"...." - Virgil.
"...." - Jane.
"...." - Rudy.
Once everything had settled, Rias was taken to the royal dining hall as she was hungry. She hadn't eaten or drank anything for over three months— while her body was placed in a preserved state where it was constantly feeding and draining on magic— her stomach was still empty.
It had been one hour since then, and Rias was still eating. She had emptied over 30 plates, and she was nowhere near full.
Virgil, Jane, and Rudy had finished eating within ten minutes and had been waiting for Rias to finish. They didn't want to get up from their seat as it would have been rude to leave when someone was still eating.
Even the maids were troubled as they were running short on food, and if Rias kept eating at her rate, they would have to prepare a new lot.
"What's with these blood moon fruits?" Rias asked while drinking a blood moon milkshake and adding slices of the blood moon fruit into it.
"What about it?" Rudy asked.
"I don't think I have ever seen these many blood moon fruits served on the table, like never. So… are they for the celebration of me waking up or something?" Rias wondered.
"Well… you see…" Virgil glanced at Rudy and said, "I think you should answer that."
'Again, don't use my line on me! And if you are not going to explain, then don't butt into the conversation!'
Rudy's face twitched from the sides, but he managed to stay calm in front of Rias.
"I… will tell you everything after you finish eating."
"I see."
Rias drank the milkshake and said, "I am done, then."
'At least give me time to prepare myself! I have thought of all the possibilities and have answers to almost all the questions. But still…'
Rias turned to Jane and said, "Jane, my lovely little sister, I have forgiven you as you were just a pawn used by someone."
"Thank… you…" Jane nodded nervously.
"I can't wait to hear the story from your side."
"Huh?"
"You will tell me what happened after I was placed in the slumber, right?"
"Oh… yeah. Of course."
Rias raised her brow and said, "And I trust that you will always be honest with me and won't ever lie to me."
"Yes…"
"And you would never do something that would break my heart or hurt me emotionally or physically," Rias added.
"Yea…s."
With every response, Jane's voice got lower. She was feeling scared and guilty. She was afraid, to tell the truth to Rias as that would mean she broke all the promises they had made.
"Okay, then." Rias got up with a smile on her face and said, "I will have a walk around the palace with my Rudy. You can do anything you want. We will talk later."
"Sure…"
Rias turned to Rudy and said, "Shall we go now?"
"Uhh… Rias…" Virgil called out to Rias in a faint voice.
"Yes?"
"Umm… There is a celebration party this evening, and you must attend it."
"Celebration? For me?"
"Obviously."
"I am not really happy, to be honest. If my Rudy wasn't here or he had forgotten about me completely, I would have preferred to stay in an eternal slumber and never wake up," she asserted in a solemn voice.
"...."
Her words left Virgil speechless.
'Why does Rias seem so… different?' Rudy wondered. 'I know she is in a bad mood and all, but… something is… no, stop overthinking it, Rudy. Her reaction and behavior are completely normal. I am not the same either.'
Rias walked past Rudy after saying, "Let's go, Rudy."
Rudy and Rias walked into the hallway while glancing at each other. There were rooms lined on the inside side, and the other side was open with balconies.
Rias was gazing in the sky while Rudy was looking at Rias.
"So…" Rudy cleared his throat and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Dead."
"Hmm?"
"My body feels numb, and I have a tingling sensation inside me every time I move or speak. I guess my body will take time to return to its normal state," she responded without looking at Rudy.
"Just like how one feels after recovering from fear, I guess."
Rias turned to Rudy and asked, "What about you? How are you feeling?"
"I am fine. As you can see, I am enjoying my stay here," Rudy responded with a smile on his face.
Rias inspected Rudy's body— although the only thing to notice was his attire and his long hair.
"You look weird in this outfit. And what's with the long hair?"
"You think so? Maybe it's because you have only seen me in modern clothes. And the same goes for you, I guess. You used to wear modern clothes too," Rudy shrugged. "As for my hair… well, let's talk about it."
"For how long have you been staying here?"
"Three to four days."
"Hmm…" Rias lowered her gaze and muttered, "For me, it was like I was put into the slumber a few hours ago. I didn't realize the flow of time. Still, six months passed in a blink, and I am sure many things have changed."
"Oh. No, actually, only three months and a few days have passed."
"Hmm? But I was told that the slumber would last for six months, and it was unchangeable…" Rias muttered with a confused face.
"Yes, it was. But I… well, let's talk while sitting. As I said, it's going to be a long story, and I am going to tell you everything."
They walked to the end of the hallway and stepped into the lounge balcony.
"This is my favorite spot. Whenever I was sad or happy, I used to come here and spend some time alone," Rias stated.
"Is that so…"
"Come. Sit."
Rias and Rudy sat on the chair beside each other while calling the open view of the kingdom.
"So… should I start the story?" Rudy asked while glancing at Rias from the corner of his eyes.
"Hmm." She quietly nodded and said, "But before you do, I want to know something."
"Okay. As right away."
"For how long have you been fooling around with Jane?" she asked with a knowing look on her face.
The title of this chapter was double meaning and a spoiler of the ending of this chapter.
