Chapter 06
Even though she was wearing a hood, Aria could tell who he was.
The overwhelming power and threatening aura of the Grand Duke were identical to his son’s.
‘The way he kills people… it’s the same.’
She stared straight at the Grand Duke, searching for traces of Lloyd.
‘Even his looks are identical.’
Hair color, eye color, facial features—everything was like it had been stamped from the same mold.
The only difference was the hair length.
Lloyd kept his hair short, exposing the nape of his neck, while this man’s jet-black hair, darker than the night sky, fell to his chest.
“Hmm.”
The Grand Duke met Aria’s gaze without avoiding it.
His striking crimson eyes were so intense they almost made her face sting.
For the Grand Duke, it was the first time—aside from his own sons—that a child had ever looked at him like this without fear.
“What an odd little brat. Did you not hear me say I feed people to the dogs?”
“……”
“And you know I was planning to kill you?”
Aria had come prepared to die, so she nodded calmly and grabbed the Grand Duke’s sleeve.
He flinched.
‘Huh? What?’
Aria was even more surprised, not expecting that reaction.
He stared down at the sleeve she was holding and her small hand.
“I will pay the contract fee immediately. Handle the rest of the procedures right here.”
After a moment, the Grand Duke spoke.
He gave orders as naturally as breathing, gesturing toward William.
“You are always impulsive.”
As if this was nothing new, the head butler looked fed up.
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“Of course not. I quite like the young lady as well. A person followed by animals is rarely a bad one.”
By that logic, the Grand Duke wouldn’t be a bad person either.
Aria thought to herself.
‘I don’t think that logic works.’
Anyway, William instructed the servants to stack gold boxes one by one.
“I trust you will never see the Count again. Since she was said to be a nonexistent child, you must forget everything that happened today.”
The Grand Duke added lazily,
“If you break that promise, I will erase the Cortes family from history.”
Despite the outrageous declaration about erasing a musical lineage from history, no one doubted it.
Because he was a Valentine.
“Wait, I have one condition.”
The Count, holding his twisted arm, spoke through groans.
“Do you still have something to say?”
The implied “how dare you” hung in the air. He still trembled but pressed on.
“If she gives birth to a daughter, give her to me. Daughters cannot inherit titles anyway.”
“……”
“That is all I ask.”
He wanted it in case the Siren’s daughter also turned out to be a Siren.
‘Even in a moment like this… he’s still making judgments like that.’
Aria thought her father was, in some ways, quite impressive.
The Grand Duke nodded as if it made sense.
“You want to become dog food as well?”
“What, what!”
“If you wish, I can erase the Cortes family from history entirely.”
He gestured toward the beasts.
The Count immediately shut his mouth.
After handing everything over to the butler, the Grand Duke left with the dogs.
“Then, Count, please move elsewhere.”
“Pardon? Why?”
“Because it would not be good for the young lady’s mental health.”
“What…?”
What are you planning to do?
The Count’s unfinished words seemed to echo in the air.
“Your last remark would have been better left unsaid. Then I might have let you leave in one piece.”
“……”
“Perhaps it is best you forget that you ever had a daughter.”
He spoke as if erasing memory itself was trivial.
“An interrogator of Valentine is very skilled. You will feel it yourself.”
With that, the knights dragged the Count away.
Screams echoed through the halls.
“Shall we go, young lady?”
Aria looked up at the kindly smiling butler with a reluctant expression.
“Since this was decided suddenly, the preparations are lacking. Please understand. You will stay here until your room is ready.”
It seemed to be a guest room—spacious and lavish.
Every piece of furniture, decoration, and sculpture was luxurious.
‘Most of all… the artworks.’
“Valentine supports and loves the arts,” they said.
Masterpieces usually only seen in history books were casually displayed everywhere.
It felt like a museum.
‘The appraisal value…’
No, it was meaningless to even try to estimate. Everything was priceless.
Honestly, she was a little surprised.
She had expected something darker.
‘It’s even more extravagant than the imperial palace.’
A separate villa more luxurious than the palace itself.
Could the rumors that Valentine controlled national property actually be true?
She had thought it was just a myth.
At that moment, William gestured behind him.
A middle-aged woman stepped forward, cheeks slightly flushed as she glanced at Aria.
“I am Dana, the head maid and also the nanny of the young lord. I will be taking care of you from now on.”
She looked at Aria as if she were a small, adorable animal.
