I woke up feeling clean, warm, and well-rested.
Which, considering my new life, was a rare and fleeting experience.
The bath had been surprisingly relaxing, and despite my initial humiliation, I had to admit that being pampered wasn't the worst thing in the world.
That said, my mothers were still insane.
The bath alone had been a full-blown royal ceremony, complete with enchanted waters, flower petals, and enough luxury to make a god jealous.
And now, as I was being gently wrapped in silken robes and placed onto the softest bedding imaginable, I realized something:
I still hadn't seen my own face.
For all I knew, I could be the ugliest baby in existence.
…Unlikely.
Because, let's be honest.
With mothers as ridiculously beautiful as Verania and Sylvithra, I was probably at least decent-looking.
[ Correction: You are absurdly adorable. ]
I squinted.
System, that sounds suspiciously exaggerated.
[ Why don't you see for yourself? ]
Before I could question it further, one of the maids suddenly stepped forward, holding something in her hands.
It was a small, ornate mirror.
"Would Your Majesties like to see how the Imperial Heir looks after her bath?" she asked hesitantly, directing her question toward my mothers.
Verania nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Show us!"
Sylvithra, always the calm one, merely tilted her head slightly in interest.
The maid slowly turned the mirror toward me.
And that's when I saw it.
My own reflection.
I stared.
I blinked.
I stared some more.
And then, very slowly, I processed the absolute masterpiece that was my face.
I had hair brilliant, shining silver.
My eyes were just as striking one was a deep amber brown, rich like honey and warm like fire.
The other was a vivid green, sharp and bright like an emerald catching the light.
My skin was smooth, flawless, and had a faint, almost ethereal glow, as if I had been personally crafted by divine hands.
My expression was naturally intense, probably because I had been born into an empire of warlords, but my round, soft baby face made it look irresistibly cute instead of threatening.
…Holy shit.
I was adorable.
Like, aggressively, unfairly adorable.
No wonder the maids had been freaking out. No wonder my mothers were obsessed.
I looked like a tiny mythical creature, handcrafted by fate to be the ultimate cute overlord.
[ See? I told you. ]
I couldn't even argue.
I was too busy admiring myself.
Unfortunately, my moment of vanity was interrupted.
Because suddenly, the room went eerily silent.
A strange, cold feeling crept over me, the kind of unnatural stillness that made the air feel too heavy, too thick.
Something was wrong.
I could feel it.
The servants, still unaware, continued tidying the room, preparing for the night. My mothers had already left for their royal duties again, leaving only the usual handful of palace guards stationed outside my door.
Everything should have been safe.
Everything should have been normal.
And yet I suddenly noticed a shadow moving across the ceiling.
Fast.
Too fast.
Before I could even react, something dropped from above.
A dark, masked figure landed silently in the center of the room.
The maids froze.
Their eyes widened in horror.
And steel glinted in the candlelight.
A blade.
A goddamn blade.
Pointed directly at me.
Oh, hell no.
[ WARNING: Assassination Attempt Detected! ]
The entire world slowed down.
For the first time since I had been reborn, pure, unfiltered adrenaline coursed through my tiny veins.
This was not a game.
This was not my mothers' usual dramatics.
This was a real attempt on my life.
I had seconds to react.
Which was a problem, because, you know I was a literal baby.
I couldn't fight.
I couldn't run.
I couldn't even properly scream for help.
But that didn't mean I was helpless.
Because my status window had already shown me something very important.
My charisma stat was ridiculously high.
And charisma was not just for looking cute.
It was for influencing people.
For making them hesitate.
For making them stop.
I had one shot at this.
So I did the only thing I could.
I opened my huge, adorable, heterochromatic eyes… and whimpered.
The assassin froze mid-strike.
I pouted.
The assassin visibly twitched.
I let out the softest, most pitiful baby coo imaginable.
The assassin hesitated.
For one crucial second, he was caught off guard.
And that second was all I needed.
Because in that exact moment the doors burst open.
And my mothers arrived.
The room exploded into chaos.
Verania was a blur of red and fire, her golden eyes blazing with fury as she lunged forward, sword already drawn.
Sylvithra was pure, icy precision, her hand flicking forward with a motion so quick and deadly that the very air froze around her.
The assassin barely had time to react before he was dead.
Just like that.
Not even a full three seconds had passed.
One second, he was a threat.
The next, he was nothing but a lifeless body on the floor.
Silence fell over the room.
I blinked.
I started crying again.
Not on purpose.
Not because I was actually scared.
But because my baby instincts decided this was a great time to have a meltdown.
Which, honestly?
Worked in my favor.
Because the second I started crying, my mothers immediately forgot about everything else.
Verania threw her sword aside and rushed forward. "My love! My child! My tiny empress!"
Sylvithra, for once, looked genuinely shaken. "She is unharmed?"
"I—I believe so," a maid stammered.
Verania scooped me up, holding me close. "You are safe now, my darling. No one shall ever harm you."
I sobbed harder.
Not because I was actually upset.
But because I knew this was the best way to manipulate the situation.
And as I buried my face into Verania's chest, allowing myself to be soothed by two of the most dangerous women in existence