Dark Dad’s Rebirth - Chapter 10: The Real Aria (1)

From that day onward, the relationship between Aria and Caelius grew… complicated. There were no words that could quite capture it, yet it was as though both had silently agreed to avoid one another.

Caelius could no longer treat her with the same feigned smiles as before, and Aria could no longer meet his gaze with empty, indifferent eyes.

“This is driving me crazy…”

Aria closed her eyes, recalling the words she had blurted out that day. She must have gone completely mad.

“I love you… and to think I said that to Caelius, of all people.”

What had possessed her? It was as though she had drowned in him, unable to resist the overwhelming pull, losing herself in a moment of utter irrationality.

The Caelius she glimpsed through her memories was overwhelmingly sweet.

Since that night, when she had crossed an unthinkable line with him, her heart wouldn’t stop racing. And it wasn’t fear—she could recognize that much easily.

It was a fluttering tremor filled with unmistakable affection.

Whenever she saw him, her chest ached, and she felt as though she might burst into tears. Worse, the thought of him holding her again consumed her thoughts, making it impossible to focus.

The unfamiliarity of these emotions made her want to avoid him—yet at the same time, she longed to see him.

Closing her eyes, the memory of Caelius from that night resurfaced.

“Don’t mess around with other men.”

“When I see you smiling at them, it makes me want to gouge their eyes out.”

Why? Why would you think that? What are you trying to say, Daddy?

That slightly creased expression, the gaze tinged with an inexplicable warmth, the lips that moved so unlike his usual self…

Just once more.
Just hold me like that one more time.

Aria ran her hands over her face in frustration, exhaling a deep, exasperated sigh.

“I don’t even know what’s happening to me anymore.”

Why did she keep searching for the Caelius of the original story?

She lay on her bed, dazed, pulling the blanket over her head. The bed, which had always felt cramped when he was there with her, now felt endlessly vast and empty.

Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was already 10 p.m. It wouldn’t be long before Caelius would return from his duties.

Ever since the assassination attempt, they had shared the same bedroom. Even though their relationship had taken on an awkward tension, they still spent their nights together as if nothing had changed.

It was a small mercy, one she clung to.

Aria desperately hoped he wouldn’t start avoiding her, even though the thought of facing him unsettled her.

The duality of her feelings was maddening. Seeing him made her uncomfortable, but being apart from him left her longing.

She didn’t understand it, nor could she stop it. She hated how her heart felt in turmoil when she was with him and hollow when she wasn’t.

The sound of the clock ticking seemed unusually loud, filling the room as if marking every agonizing second.

How much time had passed? Eventually, the faint sound of footsteps was followed by the creak of the bedroom door opening. Aria, like a puppy waiting eagerly for its owner, peeked out from beneath the covers.

As expected, it was Caelius.

He entered with a slightly disheveled look, the weariness of his day apparent. Without sparing her even a glance, he began removing his outerwear.

Aria, who had been waiting for him to notice her, couldn’t hold back any longer. She called out tentatively, her voice soft.

“…Daddy.”

Caelius glanced her way without a word, his expression cold and impassive, a far cry from how he had once looked at her. The unfamiliarity of his face made her hesitate, but she spoke again cautiously.

“…Have you been very busy lately?”

Her thin voice wavered slightly, betraying her nerves. Yet, despite her evident unease, Caelius sighed faintly and averted his gaze, as if speaking to her was a chore.

“No, just a bit tired.”

“Oh… I see…”

Aria tried to continue the conversation, but her words trailed off. Watching Caelius turn his back on her left a bitter taste in her mouth.

When she said nothing further, the room fell into a heavy silence. The lack of interaction began to gnaw at her, but she didn’t want to show it. She didn’t want to appear needy or clingy.

Instead, she forced a smile, lifting the corners of her lips awkwardly.

“T-Then hurry and come to bed, Daddy! Let’s sleep together!”

Her voice rose unnaturally, the forced cheer evident. Yet Caelius didn’t respond, leaving her feeling foolish. She fidgeted, unsure of what to do with herself in the oppressive silence.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his low, rough voice broke the quiet.

“Aria.”

He spoke her name—not in the affectionate way he once called her “Riri” or “daughter,” but plainly, without warmth.

Something about it struck her as odd, and she instinctively sat up.

“For the time being, you’ll use this bedroom alone.”

“…What?”

