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nTranslator: Latte Editor: BakaReem

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nThe approaching footsteps echoed sharply throughout the halls, growing louder every second. After a while, the attic door slammed open, revealing a maid. Everyone’s eyes darted towards her.

nPanting, the maid spoke, “Th-the lord has just sent Sally to the capital to pick up a new dress for the young miss.”

n“You’re just in time. We were actually discussing that….”

n“He’s sending her to the Grand Duke of Valentine.”

nThe chatter stopped, and a heavy silence settled over them, everyone was speechless.

n“We’ll be at the expense of the Grand Duke.”

nThe maids shifted their gaze towards Aria.

nEveryone was pale, afraid to imagine what the Grand Duke might do once he finds out about Aria’s mistreatment within the mansion.

nUnexpectedly, some of the maids sympathized with her. They pitied her because she had been abused all her life.

n“The Grand Duke hasn’t sent an official letter of marriage though,” one of the maids pointed out, trying to reassure the others.

nNeedless to say, her efforts were futile.

nDue to inheritance and family alliance, marriages were contracted at a young age in most noble houses. Hence the average age of engagement was rarely over fourteen.

nThe Grand Duke of Valentine would turn fourteen years old this year.

n“Well, she’s going to die anyway.”

n“That’s right. She’ll be sacrificed to the devil before he harms us.”

nThe House of Valentine usually searched for marriage partners only once in a generation. Then, the wife would have to bear the child of the Grand Duke and continue his bloodline.

nThe child of the following marriage would get to inherit his succession rights, titles, precedence, and entailed property, but it wasn’t as good as it sounds.

nThe Grand Duchess usually dies after giving birth to an heir.

nThere had been many rumors about it, but no one knew the actual truth.

nThose that became the Grand Dukes’ bride had to break all ties with their family and friends.

n‘They were nothing but sacrifices.’

nThat was what everyone called them.

n“You can’t speak, and soon you’ll be stuck in the Grand Duke’s mansion forever. You have nothing to fear, though! I’m sure you’ve suffered much worse.”

nWhile listening to the maids, Aria recalled her memory of last night.

nAfter she got hold of the Mermaid’s Tears, entrancing the Count became quite simple.

nAll she did was add a few words to the lyrics; ‘send me to the Grand Duke of Valentine,’ and it immediately worked.

n‘Shall I sing to them like what I did to my father?’

nNo, there was no need for that.

nThe maids kept repeating, “You need not be afraid!” but Aria did not respond.

nThere was an uneasy tension in the atmosphere. The maids’ unsettled eyes glanced unceremoniously around the room.

nThen, Aria rummaged through a small old silver bag that she had been carrying on her shoulder.

nShe was mute, so she carried the bag every day as it contained items that helped her communicate.

nInside the bag was a bottle of ink, a quill, and a pack of cards. Aria wrote on a card and held it out to the maids.

nGet rid of this. Make it edible.

nThe maids let out a gasp. They couldn’t believe their eyes.

n“Sh-she’s ordering us..….”

nAria stared at them, her expression as empty as a blank sheet of paper. Then, she kicked the bowl of soup beside her feet and spilled its contents all over the floor.

nRight this instant.

n* * *

nAria gazed at the maid who nervously served her tea.

nShe asked for edible food but was given afternoon tea instead.

nThe maid laid flamboyant desserts on the table.

n‘I don’t even know what these are called.’

nThe sweet aroma wafted through the air, but Aria hated it.

n‘These types of lavish foods were common for aristocrats.’

nBut not for Aria.

nHow long had it been since she was treated as a human being, not as a bird in a cage?

nAria beckoned for them to leave after sipping her tea.

n“I-if the young miss needs anything, please don’t hesitate to call us.”

n‘Not in their life.’

nShe would never give them the chance to make up for it.

nAria glared at them, her sight blurred with fury as she remembered the maids who had deftly abused her. It was the kind of glare that harbored malicious intent.

n‘I will get my revenge someday.’

nAria shifted her eyes downward, thick pink lashes brushing the apples of her high cheeks.

nShe gave them a smile that seemed sweeter than the delicacies laid on the table. The maids were astonished by the scene before them. Then, she opened her pink lips and mouthed.

n—Get out.

nThe maids, who read Aria’s lips, were startled and hurriedly left the attic in panic.

nAfter a while, the sound of footsteps completely disappeared.

n‘I’m sure their whole body stiffened when they saw my sarcastic smile.’

nHow exciting.

nAria touched her cheek once more, her smooth skin, which was no longer scarred.

nWhen Aria was a Siren, Count Cortez would always tell her about nobles.

nThe aristocrats within the capital were demanding and loathed the sight of anything ugly.

nSince Aria had a burn mark that covered half of her face, she was labeled as ugly.

nHence why the count forced her to wear a mask.

nHowever, she did not need one now as she didn’t have the burn marks anymore.

n‘Still, I should cover my face again.’

nThe expression of disgust.

nAria knew the look. It was the look that the nobles made when she accidentally stripped off her mask.

nWhen they saw her face, their insides would curdle like milk with lemon. The sight of her made them sick from the ends of their hair to the nails on their toes.

nShe did not need the mask.

nHowever, Aria’s daily routine consisted of her wearing a mask, so she planned to do it again.

n* * *

n“Are we on the right path?” Count Cortez growled, irritated by the rattling sound of the carriage wheels.

nThe coachman replied with a quivering voice, “I-I’m not sure, My Lord. We’ve been following the path, but I can’t even see the entrance of the mountain….”

n“If you don’t know, then who on earth will?!” He shouted, finally losing his temper.

n“Stop the carriage this instant!” He raged.

nIt was definitely morning when they left the mansion, but now, the sun was already setting.

