The first days of Vaelor Ashford's life were a silent hell.
Duke Aldric, his father, had ordered the baby to be moved to the north tower of the castle. It was the farthest area from the main chambers, usually reserved for storing old objects and unused furniture. But now, that cold and dusty place had become the prison of a newborn.
"It's temporary." The Duke had told his wife, though both knew it was a lie. "Until we find a solution."
Lady Elara had not protested. After seeing three servants faint in terror while trying to feed the baby, she herself had suggested the isolation. The maternal love she should have felt had been replaced by a visceral fear she could not control.
The kingdom's healers had examined the child from a distance, using mirrors and enchanted crystals to avoid direct eye contact. Their diagnosis was unanimous and devastating.
"Eyes of the Cursed." The chief healer declared with a trembling voice. "An ancient curse, almost legendary. The last recorded case was over three hundred years ago."
"Is there a cure?" The Duke asked.
"No, my lord. The curse is bound to the bearer's soul. Anyone who makes direct eye contact with him will experience absolute terror. It is... involuntary. The child cannot control it."
"What if we blindfold him?"
"That would reduce the effect, but not eliminate it completely. The curse emanates from his very existence."
The Duke clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Then... what do you suggest?"
The healer remained silent for a long moment.
"There are precedents, my lord. In cases like this, noble families usually... resolve the problem discreetly."
Aldric Ashford understood perfectly what the healer was suggesting. And although a part of him recoiled at the idea, another part—the part that thought of his lineage, his reputation, his political position...—seriously considered the option.
That was when Lyria intervened.
◇ ◇ ◇
The young servant had overheard the entire conversation from behind a column. Her heart pounded as she processed the healer's words.
'Kill a baby?' she thought in disbelief. 'Just because he was born different?'
She could not allow it.
Without a second thought, Lyria stepped out of her hiding place and knelt before the Duke.
"My lord." Her voice was firm despite her youth. "Allow me to care for the young master."
The Duke looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
"You? A mere servant?"
"I am the only one who can look at him without fear." Lyria lifted her gaze, meeting the noble's eyes without blinking. "I don't know why, but his curse doesn't affect me. I can feed him, bathe him, care for him. I can give him the life he deserves."
"And what do you gain from this?"
Lyria smiled with a mixture of sadness and determination.
"Nothing, my lord. I just want that boy to have a chance."
The Duke studied her for a long moment. This girl was strange. Her red eyes were unusual for a commoner, and her lack of fear toward the curse was inexplicable. But if what she said was true, she could solve his problem without having to stain his hands with blood.
"Very well." He finally decided. "You will be his caretaker. You will live with him in the north tower and attend to all his needs. But listen carefully, servant: that boy must never leave the tower. He must never be seen by anyone. To the outside world, my firstborn died during childbirth. Understood?"
"Understood, my lord."
That very night, Lyria moved into the north tower with little Vaelor in her arms.
◇ ◇ ◇
"We're alone now, little master." Lyria whispered as she laid the baby in an improvised cradle. "Just you and me against the world."
The baby looked at her with his large, curious red eyes. He no longer cried. In fact, since Lyria had taken him in her arms, he had barely made a sound.
'It's as if he knows,' the young servant thought. 'As if he understands that I'm on his side.'
She sat beside the cradle and began humming a soft melody. It was a song her mother used to sing when she was a child, before she was sold to the Ashford family to pay her father's debts.
"Don't worry." She said between verses. "I will protect you. No matter what others say, no matter how much they hate or fear you. I will always be by your side."
And as the full moon shone through the small tower window, little Vaelor closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Somewhere in his fragmented mind, the ancient soul inhabiting that tiny body registered those words.
'Lyria...'
The name echoed in the void of his consciousness like a distant bell.
'That voice... I know it.'
But the memories of his previous life were blurry, like dreams fading upon waking. The only thing left was a feeling. An absolute certainty he could not explain.
'This time... I will protect her.'
The baby slept peacefully for the first time since his birth.