Chapter 62

An unexpected horror ran down her spine.

‘What does that mean?”

Aria couldn’t understand exactly what the Grand Duke was saying.

However, Aria could tell that she had been caught doing something secretly.

‘Did you know that I’m a Siren?’

She bit her lips tightly. Cold sweat seemed to run down her back.

Sabina, Carlin, and Lloyd. These three were the only ones who knew Aria’s secret, but it’s unlikely they would have told Tristan.

Then how? Did he really hear the song?

“I heard it most clearly when I was fully embracing the devil’s malice.”

She doesn’t know how that’s possible.

But if the Grand Duke’s words are true. It meant that he had known she was a Siren from the beginning.

Suddenly, she remembered what Lloyd had said in her last life.

“Sing when you need me. Your song can reach anywhere.”

And it really was. When Aria started singing her song, Lloyd appeared in the Imperial Palace. It really felt like he had heard her song.

‘I thought it was a coincidence.’

Aria thought, maybe it was a mysterious ability, hidden in the devil’s malice.

‘But why….’

Tristan didn’t ask her, he didn’t interrogate her. He, unlike everyone else, did not seek to exploit her abilities by coveting it. He didn’t even tell the world.

‘You just didn’t do anything.’

Considering the Grand Duke’s circumstances, he must have been more desperate than anyone else.

She could only stare at him with his faded gray eyes, where even the embers of hope had been extinguished.

‘Faded gray eyes.’

It is white as if there is a thick fog, and the color is like ashes left behind.

‘The bored eyes that seem to disappear as if they are momentarily blown away by the wind.’

Ten years later, Lloyd had gray eyes like the current Grand Duke.

But now he had a sparkling obsidian. The pupils, purely black that it couldn’t be seen, were alive at every moment.

If that’s the case….

‘The Grand Duke’s eyes must have been originally black.’

Like the current Lloyd.

‘Is it contaminated by malice?’

Aria felt certain.

Before Lloyd could have eyes like this, she had to unleash the curse completely before that.

How long has he been doing that? Tristan smiled and said.

“It’s funny. What’s the use now…”

But Aria did not miss the words he muttered as if passing by.

‘In fact, it was because he didn’t even expect anything from me.’

He was too tired to hold on to such passionate feelings. He looked like Lloyd, who had chosen to go crazy. It was as if she was looking at her past self, imprisoned in the Emperor’s cage.

Aria took out her card.

[My songs reach anywhere.]

Anywhere.

[Battlefield, slums, brothels.]

Anyone

[On wild flowers blooming among the bricks, even on the stones on the street that are always bright.]

No matter how miserable the place, no matter how low it is, even the bottom.

[Even in hell. Even if it’s the devil.]

The Grand Duke’s eyes darkened for a moment. This time, the contents of the card seemed to be read properly.

[If there is a darkness that is eating you, give it to me.]

Aria came back for that purpose.

To accept anything in Lloyd’s darkness. To make him shine again.

If Lloyd’s darkness had been passed down from Grand Duke Valentine, Aria was ready to embrace the Grand Duke’s darkness as well.

[I came here for that.]

She clasped the card into the Grand Duke’s hand. He looked down at it for a moment and then tucked it into his arms so no one could see it.

“It’s ridiculous.”

Then he leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes and muttered.

“What the hell are you going to carry with that small body?”

Then Aria lowered her head and whispered in his ear secretly.

“I’ll sing you a lullaby at night.”

And she gently brushed away the disheveled bangs that pierced his eyes.

***

The Grand Duke’s bedroom was incomparably easier to infiltrate than Sabina’s bedroom. No spells or movement scrolls were needed.

Because there was not a single knight guarding the front door.

‘He must be strong enough that he doesn’t even need an escort…’

Even in the midst of losing power.

Aria sneaked into the room. And she saw Tristan lying quietly on the bed with his eyes closed.

‘Are you sleeping?’

His breathing sounds even. Aria waved her palms in front of the unmoving Grand Duke with closed eyes.

‘Well, even with insomnia, a few people will fall asleep. Because they can’t stay awake all day.’

As he lay down like this with his eyes closed, his unrealistic appearance like a statue stood out again.

