Dark Dad’s Rebirth - Chapter 10: The Real Aria (11)

When Aria opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Caelius. His face seemed more gaunt than usual.

“…Daddy?”

Her voice cracked as it slipped through her lips. Embarrassed by how rough her voice sounded, Aria cleared her throat and quickly shut her mouth. In response, Caelius handed her a lukewarm cup of water.

“How are you feeling?”

“I-I’m fine…”

“…That’s good.”

Oddly enough, she really did feel fine. There wasn’t any major pain, nor was she overly fatigued or sore. Aria briefly parted her lips as if to speak, then closed them again.

Sigh…

It was Caelius who let out a heavy sigh. His expression was deeply twisted, as if something had put him in a foul mood. Raking a hand over his face in frustration, he bit his lip. Seeing him behave so out of character left Aria blinking in confusion.

Then, as if deciding to finally address her actions, she began fidgeting with her fingers, clutching and releasing the edge of her blanket nervously.

“Um…”

“…”

“Daddy.”

At her call, Caelius glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

I’m sorry. I was wrong.

It was a phrase she usually had no trouble saying. But today, the words wouldn’t leave her mouth. She hesitated, her head bowed, unable to speak. Instead, she simply peeked at him, gauging his mood.

‘Why did I go so far as to throw myself into danger like that…?’

She tried to pretend everything was fine, that it hadn’t been a big deal. But the truth was simple—she had acted out of fear. A fear of being discarded, of becoming a piece he no longer cared for.

Her emotions, which she had allowed to grow unchecked, now screamed that she couldn’t bear to live without his love.

Aria clenched her fists tightly, the sharp sting of her nails digging into her palms offering a faint reprieve. But she didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on the pain.

‘Could I live my entire life just chasing after his back?’

He’d never give her words of love, nor cast her a single affectionate glance. Could she truly be content with this one-sided longing?

Already, the ache of her unanswered feelings was tearing her apart. The emotions she had foolishly let grow threatened to burst forth, overwhelming her. Could she carry the weight of this unreciprocated love alone, all the way to the day she closed her eyes for the final time?

She had once thought that simply being by his side, smiling when he wanted her to smile, would be enough. That just remaining close to him, even in such a subdued way, would make her happy.

‘It’s not enough…’

Not at all.

‘In truth, I want to be loved like the princesses in fairy tales.’

Her heart had grown larger, and with it, so had her desires.

She no longer wanted his cold, distant gaze. She yearned for a warm, affectionate look, one filled with so much love it overflowed. Not a gaze clouded by detached obligation, but one that reflected an overwhelming need, a love so strong it demanded physical closeness out of sheer passion.

‘I want him to look at me the way I look at him. I want him to feel restless because of me, parched and desperate, as if he can’t live without me.’

That was her wish.

Caelius was always cold and indifferent.

At first, Aria blamed herself.

Why was she so greedy? How could she so easily crumble after boldly claiming that it was fine if she wasn’t loved? No matter how much time they spent together or how close she thought they were becoming, Caelius would always retreat, as if the closeness had never existed.

And each time, it was never Caelius who ended up hurt—it was always her. Those small wounds piled up, creating a deep scar that eventually broke her.

It wasn’t as though there was some grand conflict between them.

That’s how it always is with such things.

Sometimes, everything collapses with one big explosion. But more often, it’s the small things, piling up day by day, until an unspoken limit is reached. Then, even a trivial incident becomes the final straw.

Cold glances that she could usually endure. Emotionless words she could usually brush off. Uncaring actions she could usually ignore.

All the things she thought were fine quietly pushed her closer to the edge.

Her unfulfilled longing for love, for reciprocation she had never received from anyone, drove her to despair.

If she was destined to spend her life craving love—if she was doomed to never have it returned—

‘Then maybe it’d be better to just die now…’

“Riri.”

Her spiraling thoughts came to an abrupt halt at the sound of his familiar voice. His usual deep, slightly raspy tone carried her nickname effortlessly, as though nothing had changed.

And the moment Caelius called her name—

‘I haven’t been abandoned…’

Daddy came for me.

He came himself, riding out to save me, and he even got angry for my sake. I thought I’d rather die than be discarded, but…

The black depths of Caelius’s eyes were subtly different from usual. Though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, they weren’t as cold as they had always been.

