The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across my room as I stared into the mirror.
It had been ten years since I last saw this face—youthful, unscarred, untouched by war and betrayal. Yet, my crimson eyes held the weight of a decade's worth of bloodshed and pain.
I wasn't dreaming. This was real.
I turned my hands over, clenching my fingers into fists. **No callouses, no scars.** My body was still that of my younger self. I wasn't the monstrous tyrant the world feared—**not yet.**
A sharp knock on the door shattered my thoughts.
"Young Master Lucian, the Duke has summoned you to the main hall," said a voice from the other side.
My father. Duke Alistair Vale.
In my past life, I despised that man—a ruthless warlord who valued power above all else. He saw me not as a son, but as a weapon to extend the Vale family's rule. I spent years trying to break free of his grasp… only to eventually surpass him in cruelty.
And yet, now that I had a second chance, I found myself smirking.
**This time, things would be different.**
---
### **The Main Hall – 30 Minutes Later**
The grandeur of House Vale's main hall never failed to impress—towering black marble pillars, chandeliers of enchanted crystal, and the heavy scent of burning incense.
At the far end of the room, seated upon his ornate throne-like chair, was **Duke Alistair Vale.**
He looked the same as I remembered—**a lion of a man**, with silver-streaked black hair and piercing golden eyes. His very presence demanded obedience.
Beside him stood my older half-brother, **Damien Vale**—the heir, the golden son, the one who had betrayed me in my past life.
**Tch.** Just seeing his face brought back memories of the knife he had once plunged into my back.
"Lucian," my father's deep voice rumbled. "Do you know why I've summoned you?"
I already knew the answer.
This was the day everything started.
The day I was meant to be **sent away** to the northern border—a political move to weaken my claim to succession. In my past life, this exile had hardened me into the villain I would later become.
But this time?
I smiled.
**This time, I would play the game differently.**