Chapter 3: Reincarnation

Reincarnation.

The concept of reincarnation, rebirth, or transmigration had always been an unsolved mystery. Buddhism taught it as an absolute truth, but Nikolai had never believed in any of that bullshit.

He was a realist. He only believed in solid facts. But life had simply raised its middle finger at him.

How ironic.

Viktor was completely helpless as a nipple was shoved into his mouth. Before his brain could even process the indignity, his body took over, and he began sucking as a delicious current of liquid rushed down his throat.

"Wow, slow down, Sigurd, otherwise you will choke..."

A pair of beautiful eyes locked onto him with intense motherly love. Nikolai simply rolled his eyes.Woman, do you think I wanted to be reduced to a baby sucking breast milk?

"Hey, Aunt Mira, I think Sigurd just rolled his eyes at me! My son is really smart!" The lady raised her head and looked at her head maid standing beside her, shouting with absolute excitement.

The head maid, Aunt Mira, simply faceplanted and rubbed her forehead with a bitter smile.

"Yeah, my lady. The young master will surely become a genius..."

Nikolai looked up at this new mother of his, and then over at the maid.

The maid was a middle-aged woman wearing a s maid uniform. Her dress was made of black fabric, topped with a white apron tied tightly around her waist. She had sharp, observant eyes, grey hair pulled back into a neat, flawless bun, and a face permanently lined with the rigid discipline required by a high-ranking household.

Then he looked at his mother. She was truly beautiful. Although her complexion had not yet fully recovered its healthy color, her paleness gave her an otherworldly glow. She had long, ink-black hair that fell loosely around her shoulders, sharp, aristocratic facial features, and deep blue eyes that looked entirely out of place in this cold, dark stone room.

And judging by the way the maid reacted and how they spoke to each other, Nikolai came to a swift conclusion. The relationship between these two was not merely master and servant; it was almost like a mother and a daughter.Not that I care, Nikolai thought, returning his attention to the milk.

Damn, this was actually delicious. Babies really did get some top-tier nutrition.

Three days had already passed since Nikolai found himself trapped in this baby body. During these three days, he couldn’t move or do anything. For someone who had been a high-level hitman, being completely paralyzed by his own biology was absolute torture.

His bowels functioned like a broken dam; shit and piss came and went whenever they pleased. His energy levels were severely limited. He was constantly exhausted and required endless sleep, often conking out for more than ten hours straight.

Apart from those physical humiliations, this new mother of his was constantly nagging and coddling him. Every single time he woke up, he would find this woman hovering over his face, trying to play with him, which left Viktor completely drained.

Just then, he felt the nipple abruptly pulled away from his mouth, followed by more of his mother’s endless nagging.

"Okay, my baby, that’s enough for now, otherwise you will drain your mother completely dry..." Sylvia carefully placed him back down on the center of the bed, but she did not give him any breathing room. Instead, she leaned right back over him, her long dark hair brushing against his face.

She began kissing his forehead, his nose, and his tiny hands repeatedly, making loud, exaggerated smacking noises with every kiss.

"Who is my perfect little warrior?" Sylvia cooed in a high-pitched, childish voice, completely abandoning her dignity as a direct-line noble.

"You are! Yes, you are! Look at those tiny fingers. Are you going to hold a massive sword for mommy one day? Yes, you will!"

Nikolai stared up at her with blank, dead-grey eyes. The total lack of personal space was infuriating. On Earth, anyone approaching him within a three-foot radius would have been eliminated on reflex. Here, he just had to lie there and endure a relentless barrage of baby talk.

Sylvia reached down and pinched his cheeks. She squeezed them gently, shaking his head slightly from side to side like a ragdoll. "Oh, look at this serious little face. Why are you always scowling, Sigurd? You need to smile more for mommy. Let me see a big smile!"

Nikolai remained completely stone-faced. He refused to give her a single shred of satisfaction.

"My lady," Aunt Mira interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest. She stood by the side of the bed, watching the display with a completely flat, unimpressed expression. "You are acting like an idiot. If the other wives and branches of the family see you behaving this way, they will think you have lost your mind from childbirth."

"Let them think whatever they want," Sylvia shot back, though she didn’t stop poking Nikolai’s stomach. "They are all stuck-up fools anyway. My son is the only one who matters."

She leaned down yet again and pressed her nose directly against Nikolai’s, rubbing it back and forth. "Is my baby hungry again? Do you want more? Or do you just want to keep staring at your mommy with those big, scary eyes?"

Nikolai felt a massive headache forming. This woman was completely relentless. She treated him like a living toy, entirely unaware that the soul trapped inside this fragile body had successfully taken over two hundred lives.

Aunt Mira simply shook her head in utter speechlessness.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose, letting out a long, heavy sigh. "I will prepare the clean linen, my lady. It is clear that no amount of advice will stop you from suffocating the young master with your affection."

"Go ahead, Mira," Sylvia laughed, picking Nikolai up and resting him against her shoulder.

She began tapping his back to burp him, whispering into his ear in that same ridiculous tone. "We don’t care what Aunt Mira says, do we, SIgurd? We are just going to stay here and be lazy."

Nikolai couldn’t stand it anymore. The total lack of control over his own life, the constant physical weakness, and this endless, exhausting coddling were pushing him over the edge.

He needed her to stop. He needed her to step back and act like a normal human being. Nikolai opened his mouth to say: Woman. I am perfectly capable of understanding you.

Only to produce: "Aah... gah."

Dammit, this is too frustrating.