Above All Authority

The silence after Leon’s unfinished sentence was suffocating.

No one moved.

No one breathed too loudly.

Even the guards along the walls seemed frozen in place.

Rias stood in front of him, her crimson eyes locked onto his golden ones.

Waiting.

Not impatient.

Not playful.

For once—

Serious.

Leon looked at her for a long moment.

Then—

He turned.

Slowly.

His gaze swept across the entire throne hall.

Across Ronan.

Across Black.

Across Johny.

Across every woman who had just been given power... purpose... identity.

And then—

He spoke.

"Rias."

His voice was calm.

Steady.

Carrying the weight of something final.

"You will stand as Queen of this kingdom."

The words echoed.

Not loudly.

But deeply.

"Above all ministers."

"Above all authority."

"Second only to me."

A pause.

Then—

"You will oversee everything."

The throne hall didn’t react immediately.

Because for a moment—

No one could.

Rias didn’t move.

Not at first.

It was subtle—the way her fingers curled slightly at her sides, the way her shoulders straightened just a fraction, like something inside her had shifted... settled... locked into place.

Queen.

Not a title tossed lightly.

Not a game.

Her lips parted, but no words came out. That alone was enough to shake the room more than any reaction could have.

Because Rias... never stayed silent.

"Leon..." she finally said, her voice lower than usual, stripped of its teasing edge. There was something raw in it now. "You’re not joking."

It wasn’t a question.

Leon didn’t answer immediately. He just looked at her—steady, unwavering.

That was answer enough.

A quiet breath escaped her. Not relief. Not fear.

Something heavier.

That moment stretched slow, like taffy pulled thin under heat. Her voice slipped out low, barely more than breath against silence - almost as if speaking to the air itself. A grin crept up one corner of her mouth, unsure but curious. Not quite belief, not quite wonder. Yet behind that softness... something else sparked. Watchful. Bright. Fierce.

Something snapped in the air behind her.

Quietly, Mia breathed the word "...Queen...", barely a sound, fingers pressed hard together near her heart. Not looking away, she shifted her gaze from Leon to Rias, stunned, nearly breathless, wonder edging into her stare.

A soft whistle slipped out before Syra could stop it. "Straight to the top, huh." The smile stayed fixed, yet something quieter showed through - almost like awe sneaking past her usual edge.

Kyra stood next to her, arms folded, gaze locking onto Rias with narrowed green eyes. A pause settled before she spoke - her voice low, almost neutral. "Makes sense." No cheer. No suspicion. Only what felt real, spoken like stone meeting ground.

Cynthia’s eyes grew gentle, then a quiet grin tugged at her lips. "Always you," she said, almost under her breath. Her voice carried what words could not."

Straightening like clockwork, Tsubaka gave a small nod, as though responding to rank without thinking. Her words came out tight - "I’ll follow through" - each syllable edged with order. Yet something shifted beneath: a whisper, perhaps pride. Or the quiet uncoiling of tension, soft as breath after silence.

Sona shifted her head a touch, strands of pale hair flashing under the glow. Not second to anyone but him... she murmured it like a quiet realization, ocean-colored eyes drifting inward. It wasn’t merely rank - weight pressed behind those words, duty woven into silence

Lira’s mouth lifted at one corner, eyes sharp on Rias. A quiet moment passed before she spoke - not harshly, yet firm in what came out. Her words weren’t meant to provoke, just to name something seen.

Nova exhaled slowly, tension leaving her shoulders. "So this is how it’s going to be..." she muttered, a small smile forming. "Good. At least it makes sense."

Mia felt a soft nudge against her side. Her friend’s voice came low, certain, brushing past the quiet air. That woman always seemed meant for heights. Cassidy did not look away. Wonder curled around her stare, tangled with something harder to name.

From behind, the housemaids looked at one another. A quiet moment passed between them.

Rui leaned slightly toward Lena. "Head maid wasn’t the highest position after all..." she whispered.

Lena let out a quiet breath. "This kingdom... is different."

Mona and Mira said nothing—but their posture straightened, as if instinctively aligning themselves with the shift in power.

At the center of it all—

Ronan watched.

Carefully.

His sharp eyes moved from Leon... to Rias... and back again.

Then, slowly—

He lowered his head.

Not out of obligation.

Out of recognition.

"...A Queen," he murmured under his breath.

Black folded his arms, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "He doesn’t do things halfway, does he?"

Johny chuckled quietly beside him. "Nope. Our King builds kingdoms like he’s stacking cards—and somehow, they don’t fall."

Back at the front—

Rias finally moved.

One step forward.

Then another.

She stopped just short of Leon, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him. The teasing spark was still there—but now it was layered over something deeper. Something steadier.

"Say it properly," she said softly. "Look at me and say it again."

A test.

Not of his authority—

But of his intent.

Leon didn’t hesitate.

His gaze met hers fully.

"Rias," he said again, more firmly this time, each word deliberate, grounded. "You are the Queen of this kingdom."

Silence.

Not the comfortable kind.

The kind that pressed in from all sides—heavy, expectant, suffocating.

Rias blinked.

Once.

A small gap opened between her lips, as if words were coming but air had not arrived.

"...What?"

A whisper escaped her lips. Quiet, without warning. Nothing loud followed. Only bewilderment remained - naked, real, sudden at the edges.

His eyes stayed fixed ahead.

A figure planted firm, refusing to sway, his gaze held steady - amber irises fixed upon her. Stillness wrapped around him, unmoving despite the quiet pull of wind.

"You will be the one who balances this kingdom when I am not present."

Quiet he stayed. No raising required. Each phrase pressed like stone.

"You will command when I cannot."