A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 276: Interlude 16

Venelana POV

I felt more relaxed than I had in quite some time.

I was sore in ways I haven't been for years, but the amount of stress that washed away made it a very pleasant feeling. There was also the fact that I now had a lover again. Something I realized I missed more than I had originally thought. I loved my family dearly, but they very well could't fill that missing piece.

The sex was wonderful, but it felt nice to be held by someone again. How lucky was I to finally find someone who wouldn't be detrimental to Sirzech's position or use my own status as leverage? Not to mention he really hit all my buttons.

A young, handsome, powerful man that came to my rescue, I simply couldn't let that chance go by.

And I'll admit that it really made me tingle knowing I's doing naughty things with my grandson.

Speaking of, I wondered if Wilhelm noticed that I left my panties on his bed for him~

Should I send him a message and ask him to take care of them for me?

Hmm, how long should I wait before reaching out? I didn't want to come off strongly?, I didn't know how the kids these days did things.

Maybe I could ask someone?

I doubted Rias would be....amused by my attempts to further enhance my budging relationship with her nephew.

Perhaps Akeno?

It's not a secret how sexually repressed that girl was, so I don't think she would object. Which was strange considering how often Rias forget to put up a sound barrier around her room when she spent time with her Queen.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, it would be odder if she didn't spend quality time together with her queen. But just because I rode my grandson until my legs gave out didn't mean I wanted to hear my daughter getting spanked.

There was a difference between them when I can still remember Rias running around and calling me 'mommy'.

Hmm, and that brought up an interesting question. Wilhelm had an adoptive daughter, will she call me Grandmother or something else since I will be in a harem with Yasaka as well.

I supposed that's something I should speak with his other women about. There were many things to work out if this relationship is going to work. And for being such a young man, he surprisingly knows how communicate effectively. Me and Zeo were definitely not this earnest when we first started our trysts. It took many years for us both to understand how to be a partner for the other. Yet, Wilhelm plainly asked about what we both wanted out of the relationship beyond just a nice night together.

It was a surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless. While I would admit to having a slight misgiving about his age, I did enjoy the attention of a young man, but I didn't like the idea of the maturity levels that were common at that age. I spent enough time in human colleges to get an idea of what to expect from him, but I was pleasantly wrong.

Not that he didn't have his moments, but they were more boyish and cute than a turnoff. I certainly didn't want someone who couldn't relax or take a joke. That just reminded me of that stuffy old man back at the Bael house.

I welcomed the familiar view, the walls and furniture i recognized as the Magics around me faded from the Teleportation.

"Vene, you're back." Zeo was the only one to greet me.

"Hello, Zeo." I smiled at him. "Are the kids home?"

"Everyone's still here." He nodded. "We set up a room for Millicas. He's still sleeping, apparently whatever they put in him had an effect of making him weak during the detoxifying process. So he's sleeping it off still."

"Oh I'm glad he's almost back to normal." I let out a sigh of relief. I knew he would be fine, but to actually hear it was another thing entirely. "He hasn't woken up?"

"Only briefly." Zeo replied. "Grayfia and Sirzechs were there to tell him he was home and safe so the boy could sleep soundly." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, he's a strong one. He's our grandchild afterall." He gave a reassuring smile.

"Of course." I squeezed his hand, returning the gesture.

"Speaking of grandchildren." He quirked an eyebrow, visibly running his gaze up and down my body. "You were gone all night, something you want to confess?"

"Are you really going to play coy, you brat." I swatted at his shoulder. "You know damn well what happened."

"Hahaha." He tilted his head back letting out a laugh. "I saw that look when you said you were going to talk to him. And don't call me a brat, you're only a month older than me!"

"Older is still older." I giggled. "And I do not have a look!"

"We've been married how long?" He smirked. "I know that look all too well."

This man, he could always rile me up.

"Your hair is a little...." He stepped forward, gesturing to me. I leaned down as he fixed something I missed. "There, that's better."

"Thanks, Zeo." I couldn't help but smile brightly towards him.

Zeo and I looked at one another before he let out a sigh. "Where did we go wrong, Vene?"

"I don't think we went wrong anywhere. Things just happen, it was no ones fault."

"Yeah, I know." Zeo let out another sigh. He was much less reserved when it was just us. "I'm happy, I really am. You deserve to find something to appreciate you...If I'm not reading into things incorrectly."

"Oh Zeo, you don't need to say it like that." Ever since we realized the romantic feelings died, he seemed to think it was his fault. "Regardless of what happens, you're always going to be that idiotic boy I knew when we were kids. You are my best friend, Zeo." I cupped his cheek. "Yes, the romantic love is gone, but that doesn't mean anything changes outside of that."

"I know, I know." His shoulders drooped. "I just miss what we once had."

"It was beautiful and we had it for centuries. It lasted through two major wars and we have two amazing children. Mourn for what we had, but don't get depressed that it's gone. Neither of us are at fault, so don't blame yourself."

