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"Where is Viola?" the beautiful lady with silver hair and bright aurum eyes asked to her first born son.

"Vio was taken by uncle Dante. Uncle said that he needs to talk to her." the 9 years old boy exclaimed innocently with a small smile plastered all over the face.

Her eyes widened. "Ah. . . alright then. Thank you for the information." she patted his head. "You can continue to play." she exclaimed as the boy nodded.

Adelina smiled as she hurriedly went towards her room. Noticing that her brother came into the estate. "This is bad. . . !"

But she never thought on her way to her room, she fortunately bumped into Damon and almost fell to the ground but Damon catches her.

"Falling for me again?" Damon asked with a side smirk as he help her back into standing position and chuckled by her clumsy nature.

Adelina immediately hit his head making Damon twitch and rub his head. "Ouch, what was that for!?"

"Stop flirting you old man!"

"O-old man!? We're on the same age!"

Adelina crossed her arms and look at him with a slight frown. "Don't look at me like that, Demon."

Damon's eyebrow twitch. "Can you stop calling me Demon!?" Damon look at her with narrow eyes as he immediately pointed something behind her.

"Look over there! Vio is behind you!" he shouted with a serious expression as Adelina immediately turned her head towards where he pointed to find no one.

"Pfft!" Damon try to hold back his laughter as Adelina could feel her blood turned hot.

"Do you really like to annoy and making fun of me that much??? You're still the same playful pervert guy I met years ago!" she immediately went and punch his stomach making him cough.

"I'm going to die!" he exclaimed dramatically as Adelina rolled her eyes.

"If you're going to die, at least-"

Damon immediately hug her. "Eliii! Why are you so harsh on meee!? Look at your pitiful husband!"

"Geez Damon! You're so loud. Also, you have to greet your brother in law. He's here."

"Dante?"

"No, Etnad."

"Who's that!?"

". . . You know what, let's just go there and greet him."

". . . ok."

-

". . . What?" Adelina eyes went wide by Gray's statement.

Gray push his glasses. "Sir Dante already left the mansion with Lady Viola." he exclaimed with a confused expression. "He said that His and Her Grace already knew."

"What!? That's bullshit! I never agreed to anything!" Damon exclaimed angrily while looking at Gray who sweatdrop. "They already apologized! What else!?"

Adelina turned her head toward Damon. "I will go to the Caitriona Marquessate and bring Viola home." she exclaimed while looking at Damon.

"I'm going with you!"

Adelina smiled. "It's going to be alright Damon. Remember that I was once a Caitriona. They don't scare me." she chuckled as she patted his head.

Gray was used by their public affection for each other that he wouldn't be surprised if they start to kiss each other at the garden.

Damon grab her hand and look at her worriedly. "Are you sure?"

"Geez, who do you think I am? I have my instant regeneration!"

Adelina magic speciality is similiar to healing but it can heal any kinds of wound no matter how worse it is. But not every magic is perfect.

"You're saying as if they will try to kill you." Damon sighed as Adelina chuckled.

Adelina knew her family too well. "They might."

His eyes widened in surprise by her answer but seeing her expression, he sighed. "Alright, but if you're taking too long, I'm going there."

Adelina turned her head and smiled casually. "You worrywart. I'm not going into a battlefield."

Damon grip her hand firmly as Adelina's eyes widened in surprised. ". . . don't. . . do anything rash."

She patted his head again once more, gently as she form a warm smile. "I'll be back with Vio."

". . . Alright."

"Don't forget to sign the papers beside the bed. And also, don't forget to eat. The kids as well!"

"Right~ right~"

The moment Adelina turned her head, Damon's expression darkened as he clench his fist.

-

Adelina stood in front of the big mansion that once belongs to her.

She sighed deeply as she entered the mansion and as she expected, all of her family members are waiting for her at the entrance.

Her mother, her sister, her brother, her brother in law, and her sister in law.

"Wohoo! Big sister is here!" her younger sister cheered excitedly while looking at her.

"My smart daughter, Adelina." her mother approach her with a warm smile plastered on her face. "It is time." her mother gave Adelina a small dagger on her hand.

