Even with the hood on, Aria could tell who he was.
The Grand Duke’s overwhelming power and oppressive presence were exactly the same as his son’s.
‘The way he kills people… it’s the same.’
She stared intently at him, searching for traces of Lloyd.
‘They even look alike.’
Hair color, eye color, facial features everything was identical, as if stamped from the same mold.
The only difference was the length of their hair.
Lloyd kept his short, exposing the back of his neck, while this man’s pitch-black hair, darker than the night sky, reached his chest.
“Hm.”
The Grand Duke met her gaze without avoiding it.
His scarlet eyes were so intense that her face almost stung.
For him, this was a look he had never received from a child, aside from his own sons.
“What a strange little thing. Didn’t you hear me say I’d feed people to my hounds?”
“……”
“You do know I was going to kill you?”
Aria nodded calmly.
She had come prepared to die.
Then she tightly grabbed the sleeve of his clothes.
He flinched.
‘Huh?’
Aria was more surprised than he was.
She hadn’t expected that reaction.
The Grand Duke looked down at her small hand clutching his sleeve.
“I’ll pay the deposit immediately. Handle the rest of the procedure here.”
After a moment, he spoke again.
He issued orders as naturally as breathing, gesturing to William.
“As impulsive as ever.”
The butler looked utterly fed up, as if this wasn’t the first time.
“Is that a complaint?”
“Not at all. I quite like the young lady as well. People who are loved by animals are rarely bad.”
By that logic, the Grand Duke shouldn’t be a bad person either.
Aria thought to herself:
‘That… doesn’t sound right.’
Still, William ordered servants to stack boxes of gold coins.
“I trust I will never see the Count again. Since you claimed she does not exist, you will forget everything that happened today.”
The Grand Duke added lazily,
“If you break this promise, I will erase Cortez from the empire’s history.”
Even such a terrifying declaration drew no doubt.
Because it was Valentine.
“Wait, I have one condition.”
The Count spoke, groaning as he clutched his twisted arm.
“You still have something to say?”
The unspoken words seemed to be: How dare you.
But the Count pressed on.
“If she has a daughter, give her to me. Daughters cannot inherit titles anyway.”
“……”
“That is all I ask.”
He wanted the child.
Because if a Siren’s daughter gave birth, that child might also be a Siren.
‘Even while being brainwashed… he still makes calculations like that.’
Aria almost found it impressive.
The Grand Duke nodded slightly.
“So you want to become dog food as well.”
“W-what?!”
“If you wish, I can erase you along with Cortez’s history.”
He gestured to the beasts.
The Count shut his mouth immediately.
The Grand Duke left everything else to William and walked away with his hounds.
“Then, Count, let us move elsewhere.”
“Why?”
“Well, naturally. It wouldn’t be good for the young lady’s emotional state.”
“What are you—”
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
“It would have been better if you hadn’t said that last condition. At least then, you might have been sent off cleanly.”
“……”
“Why not forget you ever had a daughter?”
The way William said it, it sounded entirely possible.
“The interrogators of Valentine are very skilled. You’ll experience it firsthand.”
Soon after, knights dragged Count Cortez away.
His screams echoed.
“Shall we go, young lady?”
Aria looked up at the smiling butler with a slightly uneasy expression.
“I ask for your understanding, as everything was decided suddenly. You will stay here until your room is prepared.”
The room was grand and luxurious.
Every piece of furniture, every ornament, was clearly of the highest quality.
‘More than anything… they’re artworks.’
“Valentine loves and supports art,” he had said.
Pieces worthy of history books were casually placed everywhere.
It felt like a museum.
‘The value…’
No point even estimating.
It was beyond price.
Honestly, it was unexpected.
‘I thought it would be darker.’
‘It’s even more splendid than the imperial palace.’
A palace more extravagant than the imperial one.
‘So the rumors might be true…’
That Valentine controlled national assets.
At that moment, William gestured behind him.
A middle-aged woman approached, cheeks slightly flushed.
“I am Dana, the head maid and the young master’s nanny. I will be attending to you from now on.”
She looked at Aria like one would look at a small, adorable animal.
‘That gaze is… ticklish.’
Aria awkwardly fidgeted.
It was her first time interacting with people as “Aria,” not as a Siren.
“The young master is likely attending to his mother right now.”
His mother.
The one said to die soon due to the so-called “devil’s curse.”
“She’s probably resting in bed now.”
“Please don’t feel hurt. Everything happened so suddenly. Preparations are needed.”
Dana spoke gently.
‘So Lloyd doesn’t welcome me.’
Well…
Who would welcome a bride they never asked for?
“First… hmm.”
Dana examined her.
Then, seeing her small and thin frame, she said:
“Please write down what foods you like. Anything you want to eat.”
Aria blinked.
She hadn’t expected that.
Dana placed a pen in her hand.
Favorite foods?
‘I don’t have any.’
She had never had an appetite.
Cold scraps as a child.
Nothing as a Siren.
Food was just survival.
‘I don’t even know food names…’
She knew more about alcohol and drugs.
Things she never wanted to know.
Aria hesitated, then wrote:
[Warm soup.]
That should be enough.
Dana’s expression hardened.
‘She’s disappointed.’
Aria added:
[Bread and cheese.]
Still not enough.
Then:
[The melon-tasting thing on cocoa.]
“Melon flavor?”
Aria looked at William.
He was biting his lips, holding something back.
She wrote again:
[White, floating, soft.]
“Pfft— excuse me.”
William turned away.
Dana laughed.
“Ah, melon flavor.”
“I understand.”
“I’ll bring it right away.”
[Thank you.]
“Anything else?”
Aria hesitated, then wrote honestly:
[I don’t really know food names.]
Dana’s face crumpled.
‘Is that something to cry about?’
Aria quickly added:
[If you teach me, I’ll learn fast.]
Suddenly—
She was pulled into a hug.
The card fell from her hand.
She froze.
It was her first time being hugged.
‘What a strange person.’
But…
It felt soft.
Warm.
Like touching the dog earlier.
She didn’t push her away.
She simply blinked.
“Miss…”
“……”
“You must have suffered so much.”
Was she comforting her?
It felt strange.
‘That was long ago.’
She used to cry.
But now—
No tears.
No feelings.
‘Choosing survival over revenge was enough.’
She leaned quietly into Dana.
“You’re safe now. You did nothing wrong.”
The comfort continued.
From someone in the “devil’s castle.”
‘It smells like sun-dried blankets…’
A warm, spring-like scent.
“Oh my!”
Dana gasped.
Aria was standing by the window at dawn.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Aria shook her head.
But Dana was already panicking.
“This is my fault…”
[No.]
“You’re still a baby…”
[No.]
Aria waved her card frantically.
‘Baby…?’
[I’m just small. Not a baby.]
Dana laughed softly and patted her head.
“Really? Not a baby?”
“…!”
Aria froze.
Then slowly reached up and touched the top of her head.
