Dark Dad’s Rebirth - Chapter 14: Madness (1)

Before Aria could ask where he was going, the sound of his heavy, purposeful footsteps echoed through the silent halls. It didn’t take long for her to realize his destination.

“Aaaaaaaahhh—!!”

A girl’s piercing scream shattered the stillness, its source unmistakable.

In the entire estate, only two people could produce such a sound: Aria or Leria.

The scream seemed to stretch endlessly, sending a chill through Aria. Her heart pounded wildly as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

Moments later, the sound of Caelius’s returning footsteps approached, steady and unrelenting. The door flew open abruptly, and he entered, holding something in his grasp.

Aria’s wide eyes darted between him and the object in his hand, her mind racing to piece together what was happening. Her chest tightened with foreboding, a primal warning screaming within her to stay still.

Caelius’s imposing presence filled the room, his aura suffocating. Aria clutched her blanket tightly, her body rigid. The air seemed charged, her skin prickling with fear as her instincts told her to run, though her body refused to obey.

“Riri.”

His voice was soft, the familiar nickname rolling off his tongue with disarming gentleness.

It only heightened Aria’s tension.

“A-Ah… Daddy…”

A trembling voice echoed in the heavy atmosphere, but it wasn’t Aria’s.

“Daddy… sniffle… what… what’s happening? Why…?”

The voice came from the object in Caelius’s grasp—the person he dragged into the room.

Though the darkness from the heavy curtains obscured their face, Aria knew instantly who it was.

The tangled mess of golden hair, the disheveled appearance as if dragged across the floor—there was no mistaking it.

Leria.

Aria’s breath caught in her throat as she tried to process the scene.

‘What… what is he doing?’

Leria looked utterly pitiful, as if snatched from her sleep. Her large, teary eyes darted frantically around the room, and Aria, overwhelmed by disbelief, could only glance between her and Caelius in stunned silence.

Leria began to thrash in his grip, struggling desperately to free herself.

“Why are you doing this?!”

Her cry, frantic and pleading, rang out like a wail. But Caelius’s expression remained cold, unyielding.

“Riri.”

Once again, he called for Aria, completely ignoring Leria’s protests.

Aria swallowed dryly, her throat tight.

‘He’s calling me… does he expect an answer?’

His piercing black eyes, sharper than ever, bore into her, making her shrink under their intensity. Unable to meet his gaze, she fidgeted nervously, her fingers clenching and unclenching around the blanket.

Leria continued to struggle, flailing against his iron grip. The sound of her muffled whimpers filled the room as Caelius tightened his hold on her golden hair. Her pain was evident in the soft groans escaping her lips.

But Caelius didn’t waver. If anything, his grip seemed to grow stronger.

The tension in the room climbed unbearably when Leria, in a desperate attempt to break free, began clawing at Caelius’s hand with her nails.

The sight made Aria’s heart lurch, her chest tightening in alarm.

‘Does she even realize what she’s doing?’

Aria stared at Leria, her panic rising as her nails raked against his skin.

‘Perhaps he’ll let it slide… after all, she’s his real daughter. Surely he’ll be more lenient with her.’

That bitter thought crawled unbidden into Aria’s mind, and she hated herself for thinking it.

But the next moment shattered that notion entirely.

Without hesitation, Caelius raised his free hand and struck Leria across the face.

SLAP!

The sharp, resounding sound echoed through the room, freezing everything in place.

With a sickening thud, Leria’s body was thrown into the corner of the room, as if she had been carelessly discarded. The sheer brutality left Aria gaping in disbelief, her mouth slightly open as if frozen mid-sentence.

Caelius, however, paid no attention to Aria’s shock. He strode purposefully toward Leria, gripping her hair once again with an unrelenting hand.

“I must have been far too generous,” he muttered coldly, his voice low and devoid of warmth.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down Leria’s face. She clutched one side of her head, gasping for air as if she couldn’t believe what was happening. It seemed as though she couldn’t hear clearly, her trembling hand pressed firmly to her ear.

“To think that anyone could dare sink their nails into my body…”

Caelius’s voice resonated through the room, his tone imperious, as if he were a ruler addressing a mere subject. The way he carried himself, regal and unyielding, left no room for doubt—even in this moment, he appeared every bit the sovereign.

“…That honor belongs only to my daughter.”

The words, directed at Leria, carried not even a shred of affection.

The atmosphere in the room became unbearably heavy, a storm of confusion and tension swirling within it. Yet Caelius remained unnervingly calm, as if none of this fazed him.

‘What is going on…?’

Aria’s thoughts raced.

Leria was his true daughter—or so she had been told. Wasn’t she?

She stared at Caelius, her face twisted in bewilderment. She wanted to ask what was happening, to demand an explanation, but before she could find her voice, Caelius moved again.

From the scabbard at his waist, he drew his sword. The metallic scrape of the blade leaving its sheath sent a chill through the air.

“Dad—!”

Aria’s voice broke through the tension, but it wasn’t out of concern for Leria. Her cry wasn’t a plea to save the girl.

It was born of pure confusion, an attempt to make sense of the situation before her.

“What are you… what are you doing?”

Her voice trembled with disbelief as she tried to comprehend his actions. She didn’t understand any of it, and her growing panic was evident in her tone.

Finally, Caelius turned his attention to Aria. He let out a short sigh, almost as if he were frustrated by her question, then looked directly at her.

Their eyes met, and Caelius’s lips curled into a smile—a slow, unsettling smile.

