Shoutout to Revan's Wraith for beta reading!

Sirzechs left the two alone in hopes that when they come out they'll return to being the lovers they once were. But expectedly the progress was slow. It had been a full five minutes and the two hadn't uttered a single word to one another. Grayfia kept a calm exterior but on the inside, she was a mess. She had thought he died in the panic of the final days of the Great War and never expected to be having this confrontation. Issei, on the other hand, had no idea about what to say to her. All those years sealed away in his capsule and he never planned on how he was going to right his wrongs.

"I see you're still wearing the ring." Issei pointed out, finally putting an end to the prolonged silence. "I thought you would've gotten rid of it after my disappearance."

"Divorced women take it off, widowers don't," Grayfia affirmed.

"That implies that I'm still of importance to you; even after what happened," Issei noted. He was doing whatever he could to get under her stoic exterior. They both knew that he still loved her with all of his heart but didn't know if she felt the same about him. "You should know that you'll forever be my true love. I never wanted to do you wrong."

"Then why didn't you tell me Issei," Grayfia spoke with a harsher tone then she had ever spoken in before. She was demanding answers. And she wanted them now. "We had been together for over four centuries. You had entrusted me with every single dark secret that you've kept hidden from the rest of our faction. Then why? What led you to keep this from the woman that you planned on making your bride." Tears slowly began to form in Grayfia's eyes but she would not let them fall. She kept herself strong to release all of the frustration she'd been holding in for the past century.

When other men would look away in shame Issei kept his head held high and stared her deep in the eye. He knew that what he had done was a mistake but he would be a man and be held accountable for it. "I understand why you feel this way Grayfia. I didn't tell anyone because it was Gabriel's request to keep it between us." Issei leaned forward and wiped down his face. "Since that first meeting I've been wanting to tell you. It pained me knowing that I had to keep it all a secret from the person I hold dearest to my heart." He stood from his seat and walked toward the closest window to watch a variety of servants doing their daily work. "I also couldn't live with the thought that I was seen to be the perfect Devil, a prodigy in every field I went into. Yet, I fell in love with what everyone considered being the perfect Angel that God had ever created. The perfect creation of my fathers worst enemy. Every single day of those hundred years inside that capsule I thought of how much you must hate me."

For the first time ever Grayfia had thought about the toll the affair could have taken on Issei. Everyone, especially his father, had high expectations for his future. He made this mistake and she knew that hell would freeze over before he would forgive himself for it. She walked toward him and placed her hand on his left shoulder while resting her head on his right. "It's hard to deny my feelings for you Issei. After everything we've been through I won't allow this to be what separates us forever." She hesitated for a moment as if she were about to regret the next thing she would say. "If nothing stays a secret between us then we can move past this. Together."

"Then I have a question that has been long overdue." Issei pulled the ring off of Grayfias finger and summoned some of his lightning onto his fingertips. The lightning danced between his fingers until it flowed into the ring. Once within it, the physical had changed. For what was once a one-carat diamond, became a three-carat princess cut that had some of his lightning surging in a circular motion. The tears that once threatened to escape Grayfias eyes finally did when she realized what Issei was preparing to do.

"Grayfia Lucifuge, will you marry me?"

Grayfia said nothing but pulled Issei back up and grabbing hold of both of his cheeks. She gave him a long overdue passionate kiss that marked the rebirth of their romance, but not before saying "Of course you fool."

While the two were in the heated kiss, they were unaware of Sirzechs was on the other side of the door, closely listening in on their conversation. He had heard that the two were finally together once again and smiled. Yet, there was a part of him that was worried about the long-term stability of it. Especially after hearing her promise of not keeping secrets. Sirzechs soon returned to the room and congratulated the two on their engagement. Sirzechs had reminded Issei that he still had a teaching job in Kuoh and suggested that he go back to it as his lunch period was soon to end.

"I will return as soon as I can. We have much to discuss." Issei said.

