He was supposed to be dead.
And yet… he could smell leather, blood, and lavender.
Was this what reincarnation felt like?
Jayden Seo slowly tried to open his eyes.
Tried — because it wasn't that easy. His eyelids were tiny. His skull felt heavy. His body… ridiculously weak.
It didn't take long for him to grasp the chilling truth:
He was a baby.
And not just any baby.
As soon as his eyes adjusted to the reddish ceiling light, he spotted a chandelier made of black crystals, dangling from thick iron chains. Crimson drapes adorned the walls, embroidered with motifs of bats, dragons, and... surprisingly artistic scenes of blood-soaked feasts.
Around him stood several noble-looking figures, silent and still.
Their skin was unnaturally pale, almost pearlescent.
Their carmine-red eyes glowed softly under the magical light.
They all wore black silk garments, silver embroidery, thick fur accents.
The air smelled of incense, ancient dust… and predation.
"Great. I've been reborn into a gothic vampire noble cult."
He tried to laugh. It came out as an undignified baby gurgle.
Then a solemn voice echoed through the hall:
"Let it be known that on the ninth black moon of the year 3197, Jayden, firstborn of Lord Valemir of House Iserath, has seen his first night."
"May his blood run pure, his fangs be blessed, and his legacy transcend the void."
A circle of blood lit up beneath the stone cradle.
An old woman stepped forward — her face wrinkled like cracked parchment, eyes flickering with silver shards.
Before Jayden could even react, she pricked his finger with a dagger.
The pain was sharp. Real. Unexpected.
"What the hell? Is this some vampire baptism ritual?"
But as the drop of blood trickled out, a strange sensation rippled up his arm —
an electric shiver, like an invisible thread had just connected him to the room, the earth... something far greater.
"The Circle has accepted him. The Pureblood has returned. Lineage stabilized."
He had just been officially acknowledged as a member of House Iserath.
---
Noble Baby, Primal Instincts
The next few hours passed in a blur.
He was washed in an onyx basin. Wrapped in linens woven from shadow and silver thread. Then placed in a cold, cavernous chamber draped in silk and velvet.
He tried to sit up. Nope.
He tried to speak. Nothing.
Even Archeognosis, his OP learning skill, was useless in a body whose vocal cords hadn't even formed.
"Okay... okay. I'm smart, not magical. No insta-speech cheat code. I'll have to play along."
He closed his eyes and started to analyze.
Goal #1: Understand the family structure.
They'd called him the firstborn of Valemir Iserath. Which meant:
He belonged to a Primordial vampire house.
He had a father — probably ancient, powerful, and terrifying.
No mention of a mother. Weird.
Goal #2: Survive.
Don't attract negative attention.
Learn fast (thank you, Archeognosis).
Wait for the body to grow. Then… conquer.
And finally...
Goal #3: Never be poor again. Ever.
He raised his tiny fists with dramatic intensity and thought:
"No more instant noodles. No more electric bills. No more sleeping in a shoebox apartment while the neighbors vape through the walls. That era is dead. I'm a blood prince now. Even if I have to suck every last drop out of these nobles to stay here."
Just then, a maid walked in — a pale-skinned elf in a flawless black dress, holding a small bottle of red liquid.
Jayden, driven by baby instincts and human hunger, opened his mouth.
The taste was… indescribable. Warm. Smooth. Powerful.
Blood. Refined. Fragrant. Aged.
"Is this... blood wine?! Do they drink this like apple juice here?!"
And instead of being horrified, he wanted more. Again. Again.
And it was in that moment — nursing greedily on this crimson nectar, eyes glinting with joy —
that he suddenly burst into tears.
Not from pain. Not from discomfort.
But from pure, overwhelming emotion.
"I'M RICH. I'M A FILTHY. STINKING. RICH. BABY."
In the ancient corridors of House Iserath, a millennia-old noble paused as he passed the newborn's chamber. Hearing the cries, he smiled faintly.
> "Hmm. That one has the voice of ambition."
---