Dark Dad’s Rebirth - Chapter 11: Time at Crossroads (1)

There was a time when Caelius had asked Aria a question.

“Why do you go to such lengths to stay by my side?”

The memory was faint now, but it was one of those moments etched in her mind—spoken in his usual indifferent tone, carried on the chill of an autumn breeze.

Back then, Aria had answered in her usual casual voice, “Because I like you, Dad.”

Caelius, as always, had merely nodded in silence, offering no other response.

Aria had known that her feelings would never be reciprocated.

She understood that fully.

But even knowing that, she couldn’t help but hope just a little.

Seeing Caelius treat her with unusual leniency had given her a fragile sliver of optimism.

It was all just a fleeting illusion now, lost to the past.

* * *

After Aria woke up, the household staff became frantic.

If she so much as mentioned craving soft persimmons, they’d scour the entire continent to find them, regardless of the season.

The maids told her she had been unconscious for three days, leaving Aria shocked.

‘From the moment I first met Dad to the day of the execution…’

She had just relived years’ worth of memories, yet only three days had passed in reality.

It was a mere three days, but everything felt different. The biggest change was her inability to face Caelius the way she once had. How could she, when she now remembered the past—how he had abandoned her?

‘And before the regression… I’m certain Dad and I had a child together…’

But how? He had told her it was impossible for two royals to conceive a child.

Aria bit her lip hard. The voice she had heard right before her execution echoed in her mind, unsettling her.

‘Am I not truly his daughter…?’

But the thought didn’t make sense. Her reflection in the mirror was unmistakably royal—shimmering golden hair and eyes. While mutations that produced faintly golden features might exist, she had once wielded the Adamas Ring. Only those with royal blood could do so.

Aria rolled her eyes in thought, her mind drifting to the possibility that Amerin had been with another royal besides Caelius.

‘No, no, that’s impossible…’

Even if that were true, two royals couldn’t have a child together. If she had been born to her mother and the current emperor, she still wouldn’t have been able to conceive a child with Caelius.

‘Then what’s the truth…?’

Could Caelius not be royal after all? No, that wasn’t it either. In his prime, Caelius had wielded the Adamas Ring. Only royals could use it.

Her thoughts spiraled into a tangled mess. Instead of finding clarity, everything grew more convoluted.

What frustrated her further was how much she and Caelius resembled one another.

From the sharp bridge of their noses to the delicate curve of their lips, the clean, elegant shape of their nails—even the way wrinkles formed across the bridge of their noses when they frowned.

Even their tastes were the same. Neither of them liked seafood. They both loved thick-cut sirloin steak and roasted mushrooms. In many ways, they were like reflections of each other.

“Is His Highness still resting today?”

“Yes, it seems so. They said he transferred his aura to the Lady the whole time she was unconscious.”

Aria overheard the maids whispering through the door. Their chatter revolved around her and Caelius.

‘He transferred his aura… to me?’

The thought made Aria furrow her brow.

She vaguely recalled reading about it before. Aura users could heal others by using their own aura to mend injuries.

‘But it requires an enormous amount of energy and aura…’

Perhaps that explained why Caelius hadn’t appeared since she woke up. All she heard were murmurs of, “He’s still resting.”

Why?

Why would he go so far for me when he doesn’t even love me?

Aria couldn’t understand an act of selfless sacrifice without love behind it. And the idea that Caelius loved her? It clashed violently with the memories of his actions in the past.

She remembered it vividly—the moment Caelius pointed a sword at her after his rebellion failed.

If not for the knights of Azecresis intervening, Aria might have been killed by his hand that very moment. She wouldn’t even have made it to the guillotine.

But I still… I still like Dad…

Aria bit her lip harder. Why am I so blindly fixated on him?

She liked Caelius, but the nature of her feelings was something she couldn’t understand.

After being so cruelly cast aside, she should have let go by now. Yet here she was, clinging to him.

The fact that her priorities weren’t centered on herself but on Caelius made her feel hollow. The need to conceal her rotting heart and raise a polite smile for him humiliated her.

To lower herself, sacrifice her pride, and wait for love she knew would never be returned—it left her feeling utterly pathetic.

Aria resented her foolish self, criticizing her own stubbornness, yet she couldn’t untangle her emotions.

And so, a day or two passed.

“Riri.”

The endless chain of thoughts that had spiraled through her mind for days was abruptly cut off by a low, firm voice. She turned her dazed gaze toward the source of the sound, and there he was—Caelius.

Though he had seemed to be sleeping endlessly, Caelius now sat beside her with a face even more gaunt than usual, letting out a weary sigh. Aria stared at him blankly before averting her eyes.

His detached voice broke the silence.

“How are you feeling?”

