A new life

"OUIN!"

Just after trying to scream, Louis looked around him. He found himself in a strange, blank space, surrounded by what appeared to be unfamiliar and oddly looking furniture. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed a young woman standing to his left—presumably his mother. She was blonde and had a beautiful face, the kind of face he hoped he would have inherited.

To the right corner of the room, he saw what seemed to be his father. He, too, was blonde and had a strong presence, an aura of charisma that radiated from him. Even though he had this powerful air about him, his beauty was still strikingly clear.

"It's a boy, as expected of me," said the man, nodding with satisfaction, a proud smile on his lips.

"Don't say it like you were certain, Charles. You were praying for him to be a boy two hours ago so you could give him your father's name..." replied his mother, her voice still heavy with exhaustion from childbirth.

"Is it normal that my little Louis isn't crying?"

When Louis heard this, a realization hit him. He was, in fact, a baby—and babies were supposed to cry. But he didn't really know how a baby was supposed to behave.

In his previous life, his children had always been taken care of by his wife, Antoinette, or by a nanny. The thought of being in the body of a newborn made him pause. But then, he decided to do what any baby would do.

He began to scream as loudly as he could, imagining this was how a baby should sound.

"OUINNN!! OUINNN!!! OUINNN!!!!"

His father immediately put his hands over his ears, clearly distressed, and sighed in frustration. "Damn, Mary, you woke him up!"

...

Louis, who was now exhausted from screaming like a cacophony for more than a quarter of an hour, finally fell into a deep sleep. His parents, exhausted after enduring both the loud, non-stop crying and the stress of childbirth, felt immense relief at the silence. For a moment, they could breathe easy, thankful for a brief respite.

...

After some time, Louis awoke in his cradle, now in a different room. He blinked his eyes open and began looking around to see if anyone was near him. Once he confirmed there was no one in immediate sight, he decided to try moving, attempting to crawl. His tiny body was still far too weak from being freshly born, but he concentrated, willing his limbs to move. Slowly, his body shifted, even if just a little. He didn't realize that his slight movements were the result of magic—magic he had already been born with, something his parents had yet to understand.

As Louis continued to practice moving, a woman entered the room. When she saw the young master, barely a few hours old, already attempting to climb the railing of his cradle, she froze in shock.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, she quickly screamed for help, calling for her mistress while rushing to Louis, who was dangerously close to falling out of the cradle.

Mary arrived just after Emilia prevented Louis from falling. She immediately took him into her arms, soothing him gently as she chanted a calming lullaby meant to make him drift back to sleep. After a few futile attempts, she paused and began speaking to Louis as if she knew he would understand her words.

"Aren't you moving a little too soon for a baby? I should have known you would be special because of your father, but that was a little too much so please, don't do that again, okay?"

Louis, already understanding the meaning behind her words, made little cooing sounds in response. His mother, clearly satisfied with his reaction, smiled brightly. She then turned to Emilia, their governess, and ordered her to go get Charles.

A few moments later, Charles arrived in the room, speaking loudly as he entered.

"I know I said I'd always be available for Louis, but isn't this a bit mu-" He stopped in his tracks when he saw his wife smiling as she lovingly took care of their son. Louis, now content, was making adorable little sounds.

Charles couldn't help but smile as he walked over to join them. He leaned in, trying to join the family hug, and then spoke softly to both Mary and Louis.

"Aren't you both just too beautiful to even exist?"