050
Tap. Tap.
The sound of shoes stepping on the stone floor echoed in the vast space, piercing the eardrums of everyone present.
Creak.
The door opened, and the head of Velarion, Exid Velarion, cast an indifferent gaze toward the demurely standing girl.
“You’re late.”
“I apologize, Father.”
The children of Velarion are not connected by blood.
However, once they inherit the name ‘Velarion,’ they all share the same distinctive traits.
Silver hair and red eyes.
These were the marks of Velarion.
Among them, Diorose Velarion stood out as exceptionally beautiful—like a rose blooming in blood.
“Has the decision regarding Goliath’s punishment been made yet?”
“Mm! Mmph! Mmghh!!”
Goliath’s bloodshot eyes darted toward Diorose as he noticed her presence.
‘You!’
She was there, at the scene that ruined everything for him.
If only he could inform the head of this fact, perhaps he could be forgiven.
Diorose is dangerous.
Dangerous enough to have an entirely different plan.
Otherwise, how could she have known to go to the lower reaches of the Alexandrite River?
‘That information—that Pashayen would gather there—it was given by none other than Bernstein!’
But no matter how much he writhed, the head of Velarion paid him no attention.
Goliath had already been discarded.
“All you’ve done is worsen our relationship with Pashayen. When handling things, one must do so discreetly. You’ve violated more internal family rules than I can count.”
Diorose pressed her foot firmly on his hand and smirked.
The twins, who were too naive to even be assigned their ‘child numbers’ yet, looked at Diorose with admiration.
‘Idiots! Foolish morons! You’ll share the same fate. That venomous woman will devour you both as well!’
Goliath and Diorose had always been at odds.
As the second and third children, their scores in every test were consistently similar, making it impossible for them to get along.
But beyond that, Goliath outright despised Diorose.
She was far too educated, too sharp-tongued, and refused to submit to anyone.
Moreover, her gaze—the way she looked at him—often carried a mixture of contempt and ridicule.
And something else—something chilling that he couldn’t quite place.
“Mmph! Aghhh!! AAAAAAHHH!!!”
No. No, this couldn’t be the end for him.
If he were to die, he’d drag her down with him!
Driven by desperation, Goliath mustered all his strength and let out a guttural scream.
It was such a piercing cry that even the head of Velarion was forced to glance back.
“Oh my, it seems Goliath has something to say.”
Looking down at him, Diorose smiled elegantly.
That smile, filled with triumph, drove Goliath into an even greater frenzy.
“Hmm? What is it?”
Diorose looked at Goliath, who was pinned by shadows, and thought to herself.
‘Ah, he’s like a preserved insect.’
Finally, she could rid herself of this vile trash.
‘This is a day to celebrate.’
One of the obstacles standing in the way of her goal to become the head of Velarion would finally be removed.
“Father, he says he’s so ashamed he’d rather die. He’s begging for you to kill him painlessly.”
Pretending to listen intently, Diorose whispered softly, causing the twins to burst into laughter.
“Coward!”
“Coward!”
The twins had belonged to Diorose for a very long time.
She clothed, fed, and raised them.
Only after Goliath disappeared would those twins truly become ‘siblings’ in the family.
“We were a family, however short-lived. Let’s send him off with dignity, so he isn’t humiliated any further.”
With her hands clasped politely, Diorose smiled sweetly, and the head of Velarion, Exid, narrowed his eyes.
“…I see. Since both of his abilities have been overpowered by another family, he’s of no use anymore.”
In the Velarion family, when both of someone’s awakened abilities were defeated by another family, they were officially declared useless.
Hearing this, Diorose’s red eyes burned like a rose set aflame with life.
‘Well, he won’t actually be killed, but…’
Stripping them of their Bijou and leaving them crippled—that was the Velarion method of dealing with those deemed useless.
And if they resisted?
Then, they would truly be killed.
Thus, the only way to preserve one’s life was to surrender and have their Bijou removed.
