Chapter 5. The Adamas Ring

As if to prove that it wasn’t a lie that he didn’t like snow, Caelius had been in a bad mood all winter. Sometimes he couldn’t even manage a straight face in Aria’s presence.

Still, Aria liked him that way; it was easier to deal with his cold, hard honesty than with the smiles that hid his true feelings behind layers of masks.

“Dad.”

“…….”

“Dad!” Aria called for the second time, tugging at his sleeve, and Caelius turned to face her.

“Did you have a bad thought again?” she asked, seeing the frown on his face. He smiled once more, as if he knew when to do it.

“Oh, sorry, daughter. Daddy got distracted for a second.”

Caelius rubbed his brow as he searched through the drawers. He went to the medicine cabinet and took a couple of tablets, popping them into his mouth.

Aria watched him closely before asking, “Dad, are you sick?”

“Huh? Ouch, are these pills?”

“Yes, Dad, you always seem to take those pills.” Caelius swallows the pill.

It wasn’t even mentioned in the original story. Aria’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him.

“No, I’m not taking it because I’m sick,” he said. He didn’t seem willing to tell her about the pills. Eventually, he pushed the vial deep into a drawer and patted Aria on the head.

“It’s almost a new year,” Aria questioned the casual change of topic when Caelius mentioned the new year. Her doubts were short-lived as he continued.

“I have a gift for my daughter.”

Caelius mentioned a gift. He pulled a small jewelry box from his arm. Aria was perplexed and unable to figure out the significance behind the unexpected gift. She let out a brief breath as if she’d remembered something.

‘You mean… Adamas Ring?’

“It’s the Adamas Ring.”

As she had expected, the name of the ring came out of Caelius’s mouth. The Adamas Ring.

The only item that could give him the ability to use his imperial powers. The one thing he’d taken with him when he got lost. He remembered the Adama’s Ring from the original story.

It was the reason a 12-year-old Caelius was able to survive the First War and the reason the Caelius of today was able to find Aria and keep her by his side.

According to records, the royal family holds immense power. Some believe that their power is so great that they can manipulate the laws of nature and time itself, a feat that some wizards can only dream of. The Adama’s Ring is required to harness this power.

Having the ring does not grant the ability to bend time at will. However, if the ring is worn by someone with royal powers, a non-magician can easily create a simple fireball.

Aria, in the original story, was given Adama’s ring and used it to perform basic magic like teleportation and levitation. Of course, she wasn’t a mage by nature, so she wasn’t very good at it.

There was a record of someone using the Adama’s Ring to reverse time around 600 years ago, but no one knew if it was true or not. For now, it effectively turned a non-mage into a mage.

The small jewelry box opened to reveal a gleaming golden ring. Aria stared at it, amazed. Then Caelius realized she didn’t know what an Adama’s Ring was and explained.

“It’s a ring that allows you to use the power of the royal family.”

“Ah…….”

“Of course, you won’t be able to turn back time or raise the dead, as the records show, but you should at least be able to do a small fireball or teleport without difficulty.” He gently took Aria’s left hand in his own.

He kissed the back of her hand and slipped Adama’s ring onto it, as one would a lover’s ring. The ring fits perfectly.

Aria stared at the ring in amazement and muttered. “It’s amazing.” He could no longer use the ring since he had given up his royal power, but Aria was an exception.

After Caelius gave up his imperial power, he retained the power he had gained from his relationship with Aeryn. “It feels weird,” she said.

The original story accurately portrays a magical and unreal quality. Aria’s heart races, and her curiosity about magic is awakened. The question arises as to whether she can read minds.

“Do you want Daddy to show you how to use the ring?”

“Yes! I want to know! Show me!”

Aria replied, clapping her hands in excitement. Caelius’ large hand stroked her hair.

* * *

She wondered if he was going to tell her in earnest, and he led her toward the knight training center.

“It’s not hard; you just have to get it in your head. Imagine throwing a ball of fire at that wooden doll.”

