It didn’t take Rain and Misery very long to stop crying.
Maybe that was only fitting for first-rate maids. At the very least, when it came to calming their agitated emotions, they seemed better at it than the other [Primordial Demons].
That said, calming down emotionally and continuing to cling to Adelio in his arms were two entirely different matters.
Like children in a parent’s embrace, the two women clutched tightly at Adelio’s clothes as if they would never let him go again, sticking to him without the slightest movement.
If I’m going to say it, this really isn’t the best moment... but if not now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to.
In the end, giving up on trying to pull them away, Adelio gently stroked them and held them a little tighter.
And then...
"...Rain, Misery. There’s something I need to tell you both."
Soon after, he calmly repeated the message Ria had given him.
The message that said she would give them a "chance"... something he felt he would never be able to say unless it was now, while the two of them were finally quiet.
**
A little while later...
...
Rain and Misery buried their faces deep against Adelio, letting out only faint breaths.
Even after hearing Ria’s so-called "chance," which was practically a provocation, all the way to the end, the two women remained silent.
Their eerie stillness would have looked to anyone like they were suppressing their anger toward Ria, but Adelio didn’t think that was it.
If they had truly been angry, then surely they would have shown some kind of reaction. They would never have chosen silence.
"...I know your hearts are still in turmoil, so I’m sorry for bringing this up at a time like this."
Adelio apologized to them.
He had chosen to tell them now because he didn’t want Rain and Misery to spiral out of control, but in exchange, he hadn’t been considerate of how they felt.
So, thinking he would accept it quietly even if they resented him, Adelio opened his mouth again.
"This is my fault for being indecisive and failing to properly choose either side. So if you want to blame me, I won’t—"
"...It’s fine."
Rain cut off Adelio’s apology midway.
Perhaps embarrassed by how red her eyes still were, she turned her head away haughtily when Adelio’s startled gaze fell on her face.
"...This isn’t your fault. We’re the ones who fell for you on our own, and we’re the ones who hid how we really felt. So... there’s no reason for us to blame you."
"...Rain."
"...We already fell for you, so what else could we do?"
Rain’s voice still carried a trace of tears, but it was calm.
Just as Adelio had thought, she wasn’t angry. Neither of them was. Because they knew.
Even if they didn’t like this "chance" Ria had given them, it was the only possibility they had. And if they let this chance slip away, the moment he accepted their feelings would never come.
"...I don’t particularly like the fact that Ria is looking down on us from above, but we still intend to accept it."
Taking over from Rain, Misery referred to Ria as [Blanc] again, just as she had before.
She turned her beautiful green eyes toward Adelio, their light unwavering.
Her gaze, deeper even than that of a High Elf, held a kind of resolve.
She had already made up her mind that if she could remain by the side of the one she loved, nothing else mattered.
"...I don’t mind if I can’t become your first. If I can stay by your side, that alone is enough for me."
As she said that, Misery smiled softly.
She was not someone who smiled easily, but now that she had finally conveyed her feelings to the one she loved, things were different.
She might not be first, but the feelings she had always hidden, believing they would never be accepted, had finally reached him.
"...Because someday... the chance to overturn those ‘rankings’ will definitely come too."
And if she stayed by his side long enough, then someday, she believed a chance would come for her to steal the position of first.
"I feel the same way as Misery."
Of course, Rain felt the same. With her pride, which was even stronger than Misery’s, there was no way she would give up the position of first so easily.
The calm before the storm that heralded a war destined to last a very long time.
...However, Adelio did not hear Misery’s tiny murmur, and because of that, he would suffer for it in the future... but that was still a distant story.
So for now...
"...Thank you, Rain. Misery."
He was simply grateful for the choice the two women had made.
At the same time, the karmic debt that would one day come back to him was still steadily growing, even in this moment when he knew nothing about it.
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