Zephirion’s POV

The moment I stepped inside the chamber, my eyes immediately sought her out.

Aeris.

She lay on the bed, her face pale but peaceful, her chest rising and falling steadily in sleep. Even exhausted, she looked breathtaking. My queen. My mate. The mother of my child.

And then—I heard it.

The soft, fussy cries of a newborn.

My gaze shifted to the maid standing near the cradle, gently trying to soothe a tiny bundle wrapped in silk.

My son.

I moved without thinking, drawn to him like a force of nature.

As I reached the maid, she looked up and gave me a knowing smile before carefully placing my child in my arms.

The moment I held him—something changed.

A warmth I had never known before flooded my chest.

He was… small. Tiny, fragile, yet… perfect.

His dark, silken hair matched my own, but his eyes—those sharp, glowing violet eyes—were undoubtedly Aeris’s.

A combination of both of us.

He squirmed slightly, still fussing—until his gaze finally landed on me.

The crying stopped.

He blinked at me, as if studying me, his little face scrunching up in concentration.

Then—

He pointed at me with his tiny hand.

And with an arrogant little expression, he opened his mouth and declared—

“BAH!”

I stared.

The maid gasped in horror.

Valerion and Caelum, who had just entered, froze.

Then—

Chaos.

Valerion fell to the floor, howling with laughter.

“OH GODS! THE HEIR OF THE BLACK DRAGON KING HAS SPOKEN HIS FIRST WORD AND IT’S—” He wheezed, clutching his stomach. “—BAH! HE CALLED YOU BAH!”

Caelum, covering his mouth, was shaking with suppressed laughter.

Even the maid looked away, her shoulders trembling as she tried to remain professional.

I, on the other hand, could only stare at my arrogant little offspring.

“…Bah?” I repeated, utterly dumbfounded.

The baby simply blinked, nodded smugly, and snuggled into my arms.

I was doomed.

I was still processing what had just happened.

My son. My heir. My firstborn.

Born only five minutes ago.

Had just looked me dead in the eyes.

Pointed at me.

And said—

“Bah.”

And now—NOW—

This five-minute-old menace gave me a thumbs up.

A thumbs up.

WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE ANCIENT DRAGONS WAS THIS?!

I froze in shock.

Valerion, still on the floor, was practically dying from laughter.

“OH—OH GODS! HE JUST GAVE YOU A THUMBS UP!” he howled. “I CAN’T—I CAN’T BREATHE!”

Caelum, ever the composed one, had lost all composure. His face was buried in his hands, his shoulders shaking violently.

The maid? She was turned away, gripping the bedpost, trembling.

And the baby?

This tiny little arrogant creature?

He smirked. He smirked at me.

Like he was already the King of the World.

Like he had already won.

My son, barely born, had the audacity to look at me as if saying:

"Yeah, I’m the boss now."

I blinked.

Then, very slowly, I turned to my sleeping wife.

Aeris.

Still unaware of the chaos her newborn had already caused.

I took a deep breath.

This is your fault, my love.

You created this tiny troublemaker.

And now…

I was DOOMED.

I was still in shock.

My son—my five-minute-old son—had mocked me.

First, he pointed at me with arrogance. Then, he gave me a thumbs-up. And now, he was smirking.

I was the Dragon King! The ruler of this world! And yet, I had already lost dominance to my newborn son.

Valerion was still rolling on the floor, wheezing. Caelum looked like he was experiencing both an existential crisis and the greatest joy of his life. The maids were holding in their laughter so hard that their faces were turning red.

And then—

A soft voice called out to me.

“…Zephirion?”

I turned instantly.

Aeris.

She was awake.

Her violet eyes, still tired but filled with warmth, landed on me. And then, they shifted toward the tiny menace in my arms.

“Our baby,” she whispered, reaching out. “Let me hold him.”

Despite the absolute betrayal I had just experienced from this arrogant little hatchling, I gently placed him in her arms.

And just like that—

He changed.

The moment Aeris cradled him, his entire personality switched.

His tiny hands curled into fists. He snuggled against her, cooing softly like an innocent newborn.

No arrogance. No smirking. No thumbs-up.

Just a sweet, angelic baby.

I narrowed my eyes.

Oh. So this is how it is?

Before, he looked at me like I was his servant. Now, in his mother’s arms, he was suddenly the most well-behaved baby in existence?

Aeris smiled, kissing his tiny forehead. “He’s perfect.”

I opened my mouth—about to expose him.

“Aeris, this baby—”

But then—

My son peeked one eye open, looked directly at me, and let out a soft, innocent-sounding coo.

Like he was challenging me.

Like he was saying, “Go ahead. Tell her. She’ll never believe you.”

I narrowed my eyes further.

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.