Reincarnated as the Villain’s Father

When I opened the doors to the dining room for dinner, I was met with an unexpected scene. My sister, Rebecca, was kneeling and holding the hand of my son Lucareth. It looked like a classic aunt-nephew interaction. With a soft smile on her face, Rebecca was asking him questions, and Lucareth was shyly answering. It was obvious she had a soft spot for children, but what was strange was that despite being in her thirties, she still hadn't started a family of her own.

Meanwhile, Annabel stood behind the two of them, smiling broadly, until she saw me. The moment our eyes met, her smile faded, as if smiling was forbidden in my presence. Rebecca's sharp blue eyes didn't miss this change, but she made no comment. She must have sensed the fucked-up relationship between me and Annabel. 

Annabel straightened up and took a seat at the table, followed by Lucareth. I, too, took my place at the head of the table.

"Your son is quite clever. I might take him as my student when he's older," Rebecca said.

Her words changed the atmosphere in the room. Her voice was calm, but the weight behind it was heavy. A brief silence followed. Lucareth lowered his gaze to his plate, blushing. Annabel looked away from me. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. there was no satisfaction, no resentment on her face. just a neutral acceptance. And that disturbed me even more.

Rebecca went on, gently swirling the wine in her glass.

"Lucareth is observant. His answers are far beyond his age. He has a clear mind. It's obvious he's shaped not just by education, but by instinctive intelligence."

Then she turned her eyes to me.

"It's pretty clear who he gets it from."

Was that a compliment? Or a subtle interrogation? I couldn't tell. As always, Rebecca spoke in layers. I searched her gaze. maybe for intention, maybe for accusation. But she wore her face like a mask, unreadable, masterfully guarded.

"He's still very young," I said. "It's too early to decide his future."

Rebecca nodded. "Perhaps. But some things must be seen early. Wait too long… and the opportunity passes."

At the end of her sentence, she glanced at Annabel again. This time, it wasn't the look of an older sister, it was the look one woman gives another when sizing her up. Annabel's lips parted, then shut again without a word. She quietly picked up her fork and pretended to focus on her food.

Lucareth turned to Rebecca, curiosity in his eyes.

"Can I really be your student someday?"

Rebecca gave him a warm, genuine smile. "If your father allows it."

"Let's drop the subject for now," I said, just before taking a sip of my soup.

There was no way I was going to hand over the title deed to a noble and powerful life in this world to my sister. Even though I was trying to gain strength using what I remembered from the novel, I was still nothing when it came to facing the real kings of this world. What if, one day, a motherfucking even more powerful than me took an interest in my future wife? What then?

In the modern world I came from, as flawed as it was, at least there was a legal system. But here? If you were strong enough, you could fuck a princess and no one would dare say a word. Who the hell could stop you?

If this world had a decent legal system, there wouldn't be any room for heroic tales in the first place. The novel I read in my previous life, the one that told the story of this world, was titled _Hero of Justice_.

I stared at the piece of meat dangling from my fork. Rebecca's words, Lucareth's curiosity, Annabel's silent withdrawal… And me. Sitting at the center of the chaos. I looked like a father at the head of the table, yes but inside, the voice of my old world was still cursing through the alleys of the life I'd left behind.

_ "Hero of Justice," huh… Fuck that kind of heroism._

In this world, justice belonged to the man with the longer sword.

And me? I didn't have that long of a sword yet.

Well, I mean figuratively speaking. The only thing I liked about that bastard Leonardo was the enormous sword he carried between his legs.

"So… are you going to tell me how you found that dungeon or not?"

Rebecca's sudden question didn't surprise me.

Before taking another bite, I put my fork down. Her eyes had drifted from her glass to me. studying me, not her drink. She wasn't looking for an answer. She was weighing the quality of the lie I'd offer.

"I found it from a map I bought off a mysterious merchant."

The first rule of a good lie is that it must contain enough truth. Leonardo had, indeed, bought a map a few weeks ago that supposedly led to treasure. But I didn't find the dungeon through that. I remembered its importance from the novel I'd read in my past life. This was the place where the protagonist's power truly began to awaken. That power would be mine. I would walk his path, without becoming him.

Rebecca parted her lips but took a sip of wine before speaking. Her eyes remained on me. No matter how well I lied, I doubted I could truly fool her.

"You don't have to tell me the truth. I just thought… inviting me to a dungeon meant you trusted me."

"Trusting you is one thing. Sharing secrets is another," I replied. "You've kept things from me, too. But we're not sitting here crying over it, are we?"

My tone wasn't angry or sarcastic. Just honest. And in her face, I caught that subtle shift, proof that she, deep down, agreed with me. A small twitch near the corner of her eye. Barely noticeable. But someone like me wouldn't miss it.

She set her glass down. Ran her fingers along the rim, then leaned back in her chair.

"You're right. But if you'd acted like a real brother… I wouldn't hesitate to share all my secrets."

Damn you, Leonardo. What the hell did you do to make Rebecca say something like that? According to the novel, Rebecca would become one of the strongest women in this realm within five or six years. For someone as self-serving as Leonardo, I couldn't understand why his relationship with Rebecca was so damaged. Maybe his connection with his family had deeper roots than I realized.

But I'm not the real Leonardo. Even if I wear his body. I don't have to carry his soul.

I glanced at Rebecca. I hesitated, like I was about to say something difficult.

"As your brother… is there still a chance for me to make things right?".

Rebecca locked eyes with me. She looked as though she was listening not to my words, But to the soul etched into my bones. The silence between us grew so thick it couldn't be cut with a knife, it needed a sword. She waited. Considered my question in her mind. And then…

"Maybe…"

One word. That was all she gave. And from the way she sank into thought, it seemed she had no intention of adding anything more.

At that moment, my gaze met Annabel's. My earlier question had clearly stirred something in her. Her eyes were still like stone, but I could feel the storm behind them. She was questioning whether I really could become a better man.

The original Leonardo was, undoubtedly, a cold and heartless bastard. And she'd believed he'd never change. But things were different now. Her thoughts were obvious. And soon, I intended to change her attitude toward me, more and more each day.