Chapter 476: Aria Fires Back

Just as Adrian was about to send Aria straight into his dungeon, before he could even finish the thought, and before he could even actively command the system to open a portal beneath her, Aria suddenly disappeared from his grasp.

She reappeared roughly three meters away, standing firmly on the ground as she glared directly at him.

Adrian chuckled slightly and gave her a wry smile.

Aria just continued to glare at him.

"Did you really have to do that?" he asked.

Aria tilted her head.

"Sorry?"

She said it like a question, almost like she was offended by him acting so casually.

"What exactly did you mean by sorry back there?"

Adrian took a deep, slow breath. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, that is something I cannot tell you. And no matter what happens, I am not going to tell you."

Aria’s glare hardened.

"Fine. If you won’t tell me, then I will go and tell Claire and Serena everything about you."

Adrian opened his mouth. Then he closed it right back up.

This time, his entirely casual expression dropped. His face went entirely cold and serious.

Seeing this sudden shift in his demeanor, Aria couldn’t help but feel a massive wave of guilt wash over her. But even then, she stubbornly stood her ground.

"It is unfair when you keep things from me like this."

Adrian didn’t respond for a few long seconds, and his silence only made Aria feel even worse.

But then finally, he opened his mouth.

"There is a solid reason for almost everything I do, Aria. If I am not telling you something, then there is a very good reason for why I’m not doing so."

Aria crossed her arms.

"I don’t care what your reason is. I want to know why you said sorry to me."

Adrian took another deep breath.

"Fine. What exactly do I have to do for you to not push me for these answers?"

This time, Aria unfolded her arms and rested her hands on her hips.

"Well, you either tell Claire and Serena the truth and settle things properly with them... or you tell me exactly why you were so sorry just now."

Adrian stared at her for a moment. He let out a soft sigh of disappointment and stood up straight.

"Fine. I will go talk to them."

Hearing this entirely blunt answer, Aria couldn’t help but open her mouth slightly in shock.

"Wait, Papa, I didn’t mean it-"

But Adrian wasn’t really listening anymore. He looked down at her as he walked past her toward the hut.

"Things really do change when people grow up, don’t they?"

This time, Aria didn’t really have an answer to his question. She just stood exactly where she was while Adrian walked back into the bamboo hut.

The door stayed wide open, but Aria didn’t walk inside. She just stared at the empty doorway as she slowly fell to her knees.

She tilted her head backwards and stared straight up into the sky. She let out a shaky breath. Her lips began to quiver, and she only stopped them by biting down hard on her lower lip.

She tightly closed her eyes shut before she hung her head low.

"I messed up. I really, really messed up."

All of a sudden, she heard footsteps approaching. She raised her head to see Adrian walking right back out of the hut.

He walked straight toward her, and placed his hand directly onto the top of her head.

This time, it didn’t feel gentle in any way at all. It was completely unlike the warm, gentle pats he usually used to give her. That hand felt entirely foreign. It almost felt like it was someone else’s hand altogether.

Before Aria could even speak or react, the environment around her completely changed.

She found herself suddenly standing in a massive, open field full of luscious green grass. Right in front of her were two incredibly confused-looking women.

They were none other than Claire and Serena.

Both of them looked around, and then their eyes landed on Aria.

Serena blinked in confusion.

"Aria, do you know what this place is? And where is Adrian? I remember I was sleeping... but then, I opened my eyes in this place..."

Before Aria could even answer her, a bright blue system screen appeared right in front of her face.

[Quest: Fulfill your promise and reveal the true identity of your father.]

[Reward: None.]

[Punishment: Eternal Imprisonment.]

Outside in the real world, Adrian took a deep breath.

He shifted his gaze away from the spot where Aria used to be and looked toward the chief’s mud hut. He saw the Demon Chief just standing right there in the doorway, smiling in amusement.

"I told you that you couldn’t exactly keep things from her," the chief said casually.

Adrian crossed his arms.

"Well, things would have gone the way I wanted them to go if I hadn’t fucking apologized to her right at the end."

The chief just laughed out loud.

"Well, you still did it anyway."

Adrian frowned, looking pretty much annoyed with himself.

"Well, whatever it is, it doesn’t really matter now. I feel like this was actually for the best. Having Claire and Serena traveling with me while that guy is out on the loose somewhere on this island... that is something I do not want. So this is probably the best-case scenario."

He rolled his shoulders.

"I will deal with him myself. If I survive, then I can think about surviving those three. But for now, I need to focus on him without having to constantly worry about protecting the others."

He turned away from the chief and looked at a small, isolated hut near the edge of the camp. It was crudely made with thick sticks and large leaves, looking pretty similar to the other huts the local tribesmen had.

He walked over to it and casually peered into the entrance, which didn’t even have a proper door.