Caelius whispered soothingly to Aria as he pulled her into a hug from behind. He was close enough to hear her breathing, and she shivered.

“Here, let me help you.”

Aria felt ticklish as the hand behind her pinched. She obeyed his command, feeling the blood rush to her face.

“Fire, fire! But there was no response.”

“Ugh, why not?” A puzzled Aria said to herself once more.

“Fire! What, it’s not working? Fire! Fire! Fire! What the hell?”

Caelius gestured to himself as he watched her squirm.

“Daughter?”

“Oh, dad, why can’t I?”

“Think about it again. Just imagine fire coming out of your fingertips.”

Aria unexpectedly felt secure due to the calm and childlike tone of his voice. She reassured herself that it was not difficult.

“It’s not hard; I can do it.” The original Aria had done it with ease.

“Fireflies from my fingertips. Just like in the cartoon,” she thought to herself. A round fireball with that woodcarving…

“Fire!”

Even though she managed to get the thought out of her head, the spell remained ineffective. The room was filled with complete silence.

“Oh, Daddy, magic is… “

Aria returned his gaze. She had made no progress.

“Dad?”

Caelius looked stern and cold. His attention was fixed on the ring.

Aria’s heart dropped when she realized what he was staring at.

“Wait a minute, if I don’t use this ring……”

Her heart pounded fiercely, and she feared it might jump out of her chest. Caelius remained cold and humiliated. The original Aria had used magic, so she never had to worry about this.

What is going on? Even if she were possessed, her body holds imperial power.

Aria’s hands trembled slightly. She was beginning to fear that she might be abandoned by Caelius.

“Oh, Dad……?”

“daughter.”

He asked in disbelief.

“Have you ever used your powers?”

“……?”

Aria looked up at him, surprised by his statement. He appeared serious, and the situation was tense.

“What do you mean…”

Caelius muttered to himself in shock.

No, it is not possible. I have had Adama’s ring all along; there’s no way you could have used the power without it.”

She followed his look to the ring; the golden Adamas ring faded to a dull silver. In shock, she let out a short scream.

“Ahhhhhh……!”

Caelius grabbed her hand and pulled it away. His expression was ugly and wrinkled.

He asked, “Why did you bring me here if I can’t use my powers like this?”

Aria trembled.

In the original story, Caelius had brought Aria, who wielded the Adama’s Ring, to be presented to the people after his seized of the throne.

After surrendering his imperial powers, he would have a hard time passing the throne without a problem, but not Aria. With her blonde hair and golden eyes, she could wield the Adama’s ring.

The ring would be worthless if she couldn’t use it. The situation became desperate quickly.

“Dad, I don’t know; I’ve never used it; I don’t know, I don’t know.” Panicked, Aria stammered out an excuse. Caelius stared at the ring on her hand, dumbfounded.

There was an uneasy silence between them, and then he spoke.

“You have no imperial power left.”

“I don’t have imperial power left…?” Aria cried as if she didn’t know what that meant.

 The Imperials had almost limitless power. Aria, who regularly wore the Adama’s Ring, did not lose any power until after her death. Similarly, Caelius wore it for years without seeing the bottom of his power until he gave it up. The royal family’s power was also limitless.

Caelius’s eyes burned with fierce intensity, and his voice became sharper.

“What have you done with your powers? Answer me!”

Aria couldn’t explain why her mind was racing. She hadn’t consciously used any powers, and the idea of them being drained was unfamiliar to her.

“I… I don’t know. I haven’t done anything. I swear, Dad!”

Caelius appeared to be torn between disbelief and fury. The room grew heavier with an overwhelming sense of fear.

Caelius walked around the room, frustration and confusion etched into his face. Aria tried to explain, but fear made her speechless.

The ring on her finger had lost its golden glow. The revelation that the imperial power was gone made her feel vulnerable.

“Dad, I didn’t do anything. I don’t understand why this is happening. Please believe me,” Aria pleaded, her voice shaky.

Caelius stopped. His eyes narrowed at her. The tension in the room was palpable. Aria feared the consequences of this inexplicable turn of events.