"Bah." He grunted, straightening up. "Look at me, getting so sappy in old age." He straightened his collar. "You're right, as you always are." He turned his frown around. "But can you humor me? I was afraid to ask before, and then it never came up again. Was there a point where you just....?"

"When I woke up and you weren't in the bed with me." We tiptoed around this for so long because it seemed like a distant thing. I didn't expect to find another lover so quickly like this, I guess we should clear the air. "It happened often; I wasn't upset about that. But I was trying to remember who you were with, which one in your harem, and I couldn't even remember her name."

"That was after Cynthia finally left, wasn't it?" He sighed again.

"Yes, it was." I didn't deny it. "Cynthia was the last of your harem that I felt a connection to." I shook my head.

It wasn't strange for a Devil to change their harem over the years. We're very long lived, people grow apart, Zeo and I were a perfect example. Sometimes someone wanted to leave, there could even be a falling out, or a myriad of other reasons for a separation.

At that point in time, all of Zeo's original harem were gone, Cynthia the last to leave. A pianist from a few centuries ago that Zeo and I adored.

"I realized that I didn't know any of your Harem members anymore, and that led me to realize that even my feelings were gone as I didn't even seem to mind that fact."

"And I was sleeping more with my harem and I didn't even give a second thought that we hadn't so much as kissed in over a month." He sighed once more. "Yes, I remember it. And I felt the same way."

I didn't speak again, but opted to pull him into a hug.

"Thank you, Vene, for the wonderful years we spent together." He said softly.

"You stupid boy, you don't have to thank me for something I'll always cherish."

"Can I invite him over and give him the talk?" I noticed the tone that Zeo used, the one where he wants to cause problems for a laugh.

"I'll pass on a message if you want, but he's very against meeting everyone." I wished I could just agree, but that was still a sore point for Wilhelm and not something I wanted to push.

"I wish I had been more attentive with him. It sounds like our other grandson is a good man and we missed out on it."

"Mmm, it's not a complete loss yet. I've made some good progress with him. And while we agreed to separate our family matters from the relationship, that doesn't mean I can't talk to him about it." I would ask Wilhelm and see if he's interested in meeting Zeo.

"That's good. And I want you to tell me more about him later." He slowly pulled away. "Until then, want to go traumatize our children with how you're sleeping with your grandson?"

"Oh Zeo, you read my mind." I smiled brightly.

I swear, how did we end up with three of the prudish devils in the underworld as our family?

***

"Mom, you're home?" Rias was the first to burst in as Zeo and I sat at the dining room table. "You met with Wilhelm, right? Were there any issues?"

"I'm home, and yes, there were no problems." I soothed her concerns, she's probably more worried since the kidnapping.

It was only a moment later that Sirzechs and Grayfia walked into the room. Both looked significantly better than when I last saw them.

"How's Millicas?" I asked as they sat down, I gestured to the already placed cups of tea for them to enjoy.

"Good, he's doing good." Grayfia looked a little tired, but the good kind. "I've been monitoring him for a little while and he's still doing well."

"He seems to be just sleeping off the exhaustion now. He's being monitored by every spell we know, and he's being watched by Ajuka." Sirzech's added.

"Is Ajuka still blaming himself?" I questioned.

It was good that Millicas was in the clear, otherwise I wouldn't want to cause them unnecessary stress while they're worried about him.

My son let out a sigh. "I keep telling him it isn't his fault, but he won't relent." Sirzech's just shrugged. "I convinced him to take a break by telling him where an Old Satan Faction research facility was." He finished with a head shake.

Mmm, Ajuka was a prideful man. The fact that he couldn't trace us through the teleportation's must have shook his pride greatly.

"Are you still hiding our return?" I didn't wish to accidently reveal myself if that were the case.

"No, we announced your safe return not too long ago." Sirzechs shook his head. "We reached a point where we couldn't push anymore without significant backlash."

"Unfortunate." I admitted.

"Not entirely." Grayfia smiled proudly. "I made an appearance of my own, and I happened to run into that Katerea Leviathan. And I had a lot of stress to work through."

"Oh my." I covered my mouth to hide my growing smile. "I'm sure it was a very productive conversation you had."

"Oh certainly." My Daughter in Law replied. "Let's just say she's going to be out of commission for a few months. It's a shame that she is actually somewhat competent, otherwise I could have taken a limb."

"A shame indeed." I giggled.

"It should be enough to keep them quiet for awhile." Sirzechs took a sip of his tea. "We still need to go talk to Zekram though, which I don't look forward to."

"So everythings settled?" Rias asked, having been quiet thus far.

"Yes, Rias." Grayfia held a faint smile. "However, you should be careful. If they were bold enough to do what they did the middle of the city, who knows what they would do otherwise."

"That's a good point." Sirzechs sat down his cup. "We should strengthen the defenses around Kuoh."

"Serafall already beat you to it." Rias replied. "Sona was telling me that she was there already doing a bunch of stuff."

