Shades of the New World

A lot of men came to comfort her when she was down, but she didn't give face to any of them, since she didn't want to make a mistake when she was wallowing in despair. She also started smoking around that time as well.

She thought that Theor would come to comfort her like all the others, and she was planning to reject him as well, but her childhood friend never approached her in that way during those times. He would still have to be friends with her, but he never hinted for more. He never badmouthed Aran for leaving them behind, and he never told her that he'll be a better man than Aran.

After that moment, Lora started to become more and more interested in the lively man. Eventually she fell in love and they married. After Sasha was born, she quit smoking altogether. Not because she wanted to, but because she couldn't afford it.

Lora remembered how raising Sasha was the hardest part of her life. Theor insisted that she shouldn't get a job to take care of their daughter better. So she started making things and sending it to Theor's inn, hoping that someone might buy them. Her father was also not around during that time, because of a mission he took on in the North.

They scraped by day after day, with Theor barely eating so that Lora would get enough milk to feed their daughter. So many dark thoughts passed by through her head in those days. During that time, she realized that she was not such a good person who she made herself out to be. She even once thought that it might've been better if she agreed to marry one of the rich guys who came to woo her when she was down. She felt disgusted at herself for having these thoughts when Theor was literally out there starving and working to feed his wife and daughter.

But thankfully, her father came back from the mission, and their situation gradually turned for the better. They didn't have to starve thanks to Ssatsko's hunts, and they were able to start saving for another child.

Before Evin revealed his origins, the two were also thinking about another child. How cute would it have been? But now, they were afraid. Afraid of another one like Evin popping out of Lora's belly. Evin was unexpected, but he was still much better than most. Who knows if a murderer or some heartless shell of a human comes out next time?

As she was thinking about these things, Theor came out of the shower wiping his wet hair with a towel. He took out and wore his underpants from the drawer and strode to the bed and fell back first onto it.

Lora watched her husband's actions with interest.

"How was your day?" Lora asked.

"Not too bad. Though I got chewed out by elder Nana, because I accidentally made the wrong food for her. Though the she ended up liking the wrong product, so all's well," Theor shrugged.

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall," Lora quoted.

"Who did you hear that from? Sounds quite nice"

"Evin"

"Ah"

"…"

Lora got up from her couch and made a pillow out of Theor's arm. They got comfortable and stayed like that in silence for a bit. The smell of her husband's damp hair pervaded Lora's nose as she peacefully zoned out on the bed.

"I went to see Aran, the on the way," Theor began.

'The dreaded talk...' Lora thought.

"And?"

"He knew as well. Though he was quite surprised when I told him that Evin came from a different World. Felt like something I shouldn't have said. Thought I put the boy in danger. I told Aran to not tell anyone else, but I'm still feeling worried, you know?" Theor said.

Lora noticed that the man did not mind being worried for the boy. The previous few days, he would complain non-stop about how the boy made him care and then revealed his origins.

"What did he tell you, then?"

"Apparently the Children are all like that. One in a million kids who are born with memories of their previous life. Most of them go on to become bigshots in life. Said that maybe 20 percent of all commoners who end up getting a noble title were Children of the Empress," Theor said.

"Then why don't more people know about this?" Lora asked, surprised at the revelation.

"He didn't know why, said that most prefer to hide the fact. Maybe tell their close ones, but mostly keep it a secret," Theor sighed.

"I wonder who Evin told, aside from us?"

"Probably only the Feline. Seems like he made a deal with them. Got him money and a potential tutor. As for your father and Aran, I think they just knew about the topic. Can't believe he would opt to trust a stranger Feline, instead of talking to us first," Theor grumbled.

"It was probably hard for him. He spent a year getting raised by us. I'd guess it's kinda difficult to suddenly say he's three centuries old," Lora defended the boy like she was used to.

"Shush, don't be overprotective of the boy," Theor said and kissed Lora to shut her up.

Wordlessly, they started enjoying each other's company and drowned their worries in pleasure. 

Afterwards, the two fell into a silence again. Compared to the uneasy silence of yesterday, today's seemed more relaxed and determined. The two of them both thought about the same thing with deliberation.

They didn't want to think about such difficult topics. No one did. But even if they ran away from it, Evin would soon come back from the forest and remind them about it. So, it was best to get the thing over with. Lora wondered if this was what Evin meant when he talked about living in the moment.

"I've decided that I don't really mind it that much," Lora said to Theor.

"Crafty bastard… Spent just enough time with us to make us feel comfortable with him," Theor muttered under his breath again.

…

Getting inside his house, Evin was met with a hug from his parents.

While before, such closeness felt undeserved and alien to him. This time, he felt like he earned it in a way. Lora and Theor did not say anything, and the three stood still like that for a few moments.

Theor then told Evin that he informed Aran about his nature, and if it was bad somehow, but Evin just laughed and told them to not worry. Aran would learn of the matter in time, anyway.

After mulling over the matter for almost ten days, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Rith and Ssatsko were grinning on the sidelines, with Sasha and Elina confused with the matter. Evin decided to tell at least Elina as well, so she doesn't feel ostracized. As for Sasha, everyone agreed that she was too young to learn. Maybe after she gets a bit older.

Elina took it a bit better than the rest of the family, but she was still very confused. She was probably the furthest from magic, compared to the rest of the family, so all that talk about reincarnation and another world was mostly too foreign to her. But since her knowledge of the world was basically a blank slate, she adapted very quickly. She was only 15, seven years older than Sasha. Since the family was in a comfortable state, they could afford to send her to a school for her to get an education. While before, when she would reach the age of 15, she would most likely end up marrying some guy. But now, she might decide to do something else.

Evin didn't linger on the matter. With his most pressing problems solved for now, Evin peacefully spent the following two years until Arza reached the age to receive Aran's tutoring.