 She felt the weight of his disappointment and anger like a heavy burden. Aria felt a chill as Caelius looked at her coldly. He no longer looked at her with the adoration of a father, but rather as if she were a stranger.

Aria searched for words to salvage the situation. She thought, ‘Dad, I don’t understand what happened. Maybe there’s a misunderstanding. I’ve always had the ring on, just like in the original story. I didn’t use any power without it.’ Her eyes were filled with fear and confusion.

Caelius remained silent, his expression unreadable. The onlookers, both commoners and Sword Masters, watched the unfolding drama with a mix of curiosity and anxiety. Aria’s heart raced as she braced herself for Caelius’s response.

Aria tried to find a solution as her mind raced. If Caelius intended to keep her in the dark about Aria, it meant that her awareness of the original story had put her position in danger. She needed to handle this delicate situation with care to avoid arousing further suspicion.

 Caelius looked at Aria, and the intensity in his eyes softened slightly as he looked down at her.

Caelius explained that regaining imperial power is not like learning a new skill. Caelius explained that it is something innate, tied to the royal bloodline, and his voice was a mixture of frustration and resignation.

Aria’s heart sank. She realized that her true identity might be exposed, and the delicate balance she had tried to maintain could be shattered.

Aria’s voice trembled as she spoke to her father: “Daddy, I don’t understand. Am I still your daughter?”

Caelius sighed heavily, a mixture of frustration and disappointment etched on his face. He gently kneeled to Aria’s level, his hand reaching out to brush away a strand of her hair.

“Aria, I don’t know what’s going on, but you can’t just ‘do anything’ to regain Imperial power. It’s not a matter of effort or will. It’s inherent, tied to blood,” he said, his voice a low murmur.

Aria’s eyes shone with unshed tears. She clung to Caelius, her fear and desperation palpable.

“Daddy, please… I’m still your daughter, right? Even if I can’t use the ring, I’m still Aria. Please don’t look at me like a stranger,” she pleaded, her voice breaking.

As their eyes locked once more, Aria felt the ground give way beneath her. Caelius’ disappointment and anger were now felt, seeping into her very being.

For the first time, she felt it in his eyes – the weight of his disapproval sinking deep into her soul. At that moment, she understood that her existence was no more important to Caelius than that of an ant.

“Dad, please don’t kill me,” she begged.

The only thing that shattered the silence was Aria’s fervent promises.

“I’ll follow your every word; I’ll do whatever you want. Daddy, please.”

He was laughing—a self-deprecating laugh tinged with an unexpected sense of vulnerability. He seemed to have shed the mask of the mighty king, lying down and weak, begging for mercy.

A wry smile played on one side of Caelius’ mouth.

“You are more clever than I gave you credit for, my daughter.”

“No, no, no, I’m…”

“You almost fooled me.”

His voice, like a cold breeze, cut through the air and lifted Aria’s chin with the tip of her shoe, forcing her to meet his eyes.

Caelius looked down at her with arrogance. It was a complicated combination of beauty and fear.

“Yes, you are my daughter.”

He tilted his head. His look was both endearing and frightening enough to send shivers down Aria’s spine.

“Daughter.”

“Yes, yes, Daddy…”

“I hate lies.”

Tears streamed down Aria’s face in fear, leaving her face a mess. The only remaining evidence was the now-faded Adamas ring on her hand.

“Prove your worth.”

Caelius’ voice cut through the air, cold and demanding.

“Maybe, just maybe, I’ll spare your life.”

He turned and walked away, leaving Aria to crumple helplessly. Her hands trembled with the shock of seeing his true face, while she was intellectually aware of the lie lurking beneath the tenderness he had shown her.

* * *

Entering the room, he found Aria sitting on the bed, staring into space with a bewildered expression.

‘Why couldn’t I use the ring?’

The question echoed through her mind. But it seemed unimportant now. Survival was the pressing issue. If she were considered expendable in his eyes, her distinctive features of blonde hair and golden eyes wouldn’t be enough to secure her life.

