Chapter 42: Chapter 33: A Conflicted Reincarnator.

Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 33: A Conflicted Reincarnator.

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-----Claire’s POV-----

"Ahh… I was having such a nice dream…" I said with sadness.

I was dreaming about New Year’s Eve when Julius proposed to me in front of his parents and sisters. I had never been so happy in my life! Everyone was cheering for us and congratulating us while he was hugging me tightly!

Unfortunately, happy dreams never last very long. I was just woken up by my alarm and was absentmindedly staring at the ceiling in my lover’s room. It was just another normal day, however, my lover was not here with me today…

“It has only been a week and I miss him so much…” I muttered as I rolled around his bed and hugged his pillow.

My boyfriend and future husband, Julius, was suddenly invited to finish his law degree at the University of Tokyo in Japan so he could work for a prestigious international law firm based there. He received a full-ride scholarship with the condition that he would work for that prestigious law firm for at least 5 years after his graduation.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It didn’t catch any of us by surprise since Julius has always been a hardworking and dedicated student, so it was only a matter of time before he was recruited by a great company! But still, for me, this is like a dream come true because I have always wanted to live in Japan since I’m a massive otaku! Of course, there’s a huge downside here and that is that I will not be able to move to Japan with my fiancé right away…

That is because I still have two years left to graduate and get my degree in Digital Arts. Julius and I had a brief talk about me trying to get transferred to college there, but after investigating for a bit, it might not be possible because of the high costs since I wouldn't get a scholarship (although I can afford to attend even without the scholarship), the fact that the website of Tokyo University is a bit difficult to navigate for me even though I have a decent level Japanese and the people we have called there have not been particularly helpful…

Because of those reasons, we decided that we are going to be a long-distance couple for the next two years…

“Sigh… I wonder if he’s feeling the same as me… I wish I could’ve gone with him…” I was feeling quite depressed thanks to the absence of the love of my life. “The next two years are going to be difficult…” I muttered as I hid beneath the covers of the bed.

It took everything I had to resist the urge to give him a call or send him an audio message… It is currently 6:30 am here in Spain, so it should be around 12 or 1 pm in Japan, so he must be starting his afternoon classes… I don't want to bother him…

“But I can’t start the day without at least talking to him… I guess I will just leave a message telling him how much I love him.” I was really dejected.

I quickly grabbed my phone from the nightstand and turned the screen on, immediately revealing a wallpaper of the two of us when we went to the beach in Ibiza last summer.

There we were. A petite (1.53m tall) nerdy and pale white chick with long blonde hair and brown eyes and a slim and tall (1.76m tall) green-eyed Hispanic man with long brown hair.

He was hugging me from behind and smiling warmly at the camera while I was sneezing and looking kinda dorky… It was such an embarrassing picture, but I treasure it very much.

“Maybe, I should just drop out of uni and just go to be with him? I think I could be a very good stay-at-home wife.” Those words came out of my mouth as I kept looking at my phone’s wallpaper. “Just kidding! Julius would surely feel immensely guilty and uncomfortable if I did such a thing for him!” I smiled as I remembered the adorable quirks of my cute boyfriend.

He has always been a serious and friendly guy who always had a beautiful smile on his face. That’s what attracted me to him. 

He has never been super-duper handsome like a model or an actor, but to me, he’s the most handsome guy in the world! He's also the kindest, most loving, and caring soul ever!

As I started thinking about all the amazing qualities of my fiancé, I shot him a quick message.

[Hey! Hey! Good morning! Your cute fiancée is finally awake! I just wanted to let you know that I was dreaming of you and that I love you! I know you won’t be seeing this until you get home, but I couldn’t help to send you a message… Don’t forget to video call me before you go to bed! I wanna see your face and hear about your day! I love you!] -.Message Send at 6:33 am 08/01/2044-.

“Well, time to get ready… Sigh… I don’t wanna go to class today… I wanna cuddle with my dear Julius…” I said to myself as I sat on the bed without any enthusiasm. “I won’t be able to eat his pancakes for two years… What a tragedy! How am I even supposed to start the day without my favorite breakfast!” I started throwing a tantrum…

He's always been an amazing cook. His pancakes are a gift from the heavens that can always cheer me up no matter how bad my day has been. 