"I still have my duties under Sirzechs," Grayfia replied.

The duo turned to turned to Sirzechs for any assistance they could receive. "I was planning on putting under your authority anyways." Sirzechs shrugged. "I'll handle the paperwork of transferring her over to you. By the time you return, I'll trade her to you."

Issei thanked Sirzechs then kissed Grayfia for a final time before returning to Kuoh, leaving a now completed Grayfia and annoyed Sirzechs. While Grayfia gazed upon her newly transformed ring, Sirzechs stared at her, with disapproval in his eyes.

At first, Grayfia was too busy gazing upon the ring to notice his stare, but when she finally did she questioned him about it. "I know that look. What did I do this time?"

"It disappoints me to see that you're already keeping something from him," Sirzechs spoke.

Grayfia flinched. She knew what Sirzechs was alluding to and voiced her opinions on the matter. "It isn't your place to decide when he finds out Sirzechs. He had only awoken in the past week. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he found out so soon."

"And that's where I disagree Grayfia. If you don't tell him soon he may find out from another source and begin to question if you've hidden anything else from him." Sirzechs retorted. He had hoped that Grayfia would soon realize that keeping such a secret from Issei could possibly destroy him. Another reason for him to believe that he had once again failed his father and people. "Furthermore you shouldn't have a say on the matter. He deserves to know."

"Of course I should have a say! I am the soon to be Lady of the Asmodeus clan!" Grayfia exclaimed, furious with the Lucifers claim. "Issei is not prepared for what he had brought upon himself. Once we can be sure that he is ready, he will be informed."

Sirzechs sighed. A part of him wished that Grayfia had never told him of what happened after Issei got sealed. He thought that his way of approaching the situation would be the best. But then again everyone thinks their way is the best. All he could do now was trust in Grayfias judgment.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Sirzechs said. Though, what Grayfia would say next didn't reassure him.

"As do I."

[Scene break]

Choosing to be a teacher over being a student may not have been one of Issei's best decisions. At first, he thought that becoming a teacher would be a bit interesting. He had been taught by countless amounts of teachers as a young boy and was curious if he could do the same. He definitely could. The problem was that now he just didn't want to. Now he was with the Occult Research Club openly complaining about some students.

"I never knew that getting students to pay attention would be such a challenge." Issei groaned. His entire work day was mainly filled with getting the males to stop having perverse thoughts on the females, and stopping the females from having perverse thoughts of him. "Seriously, why is this generation so weird? I saw a kid measure a girls cup size just by looking at her and a girl measuring a guys penis."

"You shouldn't worry too much my lord, those two are the weirdest you'll encounter here," Kiba reassured. Kiba noticed Issei's cocked eyebrow as he turned to Akeno. "See Akeno is just a special case."

"That much is very true my lord. I can be quite unpredictable. Especially in the bedroom ufufufu." Akeno stated, mumbling the last part quiet enough that so that no one but Issei and Rias could hear it.

"I don't need any honorifics from any of you. Until I take my rightful place as Devil King Asmodeus I'm just another Super Devil." Issei said casually even though being a Super Devil put him in the Top 10 Strongest.

Rias' peerage, minus Koneko who was quietly eating some sweets, chuckled from Issei's ability of being so nonchalant about his immense power. What baffled them was the fact that both he and Sirzechs claimed that he was stronger than the latter. Not by a large margin but just enough.

"Well, I'll continue to refer to you as my lord," Akeno stated as she walked behind the seated Issei. She moved closer to him so her face was right next to his ear. "And maybe one day I'll be calling you master instead." Her voice was seductive yet soothing. Akeno was the type of woman he would love to be around. He, of course, is an Asmodeus which meant he had immense lust. For the past few centuries he only he had been focused on Grayfia alone because he never saw a reason to look elsewhere. But now that his father is gone Issei is the only one who can make the Asmodeus line flourish.