Desperation gripped her. With no exceptional skills to prove her value—neither a formidable swordsman nor exceptionally smart—she felt like a pawn in a game.

Her hands trembled as the idea of fleeing crossed her mind.

“Should I just run away?”

She considered the challenges ahead: how to escape the imposing mansion, the risk of encountering Caelius’ soldiers, and the uncertainty of successfully leaving the country.

Desperation welled up inside her, threatening to unleash a flood of tears. Aria fought hard to keep her emotions in check.

Amidst the overwhelming sense of helplessness, she considered a desperate alternative. She had meticulously recorded significant events in her original notebook, a source she could rely on to intervene whenever Caelius was in danger.

But if it were to die, it would be a true and irreversible death.

The cruel paradox of having to die to live caught her eye, and she shook her head in disbelief at the absurdity of the situation.

Suddenly, a deep sense of humility washed over her as she acknowledged the harsh reality of her situation. Despite her intellectual awareness that his kindness was fake, she couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment in herself.

What had she expected? A fool’s hope had been extinguished, leaving her with a sense of bitter understanding.

* * *

Meanwhile, Caelius tried hard to hide his annoyance in his office. His desk contained a collection of crude paintings of Aria and papier-mâché flowers that he looked at with a grimace.

He seemed unable to look at them any longer. The mystery of the Imperial Family’s vanishing power confused him.

“She’s probably given up on herself.”

“No, if she had given up, her hair color would have changed.”

“Vivid blonde and golden eyes. It belonged to the royal family. A symbol of royalty that could never come from anyone else’s blood.”

Caelius leaned back in his chair tiredly.

[Oh, Dad, please don’t kill me.].

[I’ll listen to you; I’ll do anything, anything.]. Dad, Dad…….]

He closed his eyes and thought slowly, remembering Aria begging for her life.

Even without her royal powers, she was blonde and golden-eyed. That alone made her worth saving. But he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

‘Besides, she was as smart as I was, and if she was hiding her true colors and pretending to be an idiot, who knew what she was up to?’

“Keep her alive or kill her? How could I look at my blood daughter as if she were a worm, and if anyone heard her, I would scream?”

He took a few whiffs of the psychedelic drug and looked into the room, exhaling the smoke gently. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Ah, Dad.”

A faintly shaky voice. It was Aria.

“Dad, I need to talk to you.”

He hesitated for a moment before allowing her to enter. Whether or not to put on the doting fatherly mask he’d always worn. But his hesitation was short-lived.

“Come in, daughter.”

The corners of his mouth curled into his usual smile, but Aria’s face turned deathly pale. Despair washed over her features as she stared at the smiling face of Caelius.

He must be insane; otherwise… How could he say such things and wear such an abomination of a mask?

“Have you thought about it?” His voice remained as gentle as ever, sounding like a lover whispering sweet nothings.

Aria’s golden eyes looked up at him, pleading. “I can do… anything, anything.”

“Anything, like?”

He asked, his jaw clenching grimly.

“Oh, I can be stabbed instead of you, dad, and I can… poison, and I can drink, and I can…”

Aria blurted out in terror. It was an expression of desperation to stay alive. Unfortunately, it backfired because it was the only option she could think of. Caelius clicked his tongue in disappointment.

She would have preferred to say that she knew the future. But if she did, she’d be dismissed as a fool, and she’d die at his hands before she had time to prove it.

Aria wasn’t smart. She was normal before she was possessed – she was normal in her studies, normal in her physical strength, normal in her appearance.

Maybe that was why she couldn’t come up with a proper solution to the problem. She cursed her brain.

Caelius looked at her as she rattled on, then spoke.

“Daughter.”

“Yes, Dad…….”

“You are not the only one who can do that.”

It was a hopeless answer. Aria looked at him as if she would cry at any moment. Then the corners of Caelius’ mouth turned up as if he’d thought of something funny.

“You said you could do anything.”

Aria nodded emphatically. And what followed was something she couldn’t have imagined.