Me, on the other hand, I am a terrible terrible cook… So much so that I almost burned my house while trying to make some pasta…

"Sigh… Will I be able to be a good wife to him? Not being able to cook could be a deal-breaker for him in the future when we have children…" I let out a heavy sigh as I lay down on the bed again.

The moment I said that the door suddenly burst open and an 18-year-old Hispanic girl quickly came into the room. She was 1.64 meters tall, she had shoulder-length light brown hair and dark green eyes. She was wearing a pair of skimpy white shorts and a black and white hoodie with the ears of a panda.

She was Julius' youngest sister, Alexandra or Alex for short.

"Sheesh? Having doubts already, Claire? My big brother would be sad to hear that." Alex sat on the bed and looked at me with a fake sad look on her face.

"Aren't you cold wearing those clothes, Alex? I'm freezing…" I said in an attempt to change the topic.

Contrary to her, I was wearing layers upon layers of sweaters on top of my usual pajamas as well as two pairs of socks… This winter has been far too cold for me…

"Don't change the subject, Claire!" Alex immediately karate chopped me in the head…

"Owwie! That was so mean!" I complained while rubbing my forehead.

"You should have more confidence in yourself, Claire! My brother loves you with all of his heart! You're kinda goofy, that's true and you can't cook for shit, but you're like a goddess when it comes to other housework! You're also the person who makes him smile every day and the only person Amelia and I approve of, so if you don't think that you can be a good wife for him, then no one could ever be a good wife for my dear brother!" Alex immediately started praising and trying to comfort me in her own particular ways…

"Hehe… That does make me feel a bit better, Alex. I'm happy that your brocon tendencies are as intense as ever!" I said to her with a smug expression on my face.

"You bet they are! My brother is the greatest guy in this world and there's no one who can compete with him! If it wasn't for the fact that we are legally siblings, I would have snatched him from you a long time ago!" Alex nodded vigorously and spoke with annoyance.

Alex absolutely adores Julius. She has always said to me without any sense of shame that she actually loves her brother more than anything in the world. 

Since we are both hardcore otakus (it is my fault that she became one) we have watched some fucked up animes, because of that I had always told her jokingly that she could become his second wife if she could seduce him since she loves him so much.

She always replies that I should be really careful with what I say and that I shouldn't tempt her since she's handing his brother over without a fight.

I sometimes call her an incestuous yandere just to piss her off when we are playing around, but in return, she calls me dumb blondy and discount store-bought villainess…

It is all a pretty harmless joke Alex and I have.

Now, don't get me wrong, I know that this kind of thing would be preeeetty weird for normal people, but neither Julius' family nor myself are exactly normal, to begin with…

My fiancé was adopted after his biological parents died in a very tragic accident on the road when he was seven. He was one of the few survivors of one of the biggest wildfires in the history of this country… He was adopted by a very distant cousin of his biological mother and her husband, in other words, Alex's parents who are my current in-laws.

Anyway, because of a few shenanigans that happened to my fiance's great-granduncle, my mother-in-law is not actually related by blood to my fiancé's deceased bio mom. In other words, she was adopted into the family.

This means that Alex could have married Julius if he hadn't been adopted by her parents.

Too bad for her because he's mine forever~!

Like I said before, Julius' family situation isn't exactly normal, but I don't care! I'm not normal and I'm sure as hell my family has never been normal either!

"Then what about me? You love me too, right?" I raised my upper body and then gave her a hug.

"Bitch, you know that I love you as well!" She said happily as she buried her head in my chest. "Sigh, I don't know why you are worried about being a good wife when you have these gigantic melons, you whore!" She then started groping me as she usually did when we played around…

"Alex, this is sexual harassment… Pfft!" I laughed because she was starting to tickle me.

"Slut! these things got bigger again! Is that why you never get fat!? Are all of your nutrients going to your boobs!?" As if angered, Alex unleashed a ticklish hell upon me.

In case it isn't clear, Alex has a pretty colorful vocabulary, especially with me. She's like that with the people she loves. A girl who curses like a sailor and doesn't know what personal space means… She's actually very polite and quiet when there are other people around, but this is the real her. I'm glad to be able to call her my cute little sister-in-law!  