He hadn't spoken to Grayfia about it yet but he'll possibly be looking into building a harem for the purpose of expanding his family. Grayfia and Rias were a definite for being future mothers of his children, Grayfia always wanted to bear his child and Rias' obvious stares during class gave the impression that she was interested. Ravel was a maybe because they've yet to interact since the engagement party. As for Gabriel? He'll have to wait it out until he sees her once more. Now he was brought to Akeno, who immediately piqued his interest. Perhaps something could happen between them in the near future. He would, of course, want there to be love between himself and other women so he wouldn't force anything.

Rias, on the other hand, was obviously annoyed by Akenos antics. She herself had barely interacted with her new fiancé so she was understandably irritated that Akeno was pushing her boundaries. "Akeno you-"

Rias had been cut off when the doors to the clubroom opened and entered two female leading girl was a young bespectacled woman with a slim figure, black hair styled in a short bob cut and violet eyes and other was also young bespectacled woman but with long straight black hair that extends all the way down to her knees, with split bangs and heterochromic eyes, with a violet left eye and a light brown right eye. For a moment Issei thought that the first girl looked a bit familiar but couldn't figure out why.

"Sona. I wasn't expecting you." Rias said, surprised by Sonas sudden appearance. It was so unlike Sona to show up without a notice ahead of time.

"It would have been rude of me to not introduce myself to your new fiancé Rias." The now identified Sona said as she turned to Issei and gave him a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Asmodeus. My name is Sona Sitri, heir to the House of Sitri." She motioned to the girl next to her who in turn also bowed. "This is my Queen, Tsubaki Shinra."

"I'm honored to be in your presence, Lord Asmodeus." Tsubaki greeted. Issei was impressed by the maturity in the two girls and turned to Rias with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk.

"What?" She asked defensively.

Issei said nothing but turned back to the two girls. "Please, you need not speak to me with any honorifics. It won't be necessary until I take up the title of Devil King Asmodeus."

"With all due respect, all my life my mother had spoken highly of you so, for now, I would prefer to refer to you with some form of respect," Sona explained.

Issei was surprised to hear that a Devil would speak highly of him while he was gone. He had thought that most Devils didn't talk about him to their children about him after noticing the lack of respect he got from the younger generation at the engagement party. That also brought up the question of who exactly her mother was. "Am I familiar with your mother?"

"After all the things she told me I would assume so. Her name is Sirena Sitri, formerly Sirena Nebiros." Sona explained, not knowing that telling her mothers name brought back so many memories to Issei.

He remembered the nights he would spend with her and countless other women in his bedroom. It was long before his relationship with Grayfia so he hadn't thought much about her since then. Though he was intrigued that she would speak highly of him to Sona, seeing that their relationship never left his bedroom.

Sona caught him reminiscing about his past and was confused about why he would be doing so. "Is something wrong Lord Asmodeus?" She asked.

Sonas question brought him out of his reminiscing and back into reality. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I haven't spoken to your mother in a few centuries. Anyways, if you truly must refer to me with a form of respect then call me Lord Issei from now on."

"As you wish Lord Issei."

Issei soon got a message from Sirzechs with an update about his business with Kuroka. Apparently, the council had signed off on his desire to make her his servant and advised that he moved quickly. "Excuse me but I have some business to take care of." Before leaving via magic circle he requested one thing from each of the heiresses. "Rias please meet me here before school tomorrow. There's something I would like to talk to you about in private. Sona, please tell your mother that I'd like to catch up with her soon."

Before the two could respond Issei had disappeared. Sona was slightly suspicious about why he would want to speak to her mother but just surmised that it was just old friends reuniting. Meanwhile, Rias' heart began to flutter when Issei said that he would like to meet with her in private. Perhaps she could finally get her chance to make things official between them.

[With Issei]

Issei and Sirzechs met once more in the latter main office. Sirzechs was informing him of everything that he should know about Kuroka so he could have some more knowledge of what he was walking into. Luckily for Issei, there had been reports of a black-haired Nekoshou hiding around the outskirts of Kyoto and they had sent some scouts to confirm her location.