Adelina only look at her mother with wide eyes. Because she just arrived and that's what she gets?

"Mother! This-!"

"Kill Damon Univers." she whispered softly. "Just like how he killed your father. After that, the Dukedom will become all yours. We can control it together." she said making Adelina look at her mother with wide eyes and throw the dagger away.

"You bastard! I already said from the first time that we don't have that kind of bond anymore!" Adelina shouted angrily. "We're not family."

Her mother blinked and let out a small laugh. "Come on Adelina. Choose, your daughter or your husband?"

"Adelina, don't be a brat and just do it." her brother spat at her while crossing his arms.

"Yes sister! What's wrong with killing him??? I don't understand you!"

"We know we couldn't beat Damon Univers. But if it's you, he will let his guard down."

It's always her family. They didn't show any courtesy and went straight on if they needed something.

Adelina clench her fist angrily as she glanced at her sister in law who has a guilt look in her eyes.

"Carlina, tell me where is Viola." Adelina exclaimed while looking at her timid sister in law.

"Why would she tell you?" her brother exclaimed making Adelina twitch her eyebrows.

"I see that you have no intention to cooperate with us." her mother said with a blank expression.

"I want my daughter!" Adelina begins to charge at her mother only to be stopped by her brother in law.

"Sister! Are you really going to kill mother!?" her younger sister asked with a wide smile as Adelina returned the smile.

"Of course not, I will kill you too."

"Sister, can you stop being so selfish and think about this family?" her brother in law asked calmly while standing infront of her.

". . . Caitriona family is the second to Univers Family! What else do you people want!? We already have a lot of money and a gre-!" Adelina exclaimed but before she could finish her lines, blood was dripping from her mouth made her eyes widen in realisation as her gaze went to her chest, a long sword was stabbed through her.

"You're so loud! We already knew you won't agree to it anyways!" her sister exclaimed with a bored tone behind her as she pulled out the sword making Adelina fell to her knees.

But the hole in her heart was immediately healed much to her mother's expectations.

"Maybe Viola already died by now. I ordered Carlina to kill her and throw her corpse somewhere."

Adelina's eyes widened in surprise as she slowly turned her head towards her sister in law, Carlina.

". . . Carlina. . . is that true?" she croaked out as tears started to form in her eyes.

Carlina turned to the other side as guilt burdened her.

"Thank you for your sacrifice Adelina. I purposely made you come here to trap Damon." her mother exclaimed casually. "We are such a good family."

Adelina was sick with her crazy, thirst for power - status family.

"Give my daughter back!" she tried to attack her mother only to be stabbed by another sword from behind, once again, making another hole on her chest that was once healed.

Adelina stood up again as the hole on her chest healed.

"I know that you healed fast, that's why. . ." her brother exclaimed as he approach her and grab her head.

"I'll shock you to death with my electric magic that will completely crush your brain that'll make you unable to recover." the moment he exclaimed that, electrics and lightning starts to form on his hand, sending it to her brain.

It was more than just a slight tingle that ran underneath her head.

No, it was as though someone had attached a wire to each of her nerves, and her body convulsed as the violent electrical current pulsed through her.

The world around her seemed to stop.

The blood flowed like a lazy river. It flowed like so much red gravy across the slaughter house floor and down into the concrete gullies that interrupted the white tiled floor.

And so, the lips that whisper nothing but sweet words to her children, the hands that had had gentleness you couldn't help but trust, became greyish and cold.

It was as if her dreams had bled out right there on the floor, everything she hoped to become, all that she loved, all the brilliance she would have brought to the world.

At that time, she was remembering the first time she met Damon.

The moments she gave birth to her children.

And where she regretted somethings.

She closed her eyes.

". . . Please. . . don't let Damon die. I don't want him to die yet. . . if he ended up like me. . . who would care and showered my children with love? Let him live-!"

Carlina who watched that couldn't take it anymore as she quickly push her husband aside, making him fall as the others eyes went wide.

