Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

[Akasha.]

Slap!

A crisp sound of a slap echoed within the main hall of the Valantine household.

Siersha's body fell down helplessly on the ground, her disheveled hair covering her face.

"Hey, Siersha!?"

Ayomai, her mother, quickly moved to help her, kneeling down just beside her.

Her glowing green eyes snapped towards the man looming over them.

"What are you doing, father?"

Edwin didn't reply as he quietly looked down at Siersha.

His red eyes held anger and hatred that burned into her.

"Stand up and step back, Ayomai," Edwin said, his voice more threatening than ever.

"But—"

"I SAID STEP BACK!!"

Edwin snapped, his voice booming within the entire hall.

Ledger quickly moved and firmly separated his wife from his daughter.

Edwin gazed at Siersha. "Stand up."

Without a word, she pushed her hair back and got back to her feet.

Her face healed, but the mark was still clear.

Edwin loomed over her, his voice low. "How did this happen?"

There was a silence within the room as Siersha remained silent.

"I asked, how did this happen!?" Edwin snapped. "How did you lose your virginity and half of your life!?"

Siersha slowly looked down, her voice barely a whisper. "...I don't know."

Edwin's voice dripped with disbelief. "You don't know?"

His fist clenched at his side, trembling with restrained fury.

The air around him grew dense, suffocating even for those who weren't its target.

"You're a special, Siersha. You were supposed to be untouchable. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Siersha's lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Ayomai pushed past Ledger again, placing herself between her daughter and Edwin.

"That's enough," she said firmly. "You don't get to scream at her like this."

"She let someone brand her," Edwin snarled, his eyes glowing faintly crimson now.

"That brand wasn't just a mark; it took half of her essence. Half of her life! Do you understand what that means?"

Ayomai looked at Siersha, then at her husband. "She's still our daughter."

"She's a liability now."

The silence that followed was suffocating for the family.

Edwin looked at Siersha once again. "....Who was it? Tell me and I won't pursue this matter."

Siersha opened her mouth.

She didn't speak for a while before she whispered. "It was Himmel."

The one who was more shocked than Edwin were her parents.

"Himmel isn't that type of guy," Ayomai spoke, defending him. "He is rude, sure, but he won't do anything like that."

"That's right," Ledger also came forward. "He isn't the type of guy who would do such a thing."

It was only Edwin who stood there quietly because he...believed her.

He wanted a reason... someone to focus all his anger on and who would be better than the one guy he was extremely cautious of.

"...What did he do?" Edwin asked quietly, hiding his rage.

Siersha remained still before she slowly looked up at him with teary eyes.

"I don't remember," she whispered. "I fell asleep in my room and the next morning I was in his room."

Edwin closed his eyes as he raised his face towards the ceiling.

There was nothing else for him to speak, and her parents were too stunned to say anything.

Edwin turned around and began to walk further inside the palace.

He continued to walk until he stood in a different hall.

A dark hall with long black marble pillars and beautifully decorated ornaments.

A chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the place.

An enormous painting hung on the wall at the eastern side, which Edwin kept on staring at.

The portrait of the first head of the Valantine family.

Lazarus Twilight Valantine and his family.

Edwin slowly began to walk closer until he was at arm's reach.

He slowly sat down on the ground, not minding his own status.

"It would have been so nice," he began, his voice deep yet low. "If you had killed those elves back then."

The hall echoed with the quiet weight of Edwin's words.

His voice carried no venom now, only exhaustion.

"If you'd wiped them out completely... if you hadn't left their spawn behind..."

he whispered, leaning his head back against the cold base of the portrait frame.

"None of this would've happened."

He leaned back, his red eyes staring at Lazarus' painted figure.

His eyes mirrored Edwin's... prideful, ruthless, and merciless.

"Do you know what it means to be us, Lazarus?" he murmured.

"We weren't supposed to bend. We were built to rule. Built to last. Not to watch our blood... bleed itself dry over affection."

Edwin raised his hand slowly and pressed it against the cold glass that covered the painting.

He had an unhealthy obsession with Lazarus.

In some twisted way, Edwin saw himself in him.

And...

In his same twisted mindset, he wanted to massacre every elf off this world.

He did plan for that.

With the Uzume family's help, he could have taken care of the elves.

The entire plan was foolproof, yet... it was thrown away just because of one boy.

"....Himmel," Edwin snarled, his voice more like an animal's growl.

He took away his chance to achieve his lifelong goal.

And Edwin would never forgive him for that.

"I will kill that boy," Edwin whispered ominously. "I swear on my bloodline, I will kill him."

He slowly rose back to his feet, staring at Lazarus's painting.

"I refuse to back down now."

He said, his voice echoing within the hall.

"The elves will die, and I will make sure of it."

He looked at his reflection from the glass of the painting that overlapped his face with Lazarus.

"I will complete what you could never hope for."

He moved away from the portrait as he placed a holographic object at the centre of the hall.

Taking his seat on the stairs, he began to let the hologram form.

