First thing I remember is pain — crushing, burning pain in my head, as if my skull was about to split open.
When my eyes finally fluttered open, I saw two faces hovering above me. A man and a woman… both staring with such overwhelming joy that it almost felt unreal.
I didn't understand why, but the moment I looked at them, tears suddenly spilled from my eyes. I cried without knowing the reason — maybe from fear, maybe from shock… or maybe from something I remember.
---
Darian's POV
"Selara… look!" Darian's voice trembled as he held the tiny bundle in his arms.
"Look at our son, Selara. I finally have a son. I finally… have an heir."
His hands shook, not from weakness but from the sheer weight of happiness and disbelief. Years of praying, years of waiting — and now, at last, the Ravenor bloodline had its successor.
Selara's POV
The birthing process was incredibly hard and painfully long, but in the end… it was worth every moment. After fifteen years of marriage, after countless sleepless nights filled with worry and disappointment, we finally have the child we've been longing for.
I can't describe the joy overflowing in my heart right now. My son—our son—is here. Healthy, warm, and crying loudly in my arms.
It stung a little that the very first thing he did after seeing us was cry, as if his parents were the most terrifying sight in the world. But he's a newborn, and crying is simply instinct. I'll forgive him just this once… though I'll make sure to take a lot photos of him and tease him for the rest of his life. A little revenge for making his mother sad.
Selara looked at her husband with a joyful smile, though a small frown tugged at her lips.
"Yes, we finally have a child — a healthy son. So stop laughing like a madman," she scolded lightly. "I'm pretty sure our son started crying after seeing your smile. For a moment, I thought he didn't like us."
Duke Darian froze mid-laugh, staring at his wife with a blank expression.
"Can't I even be happy after waiting so many years?" he complained. "And… well, it's true I make a lot of children cry."
Selara couldn't help but laugh at his defeated tone.
"You sure do, dear. You sure do."
Darian laughed along with her for a moment, their joy filling the room. But then, as if struck by sudden realization, he turned to his wife.
"Dear… what shall we name our son? Shall we stick to the name we agreed on, or do you have something new in mind?"
Selara paused, thinking for a moment before a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Yes," she said softly, "I have a new name in my list. What do you think… Kael?"
Darian blinked for a moment, then broke into a warm smile.
"A very wonderful name, dear… perfectly fitting for my son… oh, I mean, our son," he corrected himself, chuckling at his own excitement.
Just as the couple was about to continue their playful argument, the midwife—who had been watching them with a warm smile—cleared her throat softly. Her worried tone broke the moment.
"My lady," she said gently, "I believe the young master is hungry."
Kael's POV
Kael stopped crying the moment his mother placed him against her bare chest. Instinctively, he latched onto her and began drinking milk, his tiny body calming with each suckle.
As he listened to the soft voices around him while still crying, certain words stuck in his mind: Selara… Darian… heir… These were the only fragments he could grasp, but they matched the names of the Duke Ravenor and his wife — the only things he remembered clearly.
Then he heard his own name… Kael.
It didn't take long for him to understand: he had been reincarnated as the son of the Ravenor family — the only son and the heir to a mighty Duke's lineage. A family whose authority was recognized by royalty, and whose mother herself came from royal blood. Their bond with the royal family was strong, should be happy… after all, I'm born as the heir of the Ravenor family, surrounded by power and luxury. But people always say there are two sides to every coin, and for me, that other side is far from pleasant.
I've reincarnated as a villain in this world. A villain who, according to the story, dies at the age of eighteen — at the hands of the protagonist. Why? Because I bothered him… his harem… when the girl I like began to favor him instead. A typical cliché story, and somehow… I am a part of it.
I need time to think. To remember the story from beginning to end. Right now, I can only recall fragments… fleeting moments and some names...
As Kael's tiny eyes grew heavy, the thoughts of his new life and the fragments of the story swirled in his mind. Slowly, exhaustion took over, and he drifted into sleep, still clutching his mother's warmth.
From above, his parents watched him with amused eyes. Darian let out a soft, low chuckle, and Selara's laugh followed, light and melodic. They couldn't help but laugh at the little sight — their son, already deep
in sleep after crying so long.