As soon as Rias demanded to take Rudy away from her, Rebecca smashed a glass filled with water on the table, and the glass shattered on impact. Rebecca's hand started bleeding, but her face showed no sign of the pain; she looked furious.

  "I dare you to say that again," Rebecca challenged Rias to repeat her words.

  Rias was taken aback by that, but she didn't show it on her face. She immediately rushed to the kitchen and grabbed Rebecca's hand, which was bleeding.

  'If Rudy saw this, he would definitely blame me. Or his mother might even accuse me of harming her. If that happens, he will hate me for sure.'

  Rias was a vampire, and blood was her favorite drink. She gulped down after seeing Rebecca's hand and smelled the fragrance of the blood.

  'No, no! Rias. Control yourself!'

  Rias brought Rebeca's hand close to her mouth and started licking her wound.

  "……" Rebecca watched in amazement as her wound started healing. She was confused but not shocked.

  After a few seconds, Rias licked all the blood from Rebecca's hand and healed it. She then stared at Rias and sighed, realizing that her identity as a vampire was exposed.

  "……"

  "Since you have seen this much already, I guess I should show you everything," Rias muttered and made some distance between her and Rebecca.

  Then, she spread her vampire wings and revealed her sharp fangs, saying, "I… am a vampire."

  Rebecca raised her brows in amusement and casually started picking up the broken pieces of the glass from the table and the floor.

  "……" Rias' existence was collapsing after seeing Rebecca not giving any attention to Rias.

  She checked her wings and placed her hand on her fangs to confirm she had them visible.

  'What's with her?! Why is she not reacting?!' Rias couldn't fathom Rebecca being so nonchalant about it. 'It must be because of the dark. There is only one light in the living room, so she can't see my wings and fangs. Yeah, that has to be it!'

  Rias rushed to the living room and stood under the light.

  AHEM!

  She cleaned her throat to get Rebecca's attention and proudly said, "I am a vampire!"

  "Would you please stand aside? You are blocking the light. I can't see the glass pieces," Rebecca uttered without even looking at Rias.

  "Why are you not scared!" Rias yelled at Rebecca. "Rudy was scared shitless!"

  "I have seen worse than vampires, so this is nothing to me. And keep your voice down in my house."

  "What do you—!" Rias savored the taste of Rebecca's blood in her mouth and muttered, "This blood surely belongs to a human, so she is a human."

  'But…' Rias savored the taste once again and muttered, 'The blood is still young and healthy. At most, this is the blood of a 30-year-old. And… the strong fragrance is… a scent of a virgin.'

  "You are not Rudy's real mother, are you?" Rias asked Rebecca with a knowing look on her face.

  "Yeah, I am not."

  "So that—"

  "But that changes nothing." Rebeca finally made eye contact with Rias and uttered, "You can't take him away from me."

  "Does Rudy know that you are not his real mother?" Rias asked with a judging look on her face.

  Rebecca's body froze after hearing that. She had already guessed where Rias was taking the conversation.

  Rias smirked after seeing Rebecca's reaction and said, "I wonder what would happen if Rudy gets to know about that. The mother he loved so dearly wasn't even his mother. What would happen to your relationship?"

  Rebecca glared at Rias and said, "Don't you even dare…"

  "Oh, I will~" Rias smirked even wider and said, "That's the old only and my ace card to steal Rudy from you."

  Rebecca gritted her teeth in frustration and asked, "What do you want from him?"

  "I love him, and I want to take him to the vampire world with me~" Rias said cheerfully, totally opposite to her tone so far.

  "Give it up. He would never leave me behind. And don't forget that you are a monster, and he is only a human," Rebecca remarked.

  "I know that. And that's why once I marry him, I will make him a vampire too~"

  Rebeca clenched her fists and said, "How about we make a bet?"

  "Oh? What type of bet?" Rias asked with a curious and amused look on her face.

  "Once Rudy comes back, I will spill hot soup on both of us. And whoever Rudy chooses and shows confers for will be the winner," Rebecca suggested.

  "How is that a bet?"

  "This is the best way to know who Rudy wants to stay with."

  "What if he comes to me?" Rias asked curiously.

  "Then you can take him, and I won't stop you."

  "And what if he chooses you?"

  "I don't want to wreck your relationship, but if he chooses me, then you will have to step down." After a brief pause, she continued, "You can still be with him and you whatever you want, but don't you ever dare to even think of taking him away from me."

  Rias pondered for a while and said, "Deal."

  Rebecca reached her hand to Rias for a handshake and said, "Deal."

  Rias shook hands with Rebecca and uttered, "No hard feelings."

  A minute later, Rudy returned and gave the snacks to Rebecca.

  "……" He turned to Rias and asked in a low voice: "You didn't do anything weird, right?"

  Rias shook her head and replied with an innocent look on her face: "I would never do something like that."

  After that, Rudy, Rebecca, and Rias sat at the dining table and started eating. A few minutes later, Rebecca spilled hot soup on Rias and herself as they had planned.

  "……!" Rudy immediately got up from his seat and rushed to Rias, but he ran past her and spilled some cold water on Rebbeca, where the soup had spilled.

  "Are you okay, mom?!" he asked with a concerned look on his face.

  "……" Rias watched Rudy and bit her lips. 'Even though I was sitting close to him, he chose her….'

  Rias glanced at Rebecca, only to see her smiling wryly at her.

  Rebecca had asserted her dominance over Rias.

  ====

  Author's Note- I know I said the flashback would end with this chapter, but it seems that I underestimated Rias and Rebecca's rivalry.

  Thanks For Reading!