"My King! It's a boy!" A woman exclaimed.
"A boy! Splendid! It has been a long time since I have had another boy!" A man replied to her words.
Words from an unfamiliar, yet understandable, language could be heard from a man and a woman. Wait, I'm sorry, what? Did I hear that right? Did she say, king!?
"Waaahah…" Ah, it appears I cannot speak.
At that moment, I feel somebody lift me. This is a weird feeling. I look up to see the face of a beautiful woman with glistening pale skin and snow colored hair that flowed down onto the bed she layed on.
That is the queen, no doubt about it. Her appearance fits the exact description in the novels exactly. Damn, she's truly beautiful. I look over to see a large man wearing what looks to be light armor and a long red robe. He has brown hair and a long brown beard. He gives off the impression of a bear.
King Barris Knightford. He was perhaps one of the strongest warriors in the entire history of Rebirth. He's not only powerful, but he is also a great strategist. He is one of the main reasons that the continent of Panela won the war against the Demon King without the outrageously expensive summoning of a hero.
"Such a beautiful face, as well as silver hair! It appears that he's acquired your overwhelming looks, Elise."
"Oh please, my king. He must get these stellar looks from the one and only Great War God Barris."
This cheesy ass couple is straight out of a novel. A light redness could be seen on the king's face as he scratched his beard.
Well, I suppose this is how they originally were in the novels, a loving husband and wife. They loved their children and country to a great degree. They were, by all accounts, great people.
They made an untold amount of important contributions to the war and made good relations with the neighboring countries, demi-human species, and even demon refugees. They took in all types of people regardless of race and even went out of their way to help them live more easily.
"Ahem." The king cleared his throat and looked away, blushing, "Let us save the pleasantries for later. As for now, I shall grant this child with a name"
The king said this with a smile. You're probably wondering why I'm so shaken if the king and queen are such good people. Simply put, it's because this is the king that ends up betraying the protagonist. Along with that, his entire family ended up being murdered by the protagonist.
But why would they do such a thing? That question is probably popping up as well, there is a valid reason for that too.
"From here on out, this child shall be known as Raine Knightford, the 5th prince of the Kingdom of Knightford!"
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The King and Queen were once kindhearted and generous rulers of their kingdom. They helped the poor, supported equal rights for all races, and offered aid to countless other, smaller, countries. However, that all changed when the powerful Kingdom of Azure deemed their policy of accepting all races as "blasphemous". The acceptance of demons could have never been tolerated, even if that country made contributions to the war.
The Azure Kingdom, which had control over an unreasonable amount of resources, all of a sudden began to stop exporting goods to the Knightford Kingdom. Not only that, but they threatened other countries, forcing them to follow suit, even going so far as attacking Knightford supply routes. This eventually resulted in a battle for supplies that Knightford would eventually lose.
After that, the Azure Kingdom sent a message to the Knightford Kingdom. They ordered that they arrest and execute all of the demons they harbored. If they did not comply, their supply routes would never return and they would remain an enemy to the kingdom.
Of course, Barris Knightford did not give in to this threat and instead opted to raise the Kingdoms taxes. However, this in turn deepened the discrimination towards the demons within the kingdom with the poor, and especially the wealthy, as the tax rate increased based on income and social hierarchy.
It got to the point where practically everyone within the kingdom began to feel a disdain for demonkind.
Throughout the kingdom, countless violent hate crimes were committed against demonkind. Attacks on demon-owned stores, their homes, and even attacks on schools were becoming commonplace.
The hate got so bad to the point that the demon population in the kingdom dropped due to immigration and deaths. In response, the king placed harsher punishments for discrimination between the races.
As the years went on, the feelings of animosity between the races deepened. It was at the point where a full-on race war was about to begin. That was until the king was revealed to have taken a demon as a second wife.
"How come he isn't crying?" Barris gives a quizzical look towards the doctor that had been standing beside Elise.
"Hmm…" The doctor looked puzzled at my lack of an outburst and kneeled down and took a closer look.
I stared back at the doctor blankly, uncertain of how I should react. Damn, am I going to get made already?
Wait, the concept of reincarnation doesn't really exist in this world, so I shouldn't be too hasty to assume such a thing. But how the hell am I supposed to act like a baby?
While I lay cradled in Elise's arms thinking about how to react, the doctor that was studying my face suddenly stands back up and looks at Barris, "Hm, I am uncertain as to why he isn't crying. But in my past experience, babies that don't cry usually grow up to be extremely strong."
Listening to her words, I couldn't help but doubt her medical background just a tad bit, but I'm thankful anyways. Barris nods and sends her away, leaving the three of us alone in this room.
Elise gently rocks my back and forth in her arms as she lays in her bed. My small body pressing against her less than average chest as she cradles me. Although she is known as the 'Ice Queen' in the novel, she's exuberating a delightful warmth that relaxes my body.
Is this perhaps a mothers love? I think to myself longingly. It's not so bad. I relax my body while I give in to Elise's–no–Mother's warmth, Since I have reincarnated here, I shall play the part fully. I'd apologize to the original Raine Knightford if I could get the chance. Although he was a scumbag, he did appreciate his family.
I find it sad that I had to erase another's existence just to be here, but oh well, no use crying over spilt milk. The best I can do is live this life I was given to the fullest.
Speaking of which, I take a glance up at my Father, the king, who had also taken a seat beside Mother. He embraces her from the side and lovingly kissed the top of her head. She simply smiles and accepts the gesture while continuing to hold me.
I sink back into the hold mother has on me and begin to lose consciousness. The warmth from her body enveloping me as my mind melts away,
I won't lose this…
Thinking on it, this is my first taste of familial love. I reminisce about my previous life. The hard days at the orphanage, the friends and loved ones I had gained and lost along the way. In the end, it was always just me, alone.
Looking up, I notice that my new mother and father had both drifted off to sleep. I make a mental promise to myself before joining them in their slumber.