Chapter 26: Coming Clean
Chapter 26: Coming Clean
Chapter 26: Coming Clean
As Thea was almost home, she started having an emotional breakdown. This was caused by two factors; one, she started overthinking how her mother would react, thinking she would abandoning her or that she would stop loving her. Two, she had increased her emotions by a substantial amount in the [Mentality] selection and couldn't handle the overflowing emotions.
As she walked inside the garden, with her favorite dress torn, and a face full of tears, she fearfully looked at her mothers feet, too afraid to look at her face, who was standing at the entrance of the garden waiting for her.
As she neared her mother, she expected Lily to slap or shout at her.
Being new to receiving affection, Thea didn't know what to expect or what was normal, in her past life she had been ignored most of the time, but she had seen the orphanage mistress and headmaster slap some of the children. This being her only reference, she thought it was perfectly normal.
Lily raised her hand and Thea braced herself, but instead of being slapped her mother softly put a hand on her head and wrapped the other hand around her back, pulling her in for a deep hug. Thea even more confused and emotional now started crying loudly as her head was enveloped by the soft warm breasts, she loved so much.
"Dear, are you alright?" Lily asked her, very worried about her physical state, but she had the instinct that Thea needed emotional support more now.
"I 'sniff, sniff' broke the 'sniff, sniff' dress you got meee." Thea said between sniffs before crying again, feeling large amounts of guilt and regret for not listening and ruining the dress.
"Althea, are you hurt." She said slightly firmly, wanting to know if she had been bruised or cut somewhere. Lily had seen her coming but before she could properly examine her, she had instinctually embraced her.
When Thea shook her head without saying anything, Lily had to hold back tears from relief.
Lily knew Thea was unusually smart for her age, but in the end she was still a 3 year old, curious but unprepared child. Lily had been waiting outside for 10 minutes, while worrying for Thea. She had wanted to go out to look for her, but considering Thea's intelligence she thought it better to stay at the entrance to help her when she got back, if she got back.
This whole event had put a great deal of stress on her and now she was angry but relieved. Still holding Thea, Lily told her, her punishment.
"No sweets for a month." She said firmly again. Thea hearing this was upset, but understood well enough that she earned these consequences.
Lily carried Thea back inside, through the living room and brought her to the bath. She then swiftly undressed Thea from her tattered dress and inspected her body for any cuts or bruises. After being finished, inspecting her whole body, she sighed in relief.
She took a calm bath with her daughter, dried her, dressed her and carried her back to the living room, seating her on her lap in the couch.
They sat there in silence for 5 minutes, relieved and enjoying each other's body warmth, after having fully calmed down, Lily asked what happened and Thea explained everything, not holding a single piece of information back, including her status, skills and how she dealt with the boar. The only thing she didn't mention was the fact that she had the reincarnated title. All the rest she explained, fully trusting her mother.
Lily on the other hand had a mix of emotions, sadness, happiness, disappointment but mostly proudness while listening to her daughters explanation without interrupting her once. She easily accepted all the unusual information, blaming all the oddness on how Thea had been conceived.
When Thea finished, Lily processed all she had heard and finally spoke.
"So you came back crying, not because you were hurt, but because you were worried at how I would react?" Lily asked.
Thea just nodded without looking at her mother face.
"I am angry with you, but only because of two reasons; you didn't tell me you were going to leave and you didn't tell me any of this earlier. I am very proud of you, even if you didn't have all the skills and these so called 'stats' you mentioned, I would still be proud, but I am disappointed that you waited till now to tell me." Lily said both affectionately and seriously.
Thea was happy and relieved she could let this all out, she had wanted to tell her but wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Now, when she had been emotionally unstable, she let it all out and luckily Lily took it well.
"Two days from now, you will repeat what you have done today, without getting hit by the boar of course, and I will be following from a distance watching, ready to help, not that I'm doubting you." Lily said with a commanding tone.
"You're going to let me in the forest again?" Thea asked confused.
"With or without my permission, you will eventually go out into the forest, I rather be there when you do, go out." Lily said, seemingly having though of everything.
Thea thought about it but accepted it eagerly, as she wouldn't loose anything, she had told her all but one of her secrets, so she wouldn't need to hide anything, on the contrary she could get advice from her mother on how to handle certain situations better.
"Now take out the beasts you have caught, I will prepare a feast! Without dessert of course." Lily said happily.
Thea took out the 3 horned rabbits and the berserker boar and helped her mother cook the food. It had become a habit for the two of them to cook together. They finished preparing the food and had a large feast, eating all the food with just the two of them. How it fit in the small 3 year old and her mother, nobody knows.
The next day Lily took some of the books they had and read them together with Thea, the books explained where beasts lived and that where they were now, only had weak beasts. This day ended without anything eventful happening, like many of the days had, in the last 3 years.
And just like that the next day came.