This was utterly unexpected.
Never in his wildest dreams did Keikain Bokue think Venelana would visit at a mont like this—barely half a minute after Rias had just left.
This brief yet subtle timing inevitably stirred one's imagination.
So naturally, he couldn't continue lying down.
When Rias visited earlier, he'd chosen to remain lying on the bed because he originally intended for them to chat comfortably together. Unfortunately, Rias had felt unwell today, leaving no further developnts.
But surely he couldn't invite Venelana to lie down together for a chat as well.
Thus, at the bedside, the young man sat upright next to the elegant mature woman dressed in her sheer nightgown. Nearby, Kuroka curled obediently into a little cat-ball by the pillow, her pretty golden feline eyes blinking innocently.
Venelana spoke first, breaking the silence.
"Co to think of it, I don't think I've ever asked—how exactly did you and Rias first et?"
How they t?
It wasn't particularly difficult to answer. Bokue thought back briefly and shrugged casually.
"Well, it wasn't anything special—actually, it's rather cliché. We just happened to set our sights on the sa target during a mission. After a small disagreent, we got to talking, discovered we had favorable impressions of each other, and eventually beca friends."
"Oh my, that sounds lovely—not cliché at all, just like the fortunate first encounters of main characters from dramas."
Venelana lightly covered her mouth, gently laughing. Her warm, charming smile montarily stunned Bokue.
It wasn't uncommon for a mother and daughter to resemble each other closely. However, aside from the hair color, which Rias must have inherited from her father, every other aspect of her appearance was a flawless replica of Venelana's.
If one had to identify differences, perhaps Rias's daily expressions held more of a confident, spirited charm, while Venelana projected the gentle, elegant aura of a milf.
This mix of mature gentleness with youthful beauty in one person was simply too alluring to resist.
"However, even though my Rias always looks so mature and strong on the outside, it's really just a façade. Inside, she's actually very sensitive and vulnerable."
Speaking softly, Venelana unconsciously began swaying ever so slightly back and forth, inadvertently leaning a little closer toward Bokue, bringing with her the soft fragrance of her freshly washed hair.
"After all, ever since her father passed away and Sirzechs inherited the Lucifer surna and beca a Satan, in theory, only Rias and I were left in the Gremory family… No, strictly speaking, it's only Rias now."
"Only Rias?"
Bokue paused for a mont, recalling sothing.
"At the banquet, I rember Sairaorg addressing you as…"
"Yes, I was born in the Bael family—Sairaorg's father is technically my half-brother."
Venelana smiled faintly, gracefully raising her index finger, effortlessly summoning a crimson sphere of pure destructive magic.
"This Power of Destruction is the proof of my lineage from the Great King Bael family, and it is also the reason why the Bael family holds the top rank among the seventy-two pillars."
Bokue stared at the crimson magic sphere, sensing the imnse destructive power flowing within it.
"Therefore, I can more or less guess why the Phenex family was so insistent on forcing this marriage."
As she spoke, Venelana dissipated the destructive magic sphere, letting it vanish gently into thin air.
"As I ntioned, since the Gremory family is theoretically only Rias now, she's been working extrely hard since childhood. Naturally, her innate talent is also excellent—she mastered the power of destruction proficiently at a very young age."
"Thus, the Phenex family needed to finalize the engagent before Rias beca too powerful. This way, they could not only obtain Rias's power of destruction but also hitch themselves to the powerful Bael family…"
"The Bael family?"
Now Bokue was genuinely confused.
How had the conversation suddenly shifted back to the Bael family? Usually, married-off daughters would beco mbers of their husband's family. By this logic, Venelana was effectively a mber of the Gremory family, and Rias inherited the bloodline of the previous Gremory patriarch entirely. Thus, logically, Phenex should be allying themselves with Gremory rather than Bael. And as previously ntioned, the Phenex family's ranking among the Seventy-Two Pillars was nearly twenty places higher than that of the Gremory family—there was no need for them to "climb the ladder."
"Ah… how should I explain this," Venelana tapped her chin lightly, contemplating. "Let's put it this way: for example, Sairaorg's mother whom we t tonight cos from the Vapula family, ranked sixtieth among the pillars."
"…Oh, I get it now."
Bokue had a sharp mind. Upon hearing her explanation, he imdiately understood.
Despite being ranked first among the Seventy-Two Pillars and holding overwhelming power compared to other families, the Bael family still could not single-handedly challenge the entire Underworld. Thus, political marriages beca a necessary ans to maintain their power.
They married off daughters into other high-ranking devil families and took daughters from other clans into their own family, exchanging interests and weaving an extensive network of alliances.
The Underworld's political structure was sowhat similar to parliantary systems like those of Japan or Britain. Even though the Satans held significant authority, the voice of the parliant could not be ignored. Additionally, Sirzechs was notably moderate, making such a vast network of alliances critical. This intricate web ensured that the pillars rose and fell together.
Consequently, as long as the Bael family avoided committing outrageous acts, even significant wrongdoings would require careful consideration before Sirzechs could act against them, lest he accidentally harm his own allies.
Venelana herself, unsurprisingly, had once been a tool for such a political marriage, married off from the Bael family into the Gremory clan.
"Now you see why I consider Rias lucky."
Venelana smiled softly.
She paused briefly, then suddenly made an incredibly bold move.
As if suddenly overco by tiredness, Venelana swayed gently—then, with surprising decisiveness, leaned completely against Bokue, resting her head softly against the young man's shoulder. Her voice grew increasingly soft, almost dreamy, whispering in quiet fragnts:
"So… actually, I'm quite jealous of Rias…"
After that, only quiet murmurs remained, barely audible.
Bokue: ?
Looking downward, his gaze t the peacefully sleeping face of the beautiful woman, so gentle and serene—indistinguishable from a young maiden's slumber—and her soft, slightly parted pink lips appeared unintentionally inviting.
The young man paused thoughtfully for a mont.
Under Kuroka's astonished, "What the fuck—" expression, Bokue gently gathered the elegant milf into his arms, turned, laid her onto the bed, and drew the bed curtain closed.
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