‘That gaze feels ticklish.’
Aria fidgeted awkwardly.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she was interacting with people as “Aria” instead of a Siren.
“The young lord is probably taking care of the lady right now.”
The lady—Lloyd’s mother.
The one said to be suffering from the so-called “curse of the devil” and nearing death.
She was likely bedridden by now.
“I hope you won’t feel too lonely. This was all very sudden. You must be confused as well.”
Dana tried to comfort her.
‘So Lloyd doesn’t welcome me.’
Well.
Who would welcome a bride they never wanted?
“First of all, hmm…”
Dana studied Aria closely.
Seeing her small, fragile body that didn’t seem like that of a ten-year-old, she said,
“Please write down all the foods you like and want to eat.”
Aria blinked, not expecting that request.
Dana placed a pen in her hand.
Foods she liked? Foods she wanted?
‘I don’t have anything like that.’
Aria had never really had an appetite.
As a child, she had eaten cold pig slop. Later, she never wanted anything while living as a Siren.
Even food made by imperial chefs made her feel nauseous.
Food was only for survival.
‘I don’t even really know food names…’
She knew far more about alcohol and drugs.
Even though she never wanted to.
Aria often met corrupt nobles in the underworld, and their parties were far from clean.
It was even said that wherever corruption thrived, a Siren’s song could be heard.
‘This is too difficult.’
Ink spread on the blank card. She couldn’t write anything, and a drop fell.
Finally, she wrote:
[Warm soup.]
That alone felt sufficient.
As long as it wasn’t cold, rotting food with a foul smell.
But Dana, who had been looking forward to feeding her generously, suddenly looked disappointed.
Aria hesitantly added another card.
[Bread and cheese.]
“……”
Not that either?
She thought it was a safe answer, but Dana looked even more displeased.
Then…
[Cocoa with something that tastes like melon.]
“Something that tastes like melon?”
Dana repeated it.
Aria looked toward William for help.
He had an unreadable expression, biting his lip.
Aria tried again with her eyes, but it didn’t help.
So she wrote:
[White, floating, soft.]
“Pfft— cough. Sorry.”
William turned his head, trying not to laugh.
Dana, understanding, nodded as if it made sense.
“Ah, melon-flavored taste. Yes, I understand. I’ll bring it right away.”
[Thank you.]
“Is there anything else you need?”
Dana kept asking with eager eyes.
Aria had no choice but to answer honestly.
[I don’t really know food names.]
Dana’s expression crumpled as if she might cry.
Aria panicked.
‘Why is she about to cry?’
She quickly held up another card.
[If you teach me, I’ll memorize it immediately.]
At that moment, she was pulled into a hug. The card slipped from her hand.
She stiffened.
It was the first time in her life being hugged by someone.
‘She suddenly hugged me… strange person.’
But it felt soft.
Warm and gentle, like when she once petted a dog for the first time.
Strangely, she didn’t feel like pushing away.
She simply blinked.
“Lady…”
“……”
“You must have had such a hard time. You did well.”
Was she comforting her?
Aria was confused. Her hardships in the family had been long in the past.
‘That was when I was young.’
She had cried a lot back then.
But now, even tears felt dried up.
She felt nothing.
She had chosen to come here instead of taking revenge properly.
‘At least I made it to the Grand Duke’s residence safely.’
That should be enough.
They wouldn’t meet again anyway.
As Dana continued gently patting her back, Aria rested her head quietly against her.
“It’s okay now. You did nothing wrong.”
The quiet comfort continued.
From the maid of a devil’s castle came a strangely familiar scent.
‘Sun-dried bedding…’
A scent like spring sunlight one could breathe in and wrap themselves in.
“Goodness!”
Dana was startled.
Aria had been standing blankly by the window since dawn.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Aria shook her head.
But Dana had already convinced herself otherwise.
“It’s my fault. I should have stayed by your side while you slept.”
[No.]
“You’re still so young, I was careless. You must have been scared. It rained all night…”
[No.]
Aria was not a morning sleeper anyway.
She waved the “No” card repeatedly, feeling embarrassed.
‘Calling me a baby…’
Even if she had regressed, she was still ten years old.
[It’s because I’m short. I’m not a baby.]
She explained calmly.
Dana chuckled softly and patted her head.
“Fufu, aren’t you a baby?”
“!”
Aria froze.
Then she slowly reached up and touched the top of her head, checking it herself.
