Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
August 31, x791.
Three hours have passed since Retsu arrived at the Mansion on the Lake. And for most of that time, the maid who greeted her at the door, Grayfia, has been standing outside of the underground bath with perfect posture and a mostly impassive expression on her face. The slight biting of her lips, however, made it clear that she would rather join Alfonzo, Elicia, and Shizuka than just stand outside and listen to their cacophony of groan and moans. Unfortunately, her professionalism would not allow her to do so.
If she had been invited to join, that would have been a different story, though.
Eventually, the sound of love making died down. When they did, Grayfia completely recomposed herself. She even used a magic she never uses during her maid duties, [Cleaning Magic], to eliminate all traces of her arousal that may have accumulated in and around her panties over the last couple of hours.
Shortly afterwards, Grayfia heard the sound of footsteps approaching the bath's entrance. But thanks to her [Magic Power Detection], she knew that all three of the bath's occupants were approaching.
"Ah! Grayfia, is something the matter?" Alfonzo, with the unconscious Elicia and Shizuka in his arms, asked after exiting the bath and seeing Grayfia bowing just outside of the bathroom door. He then stopped to think for a moment before a look of realization appeared on his face. "Shit… This is about the blip we got on the barrier a little while ago, right?"
In response to the term, "little while," Grayfia wanted to roll her eyes. Still, she already knew how Alfonzo could be when he was lost in the throes of passion. So, she decided not to comment. Instead, she decided to inform him of the current situation.
"Lady Retsu arrived at the mansion close to three hours ago." Grayfia said in her usual tone. "Though she did not give a reason for her visit, I am rather certain that iit is quite obvious."
"Oh…. Yeah, I guess so." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "If I had to guess, she was probably at the Magic council building when Master mavis sent Gramps that message. And knowing Gramps, he probably made a scene about someone hurting one of his children right there in the meeting hall, despite everything being okay."
Unfortunately, Grayfia had not spent enough time around Makarov to form her own image of what he might have done in that situation. But since she knew Alfonzo grew up with Makarov, she trusted his judgement.
"So, what would you like me to tell Lady Retsu?" Grayfia asked.
"Nothing." Alfonzo replied with another shrug, causing Shizuka to giggle slightly due to the jolt in her sleep as he started walking toward the elevator.
'I wonder what she's dreaming about.' Alfonzo thought to himself while glancing at Shizuka out of the corner of his eye.
"I'll talk to her myself." Alfonzo said as he shook off the thoughts of Shizuka's dream. "I'll head up and put these two to bed first, though. Then, I'll head up to my room and get dressed."
"Understood." Grayfia replied with another bow. "Then, I will head up before you and prepare your clothing."
"Sure, why not." Alfonzo replied, unbothered by Grayfia's proposal.
The group of four then entered the elevator and followed their planned routes.
Before long, with Elicia and Shizuka sleeping in their bedrooms, Alfonzo, with Grayfia accompanying him, finally stepped out of the elevator on the first floor. They then made their way toward the living room where Retsu waited. However, when they finally entered the room, instead of Retsu, the first thing they noticed was Mey-Rin cowering in a corner. Though, it was not hard to tell why.
Currently, Retsu, still sitting on the couch with impeccable posture, was radiating such a dense killing intent that it was almost suffocating.
'Well, I guess we left her waiting for a little too long, huh?' Alfonzo asked himself uncaringly. 'Well, it's her fault for showing up unannounced. If she had let someone know she was coming ahead of time, we would not have let ourselves get into that situation in the first place.'
On a side note, Alfonzo had conveniently forgot ten that he, Elicia, and Shizuka had not started the act when they felt the blip in the barrier.
However, when Alfonzo stepped fully into the room, he realized that he was misunderstanding something. Although he had no doubt that Retsu was irritated from having to wait so long for him to arrive, that was not the reason for the killing intent she was exuding. Instead, the reason was sitting right in front of her, causing Alfonzo's eyebrows to start twitching when he saw it.
