High School DxD: Fox of Ill Omen

Rias

Mother’s smile was as beautiful and dangerous as ever.

That was the first thought that crossed my mind after she greeted Ise.

He was still visibly recovering from the combination of the residence itself, Mother’s appearance, and the simple fact that I had to scold him for staring at her the way he did.

Ise had gone through many kinds of shock since meeting me.

This one, at least, wasn’t dangerous.

Unless he kept looking at my mother like that.

Then I would make it dangerous for him

But Mother had that effect on people.

It was not only her appearance.

Though yes, that was part of it.

She remained breathtakingly beautiful, and she wore that beauty with the ease of someone who had long since stopped needing to prove anything with it.

But more than that, she knew how to smile in a way that put people at ease without making it clear that she had already noticed more than they wanted her to.

At the moment, that smile was fixed on Issei.

He did his best to recover.

It was charming in its own way.

“N-Nice to meet you!” he blurted, bowing far too deeply. “I’m Hyoudou Issei! P-Please treat me well!”

Mother’s smile widened just a fraction.

“Of course,” she said. “You’re very energetic, just as I heard.”

That made him straighten abruptly, which only made the panic in his expression more obvious.

Akeno, beside me, pressed her fingers lightly to her lips.

I knew that look.

She was trying not to laugh too obviously.

I couldn’t blame her

Ise had earned a little laughter from us considering he consistently threw himself into awkward or ridiculous situations like this.

Mother’s gaze shifted after that.

She looked over the rest of the group again. 

One by one, over the faces of my peerage.

Asia first after Issei, because she was next to him and Asia’s sincerity and softness drew attention due to how naturally she showed it

Xenovia next, because Xenovia carried herself like a bluntly and openly in a way that only she could manage. 

Yuuto was next as the last of my new servants. 

Mother’s gaze reached her next.

There was only the smallest pause.

“Then you must be Yuki-san,” she said.

Yuki gave a small nod, her posture exact. “Yes.”

She wasn’t acting as closed off as she would be around Oni-sama.

But I could feel the tension in her anyway.

Mother, to her credit, did not push.

“It’s nice to meet you properly,” she said warmly. “I’m sorry for any trouble that my son has caused you. Any friend and servant of my daughter is welcome here.”

The words were kind.

Exactly the sort of thing that should have put someone at ease.

Yuki received them politely. “Thank you for having us.”

And her posture was even more reserved after hearing about Oni-sama.

That hurt a little more than I wanted it to.

Because I knew she had heard many versions of welcome in her life.

Some meant sincerely and then shattered by later events.

Many of them had been false or conditional. 

It was unfair to expect one warm sentence from my mother to undo that history.

Still, I wished it could have done more.

But Grayfia’s presence, even at the edge of the room, had tightened something small and old in her shoulders before Mother had even stepped into the room.

She was functioning beautifully, but did not mean she was at ease.

Mother gaze lingered on Yuki a moment longer. 

Then Mother looked over the rest of my peerage.

Akeno, of course, was familiar with my family already and smiled at my Mother.

Yuuto met Mother’s gaze with elegant composure and a polite nod. 

Gasper nearly tried to disappear when the attention reached him.

Koneko remained still.

Too still.

Mother’s eyes became sharper when she noticed something off with Koneko.

My mother was aware of Koneko’s past and probably knew immediately what was bothering her.

I didn’t know if she would try to talk to Koneko about it, but I hoped that she would let me handle it as it was an issue in my peerage. 

I had realized that both Yuki and Ise had noticed Koneko’s off behavior as well.

Ise had been glancing at her in confusion when she normally would have joined a conversation or made a biting remark to him.

I don’t think he knew anything more than she was acting quieter and less present in the group, but he seemed concerned that she was acting off.

Yuki had probably noticed more.

That wouldn't be surprising.

Yuki and Koneko were close and would often sit together during club meetings and Koneko had made it a habit of sticking closer to Yuki since the conversation about the Kokabiel fight.

And Yuki missed little, and even less when she was alert.

The trip to the Underworld and the arrival in a noble Devil household and the upcoming social events had made her tense and alert since the train ride here.

She seemed to have noticed that the trip was the reason Koneko had been acting off.

I don’t know if Koneko had shared anything with her yet.

But Koneko seemed to be in a slightly better mood after sitting with Yuki on the train when I arrived in their train car.

But now she had closed off again.

Grayfia stepped slightly forward, perfectly timed as always.

“Ojou-sama, if you wish, we can guide everyone to their rooms now.”

Mother looked at me, leaving the decision where it belonged.

“Yes,” I said. “That would be best.”

I looked at the others.

“We’ll settle into the rooms for now. Father will return this evening, so we’ll all be meeting together later for dinner.”

That brought immediate and predictable reactions.

Issei straightened again at the mention of my father.

Asia looked a little more nervous.

