Capítulo 41: Chapter - 41
Venelana Gremory was not, generally speaking; an easily angered woman. Growing up in the House of Bael had a way of hammering the importance of tradition and stoic nobility into one's head. Even as the daughter of a concubine, Venelana had inherited the name of the clan and their power, and thus was not exempt from its precepts.
So instead of raging at her scatty husband to do something, Venelana knit. The Brunette Madame of Extinction skillfully interwove the wool for a deep purple wooly scarf, all the while simmering to an angry boil. She resentfully imagined the satisfaction of finding out just who exactly had decided to mark her daughter for the grave and driving the steel points of her knitting needles into his eyes.
The only other sounds in the room besides the click-click of her needles were the slow steady breathing of her unconscious child and the harsher inhales of her daughter's pawn.
Uchiha Sasuke was starting to offend her sensibilities. Though the boy at least bathed and changed his clothes, he was three days unshaved and sleepless nights had carved purple bruises into his eye sockets. Whatever irrational chauvinistic guilt he was feeling for 'letting' Rias be injured was no excuse for such a strung-out appearance. Or maybe the boy was just struck by a strong case of puppy love, and not sleeping for three days was a measure of his affection. It was difficult to tell with the stoic types.
Waking up the see the negative impact that her unconsciousness had on her friends would just make Rias feel guiltier. Though in a buried little corner of her heart, it would make Rias glad too.
Venelana's daughter always craved just a little bit more affection, and the way most of her previous 'friends' and would-be suitors had vanished after she'd lost the right to be clan heir only deepened that tendency.
The dry burn in Sasuke's eyes reminded him of a different time in his life. Training under conditions of extreme sleep deprivation had been one of Orochimaru's many careful attempts to carve Sasuke's body into a proper house for the old snake's soul. Tiredness was a familiar enemy that was much easier to defeat than a guilty conscience.
Peeking between the folds of Rias' nightgown was a streak of angry red, and Sasuke once more caved to the urge to run a finger over it. The ropey texture of scar tissue would only be temporary, since the Phenex clan's miracle cure could remove any blemish if administered in time, and devils as a whole were not given to scarring. But until it was gone, it was a visible mark of his failures.
If Sasuke hadn't been so eager to finally cut loose and exercise his violent frustration on soft flesh, he would have protected them better. Not just Rias, who had nearly died from an amateur mistake, but the entire peerage.
In his adrenaline rush, he'd forgotten that despite all their natural talent and training, they were green as grass. Even though they had young appearances, Sasuke and Naruto were both veterans of the battlefield, and the Uchiha should have had more sense than to hare off on his own. He wasn't a lone avenger anymore.
Venelana's heavy violet gaze weighed on Sasuke until he'd pulled back his questing hand. It wasn't the first time she'd witnessed the strange little ritual, and it likely wouldn't be the last. But not once had she spoken up to protest it. In the grand scheme of things, such displays of affectionate were typical in her husband's clan, and the Pawn was only giving a touch barely more scandalous than holding hands would be.
If Akeno wasn't in the bath, Venelana wouldn't have been surprised to see the Queen crawl in and cuddle Rias. Zeoticus had a similar lack of concern for personal space, but the nearly constant Senate meetings that were occurring lately prevented her husband from demonstrating his exuberant fatherly love.
All to the better really, since Rias was mortified by such things. Though if her daughter didn't wake up soon, she might have to suffer her father's peculiarities after all. Every passing hour made Zeoticus' appearance more likely.
Phoenix tears could reattach severed limbs and save someone from the brink of death, but they were just as useless at treating an embarrassed heart as they were at treating blood loss. No doubt her eccentric husband would insist on taking 'selfies' to show Rias how he cuddled her in the sick bed.
Finishing the last loop of yarn, Venelana cast off the scarf with a flourish and considered the thing. It was perfectly crafted, without a single lump to give evidence of the brunette's inner turmoil. That was almost a shame. She wondered if it might have been cathartic to make the scarf as ugly as possible.
Then Venelana balled the purple neck-wrap up and threw it at Sasuke's face.
