HSDXD: a devilish EVA

CHAPTER 2

rias was surprised when she met no resistance from adriel when she told him she'd be moving in, she did however notice when she moved in he promptly moved out, he didn't move out of the castle, that where his lab, and his work was, but when rias took to moving into the master bedroom of the castle, adriel took to moving his own things out and into a room within his labs down in the dungeon

rias had sighed at this, but what could she do

she took to exploring the castle as a whole after helping her servants move into the castle, she hadn't done so before, but since she was to live here now she figured it be a good idea to do so

"ah lady marchosias" rias heard adriel's queen winter say

"winter right" rias asked

"that is correct, winter schnee, queen to master adriel, at your service, master adriel had rescued us from an abusive father, we have served him faithfully since" winter said

"rias nodded

"so your like my servants then" she asked

"not all of us, aishela for example joined simply because it would bring her more excitement, and it would if master adriel truly led us, but he simply hands the task off to erza, and she is a good leader, it is just, we could be so much more, if our master simply embraced what he had, instead of chasing something he already has yet refuses to see" winter said

"what do you mean" rias asked

"a little known fact about master adriel's peerage pieces, they can be ejected at any point, should a member no longer wish to be in service" winter said, as rias's eyes widened

"we would still be devils, but we would lose the power the piece in question gave us, but yes it can be removed, should we wish to be free, or to serve someone else, each and every one of master adriel's servants knows this, they were told of this when they were recruited, we are still here, some of us are even high-class, like erza or myself, but we choose to remain in master adriel's service, despite his urging for us to take peerages of our own, we like our lives here, we belong to master adriel, mind, body, and soul, we all believe this, and we all do so by choice" winter said

"i see" rias said

"we know why your here, why you chose to move into castle, we approve, but in order for shinji to move on he must let go of the past and look forward, something he is having trouble doing" winter said, rias nodded

"then i have a lot of work to do" rias said

"you are determined, good, i hope you will be the person our master deserves and sorely needs" winter said, as she walked away from rias

"i'll do my best" rias replied, to winter's retreating form, in that moment she chose to search for her husband starting in the dungeons, he was there working on his most recent project, that had the appearance of a more dangerous looking lance of longinus

"yes rias, what is it" i asked, as she jumped, she didn't expect him to know it was her

"there is only one individual in this castle besides yourself that enters this lab, and she always reveals herself immediately, what is it you need" i asked

"can we talk" rias asked

"about" i asked in turn

"our relationship or lack thereof" she said, i paused for just a moment, before putting down the spear

"what is it" i asked again

"adriel............ shinji we have been married for the past three years" rias said

"if you can even call it marriage" i said with a snort

"then why do you wear the ring, i am positive your peerage don't care either way and only those invited can enter the grounds, without risk of being attacked by your rather imposing sentry, and those that do enter wouldn't care either so why do you wear it" rias asked

"i............. i don't know" she said

"yes you do, don't lie, i have come here every week for the past three years trying to make something out of this marriage, you have refused to let me" rias said

"i have refused to let you use me you mean, i am not a weapon, and my children will not be used for anyone's political gain" i said

"but i haven't always come to see you with sex in mind" rias pointed out

"no, you have however always come with the perspective that you can butter me up, and maybe i'll sleep with you next time, you wanted to be with me only because the alternative was less then satisfactory, that's fine, i came to terms with that before we were even married, but don't try and tell me, we were ever a thing in your mind, i was simply a means to end, satisfy your parents with a child of mine, and they will leave you alone to find someone you want, i refuse to allow my children to become bargaining chips, it's better they aren't born at all, i want my children to born to a mother AND father who both love and want to protect them" i said

"you think i wouldn't love my children" rias said insulted

"i believe that eventually you will follow in your families footsteps, telling your children what you do, you do for their own good, do you know why i believe that" i asked

"why" she asked

"because even i am following in my parents footsteps" i said, her eyes widened

"you don't mean" she asked

"i have begun work on the EVAs in a different form they may be, but they are EVAs, my first task is resurrecting my unit-01, then i will go from there, ajuka knows what i am doing, and has sent me what i needed to continue my work" i said

"so that spear" she asked, pointing at the red spear on the workbench

"unit-02, or i hope it to be right now it is just a spear, the true longinus i recovered from that fool cao-cao has proved to be a very useful asset" i replied in confirmation, she had no idea i was working on such a project

"why" rias asked

"because................................ because i don't know what else to do with my life, because i am not allowed to have my own happiness, or choose who i want to spend my life with, i am expected to surround myself with women, simply because my clan was once dead, it's a nightmare but one i have learned to deal with" i said