"Hahaha! Hey! Don't grope them like that! It tickles!" I was laughing uncontrollably.

I have already gotten used to her antics, so something like this isn't that big of a deal.

"Transplant a bit of fat from your breasts to mine! I wanna be busty too! I'll pay you millions in gold and materials from that full-dive VRMMO you love so much if you do! I'll even give you that rare companion you wanted to buy!" Alex kept mercilessly tickling me.

"Nooo! Your hands are cold! Stop! Hahahaha!" I was starting to tear up from laughing too much…

While she was doing that, I caught a glimpse of another Hispanic girl who was standing at the door with her phone in hand

"Yawn… Alex, you're being noisy… Stop harassing our future sister-in-law, will you?" The girl said after yawning.

That girl is Alex's older sister and the middle child, Amelia. She's 19 years old, she's 1.70 meters tall, she has short black hair (bob cut) and blue eyes. She was also wearing a pair of skimpy pink shorts, and a white tank top without anything underneath. She was barefooted.

"I refuse!" Alex shook her head and continued to tickle me with a malicious look on her face.

"Amelia! Help me!" I pleaded for her help with a playful grin on my face.

"Seriously… It is way too early in the morning for this…" Amelia let out a sigh before walking to the bed and taking a seat.

Without saying anything, she suddenly hugged us both very tightly.

"Sis!? What's up with you all of a sudden!? Are you okay!?" Alex panicked and stopped playing with me. She started getting increasingly worried about Amelia.

The mood in the room had suddenly taken a turn for the worse…

"Nothing… I just miss my big brother… I miss mom and dad too… The house feels too big and lonely without them here…" Amelia spoke with enormous sadness.

I just looked at Amelia with a compassionate look and started patting her head.

Amelia is pretty much the opposite of Alex. She's very outgoing and sociable at school with her friends, but very quiet and reserved at home. Though, she loves Julius just as much as Alex does. She's also very caring, generous, and thoughtful when giving gifts.

"I know you miss them... I miss them terribly too. That's why I'm here! I'm gonna take care of you while your parents and your brother are out! We are family and that's what family is for! So please look out after me too!" I said in an attempt to cheer her up.

I wish I could say that everything has been going well after getting engaged to Julius and his sudden trip to Japan, but that's unfortunately not true.

My in-laws as well as a close friend of Julius and I were hospitalized a few hours after we returned from dropping Julius at the airport. The cause? They inhaled some strange gas after a pipe broke at a nearby construction site and they got poisoned…

They were suffering from hallucinations, lightheadedness, migraines, nausea, and a lot of dangerous other symptoms.

I was the one who found them like that as well as the one who called the ambulance… 

We had visited them at the hospital several times, but they haven't gotten any better…

In many of their usual hallucinations, they all think that they were killing Julius in cold blood with a gun and laughing maniacally about it…

It was obviously quite traumatic for Amelia and Alex to experience that…

I, unfortunately, already have experience with something similar. My father suffered from schizophrenia and my mother was bipolar. They were high functioning, but they had to go to the hospital every once in a while whenever they would have breakdowns… So seeing my in-laws like that wasn't really traumatizing, but it did affect me a lot since they are like my second parents.

I was there for my new little sisters as the doctors explained the situation to us. There are high hopes for recovery, but it might take a few months.

Because of that, I temporarily moved into the house to take care of them while their parents recovered at the request of my fiancé, who seemed like was about to storm back into the airport and hijack a plane to come back as soon as possible, even though he had just gotten off of one.

It took a couple of doctors, most of our friends, and myself to tell him that he didn't have to come back… Only then, he did reluctantly accept to stay there.

Fortunately for us, despite the condition of my in-laws, there's no need to worry about money. Julius has given me access to his bank account to pay for expenses from his savings, but I won't even touch that money.

My parents, despite their illnesses, were really successful business owners. They died a few months before I met Julius when I was 14 and they left me all of their assets which are valued in the millions. I have more than enough money to pay for our expenses.

And given all of what Julius has done for me, I will pay him back as much as I can, but it will never be enough considering that he saved my life and gave me a reason to live after saving me.

"Thank you, Claire…" I saw tears forming in the corners of Amelia's eyes.

