The musicians shifted their melody to a more graceful tune as servants carried trays of wine and shimmering fruit dipped in frost. The atmosphere brightened again, though the tension left behind by Duke Marius still clung to a few corners of the room like a lingering shadow.
Darian exhaled quietly, only loud enough for Selara to hear."He always chooses the most inconvenient moments," he murmured.
Selara leaned closer with a composed smile still across her face."Let him enjoy his games. Tonight is ours."
Her grip on Kael softened again as she looked down at her son, who blinked up at the lights with calmness.
A court herald suddenly stepped forward, raising a crystal-tipped staff that chimed like distant bells. The hall fell into a respectful hush.
Kael's POV
Ah—here it comes… the official introduction.
Kael wasn't sure what was worse: hundreds of nobles staring at him… or knowing half of them would someday become his enemies.
He tried to maintain a baby-like expression—wide eyes, tiny mouth, innocent smile. The harmless kind.Not the reincarnated villain with knowledge of future political chaos kind.
Selara lifted him, preparing for the ceremony.
Okay. No sudden movements. No glaring at Marius like he's a walking death flag. Just… be cute.
General POV
"Esteemed nobles of Valtherion," the herald announced, his voice ringing through the chandeliers, "the House of Ravenor presents to the Empire… their heir."
A wave of anticipation swept through the crowd.
Darian stepped forward. Selara followed, Kael in her arms. They approached the raised ceremonial platform—an intricate circular stage of obsidian and silver runes.
Darian placed his palm on the central sigil. Selara mirrored him. Magic crackled between them, forming a protective circle of light around the family.
Kael's POV
I donʼt fell anything. I think this is for only ceremonial purposes.
General POV
The herald continued:
"By the ancient pact between House Ravenor and the Empire…By blood, by lineage, and by the will of the ancestors…We welcome—Kael Ardent Ravenor."
The hall erupted in applause.
Cheers. Blessings. Polite praise wrapped in words.
Selara held Kael higher, her smile radiant. Darian stood tall beside them, pride in his usual sternness.
But not everyone applauded with sincerity.
Across the room, Duke Marius Krelthorn watched with narrowed eyes. His gaze lingered on the glowing runes… then on Kael's vibrant violet eyes.
A coldness flickered behind his expression—one that promised this event was not the end of something, but the beginning.
Selara's POV
She felt it—the chill from across the hall.
Marius was planning something.Not tonight, perhaps… but soon.
Her arms tightened around Kael.No one would touch her child.Not an enemy, not a schemer—no one.
She leaned toward Darian. "We must stay vigilant."
Darian didn't ask why. He had noticed it too.
General POV
As the applause died down, the final part of the ceremony began.
The Blessing Gifts.
Nobles filed forward one by one, presenting enchanted heirlooms, rare artifacts, or symbolic treasures—each meant to secure favor with the Ravenor family.
Alaric Valemont stepped forward first, grinning proudly.
"A gift from House Valemont," he declared.
He snapped his fingers, and a servant approached with a long velvet case.
Inside lay a gleaming crimson dagger, forged with rare fire-metal. The blade shimmered like flame.
"For when the young Kael grows old enough to wield it," Alaric said. "May it protect him when words fail."
The crowd was in admiration.
Selara smiled. "Thank you, Alaric. It means more than you know."
Behind them, Valeria offered a tiny golden bracelet engraved with protection runes.
But then…
The hall dimmed as another presence approached.
Duke Marius Krelthorn.
He carried no servant. No case. No attendants.
Only a single, small, silver-wrapped box held directly in his hands.
The air stiffened.
Darian's jaw clenched. Selara's heartbeat sharpened. Even Kael, sensed the shift.
Marius bowed just low enough to be polite.
"For the child," he said, "a gift from the North."
He extended the box.
Darian did not take it.
Selara did.
Her eyes never left Marius's icy blue ones.
"What is inside?" she asked calmly.
Marius smiled—thin, cold.
"A charm," he replied, "to ensure the boy grows into the man the future intends him to be."
A strange hush fell.
The words were vague.
But Selara accepted the box, though her fingers tightened.
Marius stepped back with a final, chilling bow.
"May his future be… unforgettable."
