Emotions

Lucielle's POV:

Sigh.

"I'm worried about the young master. He's barely left his room since the testing of his affinity... I don't understand. Is the young master truly someone who doesn't possess any affinity? If so, why did the orb explode instead of remaining unchanged? It doesn't make sense. Well, it doesn't matter for now. I need to find a way to cheer him up somehow, or else Madame and the Master will become even more worried than they already are."

Knock, knock

I gently tapped on the young master's door and asked if he was awake. I always did that, knowing he was probably still asleep, especially now that he's depressed. He definitely wouldn't be awake—or so I thought—until I heard the voice of the young master from inside his room.

"Yes, I'm awake. Come in, Lucielle."

That voice... It was the young master's, but it wasn't the depressed tone he'd had for the last two months. Instead, it was filled with warmth, care, and a hint of nervousness. Why was he nervous? I wondered as I opened the door and saw the young master standing before me with a gentle and innocent expression.

"Ah..." I gasped involuntarily at that expression. How long had it been since I'd seen him wear such a happy and innocent face?

Lucas' POV:

"Young master, are you alright?" Lucielle asked me as I stood before her.

I tilted my head, a cute gesture that I couldn't resist. "Yeah, of course! Why, is something wrong, Lucielle?" I asked innocently.

"N-no, forgive me, young master. I'm just not used to seeing you up this early," Lucielle said.

"Ah! Well, yeah, I had a nightmare, you see, and got a headache, so I woke up earlier than usual," I said, hoping to convince her and ease her worries. But it immediately backfired.

"Are you alright, young master? Should I call a doctor, perhaps? Or the Master and Madame?" Her tone was extremely gentle and filled with worry.

Hearing her tone and seeing her expression, I couldn't help but let out a gasp.

"Ah..."

I see, so this is how it feels... to have someone who loves and cares for you... Since my memories returned, it looks like my feelings from my past life did as well.

My eyes became a little blurry for some reason.

"I see... this isn't a bad feeling, I suppose..."

"Young master, what happened? Why are you crying?" she said while crouching down to meet my gaze.

"Huh, crying?" I didn't realize it, but tears were streaming down my cheeks, and in the end, I started crying.

Seeing my state, Lucielle embraced me and pressed my head against her chest.

"It will be alright, young master. Everything will be alright," she said in a gentle, caring tone.

Hearing her, I couldn't help but embrace her back and release all the frustration from my previous life.

And so, I cried for the first time since I can remember from my previous life, gaining my memories in this life.

*******

I finally managed to pull myself together, though my face couldn't help but turn red with embarrassment.

'Aaah! I want to bury myself in a hole and never come out! Why did I cry like that?' I lamented inwardly.

Seeing my state, Lucielle couldn't help but comment, further igniting my embarrassment.

"Fufu, young master really is cute—"

"S-shut up, okay!? Forget about what happened just now," I interrupted, flustered.

"Eeh, that's impossible, young master. This will be ingrained in my mind forever," Lucielle teased.

"U-ugh, stop teasing me, Lucielle."

"Hehehe."

As we bickered, I noticed the face of another woman suddenly appearing at the door. I could see many emotions flickering through her eyes; she must have been there since the moment I was crying.

"M-mother," I stammered nervously upon seeing her.

Yes, that woman was my mother, with her beautiful, mature face and piercing blue eyes, like the sea itself. She looked at me with such a loving gaze that I couldn't help but avert my eyes.

"How are you doing, dear?" she asked in a gentle, motherly tone that I wasn't familiar with yet felt comforting at the same time.

"I-I am fine now, Mother," I managed to squeeze out, my throat feeling dry and as if I were about to cry again. Why? Why did I feel like crying again? I bit down on my tongue to prevent it from happening.

Noticing my state, my mother was suddenly in front of me, crouching down to my level and gently stroking my hair.

I couldn't help but close my eyes at how nice it felt... It was comforting, and without me noticing, I didn't feel like crying anymore.

"Since you're already up this early, do you want to have breakfast with us, dear? Your father will be there as well," she asked while lovingly stroking my hair.

Hearing her question, I snapped out of my daze and responded, "A-ah, yes, sure. I am starting to feel hungry, I guess."

And just like that, I started preparing myself for my first breakfast with my parents since regaining my memories, while my mother returned to my father, where both would be waiting for me.