Chapter 35
"Ah, Miss? Young Master!?"
After my outrageous antics last night had utterly demolished the grand steel doors, I pushed open the makeshift wooden plank that served as a temporary replacement and stepped inside. Maria, who had been waiting in the hall, jumped in shock.
How humiliating... At my age, getting carried around like that—I couldn't even lift my head. I squirmed to make myself as small as possible in Kal's arms. His faint chuckle made me want to die a little.
"...What on earth happened?"
Maria glanced back and forth between me—unable to show my face—and Kal, who looked utterly shameless. She quickly regained her composure and asked.
Kal smirked.
"My little sister was hanging upside down from a tree, so I brought her back."
"...Pardon?"
Kal's voice carried a hint of amusement, while Maria looked horrified and the servants stared in astonishment. I was so mortified I nearly bit my tongue.
"Put me down..." I timidly pounded on his chest with a limp fist.
A faint smile played on Kal's lips.
"If I do, you'll probably pull some other weird stunt."
"I won't!" I ground my teeth and yelled.
Kal bit his lip to stifle a laugh. As I stared out the snow-flecked window, contemplating instant death, he finally set me down, and my feet touched solid ground at last.
"...Thank you for escorting me."
I gritted my teeth and forced out a gratitude that sounded more like a threat. Kal pressed down firmly on my head.
"You're too light. Eat more."
Why does everyone nag me about eating? I sighed, remembering Physician Paul, who used to hover while I ate, lecturing me to consume more.
"The Duke returned just moments ago. He ordered you, Miss, and the Young Master to meet him in the study as soon as you returned to the estate," Maria reported.
Kaiser, who had left for the imperial palace early that morning, was back. Not knowing where the study was, I hesitated, but Kal took the lead down the first-floor corridor. I followed.
"The second floor has bedrooms for the Duke's blood kin. The right corridor on the first floor leads to the servants' quarters, and the study is at the end of the left corridor. If you have more questions about the estate, ask Maria."
"Got it."
I nodded as I walked beside him toward the end of the corridor.
"...Bullshit. You can't kill me."
And then, at the far end of another corridor. Something ominous was unfolding through the slightly ajar door.
A chilling voice, cold as a north wind blizzard. Kaiser sat at the desk, chin propped on his hand, wearing an intrigued expression. Across from the Duke stood a girl with pink hair.
...Aria and Kaiser are facing off?
I shoved past Kal—who was ahead of me without a care—and focused every nerve on the gap in the door. The atmosphere inside was icy.
Is the Duke bullying Aria...?
Kaiser might be a bit mad, but he wasn't the type to torment his tiny half-daughter. Still, anything involving Aria filled me with worry. Heart racing, I reached for the doorknob without knocking.
Why not wait a moment?
Lazy red eyes fixed on me, and a telepathic command via mana resonance echoed in my mind. For Sword Masters who wielded mana to its limits, conveying words through intent was effortless.
...Duke? What's this about?
Why send a mental message now? Puzzled, I pulled my hand from the knob. Seeing my confusion, a deep, seductive smile like a blood-red rose bloomed on Kaiser's lips.
Your sister is very entertaining, so I'm chatting with her.
What the—
"Street rats like me develop a killer instinct for danger. By my instincts... you can't touch me. You love Shushu-unnie, don't you?"
Before I could question Kaiser, the girl's familiar voice pierced my ear directly. If voices had weather, hers would be laced with frost. Cold and authoritative as a midwinter gale, it sliced through the study. It was a voice I knew well, but the ruler-like intimidation felt alien.
"When you talk about Shushu-unnie, your eyes change. And since you love her... you won't harm the one she loves most."
The girl's long, pale fingers pressed against the desk. Leaning forward, her face came right up to Kaiser's intrigued gaze. He twisted his lips.
"Fearless, aren't you."
"More like I'm certain of my read."
A confident smile curved Aria's lips. An arrogant strategist, utterly convinced of her trap. It was a face she never showed me, but it suited her true self perfectly.
"The reason I was sick was my fairy hybrid blood lacking essence, and you helped me with that. You're Kaiser Crisis, the Duke—or so you say. So why would that devil Duke help me? We had no connection. It wasn't pity for me; your attitude makes that clear. The reason must lie with Shushu-unnie. So what connection do you two have?"
Aria's sky-blue eyes flashed with cold precision. Madness gleamed in her calculating stare, sharp as a blade. She slowly scanned Kaiser. He glanced at me through the door crack, then chuckled slowly.
"I'm Kashmir's father."
"My gut told me as much."
Aria countered without a flicker of surprise. Unshaken, she met his chilling blood-red eyes and smirked. Despite the size and age gap—facing a Sword Master as an ordinary girl—Aria held her ground in presence. It felt like watching two beasts clash.
"But here's the thing. Why show up now to help us, when you've never once aided your daughter in her struggles before?"