“Why don’t you just come over and s*ck my d*ck?”

Aria’s mouth dropped open as if she hadn’t heard him, and she repeated herself.

“Is that…?”

Cailius responded politely as if he had expected it.

“I asked you if you wanted to come over and s*ck my d*ck.”

He appeared to be at ease despite delivering such a harsh statement to his daughter.

He was, in reality, half joking and half serious.

Even if he had intended to forsake her, he had no intention of doing it right now.

When he kills her, he just introduces her as his daughter at a banquet.

It would be just as terrible as not introducing them at all.

Caelius muttered and clicked his tongue.

Earlier, he had been impulsive and breathed life into it, but his rational mind knew better. This was not a hand to throw away just yet.

His decision to keep her alive was based solely on a calculation of benefit and harm, not on any consideration for Aria. He turned to his daughter, who stood there with a stunned look on her face.

“Why can’t you do that?”

Caelius leaned back and faced her, somewhat arrogantly.

“That’s all you can do for me right now, daughter, isn’t it?”

“Ha, but dad, I’m…”

This was a crazy man. Many times crazier than she had ever known.

Her face, flushed with shame and resentment, burned. Caelius seemed to find it a sight to be seen and motioned for her to come over. Aria stood, trembling, and slowly approached him.

“What about me, Dad?”

He mimicked her last sentence, jerking his chin as if to encourage her to continue. Her eyes trembling with embarrassment, she stammered out the words.

“But?”

“I’m your daughter….”

“Usually, dads and daughters are…”

Caelius sighed in frustration as she stuttered in surprise. Then he grabbed her wrist. The trapped hand quickly moved to his front.

“I’m already hard as a rock over you.”

Against her will, her small hand touched his p*n*s. The feel of her palm was hard and unfamiliar. Aria seemed to be in tears from the suddenness of the situation.

“You’re insane.

She tried to pull her hand away, but the hold was so strong that she couldn’t even move, and the corners of her eyes began to tear despite her best efforts.

‘It’s the worst, being possessed by this stupid novel and listening to this lunatic’s garbage.’

Everything is so disgusting.

Caelius gave her a strange smile, as if he could read her mind. The more she became desperate, the sharper the corners of his mouth became. He was enjoying it now. It meant he could revel in making fun of a panicked herbivore.

A tear trickled down her cheek. Aria pursed her lips to keep them from spilling out.

“If you give me that look…”

Caellius cupped Aria’s cheek. Then he casually cupped her neck and pressed his lips to hers.

“You look like you want me to f*ck you, daughter.”

Aria pushed Caelius away, unable to cover up her shock. His rock-hard body simply drew closer to hers.

His hands wrapped around her waist, and he proceeded to grope her with an obvious s*xual purpose.

“Oh, Daddy, hmm, now, wait a minute…”

Caelius’ eyes were as gentle and caring as ever as he stared at Aria. His eyes, however, were filled with a wicked, dark lust.

And the hand that had begun to feel her earlier was no longer the gesture of a loving father.

Aria’s golden eyes swept through the air. Caelius smiled and said softly as her eyes met his.

“I’m just kidding, so relax.”

“It’s ……?”

The snake-like hand that had been crawling up her body stopped. Caelius smiled at Aria, his eyes narrowing as if to say, “When have I ever done that?”

“I’m sorry, daughter.”

He said it soullessly as if he weren’t sorry. Aria’s back was carelessly massaged by his hand.

“I got a little carried away earlier and… scared you without realizing it.”

The passionate glow in his eyes vanished, replaced by the mask of a loving father, as if on a whim.

Caelius smoothed Aria’s golden strands behind her ears, smoothing their tiny fall. He smiled, his eyes forming a devilish smile.

“A father wouldn’t kill his daughter, would he?”

With a deliberate squeak, he leaned forward and kissed Aria on the cheek.

Aria stumbled back, shivers running down her spine.

“Lily.”

“…….”

“The puns I made with Lily …… were pretty good.”

