Dark Dad’s Rebirth - Chapter 12: A New Tool (4)

At dawn, Aria headed for Caelius’s office. But as soon as she approached, she heard voices inside, making it clear that someone had arrived before her.

“Father, can I have breakfast with you here today?”

“As you wish.”

“Hehe.”

Leria’s laughter and Caelius’s indifferent reply made Aria feel even smaller.

Should I come back later?

No. She needed to get this over with.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to knock twice. Caelius’s permission to enter came immediately.

When she opened the heavy wooden door, the first thing she saw was Leria sitting on the sofa, engrossed in a book.

“Oh, Sister! You’re here!”

Leria greeted her warmly, but Aria ignored her, walking straight to Caelius. She extended the ring toward him without a word. Caelius accepted it with his usual dispassionate expression and handed it directly to Leria.

For a moment, a surge of unidentifiable emotions overwhelmed Aria. Had she hoped, even faintly, that this was all Leria’s presumptuousness? That Caelius wouldn’t actually give her the ring?

“Put it on,” Caelius instructed.

“Wow…! Thank you, Father!”

Leria’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she practically bounced in delight, holding the Adamas Ring like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Aria stood still, watching. Deep down, she didn’t want to believe Leria could use the ring.

If Leria activated the ring, it would confirm that she was the true Wittlesbach heir. And what would that make Aria?

Leria, marveling at the ring with wide eyes, nodded at Caelius’s urging and began to slowly slip it onto her finger.

Time seemed to crawl. Aria’s throat went dry, and she swallowed nervously as she watched. A part of her secretly hoped Leria would fail to use the ring. It would be a small victory, a vindication that she wasn’t entirely displaced.

That was why she hadn’t left. Why she stood there, glued to the spot, holding her breath.

Her gaze locked onto Leria’s hand as the ring slid into place.

The moment it settled on Leria’s finger, the dull, silvery ring Aria had held transformed into a brilliant gold, as though recognizing its rightful owner.

Aria felt all the blood drain from her body. A cold chill coursed through her.

“Father, look! The ring turned gold!”

Leria beamed as she held out her hand, proudly displaying the gleaming ring to Caelius. He took her hand, his expression softening into a rare smile.

“Of course. You have the power of the royal bloodline. It’s only natural.”

Caelius spoke as if this outcome had been a foregone conclusion.

“I’ll have to teach you how to use it.”

Their affectionate exchange continued, their conversation warm and full of ease.

Unable to endure it any longer, Aria turned and left.

Behind her, Leria was too preoccupied with showing off the ring and clinging to Caelius to even notice Aria leaving.

As if Aria had never existed.

Caelius, however, quietly watched her retreating figure as she slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Aria lay alone on her bed, a hallucinogen pressed between her lips. Lighting the white stick, she inhaled deeply, letting the acrid smoke fill her lungs. The oppressive weight in her chest seemed to lighten, and her golden eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light as she watched the curling tendrils of smoke drift upward.

The unpleasant emotions that had plagued her began to dissipate, replaced by a hazy numbness. Closing her eyes, she exhaled slowly, her thoughts loosening their grip on her mind.

“Even if my life was built on lies, I was never false to you, Riri.”
“I love you, Riri.”

The voice from her memories was startlingly vivid, perhaps sharpened by the drug. The tender tone of the past echoed in her mind, and a faint smile curved her lips.

How absurd.

The one who had hurt her, broken her, and discarded her was the same person whose voice she now longed to hear. She despised him yet clung to the fragments of his affection from another time.

“I just… want to be loved.”

Her chest ached with emptiness, a void yearning to be filled.

She wanted a love so profound it was suffocating, so overwhelming it consumed both her and the one who gave it. A love so tender yet intense it blurred the lines between ecstasy and torment.

With each drag, her memories swirled around her like a mist, clouding her judgment but easing the sting of her pain. The burden of her misery floated away, leaving only a faint detachment. Even the question of whether her life was worth living seemed less pressing.

Why should I endure this treatment any longer?

The sunlight creeping through the blackout curtains felt mocking, a reminder of the world she didn’t want to face.

How much longer must I hold on for this suffering to end?

The pain, the loneliness, the endless void—they gnawed at her like a predator devouring her soul. Each memory of happiness was shattered under the relentless weight of despair, leaving only jagged remnants of what once was.

The Caelius she had known no longer existed. Perhaps she had been foolish to expect otherwise.

She clung to the ghost of a man who once whispered sweet nothings, who once brought her joy. Memories of his love still haunted her—the smell of bergamot and wildflowers, the sight of deep black eyes that once held galaxies for her alone.

But time had marched on, and the past had been buried under layers of cold, indifferent reality.

If I let go, if I abandon this hope, our memories will vanish forever, unrecorded and unacknowledged.

“If you wish it, Riri, I would give you the throne itself. I would become your knight and bring you the world. I swear to you, a vow I’ve never given to any emperor, that I will serve you as my only master.”
“So… no matter what happens, please believe in me.”

But Father, she thought bitterly, how do I believe in you now? Should I wait endlessly, clinging to an unrequited love, staring at your back and hoping one day you’ll turn around? Will you ever whisper that you love me again, with the same tenderness as before? Will you ever look at me with adoration that makes my heart feel alive?