nAria and the Count had been riding inside the carriage for days without rest. They were utterly exhausted.

n“Damn it all! He yelled, gritting his teeth. “That devil bastard, I swear, one day I’m gonna…”

nThe Duchy of Valentine was an unknown land. Tucked away amongst the Ingo Mountains and forests, the land was cut off from the outside world. Foreigners were strictly prohibited from entering.

nFurthermore, the territory had tight security. They would check everyone thoroughly before letting anyone in.

nEven when engaging in large and small diplomatic activities or dealings with merchant guilds, the Valentine family had always censored their opponents with great strictness.

nUnderstandably, they ignored the Count’s offer to meet.

n‘There wasn’t even a single reply.’ Aria mused.

nThe Cortez family was famous for its lineage of musicians.

nAmongst them was Maestro Lo Cortez. He was famous for his overwhelming talents in singing, songwriting, and composing.

nHe was known as ‘The Father of Music’ and was considered to be the most outstanding musician of all time.

n‘Even Cortez, the Maestro of Music, was disregarded by the Valentines.’

nThanks to this, the Count snapped. His rage exploded like magma.

nHe immediately hired a guide from the guild, scheming to break into the Grand Duke’s mansion.

n“It is better to go back, My Lord.” The guide calmly remarked.

nHe assured the Count that he was the best in the industry.

nBut Aria was petrified.

nShe felt a chill down her spine.

n“Your request was ridiculous from the very start! Nobody dares to visit the Grand Duke’s mansion. Those that enter the Ingo Mountains have never come back alive!”

nThe Count had given him a large sum of money, yet he told him to go back. Anger boiled deep in his system, and he was ready to kill the guide.

n“You were the ones who accepted my commission! If you dare not take responsibility, you must pay with your life!”

nCount Cortez threw open the carriage doors and drew his sword, ready to cut his neck.

n“If I’m killed, you too will be chased down by the guild.”

n“Then we’ll both go down to hell!” Count Cortez snarled, the sword cutting deeper into his neck.

n“Gasp!”

nThe two of them continued to bicker; meanwhile, Aria’s gaze was elsewhere.

nShe leaned out of the carriage and stretched her arms out the window.

nSuddenly, she felt a tingling sensation.

n‘Is this… a barrier?’

nThe source of the Siren’s power is enchantments.

nThe Siren’s ‘enchantments.’

nThe Mage’s ‘mana.’

nThe Priest’s ‘divine power.’

nThe Shaman’s ‘spiritual power.’

nEach power has its own differences, but the energy’s essence was more or less the same.

nThe barrier blocked the entrance of Ingo Mountain.

n‘Is this perhaps… an illusion?’

nThe barrier prevented them from entering the mountain by creating an illusion. It seemed as if they walked in a straight path, but in truth, they were constantly circling around the same place.

nSome intruders weren’t able to cope with the situation, so they ended up killing themselves.

n‘As expected, this wasn’t easy.’

nThen, the sun was gone, and the night time came. The paths that were illuminated just hours before became lost in the blackness. As the forest fell into darkness, Aria heard the cries of beasts.

nRumbles— There was a shock and vibration as the ground trembled.

n“Agh!”

n“Wh-what in tarnation?!”

nThe knights of the House of Cortez unsheathed their swords, their skin clammy with nervous sweat.

n“That’s why I told you to go back!” The guide wailed, “Goodness gracious, what are we gonna do if the rumor about the monster is true?!”

n“Monster?”

n“The deformed beast. Many times larger than the common predator.…..”

n“What? Why are you telling me that now?!”

n“Because you kept shouting at me! You didn’t even stop to listen!” he accused.

nAria had also heard of the rumor.

nThe reason why so many people thought of the Valentines as devil worshippers were because of the rumor.

n“It’s the devil’s curse……” someone muttered.

nSuddenly, a scream broke out.

n“Argh!!!”

n“H-help!”

nThe sound echoed throughout the forest, desperate and terrified. It was a cry of hysteria and disbelief, bordering fear. The scream was one of the guard’s last words before he perished.

nAria fixedly stared at the knights surrounding her and didn’t look away for even a second.

nYet, by the time she blinked, another knight fell to the ground, his corpse soaked in a pool of blood.

n‘My eyes can’t keep up, but I know there’s something here!’

nA moment later, everyone was dead. The knights, mercenaries, guides, and even the coachmen… the life that had once dwelt within them was nowhere to be found.

nIt was a brutal slaughter.

nThe ground was covered with soulless bodies lying limply.

nAria lifted her head from the ground. In the midst of the bloody corpses stood a man wearing a black cloak.

n“How entertaining,” he smirked.

nHis voice was deep, like a low roll of thunder.

n“How did the House of Valentine fall to such a state? The social hierarchy is nothing but a joke.”

nA massacre had just happened before Aria’s eyes, but she felt no remorse. Her tragic past had diminished her emotions.

n‘This method of slaughter…’

nBeside the man were two large creatures that seemed to be the ‘monsters’ that the guide talked about.

n“It’s been a while since the dogs ate.”

nThe man called the beasts ‘dogs’.

nThe creature was huge and grotesque with black matted hair. They looked like wolves that were three times bigger than the regular size.

nThen Aria locked eyes with the man.

n‘Gray eyes…’

nThe man came up to her, passing the pile of corpses, and pointed his sword at her.

nHis lips parted.

n“Kill her.”

nAria’s brain had shut down.

nThe beasts ran towards her, and her knees gave away as she fell to the cold, hard ground.

nShe shut her eyes, waiting for them to deliver the last, finishing blow.

n“Kyaa-!!!”

n…

nBut there was no pain at all.

nAria opened her eyes, tears blurring her vision.

n“Sob, sob…”

nThe monster licked Aria’s hand and wagged its tail like a dog.

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