19 Fond Memories

With Grayfia's presence on the table, the dinner was quiet and smooth. Several compliments were thrown our way for the delicious Indian Cuisine we had made together.

Credit was to be shared, because Grayfia knew how to make better Kulfi than me and she had shown me the recipe as well.

"Where are you going to sleep, Grayfia-san?" Xenovia asked when she remembered that Alexander's step mother was going to stay with them for a few days.

"There's a guest room on the first floor." Grayfia replied, "There wasn't a bed before in it, so I have brought a new one."

I suspiciously narrowed my eyes at her, because I didn't know when that had happened.

We ate the dessert while discussing several things amongst ourselves, such as the traditions of the Underworld and how the Devils lived. Irina and Xenovia were curious, because becoming a part of my Peerage would essentially turn them into Devils.

Though, after the Dessert was over, I bid them good night and went to my room. I wanted to train a little in my Domain and also had school tomorrow.

'Good thing I remembered to save some of that Dessert for Ophis.' She loves Ice Cream.

I went inside my room and remembered that I also had some homework to finish. It sounded ridiculous for me to complete my homework, but if I wanted to attend a proper school life, then this was one of the requirements.

I started doing my homework by sitting on the study desk and after a while, I heard a knock on my room's door.

"Come in." I called out without looking at who it was.

"Is it a good time?" I heard Grayfia's voice after the door opened and saw that she held a album in her hands.

Not only that, she was no longer wearing her maid uniform and was dressed in a black night gown that perfectly clung to several parts of her body.

"That album." I pointed out, "Is that the proof?"

"More or less." She replied and closed the door behind her, before she entered the room and sat on my bed.

"We can start once you're done finishing your homework."

'Is this woman trying to tempt me?' I turned back to my desk with a flustered expression and gulped subconsciously, 'Devil Step moms are dangerous.'

"I'll be done in a few minutes." I replied and took a deep breath to relax myself.

I felt her presence right behind me and she leaned forward on my shoulder to look at my book, "Algebra." She noted and looked at the sums I had solved, "Your answers are correct, but you should be more detailed."

"This is homework." I rolled my eyes, "I'll be more detailed when I am solving these sums on the Exam sheet."

"That makes sense." She nodded in acknowledgment and started looking at the other books on my desk.

"What do you feel about your father, Alex?" She asked all of a sudden.

"What do I feel.." I frowned, "I feel like he should be dead."

"Even after the things I told you?" Grayfia curiously titled her head to me, "Your father is a busy man. Even now, he's struggling to maintain peace between the Three Factions."

"That's none of my concern." I snorted and closed my book after I solved the last question, "If he really cared as you say, he could've at least visited me once."

"He cared, that's why he never visited you." Grayfia calmly argued back, "Until last year, Sirzechs had no valid reason to visit Kuoh. He's a Maou, they need to be careful of the moves they make, because the Three Factions are not the only ones keeping an eye on us."

"In this case, the Shinto Gods." Grayfia stated as I arranged all the books in my bag and got off my desk, "They would've laid claim on you after your mother's death, if they knew that you had his powers."

"Why did she have to die?" I clenched my fist with an exasperated frown, "He could've simply turned her into a Dev-"

"No." Grayfia interjected me with a deep frown, "That's not something your mother, especially your father wanted. Not only that would've risk your life, but your mother would've wished she were dead."

"Huh?" I shot her a death glare and gave her the last chance to explain her last statement.

"Things that happen in the Underworld are different from what happens here." Grayfia sighed and sat on the bed, "Devil species have a extremely low birth rate, because the matured women in our kind don't bleed like the human females do."

"Oh.." I got a little nervous when I comprehended what she was trying to say.

She patted her hand on the bed and gestured me to sit next to her. I sighed anxiously and she gave me the space to sit down, "So you're saying, my mother would've been forced to-"

"You don't really need to say it." Grayfia interrupted and patted on my shoulder with a sad smile, "How do you feel about him now?"

"I still want to kick his ass." I grumbled, but I wasn't clenching my fists any longer.

Grayfia smiled in response and moved on the bed to lay on the other side, "Come, now I'll show you the album I had collected since you were a toddler."

"Toddler." I snorted and laid next to her as she opened the album.

"This is you, after a few months you were born." She pointed at the baby peacefully sleeping in the cradle.

"He has black hair." I furrowed my brows.

