Night descended slowly, like a sheet of black velvet being lowered from the sky.
The Valleria residence glowed beneath the crystal lights reflecting off marble floors—majestic, pristine… yet to Aria, not a single beam felt warm.
The house resembled a palace.
But its atmosphere was that of a museum:
cold, silent, and filled with expensive objects devoid of any emotion.
Aria descended the stairs with feather-light steps.
A simple pale-cream dress draped her figure, her straight black hair cascading smoothly down her back. She walked like a shadow—calm, quiet, almost soundless.
As she entered the dining room, every conversation ceased.
The long dining table stretched across the entire room.
On it: tall candles, silver plates, crystal glasses, four kinds of exquisite dishes.
Everything looked perfect.
Too perfect.
Helena—now affectionately called "Mother" by Selena—watched Aria with a hesitant smile.
"Aria, dear, come sit."
Aria nodded. Nothing more.
Adrian—"Father"—looked at her the way a CEO might observe an employee returning from a long leave. His face composed, yet far too formal for a father reunited with his own blood.
"Good evening," he said curtly.
Aria responded with another small nod.
Leon and Ethan sat at the center of the table.
Leon looked every bit the confident young prince.
Ethan, the brilliant, filterless programmer.
Both glanced at Aria… and returned to their own worlds.
And beside Helena sat the brightest star at the table—
Selena.
The blonde girl flashed a sweet smile the moment she saw Aria.
"Ariiaaa~ finally! Mother was worried waiting for you."
Her tone was soft, sweet, filled with warmth that… wasn't real.
She sat so close to Helena, it was almost territorial.
Aria walked past everyone and chose the seat at the far end of the table—
the most distant spot from Selena and the "core family."
She said nothing.
Asked nothing.
Did not question whether the seat belonged to her.
She simply sat.
As though distance was the only logical choice.
The servants served dinner without a sound.
Tonight's menu: tender steak, truffle mushroom soup, roasted asparagus, artisan bread.
Aria ate slowly, precisely—every movement the result of years spent in a place that knew no family dining etiquette.
No one spoke to her.
Until Selena broke the silence with her honeyed voice.
"Father, I got invited to a small fashion show at school today! They said I have a really elegant aura."
She tilted her head, smiling sweetly.
Helena immediately beamed with pride.
"Really, dear? Of course you're perfect for it. You've always been graceful."
Leon chimed in, "Selena does have talent for being in the spotlight."
Ethan added with a lazy chuckle, "Yeah, she's the center of attention at school."
Selena covered her mouth in faux modesty.
"You said the same thing earlier, didn't you, Father?"
Adrian nodded, his smile thin and restrained.
"You do represent the family well. Keep it up."
This was not a family dinner.
It was Selena's stage.
Aria cut her steak silently, uninterested.
Helena, feeling awkward, tried speaking to her.
"Aria… do you like the food?"
Aria replied simply:
"It's adequate."
That one word extinguished the conversation.
Helena fell silent, unsure what to add.
Aria's "adequate" felt like an invisible wall.
Selena quickly reclaimed the spotlight.
"Oh, Mother, about the charity event next week—may I bring the blue dress I designed? You remember the one?"
Helena looked relieved to speak to someone familiar.
"Of course. I'd love to see it later."
Aria remained silent.
Once again, a ghost in the room.
Ethan suddenly glanced at Aria, then at Helena.
"Aria's starting school with us tomorrow, right? Hopefully… she fits in."
The word "hopefully" carried sharp skepticism.
Selena wore an exaggeratedly thoughtful expression.
"Well… Aria is so quiet. Our school is very social. I'm afraid she might… struggle."
Leon nodded, supporting the family's golden girl.
"True. She does seem different."
Aria continued eating.
No reaction.
No need.
Selena spoke again, smiling brightly but with dark eyes.
"But don't worry—I'll help her adjust. She can rely on me."
Rely on me.
A subtle warning:
She must go through me at school.
Aria placed her fork down slowly.
The faint clink of metal made Selena stiffen for a split second.
But Aria remained calm, cold, not looking at anyone.
The servant pouring water into her glass trembled slightly.
The girl's aura was too… quiet.
A quiet that pressed on the room.
Adrian finally spoke.
"Tomorrow, Aria will attend the same school. Follow the family rules. No problems."
His tone was firm—more like an executive order.
Not a father's guidance.
Aria nodded.
"Understood."
Selena's small smile returned—a victorious smile.
School was her territory.
Her battlefield.
Her kingdom.
Dinner continued.
Conversations filled the left side of the table—between Mother, Father, Leon, Ethan, and Selena.
On the right side—where Aria sat alone—there was only silence.
She finished her meal faster than the others.
Then she picked up her napkin, folded it neatly, and stood.
"I'm done."
Everyone paused.
Helena tried to stop her.
"Aria, don't you want dessert? I asked the chef to make Selena's favorite vanilla pudding, maybe you—"
Aria shook her head.
"Too sweet."
Selena smiled, hiding irritation beneath honey.
"Aww… that's a shame. It's really delicious, you know."
Aria didn't respond.
Didn't turn.
Didn't give her a chance to continue.
She walked toward the door.
Her dress fluttered softly, her steps silent.
No one called her back.
Not Father.
Not Mother.
Not Leon or Ethan.
Least of all Selena.
As Aria left, the door closed gently behind her—
separating her from a "family atmosphere" that had never included her.
And once she was gone, the chatter resumed almost immediately.
Lively again.
Unaffected.
As if Aria had never been there at all.
In the long hallway, Aria walked alone.
Her shadow stretched across the marble floor—
quiet, still, cold.
No pain in her eyes.
No anger.
No disappointment.
Only emptiness.
An emptiness that had been her companion for years.
And tonight, the Valleria family gave her one certainty:
They did not know how to accept Aria.
And Aria had no intention of trying to belong.
At that grand dining table, one seat remained the coldest—
Aria's seat.
And for the girl herself, the Valleria family dinner table was not a homecoming.
It was the moment she understood one simple truth:
She was not part of this family.
And perhaps, she never would be.