“Lies…”

She murmured to herself, her voice thick with grief.

You’re a liar. In the end, you only wanted me for your ambitions. If you truly loved me, you would have remembered.

Remembered the times we spent together, the seasons we shared, the words we spoke. You would have had some excuse, some explanation for why you tried to kill me in the end.

But he didn’t remember. Not one moment.

Those precious memories that were etched into her soul, the ones she couldn’t forget no matter how much time passed—they meant nothing to him.

“It’s just a difference of the heart,” she realized bitterly.

He didn’t love me enough to remember our past. But I loved him enough to keep searching for the father I once knew.

Finally, it clicked. The reason Leria existed in this life when she hadn’t in the last.

I no longer possess the power of the royal bloodline.

Unlike her past self, she could no longer wield the Adamas Ring. Caelius had needed someone else, someone useful, and that someone was Leria.

Even the reason you kept me by your side back then… it was the same. I was just a tool.

She had ignored the truth, but the waves of reality crashed over her now, inescapable.

Will time heal this? Will meeting someone new set me free?

But the thought of finding someone else felt hollow.

If pain is my fate, I’d rather end it now.

Her memories, once beautiful, had become knives, slicing into her without mercy. As they cut deeper, she wondered if the end would bring peace or simply more suffering.

Would eternal rest finally quiet her tormented heart? Or would it only amplify the pain she could no longer endure?

* * *

Antion fiddled with the hallucinogens he had prepared for Aria, his brow furrowed with unease.

“Leon, shouldn’t we stop her?” he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration.

“You know just as well as I do… If she gets addicted, it could ruin her. It might even drive her insane.”

Even he, with his sturdier constitution, limited himself to no more than two doses a day. But Aria? She had smoked over six in a single sitting. Unless she had a body as abnormal as Caelius’s, such indulgence was unquestionably dangerous.

“Not to mention how addictive it is. Once she starts, quitting will be nearly impossible…”

Antion sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. “We need to stop her before it’s too late.”

Resolute, he began packing the hallucinogens back into their pouch. No matter how he thought about it, this wasn’t right. He couldn’t, in good conscience, hand over something that would send her spiraling further into despair.

Her frail body wouldn’t last. At first, he’d been moved by pity, but the idea of her being consumed by madness and utterly broken by something he had provided was unbearable.

“This is wrong,” he said firmly.

Yes, the money Aria offered was substantial—enough to tempt anyone—but Antion’s family was already wealthy. He didn’t need her money badly enough to destroy her life over it.

He buried his face in his hands, as if trying to scrub away his turmoil. But when he looked up, Leon was watching him with an unreadable expression.

“Antion,” Leon said, his tone calm.

“What?”

“How much of the active ingredient is in this batch?” Leon picked up one of the hallucinogens from the table, inspecting it closely.

Antion hesitated, confused by the sudden question. Still, he answered quietly, “30 grams. I reduced it for Lady Aria. Normally, it would be about 50 grams per dose.”

Leon frowned slightly, considering this. A tense silence fell between them.

“Don’t lower it.”

Antion froze, his eyes widening in shock.

“What did you just say?”

“Don’t reduce the dose,” Leon repeated. His expression remained calm, his tone utterly serious. “In fact, increase it. Push it up to 80 grams.”

Antion stared at him, dumbfounded. “You’ve lost your mind.”

The words left him in a near-whisper.

“Do you even understand what you’re saying?” he asked, his voice trembling. “You know what happens to addicts of this stuff, don’t you?”

“I know.”

“Then why would you—”

“Because this isn’t about saving her,” Leon interrupted sharply, his tone cold and cutting.

Antion narrowed his eyes, sensing the undercurrent of something darker. “Leon… don’t tell me…”

Leon didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his jaw clenched, and he gripped his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white. His gaze seemed to drift into the distance, lost in thoughts of the past.

“Leon, stop this. That was an accident,” Antion said firmly, trying to shake him from his trance.

“An accident? Don’t make me laugh,” Leon spat, his voice low and bitter. “A man like the Grand Duke could have done something. He chose not to.”

“And what? Are you saying he should have stormed the enemy camp just to save a single soldier? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?”

Leon didn’t respond. Instead, his eyes burned with quiet fury as he stared Antion down.

“You’re insane,” Antion said, his voice rising in exasperation. “If the Grand Duke finds out, both of us are dead!”

“If that’s your concern, then I’ll handle the deliveries from now on. You’re out,” Leon said flatly.

Antion’s face twisted with confusion and frustration. He looked from Leon to the bag of hallucinogens, then back to Leon. Finally, he closed his eyes and stood abruptly.

“…I don’t want anything to do with this.”

His instincts screamed at him to walk away, and he obeyed.

As Antion left, Leon watched him go, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He reached for the bag of hallucinogens Antion had left on the table and slung it over his shoulder.

“This will be quite the show,” Leon muttered under his breath.

The malice in his voice was a stark contrast to the kind, gentle demeanor he displayed in front of Aria. His smile now was twisted, devoid of warmth.

“The Grand Duke’s precious daughter, reduced to a wreck. That’ll be something to see.”

* * *

Dark Dad’s Rebirth - Chapter 12: A New Tool (4)

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