". . . Carlina, what are you doing?" her mother in law asked her coldly while looking at her who is trying to shake the bloody Adelina.

"Sister Adelina! Sister!"

"Kill her." her mother ordered her son as he immediately nodded and kill his wife with the same method he used to kill Adelina.

". . . Sister Adelina. . . I hide Viola somewhere. . . far from this hellish household. I didn't kill her. . . Please believe me."

-

It was chaotic.

Before they could even move an inch from their own position, Damon suddenly appear infront of them with the expression where they know they just made a huge mistake.

"Duke-!"

They were shocked because they haven't prepared anything yet and didn't expect Damon to suddenly appear infront of them that fast.

It was a failed mission for them.

Before they could even react, Damon summoned his sword from thin air, making sure everyone was in his range except Adelina.

Everyone starts to scream painfully.

Their skin and flesh slowly burned and melted just like the wood that is used to fire, slowly turning them into dust while giving them the pain through the process.

The pain show no mercy.

They will really felt like their flesh is burning and their skin are melting.

In a blink of an eye, everything was turned into dust.

That's the power that everyone scared of.

Withered Soul.

The magic specialty the Duke has.

He immediately approach Adelina as his lips trembled and his shoulders heaved with emotion, his hands clenched into shaking fists, in a desperate battle against the grief.

A lone tear traced down his cheek, and just like that, he sobbed into her chest unceasingly, hands clutching at her white dress that is now red all over it.

He held her in hand as his tears soaked her chest. Wondering why her once warm hands that used to pat and hug him turned cold.

A tiny lapse let him pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears, before he collapsed again, his howls of misery worsening.

The pain must have come in waves, minutes of sobbing broken apart by short pauses for recovering breaths, before hurling him back into the outstretched arms of his grief.

He never expected that he would lost both his wife and daughter at the wrong place, wrong time, and the same day.

He was careless.

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So much for family.

-

"It's funny, right?"

Valerian suddenly chuckled making Viola immediately lift her head to be greeted by his painful violet eyes.

". . . It's as if our family is bound to nothing but bad luck. . . maybe a peaceful happy life just not. . . fit for our family."

Her hands trembled as she grip her dress firmly. "That's not it. . . brother."

-

Viola stood in front of the luxurious door that belongs to her father's room. Her hands are cold and her lips is dry as her hands trembled a bit.

She knocked twice on the door only to hear her father usual voice by saying come in.

She was ashamed of herself for not knowing this earlier. She thought that it's her fault her mother died.

She push the door knob inside to be greeted by darkness with a few lights on and the reek of alcohol.

"Father, it's Viola." she informed softly as her father who is sitting on the couch widened his eyes as he turned his head to be greeted by her one and only daughter.

". . . Vio-"

"I'm sorry."

As much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent scream.

The beads of water started falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping.

". . . I'm sorry."

Damon notice that there's something wrong with her so he stood up from his seat and approach Viola.

"Viola, what's wrong?"

". . . I'm sorry."

Damon look at her daughter painfully that is crying because of unknown reasons.

He raise the two of his hand and caressed her cheek while wiping off the tears.

"Why are you crying like this?" he asked with a soft voice while looking at her in the eyes.

". . . It's my fault that. . ." she raise her hand and clutch her chest. ". . . mother died."

Damon's went wide the moment she said that.

He knew that someday she will know but he didn't expect her to blame herself for it and expect her to hate him for his carelessness.

Damon slowly bend himself down so he could match his height with Viola.

He lean on his forehead to her forehead.

". . . my beautiful and strong daughter. . . I convince you that it's not your fault . . . at all." he exclaimed with a reassuring voice. "I'm the one who's at fault. I'm really scared that my own daughter will . . . hate me. . . I deeply apologize. . ."

Viola immediately hug her father and embraced him firmly as she cries louder and louder.

". . . Father, it's not your fault! . . . It's not. . . . your fault!" she, who is gentle and kind, showed all of her emotions through the tears that she shed. ". . . I-I'm sorry. . . !"

Her father patted her back, reassuring her that it's not her fault.

". . . I'm sorry. . . !"