‘His complexion is also seriously bad.’

She was swept away in an instant when he opened his mouth, so she didn’t even notice. His skin was rough and bloodless, his lips were bluish and chapped, and there was a pitch black shade under his eyes.

‘It’s great that you’ve endured so far.’

Aria reached out her hand and gently stroked the Grand Duke’s head as she gently licked her lips.

“Hush, hush, sleep well, lovely baby.”

At that moment, the Grand Duke’s fingertips seemed to tremble for a moment.

‘…Did I see it wrong?’

Perhaps he’s cold.

‘Come to think of it, he’s sleeping without a blanket.’

Aria grunted and pulled the blanket that was under the Grand Duke’s body.

But it couldn’t move. She clenched her teeth and pulled it with all her might. Thankfully this time, the blanket fell out.

As if the Grand Duke gently lifted his waist.

‘Are you sleeping or awake?’

To say that he was awake, she was confused because there was no movement as if he was dead except for the sound of breathing. Aria once again waved her hand in front of the Grand Duke to make sure he was sleeping.

‘You are sleeping.’

There’s no reason to pretend he was sleeping. She sighed and carefully covered him with the blanket.

“Hush, hush, sleep well, lovely baby.”

She hesitated for a moment where to put her hand, then placed it on his chest.

‘Pat, pat.’

A song of sleep.

It was a song she could sing very well. It was because there were many times that the nobles had called her to cure their insomnia.

“The stars, the moon, is full of light, Mother’s hand gently shakes you…”

Aria tilted her head and continued to narrow her brow as she sang.

Strangely, the more she patted, the more she felt the vibration in her hand touching his chest.

“Until the sun comes and hits you dazzlingly,

Sleep with an angelic face….”

It was then.

It seems that the ‘angelic face’ was the problem. As soon as that verse came out, a short laugh burst out as if desperately suppressed.

The Grand Duke burst out laughing out loud as if he couldn’t stand it.

“…..”

As expected, he was awake.

“Don’t laugh.”

“Aah, right.”

The Grand Duke replied with a laugh.

‘I told you not to laugh.’

How much time has passed.

‘He’s laughing until now?’

Tristan laughed, shaking his shoulders until Aria was tired. And he barely managed to get a laugh.

“Ha, really. It’s the first time I’ve laughed like this.”

Until, he was barely, barely laughing. Aria thought he was laughing so hard that he laughed whenever he said something.

Tristan asked, leaning his upper body towards her.

“Did my sleeping face look like an angel?”

“…..”

Nope. It was like a demon king sealed in a labyrinth.

Aria wiped her face. She suddenly felt tired.

“It only works if you listen seriously.”

Aria made a face as strict as possible.

Then the person who doesn’t match the seriousness responded with a rebellious smile to her words. The faded gray eyes seemed to glisten with playfulness.

“My face is as pretty as an angel, so how can I not get up with excitement?”

Oh, get some sleep.

Aria raised one of her hands and covered the Grand Duke’s eyes.

She only got one eye covered. So she raised her other hand and covered it.

“Close your eyes.”

The Grand Duke quietly closed his eyes.

She squeezed her shoulders and tried to put him back on the bed.

He didn’t move, so she struggled and he laid down, as if the effort was imaginary.

‘It’s a shock, really.’

In fact, Aria responded calmly, but she was deeply shocked. It was because she had never seen anyone in her life hold onto their stomach and laughed while listening to her song.

‘It hurts my pride.’

Even though she sang it without magical power as much as possible. She sang as softly as possible in case it would stimulate his madness.

‘I’ll sing it right this time.’

Aria coughed and asked.

“There are other lullabies too.”

“Do babies, mothers, the sun, the moon, and the stars appear there too?”

How did he know? Not only that, baby birds, foxes, and squirrels also appear.

“……I will go.”

Aria was stabbed and slowly stepped back, her cheeks blushing.

Since he’s already burst out laughing once, it seems unreasonable to expect him to listen to her lullabies seriously.

‘Should I come by the time he begged for sleep so he’ll listen seriously?’

No, but most of the lyrics for lullabies are like that.

“Don’t go. I really felt like I was going to fall asleep just now.”