Germa Kingdom, royal palace.
Inside a spacious bedroom, before a wall hung with enormous photographs, Sephiroth walked to Reiju's side. He raised his right hand and gently placed it on the girl's shoulder.
"Whether Vinsmoke Judge likes it is his business...
Whether you like it is what matters most, isn't it?"
"My opinion doesn't matter...
In front of Father, I don't even have the right to refuse."
As she spoke, Reiju let out a soft sigh. She turned her head slightly and glanced at the young man's right hand resting on her shoulder.
Does this guy really have the right to say something like that to me?
It was clearly because of him that Father treated me like merchandise to be traded.
No! Perhaps in Father's eyes, I was nothing more than a tool from beginning to end!
Even if I hadn't been given to Sephiroth today, sooner or later, I would have been sent to someone else as a tool for a political marriage...
At that thought, a sense of self-abandonment rose within Reiju. She took the initiative to open her arms and wrap them around Sephiroth beside her, pressing her cheek against his chest as she murmured softly:
"Do you want me...?
Will you stay with me tonight...?"
Hearing that, Sephiroth lowered his head to look at the girl in his arms. Through his Observation Haki, he knew very well what sort of state of mind had led her to say those words.
He raised his right hand and gently stroked Reiju's smooth, shoulder-length pink hair.
Sephiroth began to ponder inwardly.
Reiju was clearly suffering from a severe emotional blow, leaving her lost and confused. That was why she was behaving so self-destructively.
At this moment, her heart was at its most vulnerable and sensitive!
But...
As the