I lay in my baby crib as the maids have me all dressed up. They're gossiping and giggling about love at first sight. On a serious note, what do these people think—that a three-year-old baby is the protagonist of some shoujo story?
I notice my mother sulking in the corner, mumbling something about "my baby, I can't lose him this early." That corner of the room feels like a funeral—she even has a small portrait of me with her. I wonder if she'll beat up the princess the same way she assaulted my doctor.
Apparently, my dad has gone back to the front lines. Something about a huge horde of orcs attacking the border region. He and his dragon knights wanted to take me along with him, but mother was pretty angry with that. She pulled his ear and began berating him. I started giggling, which was a huge mistake as her next target was my chubby cheeks, asking me what was so funny.
My train of thought was broken as an oddly dressed man walked in. Apparently, it's some Viscount whose sole duty is to announce people who are entering. According to Test, dude actually lives a lavish life just for announcing people.
The Viscount clears his throat. "Her Majesty the Empress of Avaloria, Evelin White, and the Crown Princess of Avaloria, Eleonora White, here to greet Her Highness Queen Alisha Black and His Highness Crown Prince Lionel Black."
Yes, apparently in this world my name is Lionel Black, or Leo as called by my close ones. People also refer to me as the Black Lion. On the other side, my mother has somehow become a proper noble lady, standing next to my crib.
Soon a stunning lady with golden hair and blue eyes walks in alongside a petite girl. The empress is magnificent, but what catches my attention is the little girl beside her. She's doll-like with her petite frame and porcelain skin. She has silver-blue hair and matching eyes. Unlike my mother's sky blue, she seems less approachable. Mother has a warm and bubbly vibe, while this girl seems cold and mature. Who are you kidding, kid? You can't pull that cold, aloof, and cool look off. Only I, with my chubby greatness, can do it.
My mother picks me up and bows slightly—it was more like a nod of the head. The princess and empress do the same. Apparently, heads of the great families don't kneel to each other as their standing is quite close. All the other people, on the other hand, showed proper respect. The servants bowed at a forty-five-degree angle, and the knights knelt on one knee, face up.
The cold and aloof princess seemed to be intrigued by me. My mother notices and lifts me up to her face. She tries to come closer, and in my mind, I think, 'Pedophile alert!' My hand instinctively moves and lands on her left cheek. I am a kid, right? They won't fault me for self-defense. In my head, I imagined it to be very epic and dramatic, but reality is very different. My chubby hands and baby strength just make the situation cute. People started gossiping, saying it's a sign I like her. What? Well, that backfired tragically.
Wait, come to think of it—she's just eleven and I'm three in this world. In my past life, I was twenty-three, which means my mental age is twenty-six. Wait, am I the pedophile in this situation? This is so confusing.
My inner monologue is interrupted when Eleonora lifts her hands, trying to take me. I look back at my mother, my face showing I don't want to go. I look back at Eleonora—she seems sad. Hey lady, were you actually looking forward to taking me in your arms? What happened to the cold and aloof character you were portraying yourself as?
My mother tries to fix the awkward situation by saying, "He has been awake for a long time. Little Leo might just want to sleep. You can play with him later."
Yes, mother, you tell her I'm not some toy. Wait, what? Play with her later? No way. My mom puts me back in the crib, and I begin to act tired and fall asleep.
My mother continues, "Come, Eleonora. I have prepped tea and snacks."
They leave my room, and I open my eyes. The maids are gossiping in the corners—some of them ran out as soon as my mother and the ladies left the room, apparently to tell people of our great love story. On the other side, I see Patricia, our head maid, and our eyes meet. She looks at me as if she could see right through my little deception. "Test, can you analyze her?"
"Complete. Strong mana signature detected. Target appears to be half-elf, half-human genetic composition—seventy percent elf. Estimated age: five hundred twelve. Magical affinity: darkness. Abnormal energy signature also detected."
Definitely not normal. Is she some kind of battle maid or something? Stop looking at me! For some reason, this maid always sends chills down my spine every time our eyes meet, and she's like a shadow.
Test told me I am compatible with all magic types. The people of this world call individuals like me "loved by mana." That shows up once in a thousand years. No one knows yet, but this will probably come out during my first visit to the church at the age of eleven. I really want to try using magic, but this head maid Patricia keeps an eye on me like a shadow—always ever-present. And why is she always looking at me?
The whole engagement situation is bizarre when I think about it. Here I am, a three-year-old baby, unofficially engaged to an eleven-year-old crown princess. In my old world, this would be absolutely insane, but apparently, it's perfectly normal here. What strikes me as odd is how serious everyone is taking this. The maids are treating it like some epic romance, and my mother is acting like she's losing her precious baby. I mean, I'm cute and all, but I'm literally a baby.
The princess, Eleonora, seems like an interesting character though. That cold, mature facade she was trying to pull off was kind of amusing. She's probably been trained to act like a proper royal since birth, but she's still just a kid. When she looked sad after I didn't want to go to her, I could see the real eleven-year-old beneath all that royal composure.
I wonder what kind of training she's been through. Being the sole heir to an empire can't be easy, especially when the succession laws require her to marry into one of the great families just to inherit her own throne. The White family needs this marriage more than we do—without it, she can't become empress.
Speaking of training, I should probably start thinking about my own future. Formal training starts at eleven, but will they make an exception for someone "loved by mana"? Should I start earlier since I have these unique abilities? Will my dad teach me, or will I get a tutor? There's so much I need to learn as the heir to the Black family—military strategy, leadership, politics.
My dragon contract with the next dragon king is already confirmed, which is reassuring, but that raises more questions. Does my training change knowing I'm guaranteed a dragon king? Will the dragon enhance my magical capabilities beyond what being "loved by mana" already gives me? What kind of training do dragon kings require from their partners?
And there's this whole "loved by mana" thing that Test mentioned. Being compatible with all magic types sounds incredibly powerful, but what does that even mean in practice? Will I need special magical tutors? Are there techniques only people like me can learn? What if my magical training conflicts with my military training schedule?
Then there's the whole timeline question. Noble children usually start formal education around age seven, but will they make an exception for someone "loved by mana"? Should I start earlier? Later? What if my dragon contract happens earlier than expected—will that change everything?
So many questions, and I'm stuck in a baby's body for now. At least I have Test to help figure some of this out, and the internet access doesn't hurt either. For now, though, I think I'll just enjoy being a baby while I can.
"Test, enable autopilot and continue the movie from where I left off."
"Acknowledged, master. Engaging autopilot mode."
Time to finish that movie I was streaming in my head. Being a reincarnated baby with an AI angel and internet access really is the good life.