"Don't mention it! I'm just taking care of my sisters!" I kept patting her head. 

"Yes, sis! You're worrying too much! You know that Mom and Dad are tough! A little bit of medicine and they will be back to their normal selves!" Alex said in an attempt to comfort her older sister.

"That's right! Everything's gonna be alright! Your parents will be back quickly and we will be visiting Julius in Japan sooner than you think!" I said enthusiastically.

Yes… Everything's gonna be alright… Those were hallucinations and just that… Nothing that we should concern ourselves with…

Everything is fine… I kept repeating that mantra over and over again in my head while I was trying to calm down my sisters-in-law.

But for what reason was I repeating it? I was not sure… I couldn't stop myself from repeating those words again and again as if for some reason I was trying too hard to convince myself about it…

---

"Now that you have witnessed the truth, what will you do young one?" Odin's words echoed endlessly in my mind.

Those incessant words replayed themselves over and over again in my mind as I remembered the scene the Gods of Earth had shown to me…

Unnatural cheerfulness… Those words were the only ones that I could use to describe the situation with Claire and my little sisters…

That was a result of the magic of the gods being used on them after their minds had been broken by tragedy…

I was already feeling pretty numb after all I had experienced today, but everything just crashed down on me after I witnessed that scene.

Rage… Blood boiling rage was all I could feel at first… That rage was directed against Agmos, my mortal enemy whom I had never even spoken with, as well as Odin and the other Gods of Earth for tricking my loved ones into thinking that I was still with them.

Then it was guilt and sadness… I was quickly overwhelmed by an infinite amount of guilt knowing that Amelia, Alex, and Claire were all waiting to see me again and that my parents and my friend are still being affected by Agmos' influence…

Then I felt hope. I was hopeful because there was a way of going back to Earth and that I could get my old life back and see all of my loved ones again.

Then immense guilt again because for a brief moment, I had considered abandoning everything I have in this world even though I had promised my mom and my sisters that I wouldn't leave them…

And now, after the meeting with those gods is over, I am conflicted.

Since I won't go back to Earth, I can still bring my loved ones to this new world. However, that would mean uprooting their lives back home. 

It is true that I am currently thriving here, but this world is dangerous. I have a myriad of enemies that are currently not a problem, but they will be in the future.

I cannot even bear to think what would happen if I brought them here and they got caught in the crossfire of our inevitable war against Agmos…

That's why I am against bringing them here, but… I miss them… I miss them terribly… I want to hug Claire and kiss her again. I want to spoil my little sisters again. I want to cook with my mom and try new hobbies with my dad again. I want to do dumb teenager stuff with my friend Chris again…

Logically, I know that I can't bring them here. That I shouldn't bring them here…

I have been in this world for almost a decade. Shockingly, it has only been a week back on Earth since I died. But regardless of the time, I don't think I have the right to unilaterally decide for them about a thing like this…

What happened to me is tragic and a heavy burden to them, I know that… But they should be helping each other cope with their loss and moving on with their lives. They should be forgetting about me and continue moving forward…

It deeply hurts my soul to see them so hung up on me, who is already dead, and being fooled into thinking that I am alive and well… It sickens me to my very core…

You are reading story Echoes of Fire and Shadows at novel35.com

"You have three choices. You could get your old life back, forge a better life with them in it, or leave everything as it is and let them live a 'beautiful' life made of lies. You're the only one who can choose." Zeus' words came into my mind next.

Even though he said that I couldn't bring myself to accept that offer immediately since I would steal from them their friends and their dreams for the future… I would bring them into a strange world without the technology and the lives of comfort they are so accustomed to…

"..." I absentmindedly looked outside the window at the setting sun.

I was completely clueless about what to do. Morally, I know that I cannot make this choice for them. Logically, I know it would be a very stupid and dangerous thing to do and they could hate me for it, even if they want to see me…

But no matter how much I tell myself how dangerous and selfish it would be to bring them here, my heart wants to be with them, but it doesn't want to leave the ones I love here either… I want all of them with me…

Faced with that kind of decision, I could only look at the sunset with a blank look on my face while feeling completely shit inside.

"Truly… I never imagined that I could be so selfish… I guess there are always new things to learn about oneself…" I murmured.

