The Phenex estate burned with evening light as Riser entered the great hall. His siblings and parents were already gathered, waiting for him.
Ruval, calm as ever, studied his younger brother with sharp eyes. "So, it's true then. You've cast aside the Gremory engagement and pursued Sona Sitri?"
Riser didn't flinch, didn't bow. He strode into the center of the room like a man returning from conquest. "Not cast aside. Chosen better. Sona Sitri is the one I want—no one else."
Lady Phenex raised a brow, elegant and calculating. "Do you understand the storm this will cause? The Gremorys will not take this humiliation lightly. Neither will half the nobility, who were already sharpening their knives after your… reputation."
A small smile played at Riser's lips. "Let them. I don't fear storms. My flames burn through them."
Lord Phenex leaned back in his seat, stroking his beard. He had seen his son grow, falter, and rise again. But now, Riser's eyes no longer held the shallow arrogance of a spoiled heir—they held steel, conviction. "…If this is your resolve, then the Phenex house will stand behind you."
Ravel, his younger sister, beamed with pride. "I knew it, Onii-sama! You've finally found someone who matches your heart."
Riser chuckled, ruffling her hair lightly. "She's more than a match. She'll surpass me one day. That's why I won't let her go."
Meanwhile, across the Underworld, in the crimson-hued halls of the Gremory estate, chaos reigned.
Rias sat frozen, the letter clutched in her trembling hands. Its words were simple, brutal:
Riser Phenex has declared his pursuit of Sona Sitri, rejecting all arrangements with the Gremory family.
Her face burned red, not with embarrassment, but with fury. "He… he dares?! After everything—he dares humiliate me like this?!"
Zeoticus frowned deeply, pacing. "This is an insult. An open slap to our house's honor. The nobility will whisper that we were spurned, that my daughter was not worthy of Phenex flames."
Venelana placed a hand to her lips, eyes sharp beneath the calm. "It will spread quickly. The Sitris' approval of this—if true—cements the humiliation."
And Sirzechs… the Maou himself, for once, looked unsettled. He had expected his little sister's engagement to be a formality, another noble alliance wrapped in political convenience. He had not expected Riser Phenex to defy all expectation and seize a bride of his own choosing.
"…He's not the same man we thought," Sirzechs murmured. "This Riser is dangerous—not because of his power, but because of his resolve. He's turned his family's shame into a weapon."
Rias slammed her hand onto the table, her pride shattered. "No! I won't be humiliated like this. I'll make him regret ever looking down on me!"
Her voice echoed through the chamber, but deep down… even she could feel the sting of hypocrisy in her words.
Thus, the Underworld trembled.
One house stood proud, their flames rekindled by their heir's audacity.Another seethed, their pride wounded, their name whispered among the nobles as the family that lost face to Riser Phenex.
And in the heart of it all, Riser smiled quietly to himself, remembering the warmth of Sona's kiss… and her flustered reaction to his embrace.
"This storm," he murmured, looking out at the night sky, "is only the beginning."