Upon their arrival in the Sitri domain, Riser's parents received a warm welcome from the Stiri family head.
Lord Sitri greeted Lord and Lady Phenex with a warm welcome, asking, 'To what do I owe the pleasure?'
"Upon our visit, our intention was to inquire whether you would be interested in uniting our families through marriage," Riser's father proposed.
"Please come in. Let me go and get my wife and daughter so we can all have this conversation together," he said.
After he made the announcement, they strolled into the elegant living room. As they settled into their seats, Lord Sitri politely excused himself to retrieve his wife and daughter.
"Please wait here for a moment. I'll go and fetch my wife and daughter. In the meantime, the maid will pour you some tea," he said before leaving the room.
As the minutes passed, the Sitri family arrived and entered through the doors. Lady Sitri and Lord Sitri took their seats, while Sona stood proudly by their side.
Sitri's head nodded once we were both seated and asked, 'Shall we begin?'
Phenex offered, 'Would you like us to call our son?'
"Isn't this a marriage proposal?"
"Indeed, it is."
"Absolutely, he should be present when we talk about it."
After saying those words, Riser's father nodded solemnly and reached into his pocket to retrieve a summoning seal. Calmly pouring a surge of energy into the seal, he focused his intent on summoning Riser.
A short while before the riser was called, he could be found on the training grounds, diligently instructing his peerage in the acquisition of new skills and techniques.
Riser commented that his sister was doing the fire magic wrong as he tried to teach her the basic technique he remembered from an anime he watched in his past life, called Black Clover.
"apologies big brother"
"Okay, let me explain it again."
While Riser's peerage members were engrossed in their training, Riser patiently began to explain the finer points once more, emphasizing the specific areas he wanted them to focus on.
"Hmm"
"What's wrong, oni-sama?" Ravel asked.
"It seems father has called for me."
"Do you know what it's about?" she asked.
"Perhaps you all should focus on training everyone. I will go see what he wants."
After Riser finished telling them to continue, he disappears in a flash of flames, reappearing in the grand entrance hall of the Sitri mansion, the flames casting shadows against the ancient walls.
"Father, Mother, Lord, and Lady Sitri," Riser said, bowing slightly upon appearing.
"Riser, come and sit. We are about to sign the marriage contract," Lord Sitri said causing Sona to ask her father with a hint of surprise, "Father, have you forgotten about the condition I mentioned for my marriage?"
Before Lord Sitri could say anything, Riser's father beat him to it, responding, "I heard that your husband candidate has to be smarter than you, so you decided to use chess, right?"
"Indeed, Lord Phenex," she said confidently, not meaning to sound rude. "I'm quite certain that he won't stand a chance against me in a game of chess." Her words were spoken proudly, despite the disapproving glare from her father, while her mother couldn't help but giggle.
"Sona, do you want to stay single for the rest of your life?" her father reprimanded.
"Everything is fine, Sitri," Riser's father reassured him. "My son appears quite confident that he can defeat her."
After hearing the comment, Sona was visibly surprised. She then turned to Riser and scoffed, which earned her another disapproving glare from her father. Riser couldn't help but chuckle at the situation, which only caused Sona to direct a glare towards him.
Riser chuckled before saying, 'You seem quite confident in your chess abilities.'
"Indeed, I am."
"Shall we have a match to get this contract signed? But don't worry, I'll take it easy on you," Riser said, which caused Sona to glare even more intensely at him.
Her words dripped with sarcasm as she declared, 'I don't need your pity. Let's just get this over with,' accompanied by a derisive scoff
As their children engaged in their argument, their parents watched with amusement, noting how they seemed to be bickering like an old married couple.
"Shall we begin?" Riser asked after Sona finished setting up the chess set on the table.
"Yes you can be white," she commented.
"Perhaps we should play two matches, taking turns starting, so that you won't claim it's unfair," Riser suggested teasingly, clearly attempting to provoke a reaction.
"Alright," she replied, her tone unaffected by his attempt to tease her.