I had to ask the Gods of Earth and Lia to give me some time alone to come to a decision… I already had too much on my plate about being lied to by Lia, but as expected, learning the truth about what happened on Earth and suddenly being offered this kind of opportunity was way too much for me to handle…

"Sigh…" I let out a heavy sigh as I sat down on my desk and took a look at Marina's letters.

A tiny bittersweet smile appeared on my face as those letters took my mind out of my current dilemma.

"I used to think that you were a brat, but I guess I am no better… I might be a bigger selfish brat on the inside… Hehe…" I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Ever since we became friends and she told me to write her letters, she has, without fail, written me a letter each month during all that time.

I have saved up all of them in a small wooden box to preserve them.

Marina's letter has been the only normal thing that has happened to me in the whole day.

She simply wrote about how excited she was to see me participate in the tournament in the summer, that she wanted to play football again, how boring her classes were lately, her experiences attending parties of the nobility, and how she would like to visit this village one day.

"That being said… What would you do in this situation Marina? You're going to be an empress and you're older than me, right? You should know what to do in the face of difficult decisions like this one…" I asked to the empty air while looking at her most recent letter.

Even though I am a prince too, I have no idea of what I should do… I want to follow my heart's desires, but I am deeply afraid that it would only cause pain and that I would lose my loved ones for real this time…

"Melius… I know it has been a while since we last talked, but I've read that as the God of Light, you provide guidance for those lost in the shadows… I need some of that guidance now…" I mumbled.

(...) 

Naturally, there was no response. However, I could briefly notice a warm feeling on my chest.

"..." I silently moved my hand towards my chest and started focusing on my own heartbeat.

It was slow and steady. Many people have told me that hearing my heartbeat was relaxing, but right now, it only makes me feel anxious…

While I was sitting there, burdened by this difficult situation, the door suddenly opened.

"Julius! Wanna help your old mom with dinner? I wanna try making those burgers you talked so much about!" The cheerful voice of my mom immediately reached my ears.

"Oh, hey mom." I quickly turned my head around and tried to smile at her. I didn't want to worry her about my problems.

I thought that my smile had been pretty convincing, but apparently, it wasn't... My mother immediately bolted toward me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Sweetie, what's wrong!? Are you feeling ill!? Did something bad happen while I was away!?" She looked at me with panic in her eyes, quickly checking my temperature and examining my body with her healing magic.

As soon as she asked me those questions, something inside of me snapped and I simply broke down and I launched myself forward and hugged her.

She caught me immediately. She was getting increasingly worried about me… When I felt that I was safe in her arms, I lost all the strength in my body and I started crying…

I couldn't control it… I was overwhelmed and I started shamefully crying like a baby… For the first time since I recovered my memories from Earth, I was full-on ugly crying…

"Julius, it's okay. I'm here with you." My mom started patting my head and spoke to me in a very comforting tone.

She hugged me very tightly and carried me to my bed. After taking a seat herself, she put me on her lap and rested her head against mine.

"Everything is alright, sweetie. No matter what is troubling you, I'm here for you." Her words were more than comforting, they immediately made me feel at ease.

That was the effect that only a mother's words could possess…

"You can cry your heart out, I will be here to comfort you as much as you need." My mom started caressing my cheek and clearing my tears.

Her presence was the only thing that could comfort me at a time like this…

---

After a while, my mom was able to calm me down and make me stop crying… However, I couldn't bring myself to let go of her…

"So that's what happened…" I finished explaining the full story while clinging to my mom.

"I see… You have been put in a really tough spot…" She gently patted my head and didn't seem to mind that I was clinging to her.

"Mom… What should I do? If you were in this situation, what would you do? What is the correct choice here?" I asked with desperation.

"Sorry, but I can't answer that. As much as I would like to answer that question for you, I can't." My mom pulled me closer to her. "You're the only one who can make that choice as you were the only one who was offered that choice." She explained while looking at me with a kind smile.

"But… I don't know what to do… What if I…-" a finger was suddenly put in front of my mouth to stop me from talking.

"There are no what-ifs. Thinking about what-ifs is a pointless waste of time. There's also no such thing as right or wrong decisions. You can only pick a path and hope for the best." Her smile was as bright as the sun, it was the most comforting thing I had ever seen in my life.