A thin curl of amusement licked over her nerves as Sasuke jerked back in his chair with an offended expression. Cautious defiance burned through dark eyes, and Venelana quirked the corner of her mouth up in a smirk. "Alright."
"… What?"
"If she decides to reciprocate, I'll approve of you as a suitor." If the boy cared enough to forgo sleeping to watch over Rias, he probably cared enough to try to win her heart, and it wasn't like Venelana cared about lineage in the end. Life was too fragile to obsess over politics. Whatever made her daughter happy was good enough for her.
Sasuke turned red and began to sputter.
*
Sneaking Ravel back home after her little escapade unnoticed had required three things. Caution, a little bit of illusion magic, and the cooperation of one Riser Phenex.
Which was why instead of being home waiting for his aunt to wake up any minute now, Naruto found himself standing at attention as his fiancé's brother circled around him like a hungry shark.
"So." Riser drawled, hands shoved in his pockets as he glared down at the much younger devil. "You actually decided to show up? I'll admit, that's a little more in the nuts department than I expected from you."
Everything about the blonde man was carefully cultivated to project a certain image. The messed spikes of Riser's hair were meant to convey a rough sort of freedom. The burgundy blazer and black dress shoes told a story of wealth. The way that Riser had left the top of his button up open to show the muscles of his chest were a silent message of confidence and aggression. Riser called the ensemble 'rich young lord'.
Naruto just called it 'wannabe yakuza delinquent' and struggled not to roll his eyes at the older devil's posturing. Perhaps some people would be intimidated by the machismo, but Naruto had fought serial killers and wannabe gods. Showing up to meet his fiancé's brother a couple of days after sneaking her back into her house didn't really make Naruto's shit list.
So instead of bursting out with a bellow of laughter and offending the man, the redhead decided to just let Riser's words float in one ear and out the other. The purple haired Bomb Queen was a much better target for his attention, what with her provocative clothes and lovely cleavage.
Fuck, fourteen years was a hell of a dry spell.
An arm was slung over his shoulders, making Naruto blink as Riser bent at the waist to bring them eye to eye. "You like that one, do you?" the blonde murmured conspiratorially, as if they were speaking of cattle rather than a woman. "I can't say I blame you. She's got a lovely quim."
The look in Riser's eye was hot and ugly, and only the distinct impression that he was being tested made Naruto hold off from punching the other devil in the mouth. So instead the redhead turned to offer a cool stare.
Tense silence hung in the air for a heartbeat before Riser smirked more genuinely and straightened. "You can go, Yubelluna." he ordered in a much kinder voice, prompting a bow from the Queen before she left the sitting room.
Riser might be a perverse harem king, but he wasn't an outright bastard. It required a certain soft touch to get adoration from his all-female peerage rather than nightshade in his wine.
Throwing himself into a chesterfield, Riser poured himself a generous helping of brandy and took a sip. Dark blue eyes peered over the lip of the glass, silently judging Naruto as the younger devil reluctantly took a seat of his own.
"Ravel likes you." The sour comment was accompanied by a clench of the jaw. Terse and to the point, with a barely hidden threat of violence.
Oh joy, it was a big brother talk.
Huffing through his nose, Naruto shuffled down the leather couch he was perched on and poured himself a heavy glass of liquor. It wasn't like the Phenex clan couldn't afford it with their golden stranglehold on the medicinal market, and the vaguely amused chuckle Riser gave off helped break the ice.
"I had a feeling." The brandy slid down Naruto's throat, hot and thick and sweet to the point that he wanted to cough it back up. But he persevered, sipping in silence until the faintest tingle of intoxication began to buzz in his fingertips.
"And how do you feel about it?" Riser glared down into his drink like it held all the answers of the universe. He was more than a little uncomfortable talking about his sister with another male, but need trumped want. Riser wouldn't be her favorite brother if he wasn't willing to go to bat for time to time.
Normally, Naruto would have tried to bullshit through a question like that. When older devils asked him about his engagement, they weren't looking for his actual feelings. They were looking for indications about the state of relations between their clans, or they were looking to see if he could be convinced to break that alliance. But Riser was likely looking for honesty, so Naruto gave it to him. "I don't… hate it. The arrangement wasn't my choice by any means, but it could be a lot worse."
