Riser lingered by the window of the Student Council room after the last pawn had been swept from the board. His coat caught the light, faint embers drifting from his body as if even his stillness carried heat. Across the chessboard, Sona sat perfectly composed once again, though the faint blush at her cheeks hadn't entirely vanished.
He turned to her with that same infuriating mix of charm and seriousness.
"Now that we are engaged—" he said smoothly, enjoying the twitch at her lips when he phrased it that way, "—there is the matter of meeting your family. Lord and Lady Sitri should hear my intentions, don't you think? And of course, your elder sister, the Maou Leviathan herself."
Sona's eyes sharpened. "You intend to go that far already?"
"Of course." His tone was casual, but the fire in his eyes was unmistakable. "If I am serious about this, then they deserve to hear it directly. From me. Not through whispers in court, not through scandal in the Underworld. But from my own mouth." He tilted his head, smirking. "I heard your sister is quite… protective of you, Sitri. Will you help me when she tries to beat me to death in outrage? Or shall I prepare for her ice to try and snuff out my flames?"
That teasing smile of his carried genuine anticipation.
Sona exhaled through her nose, half in annoyance, half in reluctant amusement. "You have no fear, do you? You speak as though my sister would not obliterate you for sport if you provoke her."
Riser chuckled. "If she tries, I'll endure. I am immortal, after all. But if I can win her acknowledgment—" he leaned closer, his voice dipping just enough to be personal, "—it means I've earned you properly. And that, Sona, is worth even Serafall Leviathan's fury."
Her heart gave the smallest flutter at the conviction in his tone. She masked it quickly, adjusting her glasses. "Very well. I'll tell them. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Sitri Manor, Evening
The Sitri family estate was quiet and refined, the evening glow of the underworld's skies casting silver over its polished stone and flowing waters. Inside, the family had gathered in a private chamber: Lord Sitri, Lady Sitri, and the ever-vibrant Serafall Leviathan, whose magical presence filled the room like a tidal wave of warmth and eccentricity.
Sona stood before them, her posture impeccable. But when she opened her mouth, even she could feel the faint tremor in her words.
"…I have something important to report."
Her father folded his hands. "Go on."
Sona adjusted her glasses, steadied herself, and let the words fall with the sharpness of truth. "Today, I was challenged… and defeated in chess."
Both parents blinked. Serafall froze mid-sip of tea, eyes wide. "Ehhhhh?!?!" she yelped, nearly spilling her cup. "Sona-chan lost? No way! My serious, cool, brainy little sister actually lost at chess?! This is, like, history in the making!"
Sona sighed softly. "…It was Riser Phenex."
The room stilled.
Lord Sitri leaned back slightly, expression turning grave. Lady Sitri raised a delicate brow. Serafall's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, her tone shifting from surprise to explosive disbelief.
"Riser Phenex?! That flame playboy? The one engaged to Rias Gremory? He beat you?!" She stomped her foot in outrage, her aura flaring with enough force to make the walls tremble. "I'll freeze him solid and drop him in the Maou Council chamber as an ice sculpture!"
"Serafall," Lord Sitri warned.
"But Oto-sama, Sona got beaten, and then he—wait." Serafall's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He didn't just beat you. Did he—?"
Sona inhaled quietly. "…Yes. He asked me to be his fiancée. Officially."
The explosion of noise was immediate. Lady Sitri gasped softly, Lord Sitri's eyes hardened, and Serafall outright shrieked. "WHAT?! My precious little Sona-chan got snatched up by that flaming peacock?!"
Sona stood her ground, calm but firm. "He said he intends to meet you all personally, to state his intentions, and make it official—before canceling his engagement with Rias."
Lord Sitri's gaze sharpened. "And what of his arrangement with the Gremory? That engagement was made with weighty promises. The political consequences—"
Sona lifted a hand, cutting him off with rare boldness. "…Father. He has already spoken on that. His words were not kind. In fact, they were scathing. But I will relay them as they were spoken."
She adjusted her glasses again and repeated Riser's declarations with precision:
"How Rias disdains him but has never achieved anything to justify her pride. How she has no victories, no contributions to her clan, no vision for the Underworld. How she is nothing without her family name and her brother, the Maou Lucifer. He said she is a vase—beautiful face, beautiful figure—but empty. The only Gremory he respects is Sirzechs. The rest are nothing. Especially Rias."
The room went silent.
Serafall's mouth fell open. For once, she was speechless. Lady Sitri frowned deeply. Lord Sitri pressed his fingers together, thoughtful.
Finally, Serafall broke the silence with a half-hysterical laugh. "That boy's insane. Brave, but insane. To spit on Rias like that, when Sirzechs dotes on her like she's the sun itself? Does he have a death wish?!"
"…Or unshakable conviction," Lord Sitri murmured. "He dared say aloud what many whisper in shadows but never voice."
Lady Sitri studied her daughter. "And you, Sona. Do you accept this… audacious suitor?"
Sona paused. Her hand brushed her cheek, where his kiss still lingered like a phantom warmth. She remembered his hand gripping hers, the sincerity in his voice when he swore he would treat her as an equal, as a wife, as a woman.
Her glasses glinted as she lowered her eyes. "…I have accepted. Provisionally. If only because his conviction… unsettled even me."
Serafall collapsed dramatically into a chair, burying her face in her hands. "Unbelievable… my little Sona-chan, engaged before me! And to him of all people! What am I supposed to do, huh?!?!"
Lord Sitri exhaled slowly, folding his arms. "Then it seems Riser Phenex will need to come here himself, and soon. If he truly intends to sever ties with the Gremory, he must face the weight of his words before this family and before Serafall."
Serafall peeked between her fingers, her eyes blazing. "When he comes, I swear, I'll test him myself. If he so much as makes you cry, Sona-chan, I'll obliterate him. Immortal or not!"
Sona allowed herself the faintest smile. "He knows. He asked me to help protect him when you inevitably try."
Serafall blinked, then growled. "…That little—!"
But in her heart, even she could not deny a flicker of respect. Few devils alive had ever dared insult the sister of Lucifer and still walked with head held high. Riser Phenex, fool or king, was not like the others.
And whether the Underworld liked it or not, the flames of the Phoenix had already begun to intertwine with the cold waters of House Sitri.