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nTranslator: Latte Editor: BakaReem Proofreader: Adulldoll

n“Ha… so that’s how it is,” Lloyd muttered with a sigh.

nShe didn’t heed his warnings at all.

n“So she doesn’t care even if she dies.”

nVincent laughed at the sight of his brother who looked so stressed out.

nLloyd immediately headed to the main palace. He was thinking of visiting the grand duke since it seemed like he had finally gone crazy.

n“What are you going to do?” Vincent asked.

n“If he’s really gone mad, then I’ll have to snap him back to his senses.”

nVincent followed Lloyd with a big smile.

n“Let’s go together, brother.”

n“Go away.”

nEven with the cold response, Vincent just laughed and followed him to the palace.

nThen, they reached the entrance of the main palace which was blocked with a ‘cage.’ Or to be more precise, the ‘wolf cage’ and the ‘jaguar cage.’

nOne would only be able to enter the palace through the cage. It served as a security filter to ensure the safety of the palace from intruders.

nLloyd opened the door to the jaguar cage without hesitation.

nThen, a green meadow could be seen from beyond the ‘cage.’ It was an artificially created space that showed a flowing river, scenery of beautiful flowers, and herbivorous animals that were put in as food for the jaguars.

n“I still can’t get used to it even after passing here several times,” Vincent frowned as he looked at his dirt-stained shoe.

n“I don’t know why I have to enter and exit the palace through this inefficient route.”

nAs he lightly clicked his tongue and lifted his head, Vincent found out that Lloyd didn’t listen to him at all. In fact, he was staring at something else.

n‘Hmm?’

nCurious, Vincent turned his eyes to where his gaze was directed at.

nThen, he came to see a rare sight he had never seen before in his entire life.

n“What the hell is that…”

nRabbits, deer, larks, and squirrels were all gathered together. With the jaguars too!

nThe jaguars were lying idly on the grass while purring very loudly, even though they had food right in front of them.

nAnd at the center was a child that had fallen asleep while leaning on the jaguar’s back with a peaceful expression on her face.

n‘Oh my gosh.’

nIt was astonishing.

nThe morning sunlight flowed inside the cage, illuminating summer meadows and alpine slopes all the same. A radiant beam of light draped over her sleeping head as it painted her skin so warmly, and the dust that floated in the air was reflected in the sunlight as it shimmered like a golden light.

n‘A forest fairy?’

nIt didn’t seem real. It felt like seeing an illustration from a fairy tale book.

n‘Invasive species.’

nSiren.

nThe daughter of Count Cortez. The daughter of a Siren, who was never known to the public.

nShe was merely an empty shell that was sold by her own flesh and blood.

n‘Is it an innate skill? But even if she was a Siren, to be able to do that…’

nHer ability was nothing like humans. She was more like a forest fairy that only existed in legends.

n‘A race that only existed in legends…’

nSince their ability was powerful enough to destroy the whole ecosystem, his curiosity as a scholar was inevitably piqued.

nVincent began to observe Aria without concealing his eager look.

n‘She’s tamed the beast who has never obeyed anyone else except for their master and even tamed the notorious devil…’

nTaming animals seemed to be her ability. Was the Valentine’s lineage more easily tamed because their nature was closer to that of a beast than humans?

n‘It’s certainly plausible.’

nVincent thought that his hypothesis could be correct.

nThough… if he had said his thoughts out loud, his brother would’ve killed him.

n‘The jaguars, the grand duke, then…’

nVincent’s gaze suddenly turned to Lloyd.

n‘How will it go?’

nHe was still staring at the girl who was asleep.

nUnfortunately, Vincent couldn’t see his face because he stood behind him.

nHe suddenly wondered about his brother’s expression as he was never one to feel attached to anything.

n* * *

nLunch that day was herring fillets sautéed with butter.

n‘Wow…’

nAria stared at the food with admiration.

nThe fried herring on the plates were arranged with lemon wedges on the side and garnished with chopped parsley on top. The dish was served with a bowl of rémoulade sauce to further accentuate the flavor.

n‘As expected of the House of Valentine’s chef. His cooking is very artistic.’

nAria saturated the herrings in the sweet, sour sauce and popped a large chunk into her mouth.

nThe sauce was smooth while the fish felt rough, nonetheless, the meat tasted immensely satisfying. The warm mixture was pure ambrosia in her mouth.

nDelicious.

n“What do you think it tastes like?” Chef Baker asked with a happy smile.

nTastes like the sea.

nShe had never been there before.

nSophia, her mother, once told her about Atlantis.

nA long time ago, there was a small kingdom called the Kingdom of Atlantis. Atlantis was known to be the home of all Sirens. But as the years passed by, the Pineta Empire took over the small kingdom and turned it into a coastal city ever since.

nUnfortunately, the kingdom had somehow disappeared and now, it’s existence was nothing more than a myth.

n“Yes! That’s right,” Chef Baker said with pride.