"Scouts have confirmed that she's hiding out in an abandoned mansion outside of Kyoto. What they've also been telling us is that she's been confronted by a group of three males and a female in the past few days." Sirzechs informed.

Issei paid close attention to the information about Kuroka. Reading any files he had on her so he could know her known abilities in case things went south. But what he was most worried about was the group that visited her. "They're likely trying to get her to join whatever faction they're affiliated with."

"Possibly, so you'll need to move quickly if you have any hopes to get her to join your peerage," Sirzechs suggested.

"Now onto how I turn her into my servant. Whats the process?" Issei asked. Unfortunately for him he still had no clue on how the Evil Pieces worked. There were so many things that were situational and he couldn't remember them all.

Sirzechs chuckled at Issei's ignorance of the Evil Pieces. So much had happened within their society in the past century and he had trouble catching up. "Since she had already been reincarnated before, all you need to do is summon a magic circle on her chest and place whichever piece you'll use within it."

"And how about trading Grayfia to me," Issei asked. Almost on cue, Grayfia walked into the room with Issei's entire set of Evil Pieces.

"I'll show you," Sirzechs said with a chuckle. The two men stood from their seats and Sirzechs motioned Grayfia to stand next to him while Issei got his Queen piece.

Issei was almost excited for whatever ritual the duo had to do but that excitement quickly faded away once the process finally began. Sirzechs summoned a small magic circle in Grayfias chest and out of it came the original Queen piece that he used on her. He casually grabbed the Queen piece that Issei held and placed it within the magic circle which soon disappeared back into her.

Issei stared at Sirzechs and Grayfia, switching between them as his hopes of seeing something marvelous were shattered into pieces. "That's it? You literally just pulled out your piece and put in mine."

Sirzechs shrugged whilst Grayfia just gave him a simple nod. "It's the twenty-first century Issei. Long drawn out rituals are so old-fashioned." Grayfia joked.

Issei was slightly offended by Grayfias joke. All his life he was used to the long rituals after seeing his father do so many as a child. For now, he would drop the subject. He could take being called old fashioned but Satan help him if one of the two were to call him old. Even if it wouldn't be entirely wrong. He was an entire millennium older than Grayfia and half a millennia older than Sirzechs.

"Fine, whatever. I'm going to go look for the cat." Issei said, quickly preparing a magic circle so he could avoid any other teases.

"Ah yes, you're searching for the SS-Class Stray Devil," Grayfia said. During the time that Issei was at Kuoh Academy, Sirzechs caught her up on what he had been planning. Long story short she wasn't exactly thrilled about it. "Just so you know I'm completely against it."

Issei had fully expected that to be her reaction. He came up with two possible theories. Either she didn't want to clean up after whatever mess Kuroka would make, or she didn't want to risk another female wanting to get in his pants. Both likely options. "I would be disappointed if you weren't!" With that, Issei left the two in search of Kuroka.

Grayfia rubbed her temples because she knew that one way or another things wouldn't turn out the way she would like it to. "He's going to create a harem now isn't he?"

"Well, it is common now. You're already likely to deal with Gabriel in the near future so it's possible others come along for the ride." Sirzechs said.

Grayfia was highly annoyed. She'll miss the old days when it was only her and Issei but she can live with it. So long that she had Issei in her life, she'll be willing to share. Mostly. "I hope he knows that I'll have to sign off on the women."

Sirzechs could understand her terms. She wasn't going to allow just anyone to have their way with her soon-to-be husband. Though he hoped she remembered that he was also engaged to Rias and Ravel. He honestly wouldn't be bothered it Ravel didn't make her expectations but Rias was another story. Grayfia had been like an older sister to Rias growing up so he thought that would get her approval. At least he hoped.

"So..uh, how about Rias."

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