Chapter 192

As the dragon told her, Aria reached for the fake Siren's hair.

"…!"

Then the fake Siren, who was staring at the baby dragon in awe, got startled. She slapped Aria's hand roughly.

Slap!

As soon as there was a loud noise, she was even more startled.

"Shhh, that's okay."

Aria widened her eyes, then gently patted the fake Siren's hair.

Her hand, which had touched the top of the fake Siren's hair, naturally descended and tucked the hair behind her ear.

"It's okay. As soon as I know exactly where the power came from, I'll send you right away."

"…"

"It won't hurt."

The fake Siren's eyes, which had been on a sharp edge, being wary of Aria, soon closed tightly in resignation.

Behind the ear lobe, there was a bizarre pattern engraved there. It was in a position that would go unnoticed by others unless they looked into it properly.

"What is this?"

Still no answer.

It wasn't that the fake Siren was ignoring Aria's words, but that she seemed unable to speak even though she wanted to.

'Perhaps, they might have made something similar to an oath.'

There was no way Garcia wouldn't have prepared that much.

Aria swallowed a sigh and commanded the Black Falcon.

"Transfer this pattern to paper."

"What? I'm not good at drawing, why don't you draw it yourself?"

The Black Falcon reflexively asked a dumb question, then hit himself on the head and shouted "I'll do it right!".

Aria looked down at her own hand, cursed with bad drawing ability, for a moment in silence, then let out a sigh.

'I'll have to ask Vincent what kind of pattern it is when he returns.'

She hadn't yet learned where the fake Siren got her power from, so she couldn't free her yet.

'A storm is about to come soon.'

It was before the storm.

Nobles, all of them, bought fake Sirens with all their wealth. The Empire was in a frenzy, and the Sirens began to gain a reputation among the common people.

'The difference from my previous life is that fakes have appeared, and I'm not the only Siren.'

'Uniqueness' was great. Because the rarer the gem, the higher the value.

In her previous life, only the Emperor and high-ranking nobles could hear the Siren's song.

'But it's different now. Ordinary people with wealth and personal connections can also buy Sirens.'

Even if Valentine's side tried to find the distributor, it was useless. No matter what kind of method they used, the number was overwhelmingly large.

With Natalie's help, they even banned it by law, but the backlash was quite strong. Those who were already addicted to it, complaining of madness, began to appear.

'A drop in rarity means that the Siren's value is declining.'

To put it more bluntly, the Siren's 'class' has fallen.

'The analogy is that people are using Siren as a tranquilizer.'

At least in her previous life, until she was accused of being a monster, she was praised as the voice of an angel sent by God. Some even worshiped her like God. It became a religion.

'But in this life, their class dropped.'

What would happen if it was revealed that Aria was a Siren? People will think that Aria is on the same level as the fakes.

'Valentine will be like that too.'

Previously, everyone was afraid of the devil and at the same time even harbored awe. But in fact, as time goes they will start to regard it as an insignificant existence.

'Is that Garcia's purpose?'

However, in that case, Aria can just have to reveal in front of everyone that she is the real Siren.

It was enough to reveal all of Garcia's evil deeds.

'I've already gathered all the evidence.'

Valentine's and Angelo's information power has been so good ever since.

'Among the officials, some who did not join Garcia and were not mad also sided with the Princess.'

Preparations are proceeding sequentially. Now all they have to do is blow it up.

However....

'There's no way Garcia wouldn't know that....'

They were too calm. As if waiting for some time.

Aria, lost in thought, walked towards Lloyd's office.

"Aria."

But at that moment, Lloyd, who was walking opposite her, ran into her in the corner. He held her arm with a serious stiff expression unlike usual.

"There's no time. I'll assign Carlin to you, so go to the Angelo family right away."

"...What? What are you talking about?"

She was so dumbfounded that she almost frowned.

"Why do I have to go to the Angelo family now?"

"The Emperor has been killed."

"...What?"

Aria doubted her own ears.

Why did the Emperor, who was alive and well, suddenly die?

"It can't be."

It had never happened in her previous life.

