The heavy doors to Sirzechs' private study eased shut with a resonant thud, the echo lingering like the smoke from a half-extinguished spell. Lucien walked down the marble corridor beside Grayfia, witch-lights pulsing softly overhead in time with the estate's ancient wards. The air felt thicker here, heavy with the scent of old power and expectations not yet spoken.
Lucien kept his spine straight, but a slow, controlled breath escaped him. Grayfia matched his pace in perfect silence.
"You handled yourself well," she said at last, her voice even but not unkind.
Lucien offered a faint smile. "I had an excellent teacher."
She inclined her head. "You listened to both the words spoken and those left unsaid. That is more than most noble heirs manage at your age or even some old nobles."
They rounded the corner, and an explosion of pink sparkles detonated ahead of them.
"There's my favorite hell-son!"
Serafall Leviathan streaked toward them like a violet-silver blur, glitter trailing like comet dust. Before Lucien could brace, he was pulled into a suffocating, sweetly perfumed embrace, face planted firmly between her ample cleavage.
"Gck. Serafall, I can't breathe!"
"Oh, hush, Lu Lu~ You secretly love it!" She spun him once for good measure, ruffling his crimson-and-silver hair before releasing him with a theatrical pout. "You used to squeal with joy when hell-momma hugged you!"
"Surprise maternal ambush. Again." Lucien muttered, wiping glitter from his cheek.
"Aww," she pouted. "You used to love your hell momma's hugs."
"I also used to think worms could grow into dragons. I've evolved since then."
Just behind Serafall was her younger sister, Sona, who stood poised, refined, and already exasperated. Her uniform was crisp despite the journey, and her expression tightened as she took in Lucien's glitter-smeared state.
"Rias invited us," Sona said dryly. "She didn't warn you?"
"She might have mumbled something. I was a little occupied with serious conversations."
Sona adjusted her glasses. "You survived the glitter apocalypse. Impressive."
"I'll be scheduling therapy." He let out a sigh.
"I'll send the forms. New Lilith's medical division is quite reputable," Sona responded calmly.
Serafall's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I heard you had a little chat with Sirzechs. That serious pout when I arrived already told me the conversation wasn't about cake or your debut ball."
Lucien glanced at Grayfia, who gave the faintest nod, leaving the decision to him.
"I asked him to locate a stray devil for my peerage."
Sona's brow furrowed. "A stray? Are you really considering recruiting one for your peerage?"
Serafall's playful mask flickered. "Lu Lu… you're not usually the reckless type."
"Her name is Kuroka," Lucien spoke steadily. "A Nekomata, powerful, intelligent, dangerous… and Koneko's older sister."
Sona's eyes narrowed. "Koneko-chan has a sister?"
"She does. And Koneko is suppressing her Senjutsu, Youjutsu, everything tied to her heritage, because of the pain. If Kuroka returns, she could help her sister face it instead of hiding from it."
Serafall was silent for a moment.
Lucien met their gazes. "The official records say she murdered her master and fled. But something doesn't add up. I'm not asking for a pardon yet. Just the chance to find her… and hear the real story."
Serafall's grin returned, sly and delighted. "So a tragic kitty with a tail has caught my little Lu Lu's eye~ Classic noble romance arc!"
"It's not like that," Lucien sighed.
"Oh, sure. Saving the beautiful, broken stray who needs redemption? Very on-brand."
"She's dangerous, Lucien," Sona said, her voice taut. "People died."
Lucien nodded. "I know. I've accounted for it."
Sona crossed her arms. "Word of this will spread fast. The Gremory-Lucifuge heir chasing SS-class strays won't sit quietly with the other houses. Ideals always carry a political price."
"And if she loses control again?" she pressed.
"Then I'll take responsibility," Lucien said without hesitation. "I'll bind her directly to me. If she falls, then I'll fall with her."
Even Grayfia's composure shifted with the barest flicker of surprise.
Serafall wiped an imaginary tear, voice thick with mock emotion. "My sweet hell-son is growing up so fast! Getting all noble and reckless, it's adorable!" Then her tone sharpened beneath the glitter. "Don't worry, Lu Lu. I'll start moving pieces on my end. I know exactly where the old guard likes to bury their inconvenient sins."