Even Grayfia's eyebrows rose slightly when she saw something she did not expect. Especially since her [Magic Power Detection] had been active ever since she woke up this morning.
Currently, sitting across from Retsu with one leg crossed over the other, supporting the side of her head with an elbow on the couch's arm rest, and a wide smile on her face while swirling a glass of wine in her other hand was Irene. And it was clear to see that she had been taunting Retsu ever since she arrived.
Seeing Irene sitting there, Alfonzo glanced over his shoulder at Grayfia. However, despite not seeing any signs of surprise on his silver-haired maid's face, Alfonzo could tell that she was just as surprised to see Irene as he was.
'So, that's why she didn't tell me that Irene was here.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'Looks like Irene's magic power control has gotten even better. Now, she can slip past even Grayfia's [Magic Power Detection]. Looks like I need to step up my game before she can come and go around me as she pleases, too.'
Having noticed Alfonzo and Grayfia, who were approaching through the entrance behind Retsu, Irene's smile widened ever so slightly. And when Alfonzo saw that, he knew that there was a good chance that he would have to do some repairs on his mansion if things went poorly.
"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! To think you had to go through so much to get a man." Irene said, clear disappointment in her tone. "Having to guilt trip him with suicide to make him accept you. *Sigh* I guess all women are not created equal. Not all of us have the charm to get a man's attention without playing dirty, huh?"
When Alfonzo heard Irene's words, he immediately increased his pace. And when he saw Retsu's hand inching closer to Minazuki, who was leaning against the arm rest of the couch she was sitting on, he knew he made the right decision.
"Master Unohana, I heard you were here." Alfonzo said, not intending to apologize for keeping her waiting. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Upon hearing Alfonzo's voice, Retsu's hand stopped before her fingers could wrap round Minazuki's hilt. Her hand then trembled for another moment before she slowly pulled it back and rested it on her lap. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, she turned her head to look behind her.
"Ah! Are you finally done making love to your wives, Alfonzo?" Irene asked, her smile widening even further as she did so. "Honestly, I thought it would take another hour or two. But I guess without full use of your magic power, your stamina just isn't what it usually is."
Once again, Alfonzo's eyebrows started to twitch. The fact that Irene was questioning his capability, rubbed him the wrong way.
"Stop talking out of the side of your ass, Irene." Alfonzo shot back without hesitation. "Don't act like you didn't know that Lici and Shizuka passed out. And if you still feel like challenging me, I have no problem helping you take a nap, too."
Not expecting such a response with Retsu present, Irene's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. Though, she did not lose her smile. However, her eyebrows smoothed out only a moment later when she saw Retsu's expression get even colder than it already was.
"Is that the reason I was left to wait for so long?" Retsu asked in a cold tone. Though, her tone also held a hint of relief, as well. She then snapped her head in Grayfia's direction and stared her down with an even colder gaze. "And you, did you not feel it was necessary to return and inform me about the wait?"
Hearing Retsu's tone in combination with her killing intent, Alfonzo frowned. He then stepped forward to shield Grayfia behind him before opening his mouth to reply.
"Whoa! Slow down, Lady." Alfonzo said as he raised a hand in Retsu's direction. "Yeah, I get that you had to wait for a long time. And yeah, I know you showed up here because you were worried."
With her anger already ignited from having to deal with Irene's taunting for more than an hour, the long wait, and the finding out the reason for the wait, Retsu was almost completely replaced by Yachiru at this point. So, when she saw Alfonzo defending Grayfia, she once again reached for her sword.
"But you've forgotten two things, Retsu." Alfonzo continued solemnly, not concerned with Retsu having her sword in her possession. "First of all, Grayfia is a maid of the Marcus Household. So, she doesn't answer to you. And second, you showed up completely unannounced. So, no one here is obligated to show you any hospitality."
Immediately, Retsu's grip tightened around the hilt of her sword as her eyes narrowed. At the same time, Irene, enjoying the drama, leaned back on the couch and took a sip from her wine glass.