nHe also asked Aria if it would be okay for him to take the card with the Tastes like the sea. written on it.

n‘Why do people ask me to give them my cards these days?’

nAria was puzzled, but she didn’t have much use of it anyways, so she gave the card to him regardless.

nThen, Chef Baker carefully put the card into his arms, as if he were carrying some kind of national treasure.

n“You did a great job,” Diana said as she wiped Aria’s lips with a napkin.

nThe young lady was finally able to enjoy other dishes besides soup. So, the chef felt as if a hundred-year-old burden had been lifted off of his shoulders.

n‘Ah!’

nAria peeked down at her belly.

n‘I’ve gained weight!’

nAria used to be so skinny that even her ribs were exposed. However, she was no longer skin and bones.

nHer body was now full of fat!

nThanks to the increasing amount of meals every day, she grew taller and now looked healthier than ever.

n‘My socks aren’t as loose anymore!’

nAria stretched her leg forward. No matter how much she moved, her socks didn’t fall at all. It stuck to her ankle like glue!

nHer cheeks, which used to be baby fat, were now plump.

n‘But it’s still not enough…’

nDespite regaining some health, she could not yet sing the song of healing and destruction.

nHealing songs were songs that could heal any disease, unless it involved bringing someone back from the dead.

nAnd the song of destruction was a song that could completely destroy the body or mind of the other person.

nIt was the same song that Aria sang to the emperor before her death.

nAnd it was the song that she needed the most in the future.

n‘Well, I wasn’t able to sing those two songs until I turned 14 anyways.’

nFour years…

nHowever, four years from now was already after the Valentine’s Incident. Aria had to find a way to sing that song before the time was up.

nI want to eat more.

n“Young miss …!”

nDiana was so thrilled that tears started to come out of her eyes. Chef Baker immediately brought the next menu.

nIt was a turkey topped with brown gravy sauce.

nAria picked up a fork and knife and skillfully cut the corners.

n“Have you ever learned table manners?”

nAt that moment, Diana’s question stopped Aria in her tracks.

n“I’ve always thought that it was unusual. Such precise movements….”

nAria realized too late.

nUnlike when eating soup, table manners are inevitably revealed when eating other dishes.

nAfter becoming Siren, Aria learned all the manners of a noble from her father.

nShe practiced from day to night. To the extent that it spontaneously wore on her body.

n“……”

nShe was caught off guard.

nAria suddenly dropped her fork and knife as if her hand had suddenly become weak. Then she lowered her head and held out another card.

nI’m hungry, so I don’t have energy.

nShe didn’t have the power to lift the cutlery, but had the strength to write.

nIt was ridiculous. However, the reactions of the servants were unexpectedly loud.

n“Oh, I’ll cut it!”

n“No, I’ll do it!”

n“Stop it! I can cut the meat better than you!”

n“I have a license in cutting meat!”

nThen, while raising his hand, the chef, who stood sternly in the gap between the kitchen maids, spoke, “I am the best at using knives.”

nNo one was able to refute. The kitchen maids quietly backed away.

nBut as the chef gazed at Aria with a face full of anticipation, the young lady stared at Diana instead.

n“Oh, shall I cut it?” Diana asked.

nAria nodded.

nThe head maid smiled brightly and immediately sliced the turkey for Aria.

n“Here, say ah~!”

nAhh—

nThe fork entered Aria’s mouth as she chewed on the turkey.

nEveryone stared at Diana, they were certainly green with envy.

n* * *

nDiana was dressing Aria up.

nShe dressed her with a pastel purple gown made of soft, satiny fabric, long and loose. The arms and neckline were trimmed with decadent lavender and the white ruffled laces were delicately embroidered with small flowers.

n“As I thought. Pastel colors suit you well,” Diana smiled as she saw that Aria’s new clothes fit her perfectly.

nAria looked at the mirror.

nThe velvet waist ribbon was decorated with a cute pendant in the shape of a cat.

n‘It looks like Lloyd.’

nIts eyes were black obsidian, the same color as Lloyd’s.

nAnd as Aria was fiddling with the pendant.

nDiana, who glimpsed out the window for a while, hurriedly spoke, “The prince came back yesterday… Do you want me to guide you to him?”

nBut Aria shook her head quickly.

n‘He’ll kick me out.’

nIt was better not to provoke him until the grand duchess was cured.

nAfterward, Aria headed for the library.

nThere were several libraries in the palace, and all of their walls were soundproofed, so the place was perfect for Aria to practice singing.

nOf course, just because the walls were soundproofed didn’t mean that her songs couldn’t be heard. Mages could also cast magic to disable them.

n‘The grand duke thinks that I’m a bookworm.’

nAria pretended to browse through the library books, picked up roughly anything, and headed to the office.

nThough… that would have been the case even if no one had struck up a conversation with her.

n“Hello, sister-in-law.”

n‘Sister-in-law?’

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