At the same time, inside Gremory Castle in the Underworld.
In a softly lit bedroom, Venelana sat quietly at the tea table by the window. Before her sat a teapot and two cups. The equally brilliant autumn sunlight of the demon realm filtered through thin curtains into the room, and the air was filled with a delicate floral tea fragrance that seemed to calm the soul.
She appeared to be waiting for someone.
"Hmm~ It should be about time now. Serafall-chan should have told Rias-chan about this by now, right? I've had everything prepared on my end for quite a while..."
Venelana muttered to herself, resting her crossed arms on the table before her. Then she laid her whole upper body down as if preparing to take a catnap, turning her head to rest her cheek on her arms—revealing a rare, lazy side she never showed in front of others.
She gazed at the magic mirror placed against the wall.
Time passed.
Hummm—
A faint spatial magic ripple—barely perceptible—emanated from the mirror's surface, gentle waves appearing across its face.
Oh?
Having nearly zoned out, Venelana noticed the change and blinked, sitting up properly.
The next second, a slender, delicate hand tentatively emerged from the mirror, waving twice in the air as if checking for any obstacles ahead.
Then came a foot stepping through—perfectly shaped, with nails bearing a subtle natural sheen. Even without any polish or decoration, it possessed an undeniable allure.
Having confirmed there were no obstacles in front and solid ground beneath, the rest of the person followed.
Crimson hair flashed through the spatial boundary in an instant. The elegant, refined young lady stepped into the room.
The moment Rias emerged from the mirror, she immediately surveyed her surroundings. Her gaze quickly landed on Venelana sitting at the tea table.
Her lips parted slightly, her voice somewhat stiff.
"Mom... where is this...?"
"This is our own home, Rias-chan~"
Watching her daughter's sudden appearance, Venelana simply picked up the freshly poured teacup beside her and smiled gently.
"What's wrong? You look so surprised."
"No... this..."
Rias looked around the room in a daze, examining every inch of the walls, even rushing to the door to open it and peek outside.
There was no doubt—this was definitely her own home.
So did that mean the affair mirror in Mom's room actually connected to... Mom's own room?
"Come now, stop pacing around like that."
Seeing her daughter's incredulous expression, Venelana shook her head with a helpless smile. She picked up the second teacup she'd prepared in advance, filled it, and pushed it to the seat across from her, gesturing for Rias to sit.
"Have a seat first. I just made some fresh tea myself these past few days—try it and tell me what you think."
"No... Mom, wait a second..."
Rias closed the door and returned to the tea table, taking a deep breath.
She didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she stood looking down at the elegant woman seated before her, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Mom, answer me one question first. Why do we have something like that in our house?"
As she spoke, Rias pointed directly at the mirror against the wall, her target clear—giving Venelana no room to dodge the question.
"Why, you ask..."
Venelana set down her teacup and scratched her cheek in mock contemplation.
"There's no special reason, really. It's just very convenient, so I had a matching pair custom-made."
"Convenient?"
As if finding this explanation completely unconvincing, Rias's eyes widened.
"But Mom, you know perfectly well what this is... This kind of thing shouldn't even exist in our house!"
"Now, now—calm down first, Rias-chan."
Faced with her daughter's sudden outburst, Venelana remained completely unruffled. Still smiling, she pushed the teacup closer toward the crimson-haired girl.
"Just sit down and have some tea first, okay? Let Mom explain everything slowly."
"I..."
Rias bit her lower lip, seeming to want to say more but holding back.
After her mother had asked twice now, she realized her reaction earlier had been a bit too impulsive.
True, these paired mirrors had an absolutely terrible reputation in the Underworld. They were practically standard equipment for affairs among the upper nobility.
Because they could silently connect two spaces without producing any noticeable sound or magical fluctuation during transport. If one of these was found in someone's home, it was practically a guarantee that someone had been doing something they shouldn't.
But the problem was—the mirror in Mom's room connected to... Mom's other room?
Normally, paired mirrors would be placed in locations known only to the two parties involved—like secret chambers beneath their respective castles.
But for Mom to have it set up like this... surely she wasn't having an affair with herself?
That made absolutely no sense.
So after a brief standoff, the crimson-haired girl took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She pulled out the chair beside the table and sat down.
"Sorry, Mom. I was too rash just now."
"It's fine, it's fine~"
Venelana maintained her gentle, warm smile.
"Actually, I understand how you feel, Rias. Your shock and confusion are completely natural. So just sit down, have some tea, and let Mom explain slowly."
"Mm..."
Feeling somewhat guilty, Rias murmured softly in acknowledgment. She accepted the teacup her mother offered and took a small sip.
"This is delicious..."
The crimson-haired girl praised quietly.
The tea's fragrance wasn't overpowering—rather, it was refreshingly light with a subtle sweetness, as if a small piece of rock sugar had been added. Just one sip instantly calmed her mind and spirit.
So Rias couldn't help but take two more sips.
By the time she set down the cup, more than half the tea was already gone.
Seeing this, Venelana said nothing, simply smiling as she refilled her daughter's cup.
"Actually, I didn't have any special intentions when I had these mirrors made. I simply wanted to make coming and going more convenient. Before, every time I wanted to visit the Human World, I had to take the train through Itogami Island's 'customs.' But now, I just need to step through a mirror."
"But... Mom, you could just teleport directly, couldn't you?"
Rias pouted slightly, unconvinced.
"Bokue doesn't care about so-called spatial regulations anyway. For people like us, even if we teleport directly to Itogami Island, we wouldn't be considered illegal immigrants."
"Well, that's true, but..."
At this, a hint of helplessness crept into Venelana's smile.
Huh?
Right then, Rias felt something was off.
The next second, her vision began to blur, as if an overwhelming wave of drowsiness had suddenly washed over her. Even the sounds reaching her ears started to fade into the distance.
Finally, she heard her mother's voice—so faint it was almost imperceptible.
"But if I did that... you would have found out, wouldn't you, Rias?"
Found out? Found out about what?
Could it be...
But there was no time left to consider this final question. The crimson-haired girl's head lolled to one side, and she slumped into the chair, fast asleep.
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