It took only a few moments, and a figure appeared.

A regal figure of a man with long blue hair cascading behind his back.

A crown over his head as he looked at Edwin with his blue eyes.

But what made him stand out was his skin colour.

It was entirely blue.

He was the king of the Demiurge race.

Kryllios Demiurge.

"What is the occasion, Edwin?" Kryllios asked, raising his eyebrow. "How did you contact me first?"

Edwin didn't reply, instead he took out a document and threw it at his direction.

"I spent a fortune to gather them," he said, his voice firm. "E.C.T.O never lowers the price."

Kryllios quietly scanned the documents. "...What are they?"

"Everything you need to know about elves and their army," he informed, taking Kryllios' interest.

"Tamriel Kingdom weakness, places to hide in Alfheim. It has everything."

Kryllios remained silent as he read through the documents, his regal features slowly hardening.

"This is…" Kryllios narrowed his eyes.

"This level of detail is impossible to get unless someone has been embedded in Alfheim for decades."

"I don't know how they did that either," Edwin replied, standing up. "I just know that it is legit."

"And what do you want in return?"

Kryllios asked, his voice calm, but his fingers tapped once—an old war signal.

"A joint purge," Edwin said without hesitation.

"You have your grievances with the elves. I have mine. Their blood runs too freely. Together, we can crush them."

Kryllios looked back at him with interest, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly.

"You want war," the Demiurge King said.

"I want cleansing," Edwin corrected, walking closer to the projection, his expression intense.

"You help me eradicate them, and I'll hand you the roots of the World Tree itself. You'll have your claim over Alfheim and I'll finally be free of this filth."

"You sound desperate, Edwin."

"No. I am just done playing defensively," he replied, staring into Kryllios' eyes. "With Mariam out for a while, this is our only chance."

A long pause passed between them.

Then Kryllios finally smiled.

"You are at the right time," he said with a cold chuckle. "There is someone else who also wants to end the elves."

Edwin frowned. "What?"

"We were supposed to wait for half a year to get better information," he said, ignoring his question. "But with this document, we can start anytime now."

"...."

Edwin just stared at him without a word.

There was so much he wanted to ask, but he chose to remain quiet.

His only question was, "How are you going to deal with the elders?"

"Hm?"

"Those things are much more dangerous than the rest," he said, his voice serious. "They can be the most crucial part in defending the kingdom."

Kryllios just smiled. "Don't worry about them. We have someone who can take care of them."

Edwin stared at his hologram for a while before nodding.

"When are you attacking?" he asked, his voice low.

Kryllios thought for a moment before he replied. "In four days."

"Good," Edwin said, his voice dead calm. "Then let it begin."

Kryllios' image began to fade, his last words hanging in the room,

"We strike when the world least expects it."

And with that, the hall fell silent again.

Edwin lowered his gaze as he looked at the photo he was holding now.

The picture of his dead wife.

"I will see the end of this."

He spoke, crumpling the picture.

***

"Mama!"

Zenith's voice echoed in her bedroom as she shifted on her bed.

A single lamp illuminated the place, showing Yennefer's face, who was knitting a sweater.

"You don't have to shout, Zenny," Yennefer replied, smiling. "I can hear you loud and clear."

"Then why are you not answering?" Zenith replied, narrowing her ember eyes. "Who is this sweater for?"

Yennefer just smiled as she raised the half-done sweater against the lamp.

"Winter is coming," she said softly. "So, I thought I would make something for Himmel."

"...You do know he doesn't need it, right?" Zenith grumbled, shifting on her bed to move closer.

"I bet he could survive negative temperatures."

"Well, it's not about keeping him warm," Yennefer replied, returning to her.

"It's for letting him know that there is someone who wants him to be safe."

Zenith didn't speak for a while as she looked at her mother's face.

Despite her trying not to think about it....She couldn't help but think about those visions.

....Visions where she saw her mother dying.

Even the thought of it made her heart ache in pain.

"Do you know, his birthday is soon?" Yennefer spoke, taking her by surprise. "He will be eighteen."

Zenith blinked. "Really?"

Yennefer nodded, her fingers never stopping.

"Yes," she said with a soft smile. "Eighteen… he's almost a man now."

Zenith sat back up, resting her chin on her knee.

"What are you going to give him?" she asked quietly.

"This sweater," Yennefer replied without hesitation. "And maybe… a letter."

Zenith tilted her head. "A letter?"

"A mother's letter," Yennefer said, her eyes still on the yarn.

"One that reminds him of who he is. Of where he belongs. And that no matter how far he goes… there's always someone waiting for him."

Zenith bit her lip, her throat tightened.

"You make it sound like you're going somewhere…"

Yennefer's hands paused just for a heartbeat, but Zenith caught it.

Then, with a soft breath, Yennefer smiled and resumed knitting.

"Don't be silly. I'll be right here."

Zenith looked down, clutching the blanket over her lap. "You promise?"

Yennefer didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she leaned over and kissed Zenith's forehead gently.

She smiled brightly.

"I promise."