'Good. I hope he decides to just let her off herself.' Irene thought to herself. 'I don't know why, but ever since I first met her, I didn't like her. She just seems so fake all the time. Now and that time I fought with her and Alfonzo are the only times she seemed real to me. Still, I just don't like this woman.'
"I mean, seriously, everyone has a damn lPhone at this point." Alfonzo continued, somewhat aware of Irene's thoughts. Deciding he would deal with his former dragoness later, he opted to continue. "Maybe if you had called us before you got here, we wouldn't have been in that situation to begin with."
A slight blush of embarrassment actually colored Retsu's cheeks when she heard that. In her haste, she completely forgot about calling ahead. So, she could not argue that point. Still, she did have something to say about Grayfia not coming to inform her of the wait. But before she could, Alfonzo, in a burst of speed, vanished from where he stood, reappearing in front of her an instant later.
*Smack!*
Then, faster than Retsu or even Irene could react, Alfonzo's right hand, now coated in the liquid metal of Riot and Bedlam's release, was wrapped around Retsu's throat while his left hand was tightly gripping her right hand, which was still wrapped around Minazuki's hilt.
'Is he really that fast without magic power?' Retsu and Irene thought simultaneously as their eyes opened in surprise.
"I'll give this warning to you only once." Alfonzo said with his eyes narrowed dangerously as he lifted Retsu's short frame off the couch. "Anyone, and I mean anyone, who directs that much killing intent towards a member of my family and household will die, if not by my hand, then by another one of the residents hands. We do not take kindly to threats of such a nature. Understood?"
Unfortunately, Retsu was unable to reply to Alfonzo's question with her throat squeezed so tightly. However, her killing intent did reseed. So, that should have been answer enough. Though, Alfonzo did find the manic light shining in her eyes a bit alarming. And when he combined that with the rapidly expanding blush on her face, things were not looking too good.
'Damn…! Damn…! Damn…! Please don't tell me what I think is about to happen!' Alfonzo screamed internally while praying that he was wrong. 'I mean, I avoided Darkness like the plague! I made fun of James and Tatsuo! This can't be happening to me!'
Though he was worrying on the inside, Alfonzo's expression stayed cold. He then looked away from Retsu before dropping her onto the couch. Instead, he turned his attention to Irene, who was clearly enjoying the show.
"And you." Alfonzo said, his eyes still narrowed.
"Me?" Irene asked, her amused expression not fading even slightly.
"You need to be punished." Alfonzo said as he once again vanished from where he stood. He then reappeared next to Irene, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder, all while managing to make sure that Irene did not spill a drop of her wine. "But since I believe in punishing in private, you're coming with me."
Alfonzo then vanished once more, leaving only Retsu, Grayfia, and Mey-Rin in the living room. And while Mey-Rin breathed a sigh of relief now that the tension was gone, Grayfia's expression did not change from start to end. As for Retsu, she was gently rubbing her throat with that same manic smile on her face.
Eventually, Grayfia stepped forward to address Retsu, drawing the former Mermaid Heel guild master's attention.
"One more thing, lady Retsu." Grayfia said calmly. "Master Alfonzo did not mention it because he had no way of knowing. But you never mentioned why you were here to visit. So, I had no way of knowing just how urgent your visit was. But had you informed me, I would have made more of an effort to hurry my master along."
As she spoke the last sentence, Grayfia's cheeks reddened slightly. Meanwhile, Retsu was snapped out of her manic state. She then realized that Grayfia was right. She did not make it clear why she had come to the mansion on the lake.
A moment later, Retsu looked up to respond to Grayfia. However, when she did, the only thing she could see was Grayfia's back as she left the living room through the entrance she came from.
Retsu then looked around, only to notice that Mey-Rin was no longer in the room, either. Then, she came to a rather irritating realization.
"They're going to make me wait again, aren't they?" Retsu asked no one in particular. "*Sigh* Well, I guess I can't blame them. No matter... He's doing much better than I expected. It would seem Tsunade's disciple has improved quite a bit in the last few years."