After the door closed, the room fell quiet once more.
Freya had closed her eyes to rest.
Her breathing was still slightly labored after childbirth, while the fireplace cast dancing shadows across the granite walls surrounding the chamber.
Aiden remained in his cradle, wrapped in a thick blanket.
His thoughts had yet to settle.
The reaction of his father’s True Dragon tattoo continued to trouble him.
He still did not understand why something that should have had no connection to this world had reacted to his presence.
However, there was one thing he had learned from his previous life: just because something was not understood did not mean it had to be touched immediately.
Especially when he could not even lift his own head yet.
This body was still far too weak.
I need to understand this world before taking any risks.
Aiden closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, trying to maintain the calmness expected of a baby.
After all, he had no intention of drawing anyone’s attention before he understood the limits of his abilities.
A few moments later, the bedroom door opened slowly.
A gray-haired woman stepped inside, carrying a bowl of warm water and several linen towels.
Her movements were calm and practiced, reflecting decades of service to the Duke’s family.
Her name was Martha.
She had cared for the children of House von Silver since they were young.
Few things in Silvergard escaped her notice, from the habits of the fortress’s residents to the smallest changes in the behavior of the ducal family.
Martha placed her supplies on a nearby table before approaching the cradle.
Seeing Aiden lying peacefully inside, she offered a faint smile.
“Sleeping so soundly, Young Master.”
Aiden did not move.
He kept his eyes closed, pretending not to hear her.
Martha bent down to straighten his blanket.
With a gentle motion, she made sure the fabric covered his tiny body without obstructing his face.
“The weather outside is getting worse,” she murmured.
“A blizzard like this can make even experienced guards struggle to carry out their duties.”
The wind growled beyond the stained-glass windows.
Occasionally, snowflakes struck the glass, producing faint taps that were nearly drowned out by the crackling firewood.
Martha glanced at Freya, who was resting, before looking back at the baby in the cradle.
“I hope the Young Master grows up healthy. This family has endured enough hardship already.”
She spoke so softly that her words sounded almost like a prayer.
Aiden heard her.
He did not know exactly what hardships Martha was referring to.
However, from the conversations he had overheard since his birth, he understood that Silvergard was not an entirely safe place.
The fortress stood on the border near the Frost Peak Mountains, facing the territory of the legendary monster known as White Death.
Beyond its walls stretched a vast expanse of snow, where monsters could emerge without warning.
Even a duke had to risk his life to protect its gates.
So, my new life isn’t going to be as simple as I imagined.
Before Aiden could dwell on that thought any further, a soft knock came from the door.
Martha turned toward it.
“Come in.”
The door opened, revealing a little girl with shoulder-length black hair and clear sapphire-blue eyes.
Elena von Silver.
The youngest daughter of the ducal family before Aiden’s birth was only six years old.
Despite her young age, her gaze possessed an attentiveness rarely found in children her age.
She stepped inside carefully, then stopped beside Martha.
“Is Mother asleep?”
“That’s right, Lady Elena. The duchess needs to rest after giving birth.”
Martha lowered her voice.
“Is there something you would like to tell her?”
Elena shook her head slightly.
“I just want to see my little brother.”
Her gaze shifted toward the cradle.
For a few moments, she said nothing.
She simply stood there, watching the baby lying beneath his blanket.
Aiden opened his eyes slightly.
Their gazes met.
Elena’s sapphire-blue eyes resembled his own, but there was something different about her expression.
It was not merely the curiosity of an older sister looking at a newborn.
There was hesitation.
And a worry she was trying to hide.
“He looks like Mother,” Elena finally said.
Martha smiled.
“Indeed. His black hair reminds me of the duchess when she was young. His eyes are beautiful, too.”
Elena nodded, but her smile did not last long.
“Will that be a problem?”
The question made Martha pause.
“What problem, my lady?”
Elena lowered her head, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve.
“His hair.”
She raised her face again, her expression more serious this time.
“Father, Edward, and Cedric all have silver hair. So do most of our relatives I’ve seen. Only Mother, me, and now Aiden have black hair.”
Martha did not answer immediately.
To others, the difference might have seemed like nothing more than a matter of appearance.
But in a noble family, even something as insignificant as hair color could become the subject of unpleasant rumors.
Elena might have been only six years old, but she was growing up in a household surrounded by responsibility, power, and competing interests.
She had already learned to notice things that other children often overlooked.
