Second Dance with the Sister-in-Law I

"You have had a busy evening, brother-in-law".

Layla approached me in the end, if I was a human I would have been rendered disabled by how much dancing I did today, not bad for my first time doing it.

"Yes, who would have thought that these many ladies are interested in me?~" I held her waist and we got in position, it was then that I detected movement from Sirzechs' side.

'So you're about to make your move?~'

"Hush, you speak as if you're not aware of your charm, thankfully... I managed to ask you in time, otherwise, you wouldn't have danced with me. Do you mind if I set up a barrier?"

"Do you have 'business' to talk to me?"

"Not business..."

"Go ahead".

Layla set up the barrier around us, placing us in a certain degree of isolation, she then pulled my body towards her intimately, I was expecting this, but... it seemed as if she was clutching onto me for dear life.

The chattery that I expected didn't come, instead, she merely hugged me tightly against her body, taking my hand and placing it so low that I was almost gracing her bottom.

'Layla...'

'I want to hug you, brother-in-law... I know... you're aware of everything. You know I was sent by Sirzechs, you know he intends to take my big sister away to speak to her... you know everything don't you? from the beginning...'

'Oh? how can you tell?'

'Your attitude, your power... moreover, your senses get particularly heavy around me when you're triggered as if your sense is on us at all times, but only when you want would you pay attention to us...' It was as if she was stating her guess but I felt confident about it.

My senses spread as wide as the whole underworld and beyond, I can't completely cover the dimensional gap, but a big span of it. I'm not omnipresent, able to look at everything all the time. But I can set my senses wherever I want whenever I want... as long as anything exists on this planet I can sense it, in the case of barriers... a merely have to put more attention to it before noticing.

Hardly anything could escape my grasp, it was even more so in Helius where only primordials and a certain amount of gods could elude me, they had their own ways of communication.

Layla hadn't 'discovered' she merely guessed my capabilities.

'That is the case, so? what's next?' I asked her with a smirk, she knows my intentions, so what? this is my opportunity to test Grayfia again, this time, if she failed... then I don't know what I'd do, could I trust her again?

'Next is... I want to finish this dance with you and then, could you follow me somewhere? It is time for me to tuck Millicas to bed, he's sleeping on his seat already~' We both shot the boy a gaze and smirked upon seeing him snoring on a table.

'What are you planning, Layla?'

'Don't make yourself a fool, Richter-sama... you know...' She said matter of factly, making me tilt my eyebrows amusingly.

'It would be a mistake for you to believe me omniscient, my reasoning can only take me so long... I don't want to do something... and then the hypothesis that I have in mind ends up being wrong~'

'You're not imagining things... Richter-sama, it is exactly as you're imagining... I want this' Her words concealed determination but also... arousal.

'Is it you seeking a shoulder to cry on?' I asked with a frown, if that was the case, I wouldn't accept her.

'It is me seeking a body that will hug me during these difficult times, Richter-sama... I'm tired, I'm so tired of fruitlessly trying to force someone to love me...'

'...'

'Will you come with me?' Her tone switched as if all of the sudden she was no longer my sister-in-law but instead, a beautiful lady who fancied a man and threw a bone to him to chew on, the bone being her whole self.

'Where...?' I asked with intrigue, not able to expect what she had in mind.

'Outside the castle... to the forest up north where no one will see us, Richter-sama, will you come with me?' As we danced I felt her breath on my neck, she insisted on making us tight and close, we were the only ones left dancing, everyone else minding their own business with only a few placing their gazes on us. The banquet was almost finished, yet she was asking me this.

This was an impromptu invitation. What could two people possibly do away from a party in the middle of a desolate forest, male and female?

I frowned deeply and sent a gaze in Grayfia's way, she was sitting with Fia, Hephaestus and Lord Bael when I shot a glance in her direction, she saw how intimate I was dancing with Layla, but several more feelings loomed in her gaze.

It was then that Sirzechs stood up, maintaining his distance from her and spoke something to her. It immediately changed the gazes of everyone on the table that looked at Sirzechs as if he was a madman, sending a glance my way, ready to flee at any moment were I to blast him away once again.

'Brother-in-law... come with me' Layla repeated herself, placing her hand on the back of my head and caressing my hair.

Grayfia saw this and then she noticed Layla's movements and it was as if everything suddenly clicked on her.

I accepted Layla's invitation and she took my hand in between her shivering ones.

She led me towards Millicas who was almost sleeping on his seat, it was too late for him to be awake. I carried the boy and took him to Lucy who was still speaking with Albedo.

"Lucy"

"Yes, Richter-sama?" Lucy shot a suspicious glance towards me and Layla but didn't pry further, Albedo, however, was smirking to the side.

'Are you two about to have a secret rendezvous, Richter-sama? weren't you dancing too close for a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law before? do you mind if I join?~'

'...' I ignored the girl which only rendered her to giggle even more.

"Could you tuck this boy in a private room of his own, it is too late already" I ordered her and then shot Albedo a 'glance' she giggled in response.

'I'm not going to do anything to the young boy~ trust me'.

'I don't trust you, but I trust the fear that you have for me...'

Albedo frowned but kept her sassy smile in place as Lucy took the boy away, carrying him downstairs.

Layla took my hand and our slow descent towards the ground floor began.

It was silent as we departed. I kept my senses on Grayfia at all times in case something happened, and I could feel hers focused on us as sharp as a dagger ready to kill.