Xenovia accepted it as though preparing to meet the head of a Devil noble house was merely another item on a checklist.

Yuuto nodded and looked composed as usual.

Akeno smiled in that quiet way she did when she was enjoying everyone else’s tension.

Gasper looked like he wanted to hide in the room he was given and skip the dinner entirely.

Koneko said nothing.

Yuki glanced at me at the mention of my father but stayed silent otherwise.

I led them through the halls after that.

The main residence never felt small, no matter how many times I walked it.

And after hearing and seeing Ise and Asia’s reactions to my home I looked over my home with more attention.

Wide corridors, vaulted ceilings, polished floors, windows placed not only for light but for effect.

Family portraits and other paintings hung on the walls. 

Long, plush carpets laid on the floor of every hallway. 

Old things and priceless things arranged with the confidence of people who had never needed to ask whether they belonged in such spaces.

It felt natural to me.

I had grown up with it.

I had never realized how large and grand my home was until I moved to the human world.

The extra attention I was pouring into the surroundings was one of the reasons I noticed so quickly how it did not feel natural to Yuki.

She kept pace.

She did not falter.

She answered when spoken to and gave no one any open reason to believe she was uncomfortable.

But I noticed some of her older habits from when she first joined my peerage began to surface..

She was cataloging  exits as we walked through the building.

Her eyes would move to any servants we passed before they moved over decorations.

How she grew just a fraction more distant whenever a maid bowed too deeply.

And every time Grayfia spoke or turned to look at us as she lead the group, Yuki would lower her gaze immediately. 

I said nothing.

It wasn’t the time or place to do so.

Things had not fully recovered between us after she had learned about Gasper's room.

We were in a much better place now, but things still weren’t perfect.

If I tried to bring it up now it probably would only make things between us worse 

Instead I matched our pace so that for part of the walk she naturally came closer to my side without it looking deliberate.

She noticed, of course.

Her eyes shifted to me once.

I did not comment.

Neither did she.

We arrived at the rooms they would be staying in.

The rooms themselves were more than sufficient.

The guest wing had been prepared well in advance.

Ise nearly lost all coherence again when he saw the size of the room assigned to him.

Asia immediately worried over whether she was being too much trouble by accepting hers.

Xenovia seemed completely unbothered in contrast and immediately opened some of her luggage and took out a practice sword.

Gasper looked relieved only when he realized his room was close enough to the others that he would not feel isolated.

Yuuto thanked the servants with calm ease as she took her usual room.

Koneko didn’t give any reaction.

She opened the door to her usual room and looked back at the group for a moment before moving into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Usually she would at least have made a comment about Ise’s reaction or her own room. 

Instead she had simply shut herself in her room and left us staring at the door between her and us.

Yuki watched the door longer than the others did.

Her tails shifted behind her quickly once as she frowned at the door.

Then she looked at me.

I gave a small shake of my head.

Yuki had realized that I knew more about what was bothering Koneko, but it wasn’t my place to say anything.

At least not yet.

She paused before nodding back to me.

That was enough for the moment.

Once everyone had their spaces, there was the usual period of settling in.

Exploring their new rooms.

Washing up and changing clothes if necessary.

Taking time for themselves to rest and recover before the next event.

I used part of that time to speak with Mother privately.

She had moved to one of the smaller sitting rooms overlooking the inner gardens, and by the time I entered she was already seated with tea waiting.

“Come,” she said with a smile. “Sit.”

I did.

Mother studied me over the rim of her cup.

Then she smiled in the way that meant she had reached a conclusion before I had even sat down.

“He’s exactly the sort of boy I expected you to choose.”

I sighed. “Mother.”

“What?”

“That sounds like it could be something good or bad, and you like to say things like that on purpose.”

“Of course I do.”

That answer, at least, was honest.

She set the cup down.

“He’s sincere,” she said. “Loud. A little foolish. Very easy to read. Very attached to you.”

At that, despite myself, I felt some warmth rise into my face.

Mother’s eyes sharpened with delight.

“Ara.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t need to.”

I looked away for a moment and let my eyes drift to the garden.

It was one of the old inner ones, arranged in concentric order around a fountain.

The flowers were in full bloom, servants moving in the distance so quietly they barely seemed to disturb the scene.

Mother followed my gaze for a moment, then said, quieter, “Your group is different than the last time.”

That made me look back at her immediately.

In truth, she was right in more ways than one.

Not only because the members of the peerage had changed.

But I had four new servants too.

And my small family felt closer, but more fragile in certain places.

Mother went on before I could choose an answer.

“You obviously have your new servants, but things are different with all of your older ones too. The little vampire, Gasper-kun, is finally unsealed and seems to be trying very hard to come out of his shell,” she said, pausing to take a sip of tea. “Akeno-chan seems less closed off than she had before. Yuuto-chan seems less tense, like a weight has been lifted from her. But Koneko-chan is acting off. I assume it has to do with her sister and how she came to be in your peerage?”

