Dark Dad's Rebirth - Chapter 16. Mistakes

Chapter 16. Mistakes

Resigned to his fate and no longer longing for life, Caelius thought he could close his eyes peacefully. He didn’t force them closed. Amidst the murmur of the knights, he heard a voice that shouldn’t have been there at that moment.

“Dad!”

Above the chaos, Aria’s voice reached him, clear and urgent. Despite the commotion around him, her voice stood out. On the verge of death, Caelius managed a wry smile as he realized he could hear her.

“Please, Dad, open your eyes!”

Her voice, which should have been a product of his imagination, became clearer. With great effort, Caelius obeyed and opened his eyes again.

It must be a hallucination, yes, and if it is, I hope it’s just a hallucination on the last leg of the journey, he thought to himself as he sprawled

“Lily.”

He wished he could see her face one more time, just for a moment.

“I wish I could have made you happy if I could turn back time.”

As he thought about it, an unfamiliar memory flashed through Caelius’ mind.

“The future I imagined with you was not like this.”

But what he wanted for the future was to live in the eternal warmth of the South, where it never snows, grow an abundance of roses, and get the beloved pet—cat or dog—that Aria had always longed for. Just the simple life everyone else dreams of.

‘Why couldn’t they have been more truthful?’ 

‘So much power, so much greed.’

‘How did it lead us to this moment?’

‘You, me, everything.’

As Aria approached, Caelius’ vision blurred, and he couldn’t tell if she was real or a figment of his imagination.

Memories flooded back like a punishment from above, each one a painful reminder of his past mistakes. If only they had come back earlier, maybe he could have avoided repeating them.

If only he could have closed his eyes to them forever and spared himself the pain.

With each memory that returned, Caelius felt regret weigh heavily on him. Regret every choice he has made in this life.

Unable to express his fear, he just moaned unintelligibly as he lay in a pool of coagulating blood.

“Daddy… Daddy!!!” Aria’s voice rang out, cutting through the haze of his pain.

A small hand was pressed against his cold cheek. But Caelius’ eyes would not open.

* * *

When Aria woke up, she was confused. She had expected to wake up in Caelius’ care, still in the Grand Duke’s mansion, but instead, she found herself in a plain carriage surrounded by run-down buildings. It was clear that she was no longer in the heart of the capital.

Caelius hadn’t expected Aria to wake up so soon. He had expected her to remain unconscious for days, given her weakened state. But Aria’s resiliency, born of her Imperial lineage, had brought her back to consciousness quickly.

“Where’s Dad…?” Aria asked the user, her tone filled with concern and confusion. But the user offered no answer, only a nervous laugh.

“I asked, ‘Where’s my dad, and why am I here?'” Aria repeated, seeking answers.

Unable to understand the situation, Aria asked again, her frustration growing with each unanswered question. One by one, the users explained their orders, revealing pieces of the puzzle.

As she listened, Aria’s expression hardened, her panic growing. She instinctively reached for her stomach, her heart racing with fear.

“What happened to my baby? What happened to…?” she trailed off, knowing deep down that she would get no comforting answer. But the thought of losing the child she had barely begun to know was unbearable.

“No… no!! Aaaahhh!!!!” Aria cried out in anguish, unable to contain her grief and despair.

Aria cried, her hands running through her disheveled hair in despair. The users, feeling powerless, tried to offer words of comfort, knowing there was little else they could do.

“The Grand Duke will be arriving soon, and I understand that this must be difficult for you. But the princess isn’t feeling well either, so please try to get some rest,” one of the users said, trying to calm her down.

Aria’s reaction to these words was immediate. She looked at the user with a confused expression, tears still streaming down her face.

“Dad said he would come with us?” she questioned incredulously.

“It is not true. It can’t be. Caelius would never send me away alone like this. He’s been so protective, barely leaving the mansion for fear of something happening to me, and now all of a sudden?” Aria’s voice shook with disbelief and confusion.

The whole situation felt surreal like the world was playing a cruel joke on her.

Caelius was always with her. However, the child who was with her disappeared suddenly. She was suddenly released from her confinement.

Aria couldn’t determine the responsible party for all of this. The harsh reality was burdening her.

“Where is Dad?” she murmured, her breath caught in her chest. She felt as if her chest was tightening around her. Despite her tears and efforts, the reality remained unchanged.

She had to solve the puzzle on her own. She didn’t have time to grieve for her child.

“Why is Caelius acting like this all of a sudden?” Aria pondered, her mind racing to find answers.

“Think, Aria. You have to figure this out.”

Aria had the advantage of knowing Caelius well, which helped her piece together the puzzle. However, the resulting picture was not reassuring.

After completing her mental reconstruction, Aria’s heart raced and her mind reeled with the implications. She couldn’t calm down or find peace in her thoughts. All she could do was instruct the carriage to return to the palace.

She wanted to be free from Caelius, but not like this. She never wished for his death—not in the past, not now, not for a single moment.