SBCF 05

Chapter 05

“Ha.”

The man let out a hollow laugh, as if finding the situation absurd.

The monster had lowered its massive body to match the seated girl, Aria.

It rested its chin on its enormous forepaw and stared at her quietly.

As if asking to be petted.

“I… survived…”

Aria let out a quiet breath of relief.

Not far away, Count Cortes lay unconscious, foam at his mouth.

“Has he gone mad all of a sudden?”

The man tilted his head briefly, then lightly kicked the monster beside him.

Kicked, the creature let out a yelp and hid behind Aria’s back.

“How ridiculous. Rabies, is it?”

The man approached Aria. With every step he took, bloodstained footprints dotted the forest floor.

Black leather shoes soaked in blood.

Aria looked down at the shoes stopping right in front of her, then slowly raised her head.

He was so tall she had to tilt her head all the way back.

“What are you?”

Eyes that had been half-lidded with boredom just moments ago were now fixed on her.

For an instant, something flickered in those perfectly polished glass-like eyes.

Interest.

“An odd mask you’re wearing.”

Aria was indeed wearing a large mask that obscured her face.

It was a keepsake left by her mother.

“My hunting dogs instinctively respond to strong power. The reason they obey me is because there is no one in this world stronger than I am.”

“……”

“Are you stronger than me?”

Of course not.

He was strong. Overwhelmingly so.

When Aria first saw him, the pressure alone made it hard to breathe.

No matter how gifted and knowledgeable she was, she was only ten years old and completely untrained at present.

“You look far too weak.”

“……”

“Worse than an insect.”

The man looked her up and down.

‘The Seiren are friends of animals.’

The ability to communicate with animals was one of the Seiren’s innate powers.

She had never expected it to work even on the infamous beasts of the Ingo Mountain Range.

Aria glanced at the now-tamed monster.

It was rubbing its snout endlessly, acting affectionate, making it hard to focus. Her mask was already smeared with drool.

In truth, Aria had never used this ability before.

She had never had the chance.

Whenever an animal approached, Count Cortes would shoot it dead with a crossbow he always kept in the carriage.

The sensation of hot blood splattering her face still lingered vividly.

So Aria had always avoided animals.

She had never even thought of communicating with them.

‘But these ones are sturdy.’

Their hides looked thick enough to survive crossbow bolts. At worst, it would feel like being poked with a toothpick.

‘They’re kind of cute.’

After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and patted the monster’s head.

It whimpered happily and rolled onto its back, exposing its belly.

‘So cute…’

Her hand moved almost on its own.

It looked like a wolf, yet she finally understood why people called them dogs.

Warm, fluffy, soft fur.

The sensation was addictive.

“Tch.”

The man clicked his tongue lightly.

“You’ll get swallowed up like that.”

The monster was so large that Aria, small in comparison, was almost disappearing into its fur.

“Let’s discuss the details inside.”

The man grabbed her by the nape of her neck and lifted her effortlessly.

“You are to be commended for your courage, Count.”

An elderly man with neatly combed white hair spoke. He was the chief butler of the Grand Duke’s estate.

“You are the first to have stormed into Valentine Castle while still alive.”

The butler placed a warm mug into Aria’s hands as he spoke.

“You should be grateful you survived thanks to this young lady.”

Aria looked down at the mug.

It smelled like chocolate, and a brown liquid swayed inside.

‘What is this?’

White, round things floated in it.

She poked one with her finger.

It was soft, and she flinched.

“Those are marshmallows.”

The butler whispered near her ear.

Marsh… melon?

‘It tastes like melon?’

While Aria stared seriously into the mug, the man who had been leaning against the wall finally spoke.

“Call the gamekeeper.”

“Right now, my lord?”

“I need to feed my hunting dogs before the mountain beasts tear them apart.”

So the “food” he meant was…

Count Cortes, disheveled and trembling, lifted his head.

“This… this is outrageous!”

He looked at the man nervously before continuing.

“All my guards and expensive mercenaries have been turned into dog food!”

He then glared at Aria.

At that moment, the monsters at her feet growled.

“Grrr—”

The Count immediately averted his gaze, suddenly docile.

“As I said before, you survived thanks to this young lady here, who prevented you from becoming that dog food.”

The butler added coolly.

Then he continued.

“We will provide compensation immediately.”

“…Excuse me?”

The Count faltered at the unexpectedly generous response.

“Then how much…?”

The butler glanced toward the man, silently asking.

The man replied lazily.

“Give him whatever he wants.”

The Count’s lips twitched with greed.

“I actually brought my daughter to introduce her.”

He gestured insistently for Aria to remove her mask.

But Aria did not move.

“She cannot speak by nature,” he added.

That single sentence explained everything.

The Count’s daughter had no value.

But then—

“Even if she cannot sing, she still has potential as a Grand Duchess candidate,” the Count continued.

“Quiet,” the butler cut in sharply.

His tone carried clear contempt.

He dismantled the Count’s arrogance piece by piece, reminding him that he only survived because of his father’s legacy.

The Count trembled in humiliation.

Aria observed silently.

‘He touched his father’s sore spot.’

The butler understood exactly what kind of man the Count was.

As tension filled the room, Aria suddenly realized something.

The butler’s expression softened the moment he looked at her.

“…I see. You couldn’t drink because of your mask.”

Huh?

He immediately changed tone.

“We should have a more comfortable mask prepared for the young lady. Please continue your cocoa. It will warm you.”

Aria was confused.

Why was this man suddenly being kind to her?

Then one of the monsters barked loudly at her feet.

“Woof! Woof!”

The butler froze.

“I thought it was a wolf… but it actually barks like a dog?”

Aria realized something.

They valued her ability to tame beasts.

Then she should use that.

She quickly wrote on a card.

[I can tame all animals.]

She flipped to the next.

[I don’t know much, but I learn quickly and I’m useful.]

Next.

[Please take me with you.]

Silence filled the room.

Heavy, suffocating silence.

The Count snatched the cards and read them, his expression twisting.

“Stop doing useless things and behave.”

He grabbed her arm roughly.

The monsters snarled.

“Aaagh!”

A pale hand suddenly shot out and pulled Aria away, twisting the Count’s arm.

“I’ll take her. Satisfactory.”

The man removed his hood.

Aria looked up at his revealed face.

The Grand Duke.

As expected.

He was Lloyd’s father.

Aria had just stepped into the orbit of Valentine Duke, while Count Cortes and the butler William stood at the center of a dangerous negotiation.

And the man Aria had once known as Lloyd—Lloyd—was the one whose family she had just entered.