Becoming the Villain's Family

Chapter 5

Translator: Latte

Editor: BakaReem

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"Oh?"

The man glanced over, the corners of his lips fighting a smile and his eyebrows slightly raised. Suddenly, he broke into a fit of laughter.

He was amused at the scene. After seeing Aria collapse, the beasts lowered their bodies and laid on the ground. They stared at her with puppy-dog-eyes, asking to be stroked.

'I'm saved....' Aria thought, grasping her beating heart. Not far away, Count Cortez had fainted with foam in his mouth.

"Are you insane? What are you guys doing?" he snarled, scowling at the beasts' absurd acts. The beasts immediately hid behind Aria's back.

"Ha, how amusing," he leered. The man approached Aria. Aria stared at his feet, which left bloody footprints onto the overused dirt path.

His steps grew closer to her every second, and once he stopped, Aria lifted her head towards his.

The man was tall.

'Too tall...'

"Who the hell are you?" he glowered.

Initially, his eyes resembled a dead fish's; empty and dull. His facial muscles were just as loose. There was no anger, no sadness, no joy nor resentment. He simply seemed... bored. But now, his eyes expressed sentiment. Instantly, emotions flashed through his elaborate marble-like eyes, brimming with astonishment. He stared at her, wondering how someone so dainty could tame his hounds so easily. He was clearly interested in her.

"You're wearing a strange mask." He thoughtfully gazed at the large mask covering her face. The mask was a relic left by Aria's mother.

"My hounds respond instinctively to strong magic. These dogs obey me because no one else could oppose my power."

"......."

"Could you be stronger than me?"

Impossible. The man was overwhelmingly powerful. He was far stronger than her. No matter how talented Aria is, she was nothing but a mere ten year old who had never been trained.

"You look weak."

"......"

"Like an insect."

The man observed Aria from top to bottom. 'Sirens are the friends of animals.' Being able to interact with them was one of their unique quirks. 'To think that this ability could save me from the monsters of the Ingo Mountains.'

Aria glimpsed at the beasts. They had transformed from ferocious-looking wolves to gentle sheeps. They licked her mask, acting vulnerable and cute, making it hard for Aria to come to her senses. Her mask was now dripping with saliva. Truthfully, Aria had never used her ability to communicate with animals. This was because she had never encountered them.

Or to be exact, she wasn't allowed to... She still remembered the horrific incident...

Count Cortez always kept her under surveillance and watched her every move. If an animal approached her, he would not hesitate to level his crossbow and shoot them to death.