The Door Opens
"Leon," a muffled voice called respectfully from beyond the door.
The silence inside the room stretched long and heavy, like glass holding back a flood.
Leon's golden eyes narrowed, the warmth of the night fading into something sharper, more awake. His hand brushed through Rias's tangled crimson hair, a soft, absent gesture of comfort, though his mind had already shifted.
And then… he smiled.
Because that voice was familiar. It was Mia's. His Mia.
The tone came through the wood not like a servant, not like an herald, but with the gentle uncertainty only she held when summoning him in the morn.
Leon's chest vibrated with soft humor. "So… even she's here."
But that look of his, serene and confident, was not for the others.
Fifteen women around him stiffened as if the floor had split under them. Wild hair cascaded across their faces, their naked shoulders reflected the dull light, and suddenly they all knew what that voice was saying.
Mia.
