PHENEX MANSION – GRAND HALL
Ravel remained in the grand hall for longer than she expected, maintaining a firm posture as she waited for any sign from the conversation between her parents. The environment remained the same, but the absence of a result began to weigh on her, turning the wait into something uncomfortable. Nothing happened, and that alone was already an answer she didn't want to accept.
As time passed, the lack of response stopped being just a delay and became a direct source of irritation. Ravel didn't like depending on others' decisions, much less when her own choice had already been made. Even so, she received nothing, no call, no notice, just silence.
With no more reason to remain there, she left the hall and headed straight to her own room, keeping her pace firm as she organized her own expectations. Waiting there or waiting somewhere else wouldn't change the result, but at least in that space she would have control over her own environment.
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PHENEX MANSION – RAVEL'S ROOM
Time continued to move forward without interruption, and Ravel's patience began to wear down clearly. The delay was no longer acceptable within her logic, which had always treated decisions as something direct and immediate. For her, this should have already been resolved.
"This shouldn't be taking so long." She crossed her arms, taking a few steps across the room before stopping. "It's a simple decision."
She turned her face slightly, as if reorganizing her reasoning.
"If it's for the good of the family, then there's nothing to discuss." Her tone remained firm, leaving no room for doubt. "It should already be settled."
She let the air out through her nose, clearly bothered by the pace of the situation.
"It doesn't make sense to drag this out." She added, without reducing her conviction.
The silence that followed brought no answer, only reinforced the fact that she was still waiting for something that didn't depend on her.
Time continued to move forward.
Then the sound came.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
"Mother… finally." Ravel spoke before even opening the door, already moving without hesitation.
She opened the door in the same motion, without pause.
Lady Phenex entered the room calmly, her posture controlled, but different from before. The change of clothes was not an aesthetic detail, it was a direct consequence of what had happened earlier, and that alone already indicated that the conversation had not been simple.
She walked a few steps into the room, briefly assessing the environment before sitting on the bed, maintaining her composure intact. The change was not in the setting, it was in her, and Ravel noticed that immediately.
"So?" Ravel stepped forward, not waiting another second. "What did he say?"
She kept her gaze fixed on her mother, the answer already formed in her own mind.
"It was yes, wasn't it?" Her tone came out direct, almost impatient. "It was obvious he would accept."
The silence lasted just long enough to confirm her reading.
"It was." Lady Phenex answered simply, without detours.
Ravel didn't hold back her reaction. The tension she had been carrying dissolved instantly, and her confidence returned in full force, as if it had never been shaken.
"I knew it." She let out a short smile, turning her body slightly. "There was no way it could go wrong."
She crossed her arms, regaining full control of her posture.
"It's very simple." Her voice came out firm, confident. "Men always end up giving in when you know how to deal with them."
Her gaze returned to her mother.
"And you're proof of that."
Lady Phenex remained silent for a moment, observing her daughter, without interrupting.
The difference between what Ravel believed and what had actually happened was greater than she imagined.
Lord Phenex's decision had not come from simple logic, nor from direct persuasion. The method used had been more direct, more physical, and more effective than any rational argument.
Ravel didn't know.
"Then it's settled." She continued, unaware of the hidden weight of the situation. "Just like you control father… I'll control Gasper-kun."
She tilted her head slightly, as if that were a natural conclusion.
"After that, our family won't have any more problems." Her confidence remained intact. "I'll make sure of it."
Lady Phenex kept her expression controlled, but the internal evaluation was immediate.
Ravel still didn't understand the kind of person she was dealing with.
And that would cost her.
"Ravel…" She began, maintaining a steady tone. "Your father only agreed to one thing."
Ravel turned her focus to her immediately.
"He won't oppose it." Lady Phenex continued. "But he won't get involved either."
The information changed the situation.
"What?" Ravel frowned slightly. "What do you mean he won't get involved?"
"It means exactly that." Lady Phenex kept control of the conversation. "He won't stop you… but he won't help either."
She leaned slightly forward, making the implication clear.
"If you want to take this forward, you'll have to handle it on your own."
Ravel didn't respond immediately.
Her confidence didn't disappear, but it reorganized.
"Then I'll handle it." The answer came firm. "Convincing the Gremory won't be a problem."
She held her gaze, without backing down.
"I've already made my decision."
"I'll help you." Lady Phenex answered without hesitation, keeping her tone firm. "You're not alone… I'm your mother, and I've known Lady Gremory for years."
"Vanelana-sama?" Ravel tilted her head slightly, adjusting her focus.
"Yes, her." Lady Phenex confirmed, holding the answer without detours.
"Thank you, mother… you're amazing." Ravel stepped forward without holding back her reaction, closing the distance at once.
The hug came direct, without calculation, and Lady Phenex returned it immediately, accepting the gesture naturally.
The gesture was not just affection, it was alignment.
Ravel's decision stopped being individual.
Now, it was a family move.
A daughter of the Phenex house binding herself to a servant was not something common within the demonic structure, even though physical relationships were tolerated without direct political impact. A marriage, however, altered the external perception, created tension between houses and raised questions about hierarchy, status and intention. Even so, the scenario was not simple, because the target of that decision was not a common servant.
Gasper was not just a piece of the Gremory peerage.
He was a rising High-Class Devil, someone who had already demonstrated enough power to break the regeneration of the Phenex lineage through the Twilight Flame, becoming, at the same time, a direct threat and a strategic opportunity. An alliance with him could further weaken the family's image at first, but also had the potential to rebuild the balance lost after the fall of the contract between Riser and Rias.
The implication was not simple.
It was an exchange of risk for power.
Lady Phenex kept the embrace for another second before letting go, her gaze lowering slightly to her daughter, now with a more precise understanding of the magnitude of the choice she had made.
"I'll speak with Lady Gremory." Lady Phenex adjusted the focus of the conversation without detours. "We need to schedule a meeting before anything else."
She had already defined the next step.
"I understand." Ravel answered in the same rhythm, without hesitation. "In the meantime, I'll train."
The decision came naturally.
"When I meet Gasper-kun… I want to be ready." Her tone remained firm. "I won't approach him as just anyone."
Lady Phenex didn't comment.
She simply kept a slight smile, observing her daughter without interfering with her line of thought.
"I won't fail at this." Ravel finished, maintaining her posture. "Not now."
Lady Phenex nodded subtly, without turning it into a debate.
"Keep it that way." The answer came simple, maintaining control of the situation. "I'll handle the rest."
She turned her body right after, already ending the conversation without prolonging the moment.
"Trust me." She said before heading toward the door.
Ravel didn't respond with words.
The trust was already established.
Lady Phenex left the room without hurry, maintaining her composed posture as she assumed the role she had always held within the family. Lord Phenex was the name that appeared, the presence that represented the house, but the decisions that sustained the structure rarely came from him alone.
She was the one who moved.
She was the one who connected.
She was the one who maintained control where no one saw.
And now, once again, she would be the one to ensure the next move of the Phenex family.
The door closed.
And the next move had already begun.
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