"Yes." Grayfia hugged me closer to her side and giggled at the fond memories, "You had black hair like your mom, but they changed colour when you activated your Devil powers."

"Oh.." I was a little flustered by the intimacy between us. But, she didn't seem like she cared at all, so I relaxed as well.

She continued showing me various photos of my childhood, my mother and herself, when we were together. I was surprised that she played such an important role during my childhood and was slightly irked how easily she had erased my memories.

"Do you hate me?" My sudden question got her startled and she stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"I admit, I used to." She replied by looking straight into my eyes, while we laid next to each other in the dim lighted room.

"I don't now." She said again with a bashful expression, before I could say anything.

"Why the change of heart?" I asked curiously.

"I.." She hesitated, "Its a possibility that I blamed you for the death of my best friend. You were just an innocent child back then and I didn't know how to deal with you."

My eyes went wide when I realised what she meant, "Then, become my mom." I proposed her right there and then, "If my mom was truly your best friend, then-" Her sudden hug stopped me from speaking the next words and she started crying in my arms.

Grayfia bawled like a baby and only stopped when I patted her back to calm down, "You alright now?" I asked with a fond smile.

"Mm." She nodded meekly and wiped her tears by conjuring a handkerchief, "I apologise-"

"Don't." I interrupted with a smirk, "I already love you for sharing your feelings with me."

Grayfia nodded as she sat up on the bed facing me and shyly rested her hands on her chest, "T-Then.." She looked up into my eyes, "Do you accept me?"

"Mom, huh." I grinned cheekily, with slight embarrassment.

Her eyes glistened in joy and she gently embraced me into a hug, "Son." She whispered softly and sniffed a few sobs.

"I want to see the rest of the album." I smiled at her as we separated from the hug, "Will you show me?"

"Yes." Grayfia beamed and excitedly laid next to me again.

"Tell me about this picture." I asked curiously when I saw my younger self holding a black cat in my arms, "I don't remember having a pet."

"Because that's not a pet." Grayfia sighed and rested her head on my shoulder, "That's a stray cat you brought to house when you were nine years old."

"Then why don't I remember anything about it?" I frowned in confusion.

"The cat was badly wounded and you brought her home when I was at the Underworld, due to an Incident." Grayfia answered seriously, "You really don't want to know this one, because that's the reason I wiped your memories of this incident."

"I want to know." I insisted stubbornly, "And you really like to wipe me memories a lot, don't you?"

Grayfia shamefully turned away from me with an shameful blush, "That stray cat." She took a deep breath and turned to me again, "It was a Stray Devil that had killed its master and was being hunted by the Underworld."

"O-Oh.." I was speechless.

"The Stray Devil pretended to be your pet for the entire month I was gone, but ran away when I came back." Grayfia explained further, "That Stray Devil was also the elder sister of Koneko, Rias' Rook."

"What?" I was baffled by the revelation, "What happened?" I was even more curious now, because I didn't know anything about this event.

"There was an incident in the Underworld that wiped out the Nekoshou Race." Grayfia replied and cuddled her arms around my chest, "Koneko is one of the last survivors of her Race."

"And she was younger than me when that happened." I stated sympathetically and nonchalantly cuddled her back, "Compared to her, I think I've had a far better childhood." I accusingly scowled at her, "Even if most of my childhood memories were erased."

"I apologise, okay?" Grayfia giggled and caressed my cheeks, "I never got to ask you." She curiously looked into my eyes, "That blindfold."

"Yeah.." I nervously looked away, "Do you want to see?"

"I do." Grayfia leaned closer to me.

"But I do warn you, I'll be able to see you naked if take off my blindfold." I warned with a mischievous smirk, "Do you still want to?"

"I'll willingly get naked for you, if that's the case." Grayfia grinned back at me, "Now, off the blindfold goes."

"Ugh.." I blushed anxiously and unwrapped the blindfold from my eyes.

Grayfia looked at the bright golden orbs glistening in the dark room and was mesmerized by them, "Your eyes.. They're beautiful." She leaned closer and took a better look, "Why do you hide them?"

"Because I don't want to see everybody around me in their birthday suits?" I answered with a chuckle, "Honestly, it's much more complex than that."

"So, you can really see me naked right now." Grayfia blushed with a bashful expression and covered her breasts and intimate zone with her arms, "Look away."

"I did warn you." I shrugged in response and continued to shamelessly stare at her.

