Chapter 648 - 648: [648] : The Complete Gremory Family Combo!

Strange as it was, the more pressing matter at hand was obviously bathing.

So after watching Venelana leave, Bokue and the others headed straight into the bathhouse.

While undressing, Akeno approached the "crimson-haired girl" and asked curiously.

"Hey, Rias—didn't you think Lady Venelana seemed a bit strange when we ran into her at the door just now?"

"Hm? Strange?"

"Rias" looked up at her first, then tilted her head back at a forty-five-degree angle, tapping her lips with one finger as if genuinely thinking it over.

"Did she...?"

"I-I think so..."

Akeno blinked, a sudden wave of unease making even her voice falter.

"I remember Lady Venelana was perfectly fine during dinner—laughing and chatting with all of us. But when we ran into her at the bathroom door just now, she seemed like she had something weighing on her mind. Didn't you notice, Rias?"

"Hmm... now that you mention it, maybe a little?"

"Rias." thought for a moment before nodding lightly, but quickly broke into a smile.

"But I'm sure it's nothing serious. Mom was probably just lost in thought about something. I don't think she's actually upset or anything."

"I see..."

Since "Rias" herself said so, Akeno didn't press the matter further.

But just then, another wave of inexplicable unease washed over her. Her gaze instinctively dropped to the crimson-haired girl's chest.

...Hm?

A glint flickered in the raven-haired beauty's eyes.

"Huh? Speaking of which, Rias—have you grown again recently? I feel like you're almost bigger than me now."

"Oh? Is that so?"

The "crimson-haired girl" raised an eyebrow at this and looked down at her own chest.

As the saying went, if a woman couldn't see her toes when she looked down, she was already a beauty beyond compare.

Without question—she could not see her toes.

Then she simply reached up and hefted them in the crook of her arm, bouncing them lightly as if to gauge their weight. Afterward, she raised a hand to her cheek and smiled at Akeno.

"Well~ Bokue has been taking very good care of me lately."

"?"

Akeno froze slightly, apparently never expecting such words to come from the crimson-haired girl before her.

"Are you two ready yet?"

But before she could think too deeply about it, Bokue's voice came from behind.

The young man—already fully undressed—walked up from behind them. He pulled "Rias" toward him and scooped her up in one smooth motion, settling her securely in his arms.

"Oh my~"

At the same time, "Rias" let out a delighted little gasp, her body naturally and expertly wrapping her arms around the young man's neck.

"I'm the first one done undressing today—well, m... I mean, I am—so let's head in first, Bokue~"

"Mm."

Bokue nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to glance at Akeno, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Hey, Akeno—we're going in first."

"Mm-hmm..."

Akeno barely registered what was happening, managing only a vague response.

It wasn't until she'd watched Bokue carry "Rias" into the bathhouse ahead that she suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

She thought she finally understood where that sense of wrongness had been coming from!

It wasn't just "Lady Venelana's" strange attitude at the door earlier. It was also the way "Rias" had been acting.

Under normal circumstances, Rias always projected that mature, elegant young lady image. At most, she'd only let her guard down in private, revealing that beneath her sophisticated exterior, she was actually just pretending to be more grown-up than she was.

But even so—she would never act as cutesy as she just had!

No, something was definitely wrong here!

In that instant, Akeno's mind began racing at full speed.

She replayed every moment that had felt off, then connected them one by one.

From "Lady Venelana's" strange behavior at the bathroom door... to "Rias's" emotional state after entering the changing room... to those breasts that were somehow two cup sizes larger than they should be...

Finally, Akeno arrived at a hypothesis that made her pupils tremble.

She glanced once more at "Rias," who was already playing with Bokue in the inner bath.

C-could it be...??

❁❁❁❁

Meanwhile, elsewhere within Gremory territory.

In a forest on the outskirts, far from the bustle of the city, a small castle stood hidden among the mountains and streams. Warm candlelight spilled from the windows of the third floor.

Reversing perspective against the candlelight and into the third floor interior—inside a warmly decorated study—a young woman with crimson hair tied in a single ponytail stood bowing before another girl. The woman bore a striking resemblance to Rias, though her eyes sloped gently downward, giving her a softer expression.

The girl she was bowing to had crimson hair in twin-tails and looked almost identical to Mio Naruse.

At a glance, it appeared as though a married, mature version of Rias was paying respects to Mio's younger sister.

But clearly, these two merely resembled those girls—they were not the same people.

Inside the study, the twin-tailed crimson-haired girl wearing a small crown addressed the single-ponytailed young woman bowing before her.

"You... are the current head of the Gremory family? What is your name?"

"I am Chysis Gremory. Technically speaking, I should be the previous head of the Gremory family—or perhaps the one before that."

The young woman who called herself Chysis replied softly.

"It has been a long time, First Head of the Gremory Family—Lady Runeas."

"Oh? You know who I am?"

Apparently not expecting the crimson-haired woman before her to accurately state her name, Runeas raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"Yes."

Chysis bowed once more in response.

"I clearly remember that Lady Runeas awakened once, a thousand years ago. At that time, you were quite pleased with the song my son Zeoticus sang for you."

"Zeoticus... oh, I remember now. That little one who kept calling you 'Mommy.'"

As Chysis continued to prompt her memory, Runeas gradually recalled fragments of her dusty past.

"So has he become the current head of the Gremory family?"

"He was, once."

Chysis shook her head slightly.

"Chysis only led the Gremory family for a few centuries before he passed away. The current head of the Gremory family should be my granddaughter, Rias... assuming she has successfully taken up the position."

"Is that so?"

Runeas paused briefly.

She could tell her descendant didn't wish to dwell on matters concerning her son, lest it stir up painful memories. So she simply nodded.

"Then tomorrow, Chysis, take me to meet the current Gremory."

"As you wish."

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