Gasper kept Rias in his arms for a few more seconds. Her body was still pressed against his, the heat trapped between them, the air marked by what had just happened. Her breathing had not completely settled. Her fingers still gripped his uniform tightly before slowly letting go.
A distant sound crossed the corridor. Footsteps. Rhythmic. Light. Recognizable.
Gasper adjusted his posture without moving Rias. His face turned toward the door, and his body stabilized as if nothing had happened.
'Those footsteps. It's Akeno.'
Rias lifted her face at the same instant, her eyes opening wider than she intended. Her expression shifted only from the immediate tension. Her body stiffened against his.
She turned her face toward the door, then back to Gasper. Her hand on his chest tightened on the fabric before pulling away. Her breathing came out uneven again.
'I can't… let her see me like this. Not now. Not the way I am.'
Akeno was getting closer.
Very.
Rias closed her eyes for half a second and placed her hand on the window to try to stand, but the movement failed. Her face flushed deeper.
'I can't jump off his lap. I can't pretend everything is normal. Akeno will… will ask. She'll figure it out. She always figures it out.'
She turned to Gasper, her body still partially seated on his lap.
Gasper remained calm.
"You don't need to worry, Rias." He kept his tone low. "I understand."
Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Her gaze narrowed by reflex, trying to measure if that was only comfort or another layer of what they had just shared.
He raised his hand and gently touched her face, his thumb passing over her warm cheek.
"Why don't you go to your room?" He moved his face just enough so she would not have to look away. "Wash your face. It's as red as your hair."
Rias pressed her lips together for a moment. Her hand touched his without pushing it away.
"I'll handle Akeno." Gasper added.
The words fell like reassurance.
Rias breathed in once more. Her body pulled back just enough, and she stood up on the inner ledge. Her feet touched the floor firmly, but her knees gave a tiny jerk before recovering their balance.
She turned her back and brought a hand to her chest.
'He… handled everything again. Even what I didn't know how to solve.'
The thought came like a straight impulse. She moved a few steps away, still without looking directly at him, and touched her face, feeling the heat accumulated in her skin.
'I don't want him to think I'm running away. But if I stay here… I'll end up kissing him again.'
Rias took another step, and the blush rose to her ears.
'I need to breathe. Just a little.'
She jumped down from the inner ledge lightly and walked toward the corridor, her pace quick enough not to be intercepted by Akeno's approaching steps.
When she turned the corner, her hand immediately covered her mouth by reflex, muffling a short sound.
'I kissed him. I pulled him. I… I don't know what I'm doing. But I'm not going to back down.'
Rias headed toward her room without looking back.
___
SIDE CORRIDOR – GREMORY MANSION
Gasper remained where he was for three full seconds after Rias left. His body slowly rose, and his breathing returned to a normal rhythm. His hands left the window, his thoughts aligning with what would come next.
'Everything worked well. Rias accepted my feelings. Now I have space. More responsibility… but also freedom. I can work with that.'
Akeno's footsteps reached the edge of the turn. Gasper adjusted his hair, straightened his uniform, and walked toward the sound.
When he turned the corridor, Akeno was already there.
She lifted her face, and the smile appeared instantly.
"Gasper." Her voice came out light.
"Akeno-senpai." Gasper began. "Rias told me to return to the party." He stepped closer. "She went to her room and left me alone."
Akeno slowly crossed her arms. The smile grew.
"I see."
She tilted her face slightly to the side. Her eyes moved down and up along his uniform almost automatically.
"Rias took a while, didn't she?" She rotated her wrist, lightly touching her own cheek. "Too long just to look for someone."
Gasper remained steady.
"She was tired."
Akeno took two steps around him slowly, as if she were evaluating posture rather than words.
"Tired." She repeated, the smile shrinking just enough to gain another nuance. "Of course."
Her smile did not disappear. It simply changed shape, smaller, sharper.
'Her steps slowed when she saw me. She already decided to investigate. If I step back now, she passes. If I hold my ground, she'll test how far she can go.'
Akeno leaned her body a few centimeters to the right, trying to pass him through the space near the wall.
"Gasper." She raised an eyebrow. "You don't usually guard corridors."
He shifted one foot to the side and blocked the passage with his own body, without touching her.
"Come on, Akeno-senpai." He kept his shoulders straight. "Rias will meet us in the living room later."
Akeno uncrossed her arms and stepped closer, reducing the distance between them.
"Did she ask that personally?" Her voice came out low, firm enough not to sound casual.
Gasper held her gaze.
"No."
Akeno moved half a step closer.
"Then why are you trying to stop me?"
"I'm not trying to stop you." Gasper raised his hand and pointed down the corridor ahead. "I just want my senpai to come with me to the living room. Rias will meet us there."
Akeno let the air leave her nose, the corner of her mouth rising slowly. She passed a finger through her hair, twisting the strand between her nails while walking around him once again.
"You're in a hurry today."
He kept his posture firm.
"It's just what Rias asked."
Akeno tilted her head.
"Ah… so that's it." She stopped beside him, her smile widening slightly. "Well, if your King wants privacy, I won't interfere."
She took two steps, but stopped before reaching the stairs. Her gaze moved down and up along his uniform.
"Gasper."
He raised his chin a few millimeters.
"Yes, Akeno-senpai."
Akeno leaned her face toward his shoulder and inhaled briefly, as if analyzing something directly from the fabric.
"You smell like Rias."
Gasper looked down at his own shirt by reflex and brought the collar closer to his nose.
'Even that?'
Akeno brought her hand to her mouth.
A light, short laugh escaped.
"You're too honest for your own good."
Gasper released the shirt.
'Damn it. It's not a secret anyway.'
He turned his body in the opposite direction.
"Let's go, Akeno-senpai."
"Of course, of course." She crossed her hands behind her back and walked beside him. "I don't want to miss the best parts of the party."
Akeno cast a sideways glance at Gasper as they walked down the corridor. Her smile only grew, as if she were saving questions for later.
The two of them continued together toward the living room.
___
Bathroom of Rias's Room
Hot steam gathered on the mirror above the sink. The towel slid across Rias's face, removing the last drops of water. Loose strands fell over her shoulders, damp, highlighted by the soft bathroom light.
She placed both hands on the edge of the sink and kept her gaze on her reflection.
'The end of the king's pose.'
Her breathing was still uneven. Her cheeks had regained some color, but the faint blush remained there, stuck to her skin like a reminder of what had just happened.
Being the heiress of the House of Gremory meant maintaining composure. Posture. Stability. She had repeated that for years until a few hours ago.
Rias touched her lower lip with the tip of her finger.
Gasper's kiss her first kiss still left a phantom pressure there.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a brief second.
'This is madness… but it was my choice.'
The towel rose again, this time pressing her cheeks more firmly.
Ending the marriage contract had already made the day intense. Discovering real freedom immediately afterward weighed even more. And above all, the different feeling Gasper left when he was too close still stirred her stomach.
But none of that was what bothered her the most at that moment.
The worst would be…
Akeno.
The teasing was inevitable. Akeno would never let something like that pass. Never.
Rias dropped the towel onto the sink and lifted her face to the mirror.
The expression that returned was not distressed.
It was determined.
'Friend, queen, confidant… and now she'll want to play with me. But I was the one who kissed first. Let her try.'
The smile appeared, small and sharp.
She ran her hand through her hair, aligning it over her shoulder. The blush on her face faded only slightly, still visible.
'Come on, Akeno. Today I won't back down.'
Rias took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door, ready to face both the party and the teasing she knew was waiting.
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