At that moment, Aria felt as though something had struck her chest or as if an invisible hand was gripping her throat. The unfamiliar sensation unsettled her.

She clenched her fist tightly and bit down on the soft flesh inside her cheek without realizing it.

It had been so long since she’d heard his voice.

The disconnect between the Caelius she’d seen in her dream—so full of affection and tenderness—and the indifferent man before her now was jarring.

Unable to find the words to respond, Aria nodded weakly. Caelius observed her with an odd look. Her expression seemed unusually grim.

“Riri, you don’t look well.”

Perhaps that was why Caelius, uncharacteristically, reached out to touch her cheek. Startled by the sudden contact, Aria flinched and pulled her head back.

His expression hardened ever so slightly.

“Riri…?”

Caelius narrowed his eyes, calling her name again. But Aria only responded with a cautious nod.

He sensed something was off.

Before she collapsed, she hadn’t been like this. Back then, she had confessed her love to him, clinging desperately whenever he tried to distance himself.

But now, the Aria before him wore an expression filled with inexplicable emptiness, as though she no longer cared.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

No, it wasn’t.

Caelius deliberately kept quiet, studying her. Normally, she would have already filled the silence with chatter to match his mood. But today, she remained silent.

‘Is she still feeling unwell?’

That couldn’t be it.

He had sustained her body and energy using his aura throughout the time she had been unconscious. She should be in better condition than before. Yet her pale, almost sickly complexion told a different story.

“Riri.”

“…Yes.”

“Why do you look so down?”

Caelius mentioned her expression again, his tone unusually soft. Normally, Aria would have forced a smile in response, but this time, she kept her gaze on the blanket, her face cold and distant.

A moment of strained silence passed between them before Aria finally spoke.

“It’s just…”

“…”

“…I feel strange.”

She feels strange?

Why? Was it because he had suggested separate bedrooms? Caelius tapped the armrest of his chair rhythmically as he thought it over.

Had she had a bad dream while she was unconscious?

Looking at her fragile state, Caelius sighed, reluctantly breaking the silence.

“Forget what I said about that.”

Aria raised her head slightly, her brows furrowing.

‘What he said about that…?’

It took her a moment to process his words.

‘Oh, right… He did say we should start using separate bedrooms.’

Was he taking that back?

Though it had only been a few days, it felt like ages ago.

“No, it’s fine… You meant the bedroom arrangements, right? I’ll do as you said, Dad.”

The words that flowed from Aria’s lips were entirely unexpected for Caelius.

“I think the same as you, Dad. I think it’s better if we… use separate bedrooms.”

At Aria’s words, Caelius clenched his fist tightly. A faint crack appeared in the carefully maintained calm of his expression.

“…Why the sudden change?”

“…No reason.”

There’s no such thing as “no reason,” especially when it came to Aria, who had been clinging to him just days ago.

“No, I think sharing a bedroom is better,” Caelius said firmly.

It was a command, leaving no room for negotiation. He was ordering her to share his bed.

“Forget what I said before.”

Aria furrowed her brow slightly at his sudden reversal. Without thinking, a sharp response slipped out.

“…Why?”

“…What?”

“Why do you want to share a bedroom with me?”

Caelius fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words, caught off guard by her unexpected reaction.

Aria continued, her voice steady.

“It’s not as if being around me isn’t inconvenient for you.”

“I don’t know what you’re suddenly talking about.”

“Are you worried I won’t listen to you?”

For once, she spoke back to him with a sharp defiance uncharacteristic of her.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t have anything to be concerned about.”

Caelius frowned deeply, unable to suppress his displeasure at her impertinent tone.

“Are you throwing a tantrum at me?”

“A tantrum? At you?”

A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Aria’s lips, her expression laced with irony.

“As if. Don’t worry.”

“…”

“Like I said before, I’ll make sure there’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”

Her tone was just as resolute as his had been moments earlier.

“So, there’s no need for you to go out of your way to be kind to me anymore.”

Caelius stared at her with icy eyes, but Aria didn’t flinch. She simply looked back at him with a detached expression, her voice steady as she spoke.

“I know everything.”

“…”

“You’ve been pretending for my sake because you needed me for your rebellion.”

A hollow laugh escaped Caelius’s lips before he could stop it.

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying you don’t have to keep it up anymore.”

Caelius’s fist clenched tighter, his knuckles turning white. Aria forced a faint smile and continued, her voice brittle.

“It’ll be easier for both of us that way.”

“…”

“Just… I’ll listen to you, so there’s no need to go out of your way.”

Her hands, gripping the blanket, trembled slightly. She tried to act indifferent, but it was clear she was nervous.

“Stop using my emptiness against me.”

Her voice wavered as her shoulders shook faintly. Facing Caelius was unbearably hard.

* * *