Chapter 2: The First Hug

  ? Target neutralized, Boss. But don't get comfortable. That was just a ‘clean-up’ crew. ? TAN’s voice echoed in the heavy silence of the marble nursery.

  I know, I thought, my heavy lungs burning from the mana surge. In my last life, I was worthless because I was weak. This time, I’ll be strong enough that no one can ever throw me away again.

  The three years that followed were a blur of [Adaptability] and isolation. I didn't know anything about the world outside these four stone walls. I didn't know about kingdoms, wars, or the strange powers others possessed that I would come to stumble upon in the future. I only knew the cold, the dark, and the relentless hunger to grow.

  By age three, my body didn't look like a toddler's. The Monster Queen’s Blood had forced an accelerated growth; I looked at least six or seven, my muscles dense and my gaze far too steady for a child. I spent my nights in a meditative trance, using [Mana Materialization] to forge invisible weights of pressurized energy around my limbs, forcing my body to adapt to a crushing gravity.

  ? Mastery increased: [Structural Hardening]. Your bones are now as dense as reinforced steel, ? TAN reported. ? But to the House of Vermillion, you’re still just a monster freak hidden in a dark room. ?

  Let them think that, I replied. The less they see, the less they can take.

  Then came the night the heavy oak doors creaked open—not for the guards, and not for the silent, sobbing shadow of my biological mother who was still forbidden from touching me.

  A woman walked in, draped in silks of crimson and gold. This was Rosellia, the First Wife and my step-mother. She was a woman of royal blood, cold and beautiful, whose pride was the only thing sharper than the silver dagger she held in her hand.

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  "You shouldn't have lived this long," she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of hatred and exhaustion. "My son is the heir. My daughter is a prodigy. But every time Lucius looks toward this room, he is reminded of his failure. For the sake of my children's future… and for my own peace... you must disappear."

  She raised the dagger. Her eyes were bloodshot, the look of a woman pushed to the edge by a husband who valued only utility and status.

  My instincts screamed to fight. My mana began to stir, ready to materialize into a jagged spike to pierce her heart. But as I looked at her, I saw the hollow, haunted emptiness in her eyes—a reflection of the same neglect and lack of love I’d felt in my past life.

  If I killed her, I would be the monster they wanted me to be. If I died, I would be a failure. I needed to survive, and I needed an ally.

  I suppressed the mana spike. I forced my predatory gaze to soften, making my eyes wide and watery. I reached out a small, trembling hand toward her.

  "Momma...?" I whispered.

  The word hit the room like a physical blow. The silver dagger froze inches from my throat.

  "What...?" she gasped, her grip faltering. Her eyes began to glow with a strange, flickering light as her composure shattered.

  ? Alert: Detecting extreme emotional sincerity, ? TAN’s voice softened, losing its usual snark. ? Boss, look. Use [Soul-Peering]. See what she’s carrying. ?

  A flash of light blinded me as my skill forced its way into her mind. I didn't see a cold queen; I saw a discarded woman.

  I saw her eldest son—the "Cold Heir"—turning his back on her, his eyes as frozen as his father’s, refusing to acknowledge the woman who birthed him. I saw her daughter, the "Arrogant Prodigy," laughing as she told her mother that "Royal blood doesn't need the affection of a common noblewoman rather an achievement that brings honor."

  In this house of 'Honor,' no one had ever called her "Momma" with love. To them, she was a tool for status.

  The murderous intent vanished, replaced by a devastating, raw warmth. The dagger clattered to the floor, ringing against the stone. She collapsed against the crib and pulled me into a crushing embrace. She sobbed into my shoulder, her tears hot and genuine.

  "This is the first time..." she choked out. "The first time anyone has called me that."

  I felt a strange, uncomfortable ache in my chest. It wasn't a curse or an attack. It was the human part of me, the part that had been worthless in my past life, recognizing a kindred soul. I reached up and wrapped my arms around her neck, hugging her back with a sincerity I didn't know I still had.

  TO BE CONTINUED....

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