In order for Garcia to take advantage of the Emperor's madness, they must keep him alive until their goal is achieved....

"Princess Natalie was named the culprit. Under the pretext that she tried to kill the Emperor and usurp the throne in an emergency."

Ah.

'Natalie.'

There was something different from her previous life. Natalie made up her mind to act on her own.

'I kept encouraging her to be happy, so....'

Aria knew it wasn't her fault that this happened. But she still couldn't stop her heart from throbbing with anxiety.

"There's no way the Princess would kill her blood relative with her own hands at this time. If she could do that, she would have killed him a long time ago."

"I know. It's not the Princess's fault."

"What, what about Vincent? Is he alive?"

"It looks like he narrowly escaped the situation thanks to Sir Cloud."

Aria let out a sigh of relief. But it wasn't time to be relieved.

Because the Princess was framed for killing the Emperor.

"Duke Battenberg."

Lloyd pointed out the culprit at once.

He had seen Duke Battenberg's aide join Garcia before.

What reason would Fineta's biggest relative's family have to join a foreign force? They already have enough power. If Garcia intervened, their stake would rather decrease.

There was only one possibility.

"It looks like they've been promised the throne."

The Duke harbored ambitions to become Emperor. Now, he was clearing the biggest stumbling block to his ambitions.

First, the murdered Emperor.

Second, the unexpectedly wise Natalie.

"Then we have to go get her right away."

Aria paused her words.

It was because Lloyd suddenly narrowed his brows and pressed his hand tightly to his eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"My eyes are a little dim."

He's not that old yet.

Aria looked up at him anxiously for a moment, then reached out her hand. She looked at his reddened eyes as she cupped his cheek carefully.

It doesn't seem like an eye disease.

"Have you accumulated fatigue?"

"It looks like that."

There was never a time when his eyes were blurry from fatigue.

Lloyd, who was not interested in everything in the world, but was not particularly interested in his own body, passed it off as just that.

"You have to avoid the whole scene for now."

"No."

"Listen. Because Vincent was caught up in the treason, Valentine would also be involved."

Vincent is now under custody and under investigation. Soon, Duke Battenberg, who took the real power, will use this as an excuse to arrest them.

Aria could get a rough idea of how things were going without Lloyd's need to elaborate.

"But it's Valentine."

The Valentine.

They were great men who did not blink an eye while threatening to 'take his neck' right in front of the Emperor. But why were they scared of Duke Battenberg who only held an official position?

"Mother and Father also allowed it."

"Then it makes no more sense. Everyone would have had enough to show the Duke what real treason was, who dared to accuse him of treason against Valentine."

Lloyd then slightly frowned, then closed his eyes and pressed his temples tightly.

"The reason why Grand Princess Valentine hid her voice has been announced."

"Just because it's known that I'm a Siren doesn't change anything."

"For some reason, they even involved Count Cortez, who had become a fool."

Lloyd added. So that's why he wants her to steer clear of it?

"I'm Valentine's Madam now."

Where in the world is a Grand Duchess who ran away, leaving her people behind? Aria briefly glared at Lloyd, who appeared out of nowhere and uttered nonsense.

Lloyd's face was as if he wouldn't blink an eye even if a needle went in.

"Aria. Wait a minute."

"No."

But as Aria's resentful gaze continued, he finally let out a sigh and said.

"I'm not feeling good."

"Lloyd?"

"I don't know if I can protect you."

It was a completely unexpected, strange thing. It was also the first time in her life that she heard his weak voice.

Aria, who had a blank look at his sudden confession, grabbed Lloyd's hand and lost her temper.

"What is wrong with you? How can you be sick? Why are you hiding that important story?"

To say the important thing at the end!

As Aria was huffing and earnestly losing her temper. Lloyd's gaze landed on the piece of paper she was holding.

It was a piece of paper with the copied pattern that was engraved on the back of the fake Siren's earlobe.

"That pattern is…"

From the eerie aura that relentlessly pursued Aria when she collapsed.

When Lloyd crushed the energy with his hand, it was the same pattern that shone and then disappeared.