The moment he entered the room, Sol was immediately greeted by a gentle and soothing melody.

Looking at the back of the duchess who was playing the piano, Sol closed the door behind him and took a seat, before continuing to listen to her. He didn’t know if she had heard him, but if she did, she didn’t show it.

Meanwhile, Sol didn't really care. He wasn’t particularly in a hurry and he had to admit that even though he didn’t particularly like her, her music was something on another level.

Slowly, the gentle music changed, and became sad. A sound full of longing and suffering infused his ears.

This music was telling a story. A story that went from happiness to sadness. From sadness to furry, and from furry to disappointment. The last note though…

“What do you think of this song?”

The duchess asked without turning back. Her voice sounded so far away, he felt as if he was floating.

“It was a beautiful but sad song. But…”

“...But?”

“At the very end, the very last one showed a tinge of hope.”

Silence filled the room. Sol; still feeling a little weird, began to frown. Trusting his instincts, he began to slowly cover his body with mana. The result was instantaneous.

“What did you do to me?”

He asked in a cold tone. The previous feeling of weightlessness had vanished.

“Hum…” The duchess hummed in surprise.”You woke up sooner than I thought. I must admit that I am impressed.”

“What did you do to me?”

Sol once again asked, his tone still calm, but threatening. Clearly, if her answer didn’t satisfy him, the meeting would go bad very fast.

“Why not try guessing?”

Recalling his previous stats, and remembering some less savory doujin from his previous life, he hazarded a guess,

"Hypnosis?"

“Indeed. Though, I simply put you into a trance. Or rather, you fell into a trance while listening to my music.”

He could hear the pride in her voice and indeed, she had all the reasons to be proud. This power while not at Camelia's level was still really frightening.

'Later, I need to visit Camelia to ascertain my mental state.'

He was pretty sure that he hadn't been hypnotized, but, since he watched a certain doujin where a fatass played with his bullies by making them think fucking him was a punishment, he rather e'er on the side of caution.

"Duchess, I must say that this meeting does not begin on a good note."

"But I thought my music was good?"

"Music? What does it have to do with… Oh~"

Did the duchess make a pun? Her? That gloomy and naggy woman?

Even though it was a rather bad pun, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The duchess, as if finally acknowledging his existence, finally turned towards him.

This allowed him to finally take a good look at her.

A beautiful black gown, long raven hair as dark as the night, and eyes the color of blood.

If he had to speak objectively, the duchess was without a doubt a beautiful woman. Even though she didn't have the glamorous body of Lilith or Camelia, she certainly didn't lose in terms of beauty.

"Sol Luxuria, the crown prince. Tell me. In your opinion. What is art?"

'Art is an explosion.'

He seriously wanted to say this iconic line. Though, with her skills, she was closer to the marionette than that terrorist wannabe.

Arachne didn't wait for him to answer, "You see, for me, art is the expression of the deepest secret lying in the artist's heart. Be it painting, singing, playing, sculpting. No matter what form of art, the artist must lay bare his heart for everyone to see. It does not matter how ugly or how beautiful it is. What matters is the heart."

Arachne closed her eyes, "That's why, even though everyone called me a genius, in my eyes, I was just a fake artist. For me there was nothing that could make me give all my heart."

An artist could only give his heart when he was giving his all to create something. But, for her, playing the greatest piece was child play. Painting the most beautiful landscape could be done with her eyes closed.

"Everything changed when I met your father."

When she met Mars for the first time, she tried to paint him later in the same day. But,

"I failed to paint him."

It wasn't just a matter of depicting what was shown. No matter how she tried, she could only paint something lifeless.

"I was frustrated at first."

After all, even though she didn't consider herself an artist back then, she still had pride in her talent. It was a rather weird paradox, but it was how it was.

"I began to increase the meeting between the two of us. At first from faraway and later I continuously began to spend time with him. Despite that, I was still unable to paint him correctly. Gradually, my frustration transformed into curiosity. Then, one day, I understood. Ah, I am in love."

That day, for the first time, she succeeded in painting him as she wished.

"That day, I painted my true first masterpiece. For the first time in my life, I really managed to put all my heart into the work I was doing. You can never imagine the happiness I felt. It was like a new world was opening in front of my eyes."

Her voice became rough, her eyes glassy and her cheek flushed.

Sol's eyebrows twitched a bit, he couldn't help but wonder if something in their blood attracted crazy girls.

Seemingly remembering that she wasn't alone, the flushed expression vanished as fast as it appeared, "*Ahem* I apologize for the unsightly display."

"No matter, a woman in love is always beautiful."

He truly thought so. Crazy girls were good as long as they didn't enter the realm of stabby stab like some crazy pink haired time goddess.

Giving a wane smile she continued, "You are truly unlike your father. Though, no one can be like him."

"There's something I wish to ask before you continue."

"...Do so."

"Why do you hate me?"

Arachne seemed startled before letting out a small and sad laugh.

"I do not hate you. I have never hated you. How could I hate the son of my most beloved? I merely dislike you. Your existence is the last proof of Mars's existence. But your existence is also a constant reminder that at the end, I wasn't chosen."

This was one of her greatest contradictions. She could only smile bitterly, 'Humans are truly complex creatures.'

Her feelings toward Sol had always been mixed.

Sol meanwhile could only shake his head at her confession. Feelings were not something clear cut, and while he couldn't understand her, he could understand that it wasn't something easy. Though this did not excuse the way she always treated him, it wasn't as if she ever hurt him.

"Well, now that I have answered your question, I think it's time to enter the main subject."

Her expression suddenly became extremely serious. Clearly, the matter she was about to speak was of great importance.

"The reason I brought the matter about your father was simple. What if I told you that I was approached by a certain organization that swore they could help me resurrect Mars?"

Sol suddenly feels a chill on his back.

"What if I told you the necessary components to succeed were extremely rare but at the same time extremely easy to get?"

The moment he tried to move, he suddenly felt as if he was constricted. Looking attentively, he could see extremely thin threads surrounding him and even covering all the room.

Despite their thinness, he was astounded by their sturdiness.

He briefly debated using his dimension to reverse the situation but ultimately decided to wait and see what was happening.

Seemingly uncaring about his actions, Arachne continued,

"There are three ingredients necessary."

"One, the core of an S ranked magical being."

"..."

"Two, a living sacrifice."

"..."

"Three, the body of someone related to him to house his soul."

Her face was completely emotionless as she gazed at him

"Sol, you are a half-dragon right?"