Chapter 13 : A woman

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I couldn't help the small smile that grew on my face as I leaned back and looked at her. She'd grown a lot over the last few years. We both had, and my parents wanted to take advantage of that fact.

I remembered Riser's marriage contract from the anime, but I hadn't put it together that it would now concern me.

My parents wanted a Phenex with the Power of Destruction in addition to our other powers, so they were setting me up to be married off to the Gremory family.

From their perspective, they likely thought they were doing me a favor. I was their third son and set up to inherit nothing as a result. My younger sister Ravel would get more than me.

Not that I really cared about material possessions, but mother and father thought I was going through a phase.

They'd orchestrated my marriage so I would wed Rias Gremory and become lord Gremory when she took her place at the head of the family.

The only problem with this master plan was that I was never consulted.

I had never met Rias, and what little I remembered of her from the anime saw her as a manipulative, incompetent, selfish brat who stumbled around like a ditzy bimbo, complaining that the world was out to get her specifically.

That kind of thing may have left most men slobbering over themselves for the slightest glance from her, but, to me, it was more off putting than anything else.

I wasn't attracted to the clingy incompetent act she had going for her. A woman who was a tad possessive of me was hotter than Hell, but a woman who literally couldn't function without me was a migraine.

Massaging my temples, I said, "What am I supposed to do here, Yubelluna?"

"You could start by saying thank you."

Both Yubelluna and I turned to see Ruval leaning against my open door frame, an amused smile on his lips.

"Mother and father are looking out for you, little brother. It may seem a little sudden, but in ten or so years you'll be thanking them." He pushed off the door frame and walked into my room.

A strange series of emotions I couldn't parse quickly flew across Yubelluna's face, but she bowed her head and backed away before I could comment, clearing Ruval's path to me.

"I know that was their intent." I said to Ruval, trying to be diplomatic. "I'm thankful for the thought, but I've never met this girl.

All I know about her is that she has the Power of Destruction. If I wanted to get married to someone for no reason other than their power, I'd go after Serafall Leviathan."

Ruval's eyes lit up as he sat down on my bed across from my desk, chuckling softly. "This is why I love you, Riser. You say the most impossible things with the utmost seriousness.

It almost makes me believe you could actually get the Leviathan to marry you." He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

His smile is still in place, but his demeanor has clearly shifted to a more serious one.

"Speaking plainly, little brother, I understand that you're a little out of sorts right now. You've never met Rias, and until yesterday all you ever really thought about was what to practice next."

I scowled at that. "I think of more than just training, Ruval."

Raising an eyebrow at me, Ruval said, "And pray tell, what was the outcome of the most recent Rating Game?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know I only ever pay attention to yours. All the rest are boring once I've seen enough to know how they fight."

Ruval snapped his fingers. "And that, little brother, is why mother and father didn't consult you on this.

It isn't about what's 'boring'. It's about looking towards the future. You may not enjoy the more subtle aspects of our culture, but they are far more important than you realize."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Me not watching a Rating Game between two stuck-up assholes is significant?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ruval's gaze was serious as he said, "Yes. The Bael heir doesn't care who watches his fights, but his father, Lord Bael, does.

He takes notes of the attendants of each match and who they support. Mother and father grew concerned when Lord Bael asked after you, and decided it was time to throw you to the political wolves as they say."

Now I was just confused. "Why would Lord Bael care if I show up or not? I'm basically an ant next to him."

Ruval shrugged, sitting back up on my bed, illustrating just how much taller than me he was. I was close to six feet tall by this point in my life, but Ruval was closer to seven.

"It's not about you choosing not to show up. It is about our mother and father's inability to make you attend to support his son.

At least in Lord Bael's eyes anyway. If they don't care enough to make you attend, then they must not care about their relations with his house."

I blinked, trying to absorb that stupidity. "That is insane."

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