The first thing I remembered was pain.
Crushing, burning pain tore through my skull, as if invisible hands were trying to pry it open from the inside. The sensation was overwhelming—suffocating. For a brief moment, I truly thought I was dying.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move.
That helplessness was the worst feeling of my life.
Light slowly seeped into my vision in blurry, shapeless forms. My eyelids felt unbearably heavy, as if weights had been sewn into them, but I forced them open just enough to see two towering figures hovering over me.
A man and a woman.
Their faces were bright, flushed with joy.
My gaze drifted down to my hands.
They were tiny.
I looked again—at their hands, then my own, my legs, my body. Everything about me was small. Far too small compared to them.
That was when I understood.
I was a baby.
Their baby.
And then, without warning, I began to cry.
I didn't know why. Fear, shock, confusion—or perhaps instinct had taken over. I cried because something inside me demanded it.
Truthfully, I didn't understand the reason at all.
Darian's POV
"Selara… look!"
Darian's voice trembled, thick with emotion, as he held the tiny bundle wrapped in soft silk. His arms—strong enough to wield a broadsword—shook as though he were a child holding something impossibly precious.
"Look at our son, Selara. I finally have a son. We finally… have a son."
Tears brimmed in his eyes, and he made no effort to hide them.
Years of sleepless nights filled with quiet despair. Years of wondering if the bloodline would end with him. All of it had led to this moment.
The moment he heard Selara was giving birth, he had rushed to her side without hesitation and stayed there until the end.
For generations, the Ravenor Dukes had stood as the empire's shield—warriors whose names echoed throughout Valtherion.
And now, at last, the line would continue.
With his son.
Selara's POV
The birth had been long—agonizingly long.
Every contraction felt like fire tearing through her bones. Yet Selara had never feared pain. She had been raised among royalty, trained to maintain grace even beneath the weight of crowns.
Still… this suffering had been different. Overwhelming.
But the moment she looked at the small life in her arms, all of it felt worth it.
After fifteen years of marriage…After fifteen years of hoping, worrying, and trembling at every failed attempt…After fifteen years of smiling through pain so no one would see her heartbreak…
Their miracle had finally arrived.
Her son—warm and alive.
He cried loudly, his tiny body trembling. Though it stung that the first thing he did upon seeing them was cry in fear or confusion, Selara couldn't bring herself to mind it.
He was here.
And that alone made everything beautiful.
Still, she narrowed her eyes playfully at her husband.
"Darian," she said teasingly, "stop laughing like a madman. Our son probably started crying after seeing your smile. For a moment, I thought he didn't like us."
Duke Darian froze mid-laugh, his face filled with disbelief.
"Can't I even be happy after waiting so many years?" he complained.
His dramatic sigh only made her laugh. Their shared joy filled the room like sunlight.
Then Darian's expression shifted, struck by a sudden thought.
"Dear… what shall we name him?" he asked. "Shall we use the one we agreed on, or do you have something else in mind?"
Selara paused.
Names carried weight—especially among noble families.
"Yes," she said softly, gently trying to calm the crying baby. "I have a name. What do you think… Kael?"
Darian blinked.
Then his face lit up.
"A wonderful name, dear… perfectly fitting for my son—ah, I mean, our son." He grinned sheepishly, unable to hide his excitement.
Before they could continue their playful exchange, the midwife—who had been watching with misty eyes—cleared her throat.
"My lady," she said gently, "the young master must be hungry."
Kael's POV
The moment the golden-haired woman pressed me against her bare chest, the world changed.
Warmth enveloped me—soft, comforting—and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat soothed the lingering pain in my head.
Instinct took over.
I latched on naturally, and warmth spread through my body as I fed.
As I drank, I listened.
Laughter. Voices. Words drifting through the air.
Then I heard names.
Selara.Darian.Ravenor.
These weren't unfamiliar.
I knew them.
I knew the story they belonged to.
I had read that novel before… but when?
Then another name reached me.
Kael.
Is that my name?
They were naming a child—and I was the only child here.
They were naming me Kael.
Am I… Kael Ravenor?
The moment that name formed in my mind, a cold shiver ran through my small body.
Kael Ravenor.
The minor villain of the story.The man destined to die early in the novel.
Realization struck like ice spreading across still water.
I had been reincarnated as the son of the Ravenor family—a family blessed with wealth, honor, and martial prowess.
By all rights, I should have been happy. A noble life in a fantasy world—power, privilege, freedom.
But I knew better.
There is always a catch. There is always catch.
In the story, the Ravenor heir was minor a villain. He was executed by heroes summoned from Earth because of his recklessness, and pride.
Because he sought revenge after his fiancée chose one of them and leaving him.
The thought twisted painfully in my chest.
To die like that… for a woman leaving me?
No.
Never.
My eyelids grew heavy as exhaustion crept through my fragile body.
No—I shouldn't fall asleep now. This was important.
But the warmth of my mother wrapped around me like a protective cocoon. I couldn't resist it.
And I fell asleep.
Darian & Selara's POV
From above, the parents watched in silence.
Darian let out a soft chuckle. "After crying like his life depended on it… he sleeps as if nothing ever happened."
Selara laughed quietly. Though exhaustion weighed heavily on her body, happiness filled her heart as she gently brushed her fingers through Kael's hair.
"He's adorable," she whispered. "I feel like my heart might burst every time I look at him."
Their joy lingered in the air like sunlight.
If only they knew the shadows that lay hidden in their son's future.