Perhaps that was why, the moment their eyes met, Aria broke down. She cried like a child, letting out the sobs she had desperately held back. She screamed and wailed, her voice echoing as though she was trying to expel every emotion she’d suppressed.

Even as she bawled, she thought, ‘Daddy doesn’t like crying children…’ She felt foolish and pathetic.

But it all felt like a dream—that she hadn’t been abandoned by Caelius.

For the first time, Aria didn’t hold back her emotions or try to read his mood. She just let it all out. She half-expected Caelius to furrow his brow and sternly tell her to stop, but instead, he remained silent, running a hand over his face as though at a loss.

He sighed deeply, his chest rising and falling, as he simply watched her cry.

Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks, her eyes swelling and turning red. She sniffled, her appearance ungraceful and childish, yet to Caelius, she still looked unbearably beautiful. He began to wonder if he’d gone mad.

Even as she cried, Aria clung tightly to Caelius’s hand. She held on as if she couldn’t bear to let go, sobbing uncontrollably while clutching him with all her strength.

The words she had once spoken echoed in her mind:

“It’s okay if Daddy doesn’t love me.”

“It’s not okay… Hic, it’s not okay…”

In the end, it had always been a lie. She had convinced herself she didn’t need his love because she feared being cast aside even more.

The room was filled with the sound of her sobs. Caelius neither scolded her nor told her to stop crying.

He simply tightened his grip on her hand and gently patted her back in silence.

 

* * *

 

Who knew how long she had been crying? Aria’s face had long since become a mess of tears and snot.

Caelius, who had been silently patting her back, reached out and gently swept her disheveled hair back. Her unevenly cut hair, haphazardly chopped at varying lengths, was carefully tucked behind her ears. With equal care, he wiped her swollen eyes before taking a handkerchief from his pocket to clean her face, much like one would for a child.

“Blow.”

Aria shook her head furiously.

“Quickly.”

“N-no, I won’t.”

How could she possibly blow her nose in front of someone she wanted to look good for? It was unthinkable. Seeing her stubborn refusal, Caelius clicked his tongue softly and muttered,

“Is this a rebellious phase?”

A rebellious phase? Sure, she had acted out a bit this time, but hadn’t she been obedient all along?

Startled, Aria widened her teary eyes and looked at him with a mix of shock and indignation. Her blurred vision made him seem hazy. Unfazed, Caelius calmly wiped her eyes again and continued speaking.

“The retainers tell me that daughters, as soon as they grow a little older, start saying ‘no’ or ‘I don’t want to,’ constantly defying their fathers’ words…”

Sniffling, Aria pouted her lips.

“It seems my daughter is no exception.”

“T-that’s not… hic… not true.”

Without answering, Caelius continued tidying her face. Her eyes were still damp and red, but she looked far more presentable than before.

After a while, still sniffling, Aria reached out toward him with both arms.

“…Hic, hold me.”

Caelius let out a faint, humorless chuckle but bent down and scooped her into his arms as she asked.

“Riri.”

Hearing him call her name, Aria gave a small nod instead of answering aloud.

“I’m not the type to console crying children.”

Holding the much smaller Aria close, Caelius nuzzled her neck lightly with his lips. His large hands moved gently to caress her tear-streaked cheek. When Aria leaned into his touch, rubbing her face against his palm, it was as though Caelius had been waiting.

Without hesitation, he pressed his lips against hers.

A soft, yielding sensation pressed against her lips, and a hot, velvety muscle slipped between them. Aria’s hands instinctively clenched, gripping Caelius’s shirt collar tightly as she trembled like a rabbit caught in a snare. Unlike his usual demeanor, his movements were surprisingly gentle.

The wet sounds of their entangled tongues filled the air as their saliva mingled.

Breathless, Aria wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. Sensing her struggle to keep up, Caelius finally pulled back, his lips parting from hers as he murmured in a low voice.

“Tell me.”

Tell him? Tell him what?

As Aria tilted her head in confusion, he clarified, his voice calm yet commanding.

“What is it you want from me?”

His slightly lowered gaze was as sharp as ever, yet strangely softened. Was it just her imagination? Bewitched by his tone and expression, Aria found herself opening her mouth.

