Diodora met Tenra's gaze head-on, his eyes brimming with venom and hate—a bottomless well of spite. Yet as he approached, his expression shifted, twisting into a cold, mocking smile. He strode straight toward Tenra and Rias, the crowd parting in uneasy silence.
Sairaorg, Rias, Sona, and Seekvaira all noticed him instantly. Their faces tightened, frowns deepening as Diodora drew near.
He was House Astaroth's prodigy, the heir apparent. But his reputation in the Underworld was anything but sterling. In recent years, Diodora had grown infamous for his cruelty—kidnapping holy maidens and nuns, stoking conflict between devils and the Church, and subjecting both enemies and his own servants to sickening torment.
None of them had personal feuds with Diodora, but that didn't matter. Sairaorg, Rias, Sona, Seekvaira—none of them liked him. Not his methods, not his reputation, not even the way he looked.
Frankly, the guy just radiated creepiness.
"Kamiyo Tenra—we meet again!" Diodora spat out the words, voice sharp and oddly feminine. His glare could have cut steel. The girls instinctively edged away, shivers running down their spines.
Tenra smiled, unfazed. "Ah, Diodora. Here to congratulate Rias and me?"
Diodora's appearance was almost unrecognizable—skin pale as snow, features delicate, movements laced with unnatural grace. Tenra barely blinked. After all, he knew why Diodora had changed so much.
He'd been the one to cut out Diodora's rotten core.
"Congratulate you?" Diodora's lips curled in a bitter sneer. If only I could tear you apart right here.
If not for the setting, Diodora would have launched himself at Tenra, wild for revenge. But tonight, he had a plan—one that would cut deeper than any blade.
Tenra had stolen something precious from him. Tonight, Diodora would make him suffer the same loss.
His gaze slid to Rias. The hatred vanished, replaced by syrupy adoration.
"Princess Rias, you are so noble, so beautiful. Not even angels or goddesses compare. I have loved you—admired you—longer than I can remember."
He dropped to one knee, voice trembling with passion. "May I hope for your favor?"
The hall froze. The heir to House Astaroth was confessing to the Gremory princess—at her own engagement ceremony.
For a handful of heartbeats, silence reigned. Then the uproar exploded.
Ravel's eyes blazed. Sairaorg's jaw clenched. Sona and Seekvaira adjusted their glasses, both shooting Diodora looks of pure disgust.
"Diodora, you… you…" Rias finally found her voice, pale with fury.
If Diodora had said this any other time, maybe she could have ignored it. But here? Now? It was an insult, not a confession.
"Princess Rias, will you grant me your affection?" Diodora pressed, a cold smirk twisting his mouth.
But Gremory women weren't to be trifled with. Rias straightened, her voice icy. "I refuse. My heart belongs to my fiancé—Kamiyo Tenra."
She linked arms with Tenra, her stance defiant.
Diodora's expression soured. "What does he have that I lack? He's a nobody—a failure who can't even awaken his bloodline. I'm House Astaroth's heir, a genius. Status, birth, power—what makes him better than me?!"
He rose, stepping forward, anger bleeding through every word. He'd never expected Rias to accept, but her immediate, unequivocal rejection twisted the knife in his heart.
Tenra stepped between them, shielding Rias. "Diodora, what exactly do you want with my fiancée?"
Rias didn't fear Diodora, but seeing Tenra's unwavering back made something flutter inside her—a feeling she couldn't quite name.
Their eyes locked. The tension was palpable; Diodora's glare was poison, Tenra's response, pure mockery.
Tenra couldn't help but wonder—Diodora wasn't usually this reckless. Had hatred warped his mind so badly?
"Diodora, you're going too far." The crowd parted as Sirzechs and Grayfia approached, their presence commanding instant respect.
"Lord Lucifer," Diodora replied, turning with a sneer, "I'm merely expressing my feelings. Even you have no right to interfere, do you?"
Sirzechs was famed for his kindness—a trait that won him admirers, but also earned scorn. Diodora was firmly in the latter camp.
Normally, Diodora wouldn't dare provoke a Maou. But with House Astaroth's own Maou backing him, he felt untouchable.
"What are you trying to say, Diodora?" Sirzechs's voice was calm, but the edge was unmistakable.
Beelzebub, also of House Astaroth, was Sirzechs's friend—someone he respected. But Diodora? Diodora was a disappointment.
"Lord Lucifer, Kamiyo Tenra is Princess Rias's fiancé. I love her too. So I challenge Kamiyo Tenra to a Rating Game—the winner claims Princess Rias!"
He turned, voice rising for the crowd. "Well, Lord Lucifer? Surely House Gremory doesn't want Rias's fiancé to be a useless failure?"
There it was. The real reason for Diodora's theatrics—a public challenge. He wanted to humiliate Tenra, to take everything from him, to make him suffer as he had.
The hall erupted anew. An engagement ceremony had suddenly become the stage for a potential Rating Game—one with high stakes and even higher drama.
"Tenra-kun, your answer?" Sirzechs asked quietly. He could shut this down, but that would only bring trouble for Tenra and Rias. Better to let Tenra decide.
Under a thousand watching eyes, Tenra smiled—a soft, almost amused sound—and delivered the answer no one expected.
"I refuse."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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