Chapter 11 – Part 2 – Truth is out (Aria’s POV)
Now that it’s over, I gave a visit to my mother’s office.
Mom was sitting in her chair at the far end of the room, going over paperwork on her desk. There was a sofa in the center of the room, with a small table in the middle. I approached the sofa and said,
“There, I did it. Are you happy now? Humph” I pouted.
“Aw, don’t be like that. I did it for your own good, you know”
“You keep saying that, but it’s not.
I just need Letty. Why would I need those people as my friends? They were only acting nice to me because I am your daughter. Except one person, I guess.”
“I understand, sweetie. But as I already stated, you have grown far too attached to Letty. It’s not good for either one of you. What if you awaken a great Talent?”
“But why do you think I will awaken a high grade Talent?”
“I'm not trying to push you, sweetheart. It's just that there is a very strong likelihood that you will awaken with at least a C grade or better Talent in the Mage class based on my heritage. This has been the case for ages. If not the Royal Academy, you will surely be accepted in the Magic School of Estros."
“I know that I won’t awaken as a Mage, okay? So stop it”
“I don’t understand dear, what do you mean?”
Hah, what should I do? Should I tell them about Letty? They are my parents, they deserve to know the whole truth, right? But, how would they react, if I tell them that I was reincarnated? Although I’m scared, I owe them at least that much.
I turned towards the maid,
“Call my dad here as well. Tell him that it’s something important”
The maid left and soon Dad came in with a worried expression,
“What happened to Darling and Aria? Is everything alright?”
“Yes dad, everything is alright. Please take a seat besides mother” I closed the door behind him.
“Mom, dad, promise me that you won’t speak until I’m done. And trust me, I’m not lying”
“Okay. Go ahead”
I turned around with my back facing towards them. My hands were trembling.
“I remember my past life. I died in an accident and the next moment, I was here…”
I told the whole truth. I discussed my past life as well as Letty’s class. I left out the ‘We are characters in a Novel’ part. That would be wasteful and confusing.
“So that’s what happened…Do you believe me?”
I was really scared. I couldn’t guess what their reaction was going to be. Maybe nothing will change, and we will carry on with our lives. Or maybe, they will think I'm cursed or something. God, I’m terrified.
I didn’t dare to turn around and just stood there silently. Then suddenly, I felt something warm behind my back.
It was mom and dad. They hugged me. Tears flowing out of my dad’s eyes. He said,
“My poor child has suffered so much! Why didn’t you tell us before? It would have eased your pain at least. Rely on us a little more, will you? You’ve always been an extraordinary kid, but who knew, you were suffering so much”
Tears overflowed from my face as well. On the other hand, I felt my head getting bonked. I turned around. Oh no! Mom was furious.
“You were no genius, but a dumbass! In all this time of suffering, it never occurred to you that you should talk to your goddamn parents. Are we not trustworthy or something? Did we not give you enough care and love?”
Her eyes gave out mid-sentence,
“Do you not consider us as your real parents?”
Oh no! I never wanted to hurt them. What should I do? I hugged her tightly,
“Wha? Of course, you are my mom and dad. I love you so much, don’t say stuff like that. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”
“I just didn’t know how to say it. I was scared. So I thought, I’ll keep it a secret and it won’t harm anyone. I’m sorry, I was stupid. It’s my fault. Don’t ever say words like that again, please”
She embraced me in a tight hug and placed my head on her bosom.
“Do you miss your late family?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, but I moved on a long time ago. I fully accepted you and dad as my parents now”
"So, about your maid. You're saying that she willingly became your slave, right?"
"Yes Mom"
"I understand. Make sure not to break her trust. Take good care of her"
"You don't need to be concerned about Letty Mom. She is in capable hands. Hehe"
"Letty...huh. Okay, I'll stop meddling in your affairs now. Keep in mind that she is still your maid, so act with dignity. At least for now"
For now, indeed.
The three of us just sat there, as dad tried to make the mood lighten by making us laugh.
“Can I sleep in your room? Only for tonight”
“You are always welcome dear. It reminds me of when you were younger, you used to hold me tightly while sleeping.”
I nodded embarrassingly.
Mom continued, “Anyway, are you sure you want to be a Scholar, it’s the least famous branch among the young generation.
Even in the academy, you will hardly meet anyone your age getting accepted as a Scholar. They have to pass a very hard test about Magic Theory and Applications. Even if you get accepted, I wouldn’t be surprised if all your classmates turned out to be adults. It’s a tough road ahead, you know?”
That’s true. From what I’ve gathered the Royal Academy has very limited seats for Scholar class. I don’t understand why though, back on Earth, researchers were highly respected.
Here, on the other hand, I can hardly say the same. It may be due to it being an uncharted territory. They are unaware of the future scope of Magic and Science.
“I want to do this, Mom. I'll try my hardest”
“I’m sure you will, dear. We are so proud of you”
Unsurprisingly, I am feeling refreshed. The burden and guilt of keeping the secret was gone. Now I can be ‘me’ in front of my family, without worrying about a slip up which might expose my secret. It’s a wonderful feeling.
That night, I had a wonderful sleep. Only second to the ones with Letty, of course!