"That's—"
For the first time, Kaiser's words faltered under Aria's sharp question. His eyes darkened, and Aria, seizing control, twisted her smile.
"What, got interested just now? Want to exploit Shushu-unnie's power as the mercenary king Mir? Surely the noble Duke isn't trying to suck the sisters dry from the streets?"
"Enough."
I panicked realizing Aria knew I was Mir, but a genius like her would've figured it out eventually. I clamped my mouth shut. As she pressed provocatively, Kaiser's impassive face hardened coldly.
"If you value your life, don't cross the line, girl."
His blood-red eyes froze like hoarfrost. Intimidating enough to numb gold, but Aria met them head-on, growing even icier. The tension was a taut wire ready to snap—should I intervene?—when Aria spoke slowly.
"That's exactly what I wanted to say, Your Grace."
Her savage tone shifted instantly to refined noble poise—polite yet firm. Stunned by the swift change, I blinked, frozen, as she sharpened her gaze.
"Shushu-unnie is weak to kindness and favors. If Your Grace treats her well, she'll open her heart, unsure how to respond. But if your curiosity fades and you turn away, she'll be deeply hurt."
Aria's eyes, spitting unerring insight about me, were ice-cold. My heart ached. Locking eyes with Kaiser, she ground out:
"I'm deeply grateful Your Grace saved me. I know it's wrong to act this way toward my lifesaver."
Her soft voice and gentle tone held no warmth. It was the leisurely growl of a beast at the top of its food chain. Lowering her gaze to her fingertips, Aria slowly lifted eyes laced with chill. Sky-blue clashed with blood-red in the air, a fierce battle of wills.
"But my safety and life mean less to me than Shushu-unnie not getting hurt. If you can't commit to the end, don't offer favors lightly. That's what 'don't cross the line' means."
Her voice was a predator's warning to an intruder. Her delicate eyes blazed coldly. I could barely breathe.
Aria slowly blinked, then placed her hand on Kaiser's throat. He twitched but stared back inscrutably. Her pale, pretty fingers gripped his neck and squeezed.
"If you hurt unnie because of you... I'll sell my soul to the devil himself to kill you."
The weight of emotion in that dark whisper was unfathomable. The fairy-like girl I'd always seen felt like a frozen sea. The child gripping the throat of a beast that could devour her—for my sake—showed no weakness. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if Aria's love for me surpassed mine for her.
"Truly admirable. I could learn a thing or two from that boldness myself."
Kal, stuck right beside me as I stood stunned, watching the standoff between Aria and Kaiser, murmured in admiration.
Silence hung in the study. Deciding I needed to sort this out, I slowly opened the door.
"...Aria."
I forced the words out, calling the name of my world. My sister, who hurt no more. She flinched, hastily releasing his neck, and turned to me.
"...Shushu-unnie."
The venom and ice in her eyes vanished like an ebbing tide, replaced by pure remorse and worry for me. The shift was eerily swift, but I asked nothing and opened my arms.
"Come here, sweetie."
Lips pressed tight against surging emotions, Aria ran to me. Familiar warmth filled my embrace. Spotting the rosy flush on her usually pallid cheeks, tears nearly came, but I held them back and hugged her tight.
"How's your body? Feeling okay?"
"Yeah. Not a bit of pain now. I could even walk five hours with unnie."
Aria beamed, eyes sparkling with tears. I sighed in relief, spinning her around to check her condition before letting go. No one could miss the vitality now radiating from Aria, who had always reeked of death.
"...Duke."
Taking a deep breath, I approached Kaiser, head bowed, dreading his expression.
Thud.
"I apologize for my sister's rudeness. Please forgive her with mercy."
"Unnie!"
Kneeling on one knee, Aria shouted. Her cry demanded why I was kneeling, but I only bowed deeper.
"Tell me what you wish henceforth, and I'll obey. I am entirely yours, Duke."
I declared firmly. He'd said he'd take me as his daughter, but in a day, his mind might change. I knew human fickleness well.
From the moment he'd given the essence, I'd resolved to dedicate this body to the Crisis house. Whatever he demanded, I could refuse nothing.
"You—your name's Aria, right?"
After a long silence radiating dark aura, Kaiser abruptly addressed her. Aria, face twisted while glaring at my kneeling form, nodded.
"...Yes."
"Good. Then from now on, you'll be Aria Crisis."
I snapped my head up in shock. Kaiser gazed steadily at my wide eyes and spoke.
"She said not to offer favors lightly if you can't commit."
"Then I'll commit."
Pushing back his chair, Kaiser rose and approached me slowly. His firm hand extended toward me.
"Let me say it once more."
"No one—not even the emperor or the pope—can make you kneel."
Repeating the words that had shaken me last night, he extended his hand further. Dazed, I grasped it, and he pulled me up with strong force. Kaiser looked between me and Aria, slowly lifting the corner of his mouth.
"I'll take responsibility to the end. So, won't you both become my daughters?"