“I’ll sleep in another room.”

He delivered the words without hesitation, as if the decision had already been made.

Caelius turned to leave, his demeanor as cold as the words he had spoken.

Aria, who had been waiting for him all evening, was stunned. Panicking, she jumped from the bed, running after him.

“D-Daddy… Why are you doing this?”

Her trembling hand clutched at his sleeve, her voice laced with desperation and the faint beginnings of tears.

“Let go.”

“Daddy…!”

Her pleading voice cracked, but Caelius remained unyielding. His detachment stung all the more because just days ago, he had held her tenderly, showering her with warmth and affection. Now, he was cold, distant, and incomprehensible.

“D-Did I do something wrong?”

Caelius’s dark gaze turned slowly toward her. His deep, pitch-black eyes met hers, unwavering and heavy with emotion she couldn’t decipher.

In that moment, Aria felt as though the ground beneath her feet had vanished.

That gaze—it was one she had seen before.

She opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to form words.

“That foolish girl supported my rebellion? What a ridiculous claim.”

A voice she knew all too well began to echo in her mind, low and drawn out, clinging stubbornly to her ears.

“It’s all your fault. Worthless thing.”

Her heart pounded violently, as if it might burst from her chest.

“I don’t give my heart to things without value.”

No, no, no—it’s not true. I’m not worthless.

“What were you expecting, my dear daughter? Words of love?”

His lips curled into a cruel smirk, mocking her with brutal precision.

“As if I could have ever been sincere with someone like you.”

Dizziness overwhelmed her. The memory from that day clawed its way back into her, consuming both her body and mind. Her vision blurred as her knees buckled beneath her.

It’s dizzying, strange… I can’t focus. Even my eyelids feel heavy.

“A… Daddy…”

The single word slipped past her lips with difficulty, a final plea before her vision faded entirely.

Through the fog, she thought she saw Caelius shouting something, his face filled with urgency. But the sound didn’t reach her. All she could hear was a strange, distorted hum echoing in her ears.

Her body felt unbearably heavy, as if she were sinking into an endless abyss.

 

* * *

 

The original Aria lacked social skills.

No matter how much Amerin tried to guide her or teach her, Aria’s isolated life confined to a small room made it impossible for her to grow up in a normal environment.

She was socially inept and emotionally starved. Aria constantly craved conversation and interaction, and she had a tendency to talk a lot. Amerin was aware of this but couldn’t do much more for her.

As Amerin Leschent, she had her own responsibilities to handle and couldn’t dedicate all her time to her hidden daughter. The effort she made by visiting Aria whenever she had a spare moment was already significant.

At most, Amerin visited Aria five times a week, and even then, the visits were often brief greetings. For the rest of the time, Aria was entirely alone. Aside from the occasional maid bringing her meals and collecting dishes, there was no one for her to interact with.

In that lonely existence, Caelius’s sudden appearance one day became an object of immense curiosity for her.

“Daddy?”

Aria tilted her head quizzically, looking up at Caelius, who had come to see her. Her golden eyes sparkled with pure curiosity as they fixed on him.

“Are you my Daddy?”

Caelius smiled warmly at her question, crouching down to meet her at eye level. He reached out and gently tousled her golden hair—the same as his own, undeniable proof of their connection.

“Yes, I’m your Daddy.”

With his broad shoulders, tall stature, and sharp features, Caelius’s first impression to Aria was nothing short of a prince from a fairy tale. To her, he was the person who had come to rescue her from the suffocating confines of her room.

She vaguely heard Amerin shouting something in the background, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was to leave that oppressive room.

“Did you feel trapped in here?” Caelius asked softly, his tone kind and gentle.

“Shall we go to my home together?”

Caelius deliberately spoke as though addressing a small child, knowing how unworldly and naive she was. Her golden lashes fluttered up and down as she processed his words.

He extended his large hand toward her.

That moment marked Aria and Caelius’s true first meeting.

 

* * *

 

Aria was exceptionally intelligent—a natural inheritance from being Caelius’s daughter.

“Daddy, are you busy?”

“No, I’m not busy. What’s up, daughter?”

“Look! I memorized all of this so I could show it off to you!”

She beamed as she held up a noble compendium. Caelius’s expression flickered with surprise for a moment.

“You memorized the whole thing?”

“Yes! Uncle Gossen said you’d be happy if I did!”

