“Has he gone insane, seriously?”
To Aries, Raymond had undoubtedly lost his mind. It would’ve made more sense if he were conspiring with Count Estarote to overthrow the imperial family.
Raymond often called Aries simple-minded and impulsive, but in truth, Aries was cool-headed and calm by nature.
However, after becoming filled with rage at the world, she no longer felt the need to restrain herself.
She was simply acting recklessly while pretending to know nothing.
From her perspective, she suspected someone had tempted Raymond with the idea of living a normal life, leading to this mess.
“He’s speaking like he’s talking to a friend.”
Reading the letter over and over, Aries turned to the still-trembling attendant and asked: “Does Count Estarote have any children?”
“Y-yes… he does.”
“Tell me who.”
“I-I’m not exactly sure, but I believe he has two sons and one daughter.”
“More details.”
“The eldest son is an adult. The younger son and the daughter are minors. As for the daughter—she’s quite famous.”
“Famous?”
“Yes. I remember there being a grand celebration when she was born, as she was the first girl born in the Estarote family in a hundred years. They also throw big parties for her birthday.”
Ah… hearing that, Aries remembered.
There had been a joke about a girl loved as much as a princess of the Empire.
“Haha, should we do that for Aries’ birthday too? No matter how precious someone else’s child is, they can’t compare to our daughter.”
“Oh my, you’re being silly.”
Memories naturally resurfaced, putting Aries in a foul mood.
It was because those memories were tied to her family.
“Hmph.”
As if trying to shake off the bad feelings, Aries let out a deliberately sarcastic laugh.
“Apparently, she wasn’t as cherished as they say.”
After all, she had been offered up to a monster by her own parents.
That’s how Aries saw it.
No matter how clever a child might be, they wouldn’t willingly approach monsters like them.
It was clear what the Count was after by pushing his daughter toward Raymond.
‘He’s trying to use his daughter as bait to entangle himself with the imperial family. Raymond, a royal cast aside at a young age—he’d be easy to manipulate if you win his heart.’
The more she imagined it, the more disgusted Aries became.
Both the Count, who used his own daughter, and Raymond, who fell for such a stupid trick, were revolting.
One mystery remained: how had they calmed the child in Raymond’s presence?
The only plausible guesses were drugging her to cloud her mind, or perhaps the child had a mental issue and wasn’t fully sane.
After pondering, Aries asked the attendant,
“Does Lady Estarote often attend social gatherings?”
“Pardon? I-I’m not sure…”
“You’ve never heard anything about her being out in public?”
“Actually… yes. I haven’t seen her myself, but I’ve heard she often goes to the shopping district.”
Halo, who adored his sister, bragged about her whenever they went out together, and word had spread.
Remembering this, the attendant answered, and Aries tapped her cheek with her finger, lost in thought.
‘If she goes out regularly, then the second possibility is unlikely. So it must be drugs.’
Aries’ eyes gleamed. Her lips curled into a sly smile, and she let out a quiet giggle.
“Alright, let’s pay a visit.”
With that, she handed back the letter.
It was returned in its original, unopened state.
The attendant, relieved to be spared, quickly bowed and left.
Two days later, the same attendant intercepted Seiana’s reply, allowing Aries to discover that she would be attending a gathering.
***
It was extremely rude to show up uninvited, but Aries didn’t care.
People saw her as a monster regardless, so she no longer bothered to hold back.
Still, not wanting to cause a scene, she observed the gathering in secret.
Unlike the adults, the children—Seiana’s group—were in the garden, making it easy to stay hidden.
“Tch.”
From afar, the silver-haired girl named “Lovely” lived up to her name—cute and beautiful.
Her peaceful, untainted expression revealed how dearly she was loved.
‘So what? She’s still a sacrifice to a monster.’
Though she belittled Seiana’s situation, Aries seethed with jealousy.
She envied the innocence Seiana still possessed—something Aries had lost.
Family warmth, lighthearted chatter with friends, leisurely walks through town…
Now, Aries’ appearance only brought fear and screams. Knowing Seiana still enjoyed those things made Aries burn with jealousy.
