Two years had passed.
Two whole years. Rias and Akeno were now third-year students. Kiba was in his second year, and Koneko had just begun her first year of high school. Yet, in all this time, Rias hadn’t heard a single word from Raza himself.
She’d seen his mother, Rhea, at a few events. Rhea always told her that Raza was away, busy with his own affairs, and that he hadn’t been home for almost two years. No one—not even Sairaorg—had heard from him. Sairaorg tried to reassure her, saying it was probably nothing to worry about, but Rias couldn’t shake the growing sense of dread. The only person who had ever truly stood up for her was gone, and she feared what might happen when Riser decided to make a move.
Riser, for his part, had been unusually quiet these past two years. He never approached Rias directly. It was as if he was waiting—patiently
biding his time for the perfect moment.
“President Rias, is everything alright?”
A gentle voice broke her reverie. Rias looked up and saw a blonde girl with emerald eyes.
“Yes, Asia. I’m fine,” Rias replied.
This was Asia, her new Bishop and a Sacred Gear wielder with Twilight Healing. Rias and her friends had found Asia after discovering a group of rogue Fallen Angels and ex-exorcists hiding in an abandoned church on the outskirts of Kuoh. They’d planned to extract Asia’s Sacred Gear, but Rias and her team had arrived just in time. Asia, cast out by the church for healing a devil, had nowhere to go, so Rias took her in.
Akeno grinned. “Rias is probably thinking of a certain someone.”
Asia’s eyes widened. “You mean the Black Phenex, right? I heard rumors about him back when I was in the church. I can’t believe he’s actually real! So… this person promised to protect you, President?”
Akeno nodded. “Correct. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard from him for two whole years.”
“Two years… that’s a long time. Did something happen to him?” Asia asked, concern in her voice.
Kiba shook his head. “We don’t know. There’s been no news or reports from the Phenex family about his whereabouts.”
Koneko spoke up, blunt as ever. “Maybe he got scared and ran away?”
Rias shook her head. “I don’t believe he’d just run away. Not after that night. I’m certain something must have happened. I just know it.”
Kiba sighed. “We have no leads, no information. Even if we wanted to, there’s nothing we can do to search for him.”
Akeno pointed out that Raza’s mother probably knew something, but she always avoided the question. Asking Riser or Ravel was pointless—they’d never share anything with them.
Rias let out a sigh. Just then, a magical circle appeared in the room, flames erupting around it. From the circle stepped Riser and Ravel, accompanied by Grayfia. The Gremory group immediately tensed.
Grayfia greeted them, explaining she was sent as an advisor by Lady Gremory. Riser stepped forward, declaring that he’d come to take Rias with him. The time had come—she could no longer run from her responsibilities.
Rias stood her ground. “I’m not going to marry you.”
Riser sneered. “I didn’t know you had a choice. The arrangement was made a long time ago by our families. It’s time you fulfilled your part and acted like a responsible noble lady.”
Grayfia watched with her usual stoic expression. Ravel chimed in, accusing Rias of being ungraceful.
“For the last time, I’m not going to marry you,” Rias repeated, her voice steady.
Riser’s patience snapped. “You can’t do anything about it. Whether you want to or not, you will marry me. Even my foolish younger brother isn’t around to protect you this time. Just give up.”
Rias’s pupils shook at his words. She slumped, her confident posture fading. Deep down, she knew Riser was right. The only person who had given her hope was gone.
Akeno called out to her, desperate for Rias not to give in, but perhaps Rias was finally accepting reality. Her peerage tried to comfort her, but
Rias looked utterly defeated.
Riser smirked in victory. “So you’ve finally come to your senses. The engagement party will be in a month. I’m looking forward to it.” With that, he turned and left.
The peerage protested, but Rias couldn’t meet their eyes. She had tried everything these past years. No one simply escaped the system. She felt hands on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Grayfia.
“Don’t give up so easily, Rias. There’s still a month. That’s enough time to find a way out.”
Rias let out a bitter chuckle. Another empty promise. Grayfia released her and said she would report to Lady Venelana.
That night, at the Phenex estate, Rhea sat in her room reading when she received a call.
“How are you, dear Venelana? … Oh, I see, so Riser’s decided the wedding will be in a month… Yes, he told me himself today… Haha, yes… I’ve already informed him, dear. It’s been two years since he left to train his magical abilities. He’ll be at the wedding, don’t worry… I know this will be hard for Rias, but we must be patient… Alright, dear. Take care as well.” Rhea ended the call and returned to her book.
The month passed quickly for Rias. She was summoned back to the Gremory household for wedding preparations. Her father tried to comfort her, encouraging her to see marriage as a positive thing. Her mother seemed unusually cheerful. Grayfia, her sister-in-law, gave her the same advice: “Don’t worry, everything will be alright.”
Would it, though? Rias wondered. Would she ever find peace in a marriage to a man who saw her as nothing more than a trophy? She felt like a bird in a cage—hopeless.
Akeno came with her, offering comfort. Sona reached out, promising to try and help, but Rias knew Sona’s hands were tied. The rest of the peerage remained in the human world at Kuoh Academy. The mood was heavy—Asia cried often, Kiba was quieter than usual, and Koneko had even stopped eating snacks. Their suffering only deepened Rias’s guilt. At night, she and Akeno sometimes cried together.
Eventually, the parents met, and preparations were finalized. The wedding would be held at the Phenex estate. Rias was given a beautiful dress—the kind she’d once dreamed of wearing on the happiest day of her life. The irony was not lost on her.
In the final days, Rias became withdrawn, refusing to leave her room. The night before the wedding, she lay awake, unable to sleep as nightmares returned. Tomorrow would be the worst day of her life.
She had no idea how much her life was about to change.