“I… I want…”

“…”

“I… hic, I want Daddy to…”

Her tightly clenched hands trembled faintly. Sensing her hesitation, Caelius gently patted her back, as if to soothe her.

“For Daddy to… like me as much as… hic… as much as I like you…”

“…”

“I want… Daddy to like me too.”

Hearing those words, Caelius bit his lower lip slightly, his arms tightening around Aria.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he could no longer deny it.

The golden eyes that mirrored his own from the past, the fluttering lashes, the small lips pressed tightly together, and even the pale fingers trembling from trying so hard to read his mood—all of it was unbearably endearing to Caelius.

“I’m not sure just how much my dear daughter likes me…”

Caelius moved naturally, leaning closer until their bodies were pressed together. His gaze met hers, carrying a subtle depth of emotion. His lips parted briefly, as if carefully choosing his next words.

A short silence lingered between them before Caelius finally broke it.

“…I love you.”

It was a short and simple statement. Yet, uncharacteristically for Caelius, he couldn’t even meet Aria’s eyes properly.

Surprised by his unexpected response, Aria stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. But Caelius kept his gaze averted, looking elsewhere.

“Damn it… When I look at you, my chest feels all tingly. I want to hold you, to kiss you, but you’re so precious that I can’t act recklessly.”

The words that came out of his mouth were hard to believe. Aria, at a loss, opened and closed her lips like a person struck speechless.

“I know how meaningless this kind of emotional waste is, but I can’t control it.”

Aria’s already wide eyes grew even larger, mirroring her astonishment. Her round, wide-open gaze was a perfect reflection of her shocked heart.

Her heart began pounding. Thump, thump. With every word Caelius spoke, it felt as though her heart might burst out of her chest.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“…”

“I want to give you everything you ask for. I don’t want you to get hurt. I want to show you only the best, the rarest, the most beautiful things…”

Caelius trailed off, muttering a low, “Damn it,” as though frustrated with himself. Then, with a resigned sigh, he asked,

“…Do you feel the same way?”

Tears welled up again in Aria’s eyes, undoing the brief reprieve she’d had from crying. She bit her lip hard, her face contorted in an expression of overwhelming emotion as she sniffled and trembled.

Seeing her face, Caelius let out a faint smile and gently cupped her cheek.

“Why are you crying, hmm?”

Even as he playfully squished her soft, pale cheeks, kneading them this way and that, Aria could only let her tears fall, streaming silently down her face.

“Riri.”

At the sound of her name, Aria gave a small nod.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re crying because you hate me now?”

Startled, Aria immediately shook her head.

“Hic, n-no, it’s not… hic, not that.”

“Then what?”

“I… I just can’t… hic, believe it…”

Sniffling, Aria pinched her own cheek to confirm whether Caelius’s words were a dream. The sharp pain that followed told her it was real.

“Hic… hic…”

The raw honesty in Caelius’s words couldn’t be compared to the empty, emotionless “I love you” he’d murmured in the past.

“Th-this isn’t… hic, a dream, right?”

“It’s not a dream.”

“You’re lying, hic… It feels like a dream…”

Her voice wavered between hiccups and sobs, making her sound almost comical.

“What do I have to do to convince my dear daughter?”

His soft, sweet voice felt unfamiliar in her ears. Aria burrowed deeper into his embrace, still half-doubting if the Caelius she was holding could be an illusion conjured by some demon.

“Should I just keep saying it until you believe me?”

Aria looked up at him with her mouth agape, dumbfounded. Seeing her expression, Caelius’s sharp gaze softened into a gentle curve as he smiled.

“I love you, Riri.”

The sweet voice she had longed for. The loving gaze she had dreamed of. The tender gestures she never thought she’d experience, even in her wildest fantasies.

This wasn’t the Caelius she had known. It was almost impossible for her to believe it was real. She feared that the moment she accepted it, she would wake up from this dream.

“I love you.”

“…”

“I love you, I love you, I love you.”

His voice, filled with affection, echoed softly in her ears.

“Don’t ever do anything like this again.”

Aria bit her lip and looked at him with tear-filled eyes. In response, Caelius gently brushed her tears away, his voice kind yet firm.

“I thought I’d lose my mind, worrying about what might happen to you.”

“Th-that’s… a lie…”

“It’s not a lie.”