The fact that they were the same age only fueled it.
While Raymond became an Awakened by accident, Aries’ case was even more tragic.
Raymond was supposed to be the next Awakened due to the timing of a generational shift, but for Aries, it was a true accident.
The previous Awakened had been her young uncle.
He was still in his prime, and the next generation should’ve been Aries’ children—not Aries herself.
But with his sudden death, she was forced into the role with no time to prepare.
Aries remembered that day.
It had been a peaceful one, like today.
Her family was in the garden together.
Her mother was sipping tea while watching Aries and her siblings play.
The knights stood guard nearby, smiling warmly at the scene.
Then Aries felt something wrong in her body.
Like she had swallowed fire—or ice.
She was burning and freezing at the same time.
Her limbs trembled, and something surged from deep inside.
Despite her haze, the gasps and screams around her still echoed in her mind.
The knights abandoned her and rushed to protect her siblings instead.
She wanted to scream for help but had no strength.
Barely lifting her head, she looked to her mother.
“Monster.”
Her mother’s lips didn’t move, but Aries heard it clearly.
The disgust in her expression, the hatred in her eyes—it all told Aries she was no longer seen as a daughter.
That memory made Aries even angrier.
She wanted to hurt Seiana, who still had everything she’d lost.
To Aries, Seiana was a demon trying to steal even her last shred of understanding—the one person left who might have stood by her.
‘It’s not the day she meets Raymond, so she probably hasn’t taken any drugs today.’
What would happen if she saw Aries with a clear mind?
Would she go mad?
Aries giggled.
What if she not only showed herself, but touched her—grabbed her hand?
Even Seiana’s father trembled when their fingers so much as brushed.
But if Aries shook her hand firmly, like a greeting?
She might suffer something worse than madness, but Aries only found the idea amusing.
It would be the price for daring to mess with a monster.
Aries wanted Seiana to be left completely alone.
She waited and continued to observe them.
It was boring to listen to their nonsensical fairy-like chatter, but thankfully, the moment she had been waiting for came quickly.
Even more conveniently, they went somewhere secluded on their own, which was almost baffling.
Aries followed behind Seiana as she slipped into the maze.
She made sure to suppress her presence by using her ability to float, as any sound of footsteps might alert her and cause her to run.
Seiana, unaware that a monster was behind her, went deep into the maze and sat on a bench.
For some reason, her face looked extremely tired, but Aries didn’t care.
How should I make my entrance?
If she revealed herself all at once, Seiana would scream, and people would gather—making it hard to properly punish her.
That’s why Aries decided to slowly consume Seiana with fear.
“Do you believe in fairies?”
She revealed herself slightly from the shadows and let her voice be heard.
Seeing Seiana’s startled, possibly frightened reaction made Aries smile.
‘Yeah, the monsters you’ve faced so far are nothing like me.’
You stuck your head into a monster’s jaws without fear—so if your head gets bitten off, you have no right to complain.
Thinking that, Aries took a step closer.
By now, she expected Seiana to be trembling and crying, but instead, her blank eyes made her look thoughtless…
The strange reaction made Aries wonder:
Is she blind or something?
She grew suspicious.
“Tell me. Do you really think fairies exist?”
Trying to provoke her, Aries spoke again—but Seiana neither answered nor seemed afraid.
She just looked at her with a dumb expression, as if wondering who she was.
Huh?
This isn’t right.
This wasn’t the reaction Aries had hoped for.
‘Did she take some kind of drug when I wasn’t looking?’
Is that why she looks so dazed?
And how did she even know I was coming?
Aries was overwhelmed with anger at Seiana’s apparent cunning.
If she had taken the drug of her own will, it meant she wasn’t being used by her father but was actually his accomplice.
Then, Seiana’s expression changed.
Rather than fear, it was one of contemplation—but Aries dismissed it.
How could someone be thinking about anything else while feeling fear from a superpowered being?
Thinking the situation was finally playing out properly, Aries let out a scoff.
“Are you so scared you can’t even answer?”
She glared fiercely as she said that.
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