After Goliath was dragged out, only the family head and Diorose remained.
“Was this performance of yours?”
“Of course not, Father. I love my siblings dearly.”
Even under the cold gaze of the head of the family, Diorose didn’t blink as she uttered her blatant lie.
Years of acting lessons.
Innate talent.
And her daring nature.
All of these combined made her a poisonous flower deeply rooted in Velarion.
“Tch. The twins will be assigned the fifth and sixth positions. You will oversee them.”
“Yes, Father. I am honored to receive your command.”
Got it!
Diorose clenched her fists tightly, struggling to contain her excitement.
Her decision to slowly consume the family from within was finally bearing fruit, but she couldn’t afford to show it.
Only by thoroughly concealing her intentions could she survive for a long time.
“That’s settled, then. The Admiral of Pashayen’s birthday is coming up soon. It’s time to execute that plan.”
“Yes.”
“You will be the one to bring the prepared child. Be aware—there must be no mistakes.”
Red eyes met red eyes.
They did not trust each other, did not love each other, and did not care for one another.
Their lifeless gazes, devoid of any emotion, scrutinized each other.
“You may leave.”
“Yes, Father.”
Moments later, Diorose stepped into the corridor, pausing briefly to glance outside. She took a deep breath.
The garden, barren without a single flower in bloom, was desolate beyond words.
Previously, she wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but now, for some reason, her gaze lingered.
Because there was someone she wanted to invite here.
“If that child comes here, she’ll probably be shocked. She’s like something made of flower petals and sugar.”
Muttering to herself, black energy swirled from Diorose’s entire body, transforming her into the black-clad woman.
“Yes, she’s truly a wonderful child. To be honest, the reason everything progressed so quickly… was thanks to her.”
Shupetty Pashayen.
At first, she had been captured in Goliath’s sack. The second time, she had completely wiped out Goliath’s army of golems.
It was as if Shupetty had proven that Goliath was useless.
“I definitely need to get closer to her. Somehow, she’ll help me become the head of the family.”
The overwhelming beauty and power she displayed sent shivers down Diorose’s spine.
That ability to create whirlwinds while laughing so innocently—it was etched into her memory like a brand.
Her childlike innocence, unaware of the value of the power she held, was endearing.
“If only I could take her and raise her myself.”
For now, she would have to settle for the fact that Terence, the eldest, didn’t yet understand her worth.
“We’ll meet again soon. Next time, I’ll make sure to grow closer to her.”
Given her age, perhaps a stuffed rabbit would make her happy?
“Pfft.”
A small laugh escaped her lips.
Diorose resumed walking, as if she had never laughed, her face cold and expressionless once more.
“I’m already looking forward to our next meeting.”
Even if that baby bunny’s heart might end up shattered into pieces—
“Well, then I can just take her and raise her myself, can’t I?”
Chapter 7. Luarel
These days, Cecilia had been feeling as though something was stuck in her chest, making her uncomfortable.
She always had a weak digestive system, but for her indigestion to last this long—there had to be a psychological reason for it.
Shupetty.
How could that commoner, who she never liked from the beginning, have formed a contract with the Air Spirit King?
Her father had personally verified the contract seal, so there was no doubt about its authenticity.
What shouldn’t have been possible had somehow become reality.
It was already infuriating enough to have her daughter Angela compared to Shupetty, but an even bigger issue suddenly came to mind.
‘Could that commoner actually be Luarel?’
The significant age gap made such a thing seem impossible—of course, it couldn’t be true.
But age was the only reason why Shupetty wasn’t believed to be Luarel.
If Shupetty had appeared as an eight- or seven-year-old, everyone would have naturally assumed she was Luarel.
Even Cecilia herself would have believed it.
The only reason she dismissed the possibility was because Shupetty was a baby who could barely speak properly—it simply defied common sense.
As she downed digestive medicine, Cecilia muttered under her breath.
“Aurora…”