Caelius stared at her, momentarily dumbfounded, before smiling softly and pulling her into a gentle embrace.

“It’s okay, my dear. This kind of thing isn’t fun, is it? You don’t need to memorize it.”

“But…”

Aria’s bright expression dimmed slightly, her golden eyes looking crestfallen.

“I don’t want to be locked up in a room again.”

Caelius watched her carefully, then reached out with a tentative hand to caress her cheek.

“Daddy wouldn’t lock you in a room, would he? Hmm?”

“But Mom did.”

“That’s different,” he said softly, his voice unusually tender. “Amerin didn’t have the power to protect you.”

“But I do,” he continued, brushing a strand of her hair aside. “I’ll never do that to you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Aria’s expression brightened, her melancholy vanishing as a radiant smile spread across her face.

“As expected, I like Daddy the most!”

She wrapped her arms around his neck with childlike enthusiasm, and Caelius chuckled softly, patting her back.

“Daddy likes you the most too.”

And, of course, that was a lie.

But Aria didn’t care whether his words were genuine. What mattered was that he talked to her, fed her delicious meals, and allowed her to roam freely.

Time passed in the grand ducal residence of Wittlesbach.

Aria surpassed even Caelius’s expectations in intelligence. She learned quickly, as if proving her lineage. Freed from the confines of her narrow room, she adapted rapidly to her new environment, refining her speech and demeanor.

Her sharp intuition and keen observational skills were remarkable. She chattered endlessly around Caelius but never did anything to test his patience or offend him.

In a way, she was cunning—astutely attuned to the emotions of those around her and skilled at navigating them.

Caelius didn’t mind this about her. While he didn’t genuinely see her as his daughter or feel fatherly love, Aria was, at the very least, a useful asset.

In contrast, Aria was completely and blindly devoted to him.

Whatever she ate, wherever she went, her thoughts revolved around Caelius, Caelius, Caelius. He was the center of her world.

Unsurprisingly, she didn’t truly see Caelius as her father.

By the time they met, Aria was no longer a child but a grown woman. A man who had suddenly appeared, claiming to be her father, couldn’t simply be accepted in that role.

If anything, seeing him as a man came more naturally to her.

Caelius, after all, was young for a father. Young, handsome, and of high rank. Yet there was something about him that set him apart—a presence that couldn’t be explained simply by his status as a sword master. It was something deeper, more ineffable.

Around Caelius, the air was always heavy with the stench of blood. Like an embodiment of the countless sins he had accumulated, an aura of decadence and danger exuded from him—a warning that no ordinary person would radiate.

And, of course, Aria noticed this as well.

Aria knew. She understood that the kindness he showed her was just a façade, not his true self. Even so, she liked Caelius. It didn’t matter to her whether his feelings toward her were genuine or not.

To her, Caelius was the embodiment of a new world itself.

“Daddy, are you very busy? The weather’s so nice today—I want to go for a walk with you.”

“Look at this! Isn’t it pretty? Hehe, I went downtown today and thought it’d suit you, so I bought it.”

“Daddy, can’t you drink a little less? Riri wants to live with you for a long, long time.”

With deliberately playful, affectionate words, she made an effort to please him and cater to his moods. Even if he wasn’t sincere toward her, it didn’t matter.

Caelius was fair to everyone. It wasn’t just her he wasn’t sincere toward; he wasn’t genuine with anyone. Knowing this, Aria found comfort in the fact that he was uniquely kinder to her. She reminded herself that this was enough.

But unfortunately, being quick-witted and cunning didn’t mean she could control her own heart. No matter how much she rationalized, Aria was still just a naïve girl, and Caelius was an overwhelmingly immense presence in her life.

Her affection for him grew to fill the void left by her unloved heart. Like an unquenchable thirst, no matter how much she drank, she couldn’t feel sated. Aria became endlessly dependent on Caelius.

Even as she instinctively realized she was the one who would end up hurt, she couldn’t stop herself.

And so, in the end, she crossed a line she should never have crossed.

It was a few days after her coming-of-age ceremony.

Without permission, Aria boldly entered Caelius’s room. As she stared quietly at his sleeping face, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Even so, Caelius did not wake.

Aria, who had been cautiously observing, leaned in and kissed him once more. What began as a simple kiss on the cheek soon deepened, transforming into a lingering, fervent kiss.