"Don't get used to it." He replied flatly.
Lucien wasn't fooled. Behind the glitter and innuendo, Serafall's power was watching the room, calculating outcomes. The Leviathan mask never slipped, but the soldier beneath was already shifting pieces across the board.
They continued down the corridor toward the grand hall, Serafall's arm looped possessively around Lucien's shoulders. Rias appeared at the far end. Her crimson hair caught the light like living flame, curiosity clear in her expression.
"There you are," she called, curiosity bright in her eyes. "I felt the glitter surge from three wings away. What fresh chaos is this?"
"Plotting," Serafall chimed, throwing an arm around Lucien's shoulder. "Our Lu Lu is recruiting a stray devil and making dramatic declarations of honor and doom."
"Slight exaggeration," Lucien muttered.
"Only slightly," Sona noted dryly.
Rias smiled, but a glint of silent gratitude passed between her and Lucien, a debt neither voiced aloud. Her last two pieces had come from his quiet suggestions.
"Since we're on the subject," Rias spoke carefully, "you wouldn't happen to have any more advice for me, would you? I still need to find strong pieces."
Lucien's lips curved slightly. "Actually, I do. There are two prospects worth watching closely."
"Oh?" Rias leaned in. Her interest sharpened. "Do tell."
"First, there is a swordsman. Blonde. Young. Carries the weight of something broken from their past. Their Sacred Gear is called Sword Birth. If you can reach them before it consumes them, you'll have a Knight faster than anyone else in our generation."
Rias's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Second, there's a dhampir. Quiet, withdrawn, terrified of his own strength. Gray eyes like storm clouds. When he panics, he warps time itself. Dangerous now, but with proper guidance? Invaluable. His Sacred Gear is Forbidden Balor View."
Sona's brows lifted. "Those are… remarkably specific."
"I haven't approached them directly," Lucien said. "But if you move soon, you can secure them before others do."
Rias gave a slow, approving nod. "Thanks, Luci. I'll keep my eyes open."
"And when you land them," Lucien teased, "just remember who tipped you off."
"You'll want a favor, won't you?"
"Obviously."
Serafall grinned, eyes twinkling. "My Lulu bear is already playing kingmaker. I'm so proud."
Even Grayfia allowed the faintest approving curve to her lips.
As they moved deeper into the hall, Serafall leaned close one final time, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And if you ever spot a nine-tailed kitsune wandering around, I'm calling dibs. I have a shrine maiden fantasy that desperately needs fulfilling."
Lucien groaned. "You're impossible."
"Admit it, you'd miss me if I weren't."
"…Maybe."
The laughter echoed off marble walls. The pieces were falling into place quietly, precisely, exactly as Lucien had planned across two lifetimes.
But not everything was moving according to his design.
Somewhere far from the Gremory estate, beneath a sky untouched by noble eyes, a pair of golden pupils opened in the dark.
A tail flicked lazily.
"Ara ara… things are getting interesting, nya~"
He remained blissfully unaware that, in the shadowed depths of Sirzechs' study, two names had already been placed upon the board.
One, from a rising succubus house built not on seduction alone, but on strategy and absolute loyalty once claimed.
The other was the clan princess of an ancient warlike lineage. A woman who believed strength was the only truth… and that the weak existed to be conquered or discarded.
Sirzechs had not yet chosen.
But both houses had already begun to move.
In neutral territories far from the Gremory estate, envoys slipped through the shadows, unrecorded, their messages sealed in self-destructing magic that burned away the moment they were read. No official crests. No formal declarations. No permission sought.
Yet the intent was unmistakable.
A rival noble faction had taken an interest in the promising Lucifuge-Gremory heir… and unlike Sirzechs, they had no intention of waiting for him to decide.
The first shadow had already moved.
Lucien smiled at something Rias said, still laughing, still oblivious.
The game of heirs was accelerating faster than even he had anticipated.
And he was no longer the one setting the pace.