Clara looked slightly uncomfortable to be left alone. "Don't worry, it won't take long." I just need to deliver a parcel, so it shouldn't take long.

"Layla." I turn towards her. "Keep her company." I said before walking away.

…

…

That didn't take long just as I thought. He was quite happy to get the book… I wonder what it was about. I should have taken a peek.

But I should get back to the girls now. 

"They did quite a nice job with the decorations." The decorations must have cost them quite the amount. 

Walking across the corridor, I get hit by a blur.

.

.

.

.

That… kind of hurts. 

"O-Ouch… I am sorry, are you alright." The person who crashed onto me said.

Fully aware of who it was, I replied. "I am… Princess."

This made the person freeze. "S-Shisui?"

"Indeed it's me… Seekvaira."

Yes, the person that crashed onto me was indeed Seekvaira Agares, the girl I met on my birthday.

"It's great seeing you again" I stood up and extended my hand towards her.

"Indeed. We haven't seen each other after your birthday party." She said, taking my hand. 

"I haven't forgiven you for not contacting me all this time." She said dusting away the dirt from her dress. "But… I am glad that I could meet you again."

Now… No one could dethrone Layla as the most beautiful girl, tonight. But… Seekvaira comes close to her. She is a solid 10/10. 

She wore a sea-green dress with high-heels. She had a light shade of lipstick applied on her lips with a dusting of pink makeup on her cheeks. Her long bud-green hair was let loose, which turned her into one of the most beautiful girls tonight.

"Do you want to have a chat as we walk?" Agares is an important pillar of the underworld and I want to make good connections with them. Seekvaira is also far better than any of the heirs I have met. Even Clara who is not as prideful as the others can be quite annoying, but seekvaira is more calm and mature. 

"I would love to." Her red eyes shone, as she showed a dazzling smile.

"So… Did you come alone?" I asked, walking alongside her.

"Yes, your speech back then motivated me quite a bit. And you know what? The things you said turned out to be true. Unlike previously, I have more freedom now. I am not just a trophy heir." She seemed genuinely happy. No fake tone, no fake smile… but genuine happiness. 

It made me kind of happy myself… I am not sure why. But her smile looked quite beautiful. 

"So, have you greeted the birthday boy?" She asked. 

"Yes, I did. I had something to deliver to Lord Gremory and I met Millicas there." 

That kid had massive reserves of demonic power. Might have been even bigger than mine when I was his age. But I am not sure about his control over it.

"I see. I heard some pillars are already making their move to get him as their son-in-law. Although this makes me wonder… Who is the Gremory heiress is going to be engaged to. I heard my father saying that it was going to be announced at tonight's party."

Engagement of the Gremory heiress? That's news to my ears. 

"What about you? Did you come alone as well?" 

"No, I didn't." I said shaking my head. "My maid came with me and a friend of mine tagged along as well." I said nonchalantly.

"Friend?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… She is the heiress of the Gaap pillar." 

"I see…" She said with a sigh…

Why the sigh?

"Well, we should hurry up. It's almost going to be the time for the announcement." She said, increasing her pace.

I nodded and did the same.

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[A/N: I know this one is kinda rushed but I want to finish this arc within the next chapter. after that a new arc will begin (search for new peerage members and a 'small' tournament arc).

And no, Shisui is not the fiancé.

I was planning to release early but I got sidetracked cuz of my new side project(3rd one) which is a harem marvel fic with MC being reborn as Matthew Malloy in a fucked up timeline.

Discord Link: https://discord.gg/GwFen4t

]