"Of course." Grayfia shook her head. "Why would I expect anything different from her?'

It's not exactly a secret that Serafall cared quite a bit about Sona. I thought my son was bad with his doting on Rias, but Serafall really took it to a new level.

"How.....was Wilhelm?" Rias finally asked, seemingly finding the courage as she shied away from any real response.

The others around the table visibly stiffened at her question.

"He's doing well." I said simply. "I talked to him briefly and answered some of his questions."

"....that's it?" Grayfia asked as well. Even Sirzech's, while being silent, seemed to be listening intently.

"He did tell me about the people that Euclid worked for, if you want to confirm everything that way." I wanted to get that part out of the way. "Does the Khaos Brigade ring a bell?"

"Yes." Sirzechs finally spoke up after mentioning his wayward son. "That is the name of the organization that Euclid gave up."

"I'll write down everything else I was told." I just nodded. "But I have another announcement to make, something personal and important for the family."

"The Family? Is something wrong?" Rias sounded a little worried.

Zeo and I looked at each other, I took his hand for support. It was a strange step to make, a more official declaration that we knew was coming for awhile now.

"It's something we've been hesitating to reveal for several years now." Zeo explained, giving me an opportunity to continue.

"Your father and I are going to be seeing other people." I thought a blunt reveal would be best.

"W-what!?" Rias slammed her hands on the table, shooting to her feet. "You're getting a divorce!?"

"Rias, calm down." Zeo calmly replied. "We haven't mentioned a divorce....yet."

Yes, that would take some planning. Our marriage, while one of love, was very political in nature. It would be difficult to foresee any consequences of us being officially separated. However, I didn't believe that's going to be a problem in the immediate future.

Wilhelm was aware that I am still married to Zeo, and he didn't seem to mind as long as our relationship wasn't that of husband and wife.

"Since when....?" Sirzechs looked at us in surprise as well.

Really, it was only Grayfia that didn't seem surprised.

"Many years now." It would be pointless to find the exact time frame. "Your father and I realized that we don't love each other in that way anymore. We're finally bringing this up because I've found someone."

"Y-you found someone?" Rias slumped back in her seat. "Like you're dating someone?"

"That is correct, I have a new lover." I nodded.

"Venelana, you didn't." Grayfia slowly raised her palm, bringing it to her face. "Please tell me you didn't."

"What, what?" Rias looked confused, and even Sirzechs didn't seem to understand.

Well, Grayfia had always been a smart one.

"You were gone the entire night." She said, "Please tell me I'm wrong."

"I wouldn't want to be a liar." I held myself back from laughing.

"What!? Someone explain please!" Rias looked around.

"Your mother.....apparently slept with your nephew." Grayfia groaned out, head falling to her hands.

"M-mother!? She's wrong, right?"

"Oh no, that's definitely what happened." I smiled towards my daughter. "It was a wonderful night we spent together."

Their reactions were amusing to see.

"Dad!? You can't be okay with this?" Rias looked for support from her father.

"I'm well aware of your Mother's matters, Rias. And I support her wholeheartedly." Zeo didn't even react outwardly, but I knew him well enough to know he was going to be laughing in private afterwards.

"Mother!" Sirzech's finally decided to speak. "You can't date my son!"

"Oh, now he's your son?" I raised an eyebrow. "That's funny, why wasn't I told about this?" Millicas was back safe and sound, that meant I didn't need to hold myself back from continuing to express my displeasure. "Besides, I'm afraid that ship has long past sailed."

"Its, its inappropriate!" He slammed his hands on the table, perhaps properly registering what we actually did all night. "He's your grandson! Y-you can't just....."

Yes he was, and that thought kept me nice and wet all night.

"I assure you, I most certainly can, and I did. And if we're talking about inappropriate, do you mean like keeping one of Rias's old school uniforms in your closet with a temporary washable red-hair dye?" I said dryly, looking at both him and Grayfia.

"W-what?" Rias was broken from her stupor as she looked at Grayfia and her brother.

Grayfia started turning a bright red.

"Grayfia!? Brother!?" Rias exclaimed with her own face turning red.

"Ahem." Zeo cleared his throat. "And if we're still on the subject of....inappropriate things. While we always encourage some.... exploration, perhaps you should make sure you sound proof your room when you're with Akeno, Rias."

"Bwah!?" Rias sounded mortified and utterly shocked as she fall back into her chair.

I glanced at Zeo who looked back at me before looking at our children sitting at the table.

Rias was sputtering something unintelligible.

Grayfia was burying her face into her hands, completely mortified.

And Sirzechs was staring off into space, perhaps coming to terms with his mother was getting fucked by his bastard son.

"Our family meetings are always so productive." I said absentmindedly.

"Oh yes, quite productive." He nodded, calmly sipping his tea.

***

Sorry for the late chapter, don't feel too well and probably not posting tomorrow. Think I have food poisioning or something.

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