My mom then tucked my hair behind my ears and started to clear my tears and mucus with a handkerchief.

"But based on what you have told me of your family from your former world, I'm they would want to be brought here to be with you." She said. "That girl, Claire, I think if she was in your same position, she wouldn't hesitate to bring you back to her side if she had the chance." My mom started adjusting and fixing my clothes.

"But…-" She pushed her finger against my lips to shut me up again.

"I'm not done, son." She said as she gave me a loving hug. "Yes, they would lose their lives in that world, but is it really a loss? Have you considered that their lives without you might feel incomplete for them? That they'd rather have you by their side again than move on with their lives or live a happy lie made by some deities? I would never want something like that." She whispered in my ears.

Those words were immediately engraved in my mind… Everything she had just said was right. I knew it in my mind, but I still needed to ask her one thing.

"Then… Is it fine for me to be selfish this time?" I asked her shyly.

"There are times in life where you have to be selfish, Julius, and this is one of them. If you have the opportunity to take back something you lost then you should take the opportunity without hesitation." My mom spoke to me with a compassionate tone. "If you aren't selfish at times like this, then you'll come to regret it for the rest of your life." My mom started playing with my hair as she looked at me with that beaming wide smile of hers.

Once again, she was right. If I didn't take this opportunity to bring them here, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

I can't stand letting them live a life full of lies. I want to be the one standing by their side instead of some cheap illusion. I don't want them to keep suffering because of me, so it is time for me to stop being a coward.

It is funny… I have been thinking all this time that I was moving on and that they would miss me for a few months and then they were surely going to move on as well… Sigh… That was only an excuse I was giving myself in order to not think too deeply about them or my death…

I'm pretty disgusted and angry with myself because of that.

"Thank you, mom." I gave her a tight hug and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"It seems like you've made up your mind." She caressed my cheek lovingly and smiled back.

"Yeah, I see everything with more clarity now. A huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders…" I said to her. "I was being dumb and overthinking things way too much."

"Don't say that! This kind of thing happens to everyone all the time when they feel overwhelmed! Your vision gets narrowed, you feel lost and you start doubting yourself and everything you think you know, and then you lose sight of everything important… I have felt that way several times before." My mom explained as she started patting my head again. "It is difficult to escape that mental state on your own, which is why you need to rely on other people from time to time to share your burdens. Luckily for you, you'll always have your dear mom to comfort you whenever you feel lost!" She showed me a smile filled to the brim with confidence.

"I love you, mom." I simply hugged her again before getting off of her lap. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a tournament to win and a god to take down. I need to become stronger as soon as possible." I said as I crouched and reached for a flask that was hidden beneath my bed.

Since I have made up my mind, I need to give the Gods of Earth my reply the day after the tournament. That’s the time that we agreed on for our next meeting.

As for the conditions that they offered me in order to bring my loved ones here… They want Agmos' head. They want to confirm with their own eyes that he will never be a problem again.

One would think that it is a deal that is way too good to be true, but remember, we are talking about killing a god… Saying that it will be dangerous is an understatement. Despite the danger, I think the reward will match the effort that I will need to put into this task and since it was a task that I was already planning to do for the sake of my vengeance, I won't need to prepare myself mentally.

"Julius, is that…-" My mom's eyes widened as soon as she saw the flask.

"A stamina potion, yes. I took one from the kitchen and learned how to make them with Lia's help." I explained. "I will break through my current limit and reach Level 20 before my birthday, so I will be going out to train again today. I'll try to be back before midnight." I spoke with determination as I started walking towards the door.

I always knew that mom was a strong person, but after today, I wish I can grow up to be like her.

Unfortunately for me, while I was engraving those feelings of genuine admiration for my mom in my heart, she quickly took the potion out of my hands, opened the window, and threw it away as far as she could…

"Mom!? Why!?" I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"No more training today! Using those potions and overworking your body is bad for your health!" She suddenly started scolding me. "You also forgot to tell me that Elia and Lana had invited us for some afternoon tea, right? Well, I came across them and they were really surprised and sad that we didn't show up! Especially little Sophie!" My mother looked a bit pissed off…

"Ugh… I'm sorry… I forgot…" I apologized as I took a step back from her…

I knew I was forgetting about something important! Dammit!