Caelius jerked his head, his jaw stiff, not knowing what he was going to say.

“Tell me.”

“What, what?”

“May I know what my daughter used to say?”

He smiled as he turned to face her. Caelius spat out the words in an emotionless voice as he opened her mouth to speak.

“Lily’s favorite father is you.”

The harsh bass sounded dry in the room. Aria’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Should I say that now, under the conditions?”

Cailius’ black eyes locked with Aria’s, and the coldness of his look made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She swallowed hard. She felt the blood leave her body.

His eyes, dark as the night sky, stared at Arya, insistent, as if he wanted her to speak. When she remained silent, Caelius rose to his feet. Standing a head taller than Aria, he walked toward her, pushing her into a corner.

She stumbled backwards, trembling under her weight, and finally forced herself to speak, swallowing hard to keep from crying.

“Li, Li Li is…”

Suddenly her back was against a hard wall. There was nowhere to go.

“Daddy’s…… favorite.”

When she finished, he smiled. As if she’d done a good job.

Caelius cupped her chin with an odd smile. She didn’t want to force her face up, but she had to meet his eyes. When their eyes met, Caelius’ eyes narrowed, sending a shiver down her spine. An instinctive fear that threatened her survival surged through her.

“Daddy likes you too.”

Caelius gently wiped away the tears that slid down her cheeks. The corners of his mouth were pulled up slightly, giving him a pleasant expression.

“So, what do you know?”

But every word that came out of his mouth felt like a knife in Aria’s throat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Don’t be a dick about it.”

“…….”

“You know something, so don’t pretend to be an idiot, don’t pretend to be a mojito, and don’t pretend to take care of me.”

Her legs gave out, and she stumbled, Caelius wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Like a rat.”

Aria chewed her lip. She’d never been able to win him over with words or eyes.

He had spent sixteen years as a crown prince in a murderous imperial palace, while she had been born and raised as an ordinary girl, banished to a corner of a marquis’ mansion since her birth.

The idea of a girl-crush heroine who gets revenge on the bad guys and finds her own life after being possessed is only possible in fiction.

They were close enough to hear each other breathing. Unlike his calm breathing, Aria’s was quite ragged.

“I heard that you brought me here to prepare for the coming rebellion,” she blurted out.

Caelius raised an eyebrow. “Who told you that?” His arms tightened around her. “Aeryn, the handmaids, or Goshen?”

“Oh, no, it’s just something I put together on my own…” His eyes swept over her, seemingly confirming the truth of her words.

As if to emphasize that the words weren’t empty, an unknown feeling of fear washed over her as she realized that he was a swordmaster, someone who had witnessed things beyond human understanding. “I’m scared. A monster.”

Caelius glanced at Aria as if contemplating something, and then as if concluding his thoughts, he looked away.

“Oh, Dad, I don’t care about the throne, and I have no intention of interfering with what you’re doing.”

“If you give me the order, I’ll, uh, leave the country. anytime, and hide like a dead rat.”

Her voice cracked, sounding desperate.

“I, uh, I mean… please…” Please don’t kill me.”

The cries in her throat prevented her from finishing. Still, Caelius smiled, as if he knew what she was about to say.

“Daughter.”

“hmmmm.”

“Do you know how I survived to be given the pretentious title of Grand Duke?” There was a hint of anger in his voice.

“In front of countless nobles, on my knees before Azekrisis, I swore an unbreakable oath.” His angry eyes met hers coldly.

“Never again in my life will I sit on the throne.”

A deep, strange voice, like the throat of a beast, warned her.

“If even I, a woman like you, can only think of regaining the throne, how can I trust you? That you would come against me, even with the Marquis of Lestrange?”

“…….”

“If you want to live, you’ll stick by my side and whimper, s*ck my c*ck, or l*ck my feet.”

Aria felt as if each whispered word was a death sentence.

“If you want to get away, you’d better pull out all your hair, gouge out your eyeballs, and disfigure your face until I don’t recognize you.”

As long as you’ve got blond hair and golden eyes, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.