“I don’t know whether it will become a problem,” Martha answered carefully.
“But the Young Master is still the son of Duchess Freya and Duke Richard. Nothing can change that fact.”
Elena fell silent.
“Then I’ll protect him.”
Martha looked at the little girl tenderly.
“Lady Elena doesn’t need to worry about such serious matters all by herself.”
“I’m not worrying about them by myself.”
Elena approached the cradle and looked at Aiden again.
“I just don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”
Her voice was so sincere that Martha could find no reason to argue.
After making sure Freya was still resting comfortably, Martha gathered her supplies.
“I’ll be just outside if you need anything, Lady Elena. But please don’t wake the duchess, all right?”
Elena nodded obediently.
After Martha left the room, silence returned.
Only the blizzard and the crackling firewood kept the two children company.
Elena pulled a small chair beside the cradle and sat down.
She watched Aiden for a long time before finally speaking.
“You probably don’t understand anything yet.”
Aiden stared back at her without blinking.
“But that’s all right. You’re still a baby.”
Elena smiled faintly, as though she had only just realized how strange it was to speak so seriously to someone who could not even answer her.
“I have two older brothers. Edward is always busy practicing his swordsmanship, while Cedric spends most of his time thinking about physical training and weapons.” She paused for a moment.
“They’ll definitely come to love you. Although Cedric might annoy you once you’re older.”
Aiden almost wanted to laugh.
From what I’ve heard, that’s a very real possibility.
Unfortunately, all that escaped his little mouth was an indistinct sound.
Elena immediately leaned closer.
“Hmm? Were you listening to me?”
She waited as though expecting an answer.
Aiden merely moved his fingers beneath the blanket.
Elena giggled softly.
“All right. I’ll take that as your answer.”
Her laughter gradually faded.
She looked at Aiden again, her expression growing more serious.
“But there’s something you should know.”
The little girl folded her hands in her lap.
“The world outside this fortress isn’t always kind. Father often goes out to fight monsters, and sometimes the adults talk about problems they think children can’t hear.”
She lowered her head.
“I don’t understand everything. And I’m not strong enough to help Father yet.”
Elena bit her lower lip briefly before lifting her face again.
“But I don’t want you to feel alone.”
The words were simple.
There was no grand oath, no lofty declaration, and no promise that she could defeat every enemy their family might face.
There was only a six-year-old girl trying to offer the one thing she could give.
Her presence.
“I’ll protect you, Aiden.”
Her small fingers gently touched his hand.
“So, if you’re ever scared or sad, you can come to me. I’ll be a good big sister.”
For the first time since his rebirth, Aiden did not immediately think about how to hide himself, assess potential dangers, or understand the powers connected to him.
He simply looked at the little girl before him.
In his previous life, he had spent years searching for a place that could bring him happiness.
He had found that place in Pantheon, a world he had ultimately been forced to leave when its servers shut down.
Now, he had been reborn in a world entirely unfamiliar to him.
He did not know whether this life would bring him the same happiness.
He did not even understand why he had been given a second life.
Yet, beside his cradle, someone had just offered him protection without asking for anything in return.
Something simple.
Something that could never be purchased with credits, levels, or achievements.
Elena…
Aiden wanted to answer her.
He wanted to tell her that he understood her sincerity, that he cherished the promise she had just made.
But his body was not yet capable of doing what he wanted.
All he could do was wrap his tiny hand around his sister’s finger.
Elena froze for a moment.
Then a bright smile spread across her face.
“You’re holding my hand!”
She kept her voice low so she would not wake Freya.
“All right. I’ll take that as a promise, okay?”
Aiden let his little fingers remain wrapped around hers.
Then I’ll make a promise, too.
A quiet resolve took shape in his heart.
I don’t know what awaits me in this world.
I don’t know why Synchronization connected me to the six Pantheon avatars, either.
But as long as I still have the chance to choose my own path, I won’t let the people who sincerely care about me lose everything.
And if you ever find yourself in danger, Elena…
I’ll protect you, too.
Outside the window, the blizzard continued to sweep across the fortress.
The wind rattled the stained glass while the fire in the fireplace gradually dwindled.
Elena eventually yawned.
She tried to suppress it, but the exhaustion of waiting for her little brother’s birth throughout the day was beginning to catch up with her.
“I’ll just sit here for a little while,” she murmured.
She rested her head against the edge of the cradle, still holding Aiden’s hand.
And that choice might change the course of his entire life.