"That's why you won't be doing any more training today! And you'll be spending time with me and helping me make dinner since I invited them to come over!" She suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to her. "There are also a few things that came to light that we still need to talk about." She then smiled just as brightly as before.

"I guess that's a fair punishment… I'll have to apologize to them for breaking my promise…" I smiled awkwardly.

"Yep! Take responsibility!" My mom nodded happily and then started walking me to the kitchen while holding my hand. "Speaking of responsibility… You and Tiria are now engaged, right? That would make her your future second wife." She suddenly asked a dreadful question with a smile that didn't reach her eyes…

Ah… I also told her about that, didn't I…? I'm starting to regret that…

Thanks to the nature of her question, I could feel my whole face getting hotter and hotter due to the embarrassment…

"That's…" I was so embarrassed that I didn't know what to answer.

"Hahaha! I'm not mad at you or anything! As long as you two wait until you're an adult to do anything inappropriate, I'm okay with your engagement! I can't deny that I was a little bit shocked at first, but right now, I'm glad that Tiria finally has someone that loves her as much as you do!" My mom started ruffling my hair. "But I guess you really do have a thing for older women… I wonder if that is my fault? Have I pampered you too much?" She said playfully.

"Mom!? What are you even saying!?" I was embarrassed beyond words… I couldn't even look her in the eye.

"What? It is the truth! Liliana and Luna are a year older than you, Mia is three years older than you, Marina is five years older, and your dearest Tiria is twenty-three years older than you!" She said with amusement.

"Why are you bringing Marina and my sisters into this!?" I was bemused.

"What do you mean why? Aren't you going to marry them too?" My mom asked with a look of genuine confusion.

"Marina is just a friend and Liliana and Luna are my sisters!" My face was completely red from the embarrassment.

"A prince has to marry a princess, it is a universal law, you know? Hehehe!" She giggled as she was very amused. "As for Liliana and Luna, what would be the problem? It is not like you're related by blood and you're always together anyway."  My mom said with a straight face.

"That's…" I was at a loss for words thanks to this absurd conversation.

"Weird? Just a bit, yeah. But it wouldn't be the first time in history where a noble or a monarch is raised with their future spouses, you know?" My mom was starting to act like a persistent car salesman…

"Umm… I mean that's true, but…-" I was interrupted.

"Also, you're marrying your Auntie, and that's way more messed up in my opinion, so what's wrong with marrying the twins too?" She asked with an expression of genuine curiosity.

…

…

…

Fuck… That's a weird but valid argument…

"Sigh… I can't deny that I have always thought that Liliana and Luna are cute…" I suddenly blurted that out…

"I imagined that would be the case. They are just like their mother after all!" My mom said without a single shred of humility.

"I also kinda promised to be with them forever, so I guess that counts as a marriage proposal too?" I was hiding my shameful expression with both of my hands.

"Ah! I remember that! It was so adorable when the twins ran to the living room just to tell me that! I was so happy to hear that!" My mom showed me a genuine smile.

"So… What I'm trying to say is… Well… I'll marry them if they have feelings for me…" I said while averting my gaze. "I don't want them to be forced into anything, but I guess I really want them to be by my side forever. Sigh… I'm being really selfish today, aren't I?"

"Hahaha! That's good enough for me!" My mom seemed very pleased by my response. "By the way, you said that you guys are only into monogamous relationships back in your former world. How are you going to tell that girl Claire about your new multiple wives?" My mom asked another frightening question…

Oh gods… 

I immediately started to feel chills down my spine thanks to that question… I was trembling with fear… I was absolutely dreading that moment…

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there! This conversation is over, mom! Let's focus on making dinner!" I yelled in a panic as I ran away from my room.

"Jeez! It is not that big of a deal! I can help you figure everything out! That's my job as your mother! And also this conversation only ends when I feel that I have embarrassed you enough!" She shouted back and ran after me.

I had managed to overcome a mental breakdown thanks to my adoptive mother, however, I was on the verge of a new mental breakdown also thanks to her, oddly enough…

I hope that I'm still sane by the time I can bring Claire and everyone else to this world…

---

Chapter 33: A Conflicted Reincarnator.

END

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