Dark Dad’s Rebirth - Chapter 17: Disappearance

The imperial palace was unusually chaotic, its air thick with tension. Aria instinctively knew that something was terribly wrong.

The closer she got to the emperor’s office, the more unsettling the atmosphere became. The halls were so fraught with activity that no one stopped her to ask if she had an appointment with the emperor. This only deepened her unease.

And when she finally reached the office, she found Caelius.

Pierced through by three or four swords, his body lay lifeless on the blood-soaked floor, slowly growing cold.

The sight overwhelmed Aria with indescribable emotions.

This was the man who had shared two lives with her. To others, he had been many things, but to her, he had always been like the sun. Never once had she imagined he would fall so far.

A golden aura, the power of the imperial bloodline, began to seep from Aria, surrounding her body. This power allowed her to push past the circle of knights guarding the office.

The golden energy, identical to Azecresis’s, made it impossible for the knights, unprotected from such forces, to approach her.

“Dad… Dad!!”

Aria screamed, her voice raw and desperate, as she rushed to Caelius’s side and cradled him in her arms. His body still held a faint trace of warmth, but that was all.

The arms that had always held her were now motionless.

She was sick of it all. The years spent with Caelius, the rebellion, even her own heart. Everything felt unbearable. She had wanted to escape him, to hate and resent the man who had trampled on her emotions.

Yet as she held his cooling body, she realized the truth.

This wasn’t the freedom she had wanted.

This wasn’t the goodbye she had hoped for.

This wasn’t how she wanted things to end.

She had always told herself she loathed him, that he disgusted her, that she resented the way he had humiliated her. But deep down, she had wanted his unwavering trust and love to heal those feelings.

Like a shattered plate, some things were impossible to mend. Even if you tried, the cracks would remain. That was why she hadn’t been able to trust him again. Why she had spent so long tormented, unable to hear the words “I love you” from the man she wanted them from most.

And so, it had hurt. It had driven her away.

It had made her want to leave, to escape the man who caused her so much pain.

But what she had truly wanted wasn’t escape. It wasn’t this.

All she had wanted was to be loved—to be loved as other women were, in a simple, unremarkable way. Was that such an outrageous dream?

If she could meet the gods again, she would demand to know.

“This isn’t how it ends…”

Sobbing, Aria clutched Caelius’s body tighter. As she did, the golden power flowing from her began to seep into him, almost as if recognizing its rightful owner. The immense energy poured into his wounds, but Aria, lost in her grief, didn’t notice.

“This isn’t right, this isn’t… Ahh, Dad… Caelius…”

She didn’t want to see him like this. The memories of his death in their past life clawed their way to the surface, suffocating her.

“Please… please…”

Drowning in the sticky mire of the past, Aria’s cries echoed through the room.

Then, Caelius’s fingers twitched.

His faltering heart began to beat once more—slowly, then steadily. His eyes, still closed, fluttered faintly.

But it wasn’t just Caelius who had changed.

The moment the power of the imperial bloodline began returning to its rightful place, Aria’s radiant golden hair started to darken. Her brilliant, jewel-like eyes also grew dim.

She was becoming just like Caelius.

“Dad…!”

Her relief at seeing the fading light of his life rekindled was short-lived.

It was only when she met Caelius’s now-open eyes that Aria noticed the changes in herself.

The black hair cascading down her shoulders was no longer gold. Everything Caelius had once kept her by his side for had vanished.

Ironically, even in such a moment, Aria felt her heart sink.

Would Caelius hurl cruel words at her now that she had lost her power, just as he had in their past life?

She tried not to show it, but her grip on him loosened ever so slightly.

Though she told herself it wouldn’t happen, her mind went blank, flooded with anxiety. She had a vague idea of why this transformation had occurred, and that only deepened her unease.

Caelius, now awake, said nothing for a long while. He simply stared at her.

As his gaze slowly regained focus and a gleam returned to his black eyes, he fixated on Aria, scrutinizing her as if trying to determine whether this was a dream or reality.

The golden aura that had enveloped them both gradually dissipated. Once it disappeared entirely, the imperial knights would undoubtedly move against them again.

Just as Aria began to tremble with fear and uncertainty, Caelius finally spoke. His lips parted, and his familiar voice called her name softly, as always.

“…Riri.”

Then, as if the swords that had pierced him were nothing, he stood, holding her in his arms.

“I love you. In the past, now, and in the future.”

The unbelievable words made Aria’s eyes widen like a startled rabbit.

“W-What did you just… say…?”

She touched her darkened hair in disbelief, her voice trembling as she asked. Caelius, as if expecting her reaction, repeated the answer she sought.

“There was never a moment when my feelings for you weren’t genuine. Not in this life, not in the last. Everything I felt for you was real.”

Hearing those words, Aria knew with certainty—Caelius had regained everything.

“That… that can’t be…”

“In my foolishness, I hurt you with lies because I wanted to protect you. I’m sorry, Riri. I know it’s too late to ask for forgiveness, but I’m truly sorry.”

“Lies…”

“They weren’t lies.”

Caelius leaned in and pressed a brief kiss to her cheek, leaving Aria frozen in shock.

“I told you before, didn’t I? If you wanted, Riri, I would give you the throne. I would become your knight and bring you the entire world. I swore an oath to you that I never gave even the emperor—that I would make you my one and only master.”

Aria remembered. Those were the words Caelius had spoken to her once before. She nodded absently, lost in the memory.

Caelius’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

“And do you remember what I said next?”

As if spellbound, Aria answered, “That no matter what happens, I should believe in you…”

Tears welled up in Aria’s eyes, glistening before she even realized they were there. Her once-bright gaze was now dim and soaked with emotion as she looked at Caelius.

“…I’m sorry for being late,” he murmured.

Aria could no longer hold back her tears, and they streamed down her face.

It felt like she had returned to the past—the warmth of his embrace, the sweetness of his whispered words, the gentle look in his eyes as he gazed at her. All of it was so familiar, so painfully nostalgic.

All the spiteful things she had said to him seemed to evaporate in that moment, swallowed by the flood of cherished memories. Aria felt as though she had stepped back into a time when everything had felt precious.

Even as the royal power protecting the two of them dissolved completely, and as they faced the swords of countless knights, Aria no longer felt afraid.

“Let’s go south,” Caelius said, pulling the sword from Azecresis’s lifeless body with an unsettling ease. He turned to Aria with a soft, almost casual smile.

“In a little cabin, we’ll raise all the dogs and cats you want.”

Dozens of knights pointed their blades at them, but Caelius radiated a calm confidence, his presence unshakable.

Aria, too, remained unfazed. Somewhere along the line, she had begun to trust him again, deeply and completely, as she once had.

Smiling gently, she responded in a voice tinged with lightness that defied their perilous situation.

“Let’s raise goats too.”

“If that’s what you want, then of course.”

They needed to escape the palace immediately—no, the capital, or even the empire. The imperial faction’s knights would soon descend upon them. Yet, both of them wore serene smiles as if the threat didn’t exist.

Caelius cradled Aria in one arm, his sword slicing through their attackers with effortless precision.

It was a scene that mirrored the day he had rescued her from the cave in Hevitz, the day he had realized she was his one weakness.