pertwk Page 281
Page 281
Rias picked up the glass of strawberry juice, the ice cubes clinking against the glass.
Without the slightest hesitation, she tilted her head back and drank the entire glass of icy liquid in one gulp.
The cold juice slid down her throat, but it couldn't extinguish the flames that had reignited in her chest.
"Akeno."
She put down the empty cup and called out the names of her family members.
Himejima Akeno also picked up her glass, her nonchalant facade completely shattered, and she drank it all in one gulp.
The two looked at each other and saw the same determination in each other's pupils.
No more running away.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
They straightened their slightly disheveled clothes, straightened their backs, and strode towards the second floor of the villa.
I walked toward the man's room.
Every step felt like stepping on my pathetic pride, crushing it completely.
The door was closed.
Rias raised her hand, which hovered in mid-air, trembling slightly.
She took a deep breath, the movement causing her chest to rise and fall, and then pushed open the door.
The expected coldness, or rather, anger, did not appear.
The room was very quiet.
Zhou Ye stood with his back to them in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the night view of the entire manor.
He didn't turn around, but spoke in an extremely calm tone.
"I thought you were going to make me wait until dawn."
These words froze Rias and Akeno Himejima.
He... had been waiting for them all along?
Should we wait for them to figure things out on their own and come forward on their own?
Rias's last shred of pride as the Demon King's sister crumbled completely at this moment.
She stepped forward, bowed deeply, deeply, at a ninety-degree angle to that figure's back.
"sorry!"
"I apologize for my distrust, for my foolish suspicions, for judging you with my narrow-minded views!"
Himejima Akeno also stepped forward and stood beside her, bowing deeply as well.
"Ye, I'm also... very sorry."
She put away all her charm and composure, and spoke in a trembling, genuine voice.
"I'm just... scared."
"I'm afraid of being abandoned again, afraid that I'll become the one who isn't needed."
"This fear made me lose my mind, I'm sorry~"
Zhou Ye finally turned around.
His face showed no mockery or impatience, only a complex mix of helplessness and indulgence.
He walked up to the two women, stretched out his arms, and without saying a word, pulled them both tightly into his embrace, one on each side.
"idiot."
He cursed under his breath.
"I am angry not because you are weak, nor because of your questioning."
"It's because you treat me like an outsider."
"I've become like the brother-in-law and Azazel, the kind of guys who need to maintain relationships with benefits and power."
"There is no need for that kind of subservient fear between companions."
Rias and Akeno trembled violently in his arms, burying their faces in his chest, their long-suppressed tears finally bursting forth.
Zhou Ye did not offer any further explanation.
Language, at times, is pale and powerless.
He released his embrace, extended his fingers, and gently touched the foreheads of the two women with his fingertips.
An indescribable, warm spiritual current instantly flooded into their minds.
There were no specific images or words.
Yes, it is just the purest and most direct idea.
A firm belief that "I never intended to abandon you."
It's an affirmation that "you hold a unique place in my heart."
A domineering attitude that says, "Don't overthink it, I'm here for you."
All unease, all fear, all suspicion vanished under the wash of this warm current.
They looked up at Zhou Ye with teary eyes. Their reddened eyes were no longer filled with fear, but with deep affection and reassurance.
In the room, language became superfluous.
Zhou Ye picked up the two of them around the waist and carried them to the ridiculously large bed that could easily accommodate five or six people rolling around on.
This is a profound fusion of soul and body.
He used the most direct and primitive method to make them fully understand.
The relationship between them and him was inseparable, the closest of all.
……
After a long time.
Rias nestled in Zhou Ye's arms like a lazy cat, her beautiful red hair spread across the pillow, her face still flushed.
The feeling of complete comfort made her drowsy.
But in her heart, there remained a last trace of a girl's desire for recognition and status.
She gently traced circles on his chest with her finger and asked in a soft, mosquito-like voice.
“Then… Zhou Ye.”
"What are we now?"
Are they engaged? Or something else?
She longed for a clear identity, one that would allow her to completely abandon the name Gremory and willingly follow him.
Himejima Akeno, standing nearby, also pricked up her ears, anxiously awaiting his answer.
Zhou Ye stroked Rias's soft, long hair, feeling the warmth of her body, and then he said something surprising.
"get ready."
“I will visit the Germonli family in a few days.”
Rias's body stiffened instantly.
Go to the Gilmoni house?
What is he going to do?
Zhou Ye didn't stop; his hand slid across Rias's cheek and turned to Himejima Akeno on the other side.
"In addition, we will also inform Uncle Baiqiu so that he can make preparations."
These words struck Rias and Akeno Himejima like a bolt of lightning.
They suddenly sat up from his arms, looking at him with expressions of disbelief, forgetting even to cover themselves.
Go to the Gilmores' house...
Notify Baiqiu...
This...this isn't what they meant, is it?!
"...You mean..." Rias's lips trembled as a crazy, unbelievable thought surged into her mind.
Zhou Ye found it somewhat amusing to look at their stunned expressions.
He sat up, pulled the two of them back into his arms, and announced in an unquestionable tone.
"My meaning is very clear."
"Proposing marriage at their home."
"I want to marry you all."
"One is the Demon King's sister, the other the daughter of a fallen angel's executive; the proper etiquette must be observed. I made a promise before, and I am keeping it now."
boom!
Rias and Akeno Himejima's brains completely shut down.
What followed was an overwhelming, ecstatic joy that overwhelmed reason.
Propose marriage!
He wanted to propose marriage in the most formal, traditional, and respectful way!
Marry them!
This is not a title of lover, nor a private promise, but a supreme honor to be proclaimed throughout the three realms and recognized by the family!
This is an ending they wouldn't even dare to dream of!
"I...I'm not dreaming, am I..." Zhu Nai muttered to herself, pinching herself hard.
The intense pain convinced her that it was all real.