Kael's POV
His future?
Kael swallowed.
No. Not again. I refuse to become the villain I was destined to be.
If Marius thinks I'm going down that road and die miserably… he'll be disappointed.
I will show what I can do in the future, just you wait until I grow up.
The musicians struck a brighter chord, and the tension slowly thinned as nobles drifted toward the center of the hall where a ceremonial dance was beginning. Laughter echoed again, though everyone hoped to erase the earlier chill with sound alone.
The hall was beautiful, filled with gold light… yet beneath it all, there were shadows you could now see clearly. Smiles that were too sharp. Glittering clothes hiding weapons.
Maybe this world isn't as soft as I thought…
He shifted in his mother's arms, fingers curling around the fabric of her gown. He didnʼt want to be here. Selara immediately responded to the movement.
"It's almost over," she whispered to him, voice warm.
But it wasn't over.
Not yet.
Because the moment Selara and Darian turned to greet the next group of nobles, the herald struck his staff against the marble floor—once, twice, thrice.
The hall fell silent again.
"Presenting," the herald called out, "a gift from His Imperial Majesty."
The reaction was immediate. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Bows rippled across the hall like the wind through wheat fields. Even the most arrogant nobles lowered their heads.
Kael blinked.
The Emperor…?
Two imperial knights entered, each step echoing like a drumbeat. They carried a long, rectangular chest wrapped in black velvet embroidered with gold thread. The Imperial Lion shone brightly on the surface—no mistaking it.
Darian straightened, expression controlled but tense. Selara's grip on Kael tightened again.
The knights approached the platform and knelt, placing the chest before the Ravenor family.
"In recognition of the birth of House Ravenor's heir," the knight announced, "His Majesty sends his blessing. This gift is to remain sealed until the appointed time."
Selara bowed deeply. "We are honored by His Majesty's grace."
Darian mirrored her, though his jaw was tight with questions he could not ask in public.
Kael stared at the chest.
What can the Emperor give me? There was no information about celebration so I donʼt know about this gift.
He didn't have an answer—but the gift was there, given to him.
General POV
The appearance of the Emperor's gift shifted the atmosphere again. What had been mild tension became sharp.
"Why would the Emperor send such a thing to a duke's child?""It must mean the Ravenors are gaining influence.""Or that the Empire expects something from them."
Duke Alaric Valemont leaned close to Darian once the knights stepped back."Well," he muttered under his breath, "if the Emperor is giving gifts to your nursery, then politics just became far more interesting."
Darian gave him a sideways look. "I would prefer 'less interesting.'"
Selara remained composed, but her eyes flicked to the chest with worry she carefully hid behind a smile.
Kael's POV
So this is the world I'm in.
The Emperor's gift.The nobles watching him like he was already a chess piece in their games.
Kael pressed closer against his mother. The world looked vast and terrifying all at once.
General POV
The herald clapped his hands once more, returning the hall to motion. Nobles resumed mingling, though the Emperor's chest remained a unmoved—an unanswered question sitting on the ceremonial platform.
Selara handed Kael into Darian's arms to greet another approaching couple. Darian held his son, one hand shielding Kael's back as if expecting danger.
"Easy," he murmured low. "We're almost finished."
Kael blinked at him.
A father who cared.A mother who adored him.
He wasn't sure how to feel about it.
The final group of nobles approached the platform. Among them were a few lesser houses, all eager to offer modest gifts. Trinkets. Spell-infused toys. Simple protective charms.
As Darian thanked them, Selara reached for Kael again—and that was when she saw a figure slipped into the edge of the crowd.
A lean man dressed in black, with hair like midnight and eyes too red to belong to any human. He didn't approach the platform. He didn't carry a gift. He just watched.
Unmoving. Studying the Kael with a focus that it could freeze blood.
Kael felt something prick down his spine.
Who… is that?
The man's gaze shifted for a moment—to the Emperor's chest—then back to Kael. Selaraʼs smile faltered—only for a heartbeat, but it was enough.
Darian followed her eyes, and his expression hardened instantly.Not a guest.
Darian turned to one of the guards stationed by the entrance. An order passed.
The guard nodded and moved.
By the time they reached the corner… the man was gone.
Vanished like smoke.