Night descended slowly, like a sheet of black velvet being drawn down from the sky.
The Valleria family home was illuminated by crystal lights reflecting off the marble floor—magnificent to behold, yet for Aria, not a single ray of that light felt warm.
The house looked like a palace.
But its atmosphere felt like a museum—
cold, silent, and filled with expensive objects that held no emotion.
Aria walked downstairs with light steps.
A simple pale-cream dress draped her figure, her straight black hair falling smoothly down her back. She moved like a shadow—calm, soundless, barely making a trace.
When she entered the dining room, the conversation stopped at once.
The Valleria dining table stretched the length of the room. Upon it stood tall candles, silver plates, crystal glasses, and four kinds of expensive dishes. Everything looked perfect.
Too perfect.
Helena—Aria's biological mother and also Selena's adoptive mother—looked at Aria with a hesitant smile.
"Aria, dear, come sit."
Aria nodded, adding not a single word.
Adrian—the older man—looked at Aria the way a CEO looks at an employee returning from a long leave. His face was calm, yet far too formal for a father meeting his own flesh and blood again.
"Good evening," he said briefly.
Aria responded with another nod.
Leon and Ethan were already seated at the center of the table.
Leon looked like a confident young prince.
Ethan like a genius programmer who had yet to learn how to filter his words.
Both glanced at Aria… then returned to their own activities, with no intention of greeting her and no interest whatsoever.
And beside Helena sat the brightest star at the table—
Selena.
The blonde girl smiled sweetly the moment she saw Aria.
"Ariaaa~ finally! Mother was worried waiting for you."
Her voice was gentle, sweet-sounding, full of warmth that was, of course, false.
She sat very close to Helena, as if marking her territory.
Meanwhile, Aria walked past everyone and chose the seat at the very end—far from Selena and the so-called "core family."
She said nothing.
Did not ask permission.
Did not ask whether the seat was meant for her.
She simply sat down, as if distance were the most reasonable thing to choose.
The servants arrived and served the food in silence.
Dinner that night consisted of tender steak, truffle mushroom cream soup, grilled asparagus, and artisan bread.
Aria ate slowly and neatly, as though every movement had been trained over years in a place unfamiliar with family formalities.
No one spoke to her or attempted to engage her.
Until, at last, Selena broke the silence with her sweet voice.
"Dad, today at school I got an offer to join a small fashion show! They said I have such an elegant aura."
She tilted her head, her smile honey-sweet.
Helena immediately responded with pride.
"Really, dear? Of course you're suitable. You always look graceful."
Leon chimed in, "Selena really does have a talent for performing."
Ethan laughed lightly. "Yeah, she's the center of attention at school."
Selena covered her mouth, laughing softly, pretending to be shy. "Dad said the same thing this afternoon too, right?"
Adrian nodded with a thin smile. "You do carry the family's image well. Just keep going."
This was not a family dinner.
This was Selena's stage.
Aria cut her steak in silence, uninterested in joining the conversation.
Helena, feeling awkward, finally tried to speak to Aria.
"Aria… is the food to your liking?"
Aria answered briefly, "Adequate."
That single word instantly killed the conversation.
Helena fell silent, unsure what else to say.
The word "adequate" from Aria sounded like an invisible wall.
Selena quickly took over again.
"Oh, Mom, about the charity event next week, may I bring my dress design? The light blue one… you remember, right?"
Helena looked relieved to be able to speak to someone she understood again.
"Of course you may. I'd like to see it later too."
Aria remained silent—once again a ghost in the room, like an inanimate object.
Ethan suddenly glanced at Aria, then at Helena.
"So Aria's attending the same school tomorrow, right? Hopefully… she'll fit in."
The tone of "hopefully" sounded distinctly skeptical.
Selena put on a deliberately worried expression. "Hmm… Aria seems quiet. Our school environment is very social. I'm afraid she might… struggle."
Leon nodded, supporting the golden daughter. "True. She does seem different."
Aria ate calmly, not responding at all.
To her, it wasn't necessary.
Selena continued, smiling brightly while her eyes darkened. "But don't worry. I'll help her adapt. She can rely on me."
The phrase "rely on me" sounded like a subtle threat—
She has to go through me at school.
Aria slowly set down her fork.
The soft clink of metal made Selena tense for a split second.
But Aria remained calm, cold, not looking at anyone.
The servant pouring water into Aria's glass trembled slightly.
The girl's aura was too… silent.
A pressing silence.
Adrian finally spoke. "Tomorrow, Aria will attend the same school. Follow the family rules. Don't cause any problems."
The tone was firm, like a business order—not a father speaking to his child.
Aria nodded. "Understood."
Selena smiled faintly in victory.
School was her territory.
There, she held all the cards.
Dinner continued.
Conversation flowed on 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 took her napkin, folded it neatly, and stood.
"I'm finished."
Everyone paused for a moment.
Helena tried to stop her. "Aria, don't you want dessert? I asked the chef to make vanilla pudding—Selena's favorite—maybe you—"
Aria shook her head without expression.
"Too sweet."
Selena smiled, holding back her dislike.
"Oh dear… that's a shame. The pudding is really delicious."
Aria did not reply.
Did not turn back.
Did not leave any opening to continue the conversation.
She walked toward the door, her dress swaying softly, her steps utterly silent.
No one called her back.
Not Father.
Not Mother.
Not Leon or Ethan.
And certainly not Selena.
As Aria left, the door closed gently behind her, separating her from a family atmosphere that had never truly included her.
Once the door shut, the small chatter at the table resumed.
The conversation continued without disruption.
As if Aria had never been there.
In the long corridor, Aria walked alone.
Her shadow stretched long across the marble floor.
So quiet.
So still.
There was no pain in her eyes.
No anger.
No disappointment.
Only emptiness.
An emptiness that had been her companion for a long time.
An emptiness deeply rooted in her soul.
And tonight, the Valleria family gave her one certainty—
They did not know how to accept Aria,
and Aria did not try to enter.
At that grand dining table, one empty chair felt the coldest of all—
Aria's chair.
And to the girl, the Valleria family dining table was not a place to return to,
but a place where she understood one thing:
She was not part of that family.
And perhaps never would be.