In one hand, he held his sword. In the other, he gripped the hair of a girl no larger than a child. Yet his demeanor was calm, almost pleased.

“I made a mistake,” he said softly.

“…What?”

Aria shook her head slightly, confusion written all over her face.

What mistake? What was he talking about?

“I made a mistake,” he repeated, this time with more clarity.

He turned his gaze back to Leria, whose trembling form was still held firmly in his grasp.

“This,” he said, his tone colder than ever, “is not my blood.”

The declaration sent a shockwave through the room.

His words, dry and emotionless, hung in the air like a death sentence. His voice carried the authority of a judge handing down a final verdict, leaving no room for doubt or mercy.

“I’m certain I made a promise,” he continued, as if speaking to himself.

“…”

“And I forgot it somewhere along the way.”

Caelius muttered to himself quietly, his voice dripping with disdain, as though bored by the thought.

Then, with deliberate slowness, he brought the edge of his blade to Leria’s throat.

Leria’s breath hitched, her pupils dilating in pure terror.

“D-Dad… what… what are you saying…?”

Her voice cracked, trembling as her jaw quivered uncontrollably. The sound of her chattering teeth filled the room, the stark contrast between her fear and Caelius’s cold detachment almost surreal.

Moments ago, she had been cradled by a kind and loving father. Now, all that remained was a man who seemed poised to take her life without hesitation—a predator staring down its prey.

Leria, clinging desperately to Caelius’s pant leg, appeared utterly broken, her tears streaming endlessly down her face. Her fragile state might have evoked sympathy in anyone else, but Caelius remained as cold as ice.

With a swift, merciless kick, he dislodged her small hands from his trousers.

“Let’s get the wording right,” Caelius said, tilting his head slightly, his tone mocking.

“It’s not ‘Daddy.’ You should be saying ‘Uncle.’ Isn’t that right, niece?”

His sharp, fox-like eyes curled mischievously as he smirked, as though finding great amusement in the situation.

‘Uncle? Niece?’

The words hit Aria like a sledgehammer, leaving her mind blank and her thoughts scrambling to catch up.

If Leria was a niece… and Caelius was her uncle…

She swallowed hard, her throat dry.

“You put on such a good act, didn’t you? But a wretched bloodline like that… it never hides for long,” Caelius sneered, his voice venomous.

Aria held her breath as he continued, a sickening grin spreading across his face.

“As they say, like father, like son. Azekrysis played the devoted emperor, doting on his empress… but it seems even she wasn’t enough for him.”

Aria’s gaze wavered as it settled on Leria. Her trembling eyes darted over the girl’s pitiful form, her emotions in turmoil.

“How commendable of my dear brother,” Caelius continued with a sardonic chuckle, “to go all the way to the southern provinces to spread his seed.”

The venom in his words was unmistakable.

Caelius’s remark shattered the fragile calm Aria had been clinging to. Her carefully maintained composure cracked, her face betraying her shock.

‘The emperor’s bastard.’

Her eyes darted back to Leria, and suddenly, the golden hair that had always struck her as peculiar felt glaringly obvious.

Her heart sank like a stone, crashing into an abyss.

And yet, amidst the chaos in her chest, a treacherous flicker of relief surfaced:

‘She’s not the real one. She’s not my replacement.’

The realization disgusted her, and she clenched her teeth to suppress any trace of satisfaction that might show on her face.

‘But he never brought in bastards before. Not as daughters, anyway.’

Caelius adjusted his grip on the sword in his hand, his voice cutting through Aria’s spiraling thoughts.

“She’s been a useful tool, I’ll admit.”

Referring to a person as an object—he said it so casually, with not a hint of remorse.

Aria bristled at his words, an inexplicable irritation rising within her.

“She knows how to wield the Adamas Ring, possesses some measure of royal power… I thought I might keep her close and put her to good use,” he said with a dismissive laugh.

“And if she were to die at the hands of assassins sent by her oblivious father, that might have been amusing too.”

Caelius’s words dripped with derision as he laughed softly, a hollow and sinister sound.

“Riri, I did it because…” He trailed off, his voice lowering.

“Because I hated hearing you say those things to me.”

Each word felt like a hammer blow to Aria’s heart, pounding harder and harder as he spoke.

“So, unlike myself, I brought her here without a word to you. Without an explanation.”

Suddenly, the pieces clicked into place.

She had once wielded the Adamas Ring. Back then, there had been no need to bring someone like Leria into Vittelbach.

But now? Now it made perfect sense.

Caelius wouldn’t have done it without a reason, and now that Aria understood that reason, it left her utterly speechless.

It was so… him. So exactly like him.

‘An emperor’s bastard child, ignorant of her heritage, was the perfect tool for Caelius to use.’

Even as disgust churned in her gut, Aria couldn’t deny the truth: Leria was more useful than she was.

Caelius, who valued people solely for their utility, was utterly terrifying in his precision and pragmatism.

Feeling exhausted, Aria pressed her hands to her face, dry-washing her features in a futile attempt to steady her racing heart.

“Riri.”

His voice cut through her thoughts like a blade.

“…”

Aria remained silent, unable to muster a response.

“…I’m sorry.”

Caelius’s apology was succinct, devoid of embellishment.

Naturally, Aria didn’t respond. She didn’t feel the need to, and it seemed Caelius hadn’t expected an answer either. Without waiting, he continued speaking.

“This is the first time I’ve disposed of something that still held value.”