I sighed.

“I believe so. I haven’t talked to her about it yet. I wanted to give her some time and space. She’s the type of person who becomes more stubborn the more you prod.” I replied. 

“It’s your peerage Rias. I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m just concerned.” She paused before continuing. “And there are also your new servants. We already talked about the boy, Issei-kun, whom you’re interested in.”

“Mother!” I cried. 

She ignored my complaint. 

“We already spoke about him, but you’re not the only one looking at him. Your other servants seem interested in him as well. And from what I saw of him he’s interested in them too. Which makes sense. He has the powers of a dragon, which are known to have multiple partners, and we Devils are true to our desires. Just make sure that you secure yourself the head position in his harem, dear.”

“Mother!” I shouted this time, covering my blushing face with my hands.

“Alright I’ll stop for now.” She chuckled. “But moving on. Aisa-chan seems kind and caring, which will serve her well as a healer, but not a combatant. Xenovia-chan seems direct and hard to shake. But you’ve told me she has been having difficulties with her new race as a Devil. It may take her time, but she will come to terms with it. She seems strong. Then there’s your Kitsune servant, Kusari, or now Yuki-chan as I heard from Grayfia. I’ve read the reports of what happened in her previous peerages and saw how much she had been moved around. Your brother tells me that she is under control, but I want to hear about it from you.”

I straightened in my seat.

“Shiramine Yuki does not need to be controlled or treated as a concern. She is a loyal and caring member of my peerage. She was abused by her previous [Kings] and treated as little more than a slave. Anything that happened in one of those peerages was only from her defending herself. I have seen nothing to suggest she would do anything to harm me or my other servants. I believe that she would lay down her life before letting one of us be harmed.”

Mother nodded quietly.

“I see. I found it hard to believe that a girl younger than my own daughter could be as violent and dangerous as she was portrayed. From the little I could tell of her she seems like a wounded and guarded individual. I hope that you will do right by her. She sounds like she would be a very valuable piece in your peerage if you earn her trust.”

I frowned at her phrasing for a moment.

I know she meant well, but that same High Class Devil mindset is the exact reason Yuki acts the way she does.

“She is normally more open but becomes tense and guarded around other noble Devils. Especially Omni-sama. I think he said or did something to her before she was given to me as a servant or while she was removed from my peerage after my loss to Riser Phenex.”

Mother frowned and looked across the courtyard before looking back at me.

“I do not know if anything happened. But I know that your brother only has your best interest at heart.”

I believed that. But I also knew that something had happened that made Yuki lock up whenever Onii-sama was in the room and even flinch at the mention of his name.

Mother smiled in a way that I knew meant nothing good.

“Speaking of Yuki-chan, it seems like Issei-kun isn’t the only one with eyes on him in your peerage. Koneko-chan and Akeno-chan both seemed to pay more attention to her, and you seem to give her a lot of attention as well.”

“Akeno likes to get reactions out of Yuki with her teasing, Koneko and Yuki are close, and Yuki has a complicated past that as her [King] I need to handle delicately.” I said slightly confused. “Also she hasn’t shown any interest in anyone besides Ise, but she tried to deny it.”

My mother shook her head with an expression like I was missing something. 

“Some Kitsune are like dragons with the number of partners they have. Yuki-chan is very pretty and from what I’ve read, will be powerful. I think that Issei-kun might have some romantic competition in your peerage.” She said.

Then Mother shrugged smoothly.

“Or I’m wrong and you have more competition. And if that’s the case it might be troublesome considering both Dragons and Kitsune are very territorial with their partners and mates. That might get messy.”

I stared at my mother in shock at what she was implying.

“I don't think that any of that will be an issue. I think that I should be focusing on the upcoming young Devil gathering and Koneko’s issues instead.”

“Whatever you say dear.” Mother said as she took another sip of tea.

I frowned lightly and went to take a drink from my own cup.

____________________________________________________________________________

When we rejoined the others later, the atmosphere had softened somewhat.

Ise had regained enough of his usual self to talk too much again.

Asia was more comfortable in general.Y

Yuuto had fallen into easy conversation where needed.

Gasper still looked shy, but no longer on the verge of folding into himself.

Akeno had arranged herself near one of the windows with practiced ease.

Xenovia looked as though she had already made herself at home despite the tension in the group earlier

Koneko sat quietly by herself again.

Yuki had taken a place not far from her, and though the two were not speaking much, I caught the way Yuki’s attention drifted toward Koneko at small intervals, always returning just before it would become obvious.

Issei noticed one of those glances.

Then he looked at Koneko too.

Then at me.

What none of us yet knew was whether Koneko’s mood would pass if left alone or worsen if unspoken.

Before I could decide whether there was a chance to draw her aside later, the room shifted again.

The doors opened with more deliberate poise than before.

Father had returned.

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