As they stepped onto the carpet, a small figure suddenly broke away from the line of maids and ran straight toward Rias.
"Auntie Rias! You're back!"
A young boy with short crimson hair rushed up to her and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug.
"Millicas!" Rias smiled brightly and hugged him back. "I'm home. Look at you, you've grown so much!"
"E-er, Prez?" Issei asked, blinking in confusion. "Who's the kid?"
Rias gently placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "This is Millicas Gremory. He is my brother's son. In other words, Sirzechs Lucifer's son, and my nephew."
Millicas then looked past Rias and noticed Adrien, who was calmly looking around the garden.
The boy's eyes widened.
A second later, he quickly hid behind Rias, peeking at Adrien from her side.
Mahiru noticed this and softened her expression. She walked over, crouched down in front of him, and smiled gently.
"Hey, are you okay, Millicas?" she asked kindly. "My name is Mahiru. It's nice to meet you."
Millicas looked at her for a moment, still shy, then slowly nodded from behind Rias.
Mahiru really loved children—not in a weird way you fuckers—in a gentle motherly way.
"That's the son of the Demon King…" Saeko said quietly as she looked at Millicas hiding behind Rias.
The boy wasn't looking at anyone except Adrien. He had once heard his mother talk about him with his grandfather. And now, when he couldn't sense any demonic energy from Adrien at all, Millicas realized who he was.
"Millicas, say hello to everyone," Rias said gently.
Millicas nodded and stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Millicas Gremory. Nice to meet you."
"He's so cute!" Asia said at once.
She crouched down beside Mahiru, smiling softly as both of them patted his head.
The others stayed where they were, looking a little stiff. No matter how small he was, Millicas was still the son of a Demon King.
Rias let out a soft chuckle. "A Demon King's name and title belong only to the one who inherited them. Even though Millicas is my brother's son, he is still a member of House Gremory. He is also a possible heir to the Gremory family."
Then Rias pointed toward Adrien.
"The last time he came here, you were probably too young to remember. He's the son of the Archduke, Adrien Agares."
Adrien finally shifted his attention to Millicas and looked at him properly. "Hmm… interesting," he said. "Your energy control is amazing for your age."
Adrien stepped closer and looked down at the boy, clearly thinking about something. Millicas stiffened, but this time he didn't hide behind Rias. He tried to stay calm and composed.
"Andy, leave the boy alone," Celia said as she grabbed Adrien by the arm and pulled him back.
"Come along now. Let's head inside," Rias said, taking Millicas's hand.
She led him toward the gate, and everyone followed behind her. They passed through the towering entrance and stepped into the castle.
The entrance hall was enormous. A grand staircase stood ahead of them, leading up to the second floor, while a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling above.
"Allow me to guide everyone to their rooms," Grayfia said, raising one hand. A group of maids immediately gathered around her.
"His Lordship is away at the moment, but he will return by evening," she continued. "He informed me that he wishes to speak with you all during dinner tonight."
"Oh?" Rias said, smiling softly. "Thank you, Grayfia. In that case, everyone should head to their rooms for now. I assume their belongings have already been brought in?"
"Yes," Grayfia answered with a polite bow. "Their chambers are prepared and ready for use. Yours are ready as well, Lord Adrien."
"Thanks, Grayfia," Adrien said casually.
He then began following her toward their quarters. At that moment, a woman's voice called out from above.
"Oh, Rias? You've arrived already?" The woman's eyes then landed on Adrien, and her voice immediately brightened.
"Huh? Adrien? Is that really you? My, my, you've grown so handsome!"
The woman descending the grand staircase had flaxen hair and violet eyes. She was beautiful, and she didn't look much older than the others.
"Your mother visited not too long ago," the woman said with a bright smile. "She told me you were in Japan. I suppose it was true after all." Her smile widened. "So, are you going to get engaged to my daughter? Surely you will, right? Especially after you beat Riser for her."
"Mom!" Rias complained, her face turning red as her mother bombarded Adrien with questions.
"M-m-mother?!" Issei nearly shouted. "That's impossible! Look at her! She's too young! I thought she was your sister!"
"Oh my," Venelana said, looking at him with a pleased smile. "What a charming thing to say."
Rias sighed, "Devils can use their power to control their appearance as they grow older. My mother just likes dressing like a young woman."
"It is a pleasure to see you again, Lady Venelana," Adrien said politely. "Unfortunately, I—"
But Venelana didn't let him finish.
"I also heard how strong you've become," she continued, her eyes shining with interest. "I heard about how you defeated Kokabiel, and how you killed Katerea Leviathan by outsmarting both her and the White Dragon Emperor."
'Who the fuck is glazing me that much? Not even my girls are riding it that hard!? It's got to be that asshole Sirzechs right?'
--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>
With Grayfia's help, Adrien somehow managed to escape Venelana's endless barrage of questions.
A few hours after they arrived at the main estate, everyone gathered in the dining room for dinner.
A mountain of food was piled across the long table in front of them. Adrien and his Familia sat on one side, while Rias and her Familia sat on the opposite side. By now, the two Familias had grown incredibly close, so the atmosphere felt much more relaxed than before.
At the head of the table sat Zeoticus Gremory. His wife, Venelana, sat beside him, with Rias and her peerage seated further down on that side.
On the other side, Millicas sat close to his grandfather, followed by Adrien and his peerage.
Outside the dining room windows, an artificial moon floated high above the Gremory estate. It was not a natural celestial body like the moon in the human world. In the Underworld, the sky itself was different. It was a deep purple by nature, and the day-night cycle was maintained through artificial means, using devil magic and advanced demonic technology.
The concept of time in the underworld seemed to be modeled on that of the human world. Originally time in the underworld was different than the one in the human realm but the Demon Kings had synchronized it with the human world.
"Please, enjoy yourselves," Zeoticus Gremory said warmly.
With that, the meal began.
Everyone started eating, though Xenovia, Mary, Saeko, and Asia were struggling a little. They were trying not to look rude or vulgar in front of the father of a Demon King.
Issei, on the other hand, didn't even know where to start. He stared at the food, then at the utensils, then back at the food.
Everyone else managed well enough.
Only Koneko had not touched her plate.
As they ate, Zeoticus turned his attention to Adrien.
"The last time I visited the human realm, I wanted to meet you," he said calmly. "Unfortunately, you were not present. So I am glad you came here with Rias."
Adrien looked up from his plate. "Yeah, I was busy back then."
"I see. And how is your father? It has been quite some time since I last saw him." Zeoticus answered with a smile.
Adrien hadn't seen his father since he came to the underworld but his mother had filled in with what was happening on Agreas island.
"He's fine," Adrien replied casually. "Maybe a little stressed because of me, but that's nothing new."
Zeoticus chuckled. "That sounds like him... Your name has spread throughout the Underworld lately. The Agares clan is what everyone is talking about. Given your special constitution, I suppose it was only a matter of time before you became one of the most famous devils of your generation."
"Yeah it was," he didn't deny it nor acted humble, Adrien knew who he was and what it meant. Pretending otherwise would just be stupid.
"I did say I haven't seen your father in a while," Zeoticus said, continuing to eat with calm elegance. "But we did speak over the phone recently. We had a rather long conversation, and in the end, we decided on something quite interesting."