Grayfia shyly covered my eyes with the palm of her hands, "D-Don't look at me like that." she stuttered with her heart racing heavily, "I am your mom, you know?"

"I know, I am just teasing you." I smiled joyously and hugged her face, "Your expressions are so cute that I couldn't help but tease you, sorry."

"It's alright." She scoffed in response, "And I know your porn history, so it's not exactly a surprise that you're behaving this way."

"Step mom." I teased with a grin and she nervously fidgeted in my arms.

"Please." She begged with a helpless expression, "Don't tease me."

"Fine." I chuckled and wore my blindfold again, "I can't believe I have officially have a new mom now."

"Me too." Grayfia smiled fondly at me, "I have a son."

"That still doesn't give you the right to watch my porn history." I complained in response and laid on the bed while facing her, "Tell me more about my family, the Underworld."

"Well." Grayfia giggled and grabbed me into her arms, "You already know about your Aunt."

"Rias." I scowled at the mention of that stupid girl.

"Then there's her parents, your Grand parents." Grayfia remarked, "Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory, the head of the Gremory Clan. Your grandmother's maiden name was Venelana Bael, which is where the Power of Destruction originates from in our family."

"She also has red hair?" I asked curiously.

"No, the Red hair comes from your Grandfather, the actual Gremory." Grayfia replied, "It signifies Strength and Wealth in the Gremory Clan, which also makes us one of the richest family in the Underworld."

"So his power is basically that he's rich." I noted thoughtfully, "What about you?" I asked curiously, "You said your marriage was political, right?"

"My name is Grayfia Lucifuge." Grayfia nodded in response, "Lucifuge was the clan that served as the vessel to the original Maou Lucifer's Clan. In order to obtain the title of Lucifer and gain political dominance in the Underworld, your father had to marry me."

"And do note." She continued seriously, "Devils are a Race of idiots. They won't follow you just because you're stronger than them, because if that were the case, your father would've easily been the King of the Underworld."

"Do they not realise that they would be dead if they oppose someone stronger than them?" I asked with a confused frown.

"That's why most of them are already dead." Grayfia snorted in response, "Why do you think so many of the Clans from the Underworld are extinct? The foolish were ones who died first. The smart, such as the Phenex Clan, survived by joining the right side."

"Oh." I nodded in acknowledgment.

"Do you know, your aunt was engaged to a Phenex just a month and couple of weeks ago?" She informed me with a smug grin, "She broke off the engagement, and guess how?"

"Why would she break off the engagement in the first place?" I muttered with a confused look, "Was it a political arrangement? That would make sense."

Grayfia pouted when I didn't answer her question and grabbed my chin to make me look at her, "A Rating game is the answer."

"I don't know what that is." I nonchalantly shook my head, "Though, it sounds like some kind of a sports."

"A battle between two Peerages." Grayfia nodded at my correct guess, "Your Aunt lost."

"Then?" I raised an confused eyebrow, "How did she break off the engagement?"

"The Sekiryuutei boy challenged Riser to a duel for Rias' virginity." She scoffed, "I know, it sounds ridiculous, but he won."

"Then his opponent must be really weak." I remarked with a thoughtful scowl.

"While not the strongest, the members of the Phenex Clan aren't exactly weak." Grayfia corrected my line of thought, "They have Regenerative powers that can even recover thier lost limbs and body parts, which makes them nearly impossible to kill if their opponent is at the same level as them."

"Then how did he win?" I was even more confused now.

"He cheated by using the Holy Water and Holy Cross, the Devil kind's weakness." Grayfia replied with an exasperated sigh, "Normally, the duel would've been called off, but Sirzechs allowed the victory to Sekiryuutei because Rias is family."

"And if you're concerned that the Phenex boy was done wrong, then don't worry, he was a moron and had it coming anyways." Grayfia stated before I could say anything about being unfair.

"I guess that's acceptable then." I nodded with a soft yawn.

"We should sleep, you have school tomorrow." Grayfia stated and pulled the blanket over us, "You don't mind if I sleep here, right?"

"As if that matters anymore." I replied lazily and hugged my face into her soft breasts, "You can stay here as my body pillow."

~

Grayfia nodded with a fond smile and gently ruffled her son's hairs with a light blush adoring her cheeks.

'He sleeps like a baby.' Grayfia giggled to herself and continued to obsessively stare at his face. She didn't know when, tears of elation started rolling down her cheeks, 'I promise you, Marine. I'll try to be the best mother for our son.'