"I see." Letting a cube of ice slip into his mouth, Riser crunched the ice between his teeth. Uncouthness be damned, it was a habit he'd had since he was a boy, and it was hard to break. "I suppose that'll have to be good enough."
"Good enough for what?"
"I want you to give Ravel a place in your peerage."
Naruto choked, burning brandy slipping down the wrong hole and sending him into a hacking fit. Thumping at his chest with a clenched fist, Naruto fought back the streaming in his eyes as he cleared his airway. "The fuck?"
"You heard me kid."
"Yeah, I heard you. Not sure what your motive is though. Why don't you just do it yourself? Or rather don't, you damn siscon."
"I am not a siscon!"
"That's not what I heard."
Riser's fist clenched, strong tendons standing out over the back of his hand as the blonde squeezed. The crack of glass was loud, and with a profane grumble Riser set the cracked snifter down with a thunk. "Look, I'm sure you know, but being in someone's peerage gives them power over you. Ravel's fiancé has very little control over what happens to her. Ravel's King though – well he'd have a little more of a say."
"Yeah, I know. Why?"
The cut of Riser's eyes was sharp and unyielding as they pierced the redhead. There was no perverse cockiness in that gaze, just grim determination. "What would you do if I told you that my grandfather is considering ending your engagement with my sister?"
Alarm tensed the muscles in Naruto's shoulders, and the Gremory heir found himself learning forward earnestly. "Is he? Or are you just bullshitting me?"
"I don't bullshit, kid."
Fuck. Fuck. Naruto hadn't ever wanted the marriage. He hadn't chosen to have it. But he knew how important it was. Militancy had been growing in the Senate for years, especially with the recent spate of murders, and only the power bloc arranged around the Satans was standing in the way of a more hawkish foreign policy. Marquis Phenex was for good or ill a major player in that bloc. If he crossed the floor now with his supporters, things could get pretty damn dicey.
"Why?" Naruto demanded again, wondering when he'd become such a broken record. Ending engagements wasn't unheard of. In fact, it was almost expected for a devil to have at least one fall through because of the lengthy years between engagement and marriage. The shifting nature of clan alliances also played a pretty big role in breakups.
"The usual reason, I expect." Riser sounded bored and just a touch wistful as he learned back in his chair. With all the cards laid out, it was damn likely Naruto would cave and take Ravel on. It wasn't like the kid didn't have the Evil Pieces for it.
Truthfully, Naruto's ass was against the wall if he wanted to adhere to any sort of duty to his father and clan. But still, he needed to know. "Why me? I know this is the first time Ravel's been engaged, but it's not like you're my friend. Why throw this down and give me a heads up about it? What's your play?"
Sneering, Riser lurched to his feet and turned to leave. "Don't be such a dumbass. You're the first fiancé, not her first suitor. And let me tell you kid, out of the dozens that came crawling through here looking for her hand, you're the only one she ever liked. I don't give a damn about the old man's political asskissing, but I sure as hell give a damn about what makes my sister happy."
"Fine!" Naruto shouted at Riser's back as the blonde stepped out of the room. "I'll do it!"
*
Ravel was just stealthily reviewing her supplies to create more phoenix tears when Naruto burst into the library.
Shrieking, she threw a book at him. Then another, and another, cursing below her breath as the redhead agilely dodged and deprived her of revenge for the fright. "What is wrong with you?"
Honestly, it was like he wanted to escape engagement via death, and heart attack was his weapon of choice.
Naruto was panting just a touch as he drew close, scanning their surroundings warily for intruders. Satisfied they were alone for at least a little while, he grabbed hold of Ravel's pink sleeve and dragged her closer. "You! Become mine right here!"
Ravel blanked, mouth dropping open for a long second. Then slowly, her face began to suffuse with red. Seeing her reaction, Naruto reviewed back over his demand and blanched.
"Wait, that's not what I meant!"
"O-okay, if you're ready to take responsibility I guess I don't mind."
"No, I meant with the pieces."
"P-pieces? I mean, I don't mind… but for the first time isn't that a little wild?"
"That's not – look, I need a bishop."
"You want to elope? That's more romantic than I expected."
"No!"
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