The celebration didn't end until evening.
As everyone began to disperse, Akeno and the others exchanged knowing looks and quietly left the space open for Ryuichi and Rias.
Ryuichi didn't notice the intentional gesture. Once he finished tidying up the table, he turned to Rias and said, "Guess I'll be heading home."
"Hm? Heading where?" Rias asked, surprised.
"Home, of course."
Ryuichi's answer came with a puzzled look. Where else would he go? His girlfriend, Sakurajima Mai, was still away for work and hadn't returned yet.
"Come back to the castle with me tonight," Rias said, smiling. "I'm in such a good mood today. Stay with me a little longer."
It wasn't exactly a request—more of a royal decree.
"…Alright."
There was no reason for Ryuichi to refuse her. So the two of them teleported together back to the Gremory castle.
The place was unusually quiet tonight. It felt as if all the servants had vanished.
"Where are the maids?" Ryuichi asked.
"I gave them the night off," Rias replied with a grin.
She wanted to savor this night alone with him, without anyone intruding.
Ryuichi thought that was just fine. He was never comfortable being waited on anyway—those maids were all a little too good at their jobs.
"I'll take a shower," he said casually.
Having been to Rias's home enough times, Ryuichi knew the layout well. He strolled over to the private hot spring and slipped into the steaming water, letting the warmth wash over him in blissful comfort.
Later, freshly bathed and now wearing a clean yukata, he stepped out into the courtyard.
It was already nine at night. The sky was dark, and a full moon hung proudly above the central garden.
A full moon tonight, huh?
It really was a beautiful sight.
Ryuichi stretched lazily, resting both legs on the stone bench. His posture was utterly relaxed, exuding an easy, careless calm. The change in his mood was almost visible—having resolved Rias's troubles, all that tension had melted away. He looked lighthearted, serene.
A rare moment of peace, he thought.
A gentle scent drifted from behind him. Rias had emerged from her bath.
Her long, crimson hair was still damp, clinging to her shoulders. She wore a sheer violet negligee that shimmered like mist under the moonlight. In her hand, she held a hair dryer, running it idly through her hair as she approached.
Ryuichi's gaze lingered for a few stunned seconds. He couldn't help it—the way she looked was effortlessly dazzling. Rias noticed, smiling gracefully, and gave a playful spin.
The transparent silk fluttered around her, and beneath its faint veil, her curves moved just enough to make his heart race.
"Do I look good?" she teased.
"You look great."
Ryuichi smiled sincerely. After admiring her for a moment, he sat up straighter and reached for the dryer in her hand.
"Here, let me."
Rias sat down beside him, close enough for their shoulders to touch.
As he dried her hair, the sweet fragrance of her shampoo filled the cool night air. Strand by strand, her fiery locks parted, revealing her milky-white back. Under the moonlight, her smooth skin gleamed like polished jade, dotted with a few beads of water glinting softly.
Warm lantern light flickered under the eaves of the pavilion, casting a gentle gold hue across the courtyard. For devils, whose vision was sharp even in darkness, the light served more for mood than illumination.
When her hair was finally dry, the dryer died with a faint click—the battery spent. Ryuichi set it aside on the stone table.
Rias leaned closer, nestling effortlessly into his arms. He wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and together they reclined against the stone bench, gazing up at the glowing moon.
"This feels nice," Rias murmured, her voice laced with a soft laugh. "Like all my burdens just drifted away."
"Did your family and Riser give you that much pressure?" Ryuichi asked quietly.
"Mhm… honestly, it still feels like I'm dreaming," she said. "We're talking about a Phoenix—one of the legendary beings said to control life itself. Their tears heal wounds, their blood grants immortality… true creatures of eternal life."
Ryuichi chuckled. "If you keep going, I might start getting a big head."
"Well, you deserve to," Rias said with a gentle laugh. "I never imagined you'd really be able to pull it off. I was ready to risk everything against Riser…"
She tilted her head back, just enough to meet his eyes.
"You really hated that guy," Ryuichi said, smiling wryly. "And yeah, he's an arrogant jerk—doesn't know the first thing about respecting women. A total playboy. But when it comes to his family, he's surprisingly dependable."
"You're actually defending him? You're way too generous," she said, pouting a little. "I can't see a single good thing about him."
"Just calling it like I see it," Ryuichi replied lightly. "Don't get me wrong—I don't like him either. The fact he was your fiancé still makes me a bit uncomfortable."
Rias blinked, then laughed softly. "Wait, did I hear that right? Are you jealous?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Really."
She giggled, unconvinced but content. "Fine, I'll take your word for it."
Then, with a mischievous smile, she took his hand and placed it gently over her chest, interlacing their fingers together.
"Truthfully, it's not that I particularly hate Riser," she said softly. "What I hate is being arranged. Because of the name Gremory. No matter where I go, that name follows me like a shadow."
Ryuichi tilted his head slightly, understanding dawning.
"It's both your crown… and your chain," he murmured.
"Exactly," Rias said, smiling faintly. His words seemed to please her.
"I am proud of who I am. But that pride has smothered the person I truly am inside. Everyone sees Rias of House Gremory—the princess of the clan. No one ever sees just… Rias." She sighed quietly. "That's why my time in the human world felt like true freedom."
Ryuichi understood. But he didn't say much more.
To him, these were the worries of the privileged. There were always people who'd do anything to grasp fortune and status, just as there were those born into luxury who longed for the simplicity of an ordinary life.
Neither was foolish. They were just products of different worlds.
Resting in Ryuichi's arms, Rias looked more peaceful than he had ever seen her.
"I just want to be with someone who doesn't care about the Gremory name," she whispered. "Someone who loves me—not my pedigree, not my title. Riser, and the rest of those noble suitors… they're only drawn to that name."
As she spoke, a tender smile curved her lips.
In her mind, one sentence Ryuichi once said replayed softly—
"You're right… I'm just a helpless girl, after all."
…