Winding down

Three days later, I have recovered. Well, enough to continue with my life. And I am home alone. Not exactly alone but only Eden and my sister are here.

I found out that, we were missing for more than a week. My sister is now 2 weeks old. And her name is Clea. Dad had already decided that name. It was when I was about to be born, he picked out two names.

Clive if it's a boy and Clea if it's a girl. Since I was born, Clive was used. But now that my sister has entered the picture, he got to use the name he chose. Although I would say about 20 years later.

So, after Samantha was done with her explanation, I was expecting a swift summons from her father. That didn't happen. It seems like The Free World is currently engulfed in war.

It would take a while before I am needed. That's reassuring as I am still in no condition to fight. That night, I really crossed the final line. Anyway, I suggested that everyone should take a breather.

It was a heated debate between me and the girls. They weren't convinced that I would relax. So I did everything to make them agree and sent them on a tour.

But I believe they'll be back before I know it. I suggested leaving Clea and Eden behind. Eden wasn't too enthusiastic about it and for some reason I just wanted to look after my sister.

I'll ask them if I run into any trouble. That is the deal. By the way, we are back on Jupiter.

I am sitting on the sofa with Clea and Eden. Eden is reading a book on childcare and I think she can actually help me. I am holding Clea in my arms.

She is staring a hole through me. Whenever she sees me, she either smiles or just reaches for me. I have no idea what to say. I am just holding her in my arms and sitting awkwardly whilst watching a documentary.

I saw mom watching period dramas in Primis Societas and it gave me ideas. Maybe I can use the data to watch documentaries and stuff. I did watch anime and stuff that interested me so I can do that again.

My sister is occasionally looking at the animals. The fluffy ones make her smile and it's kinda soothing.

She doesn't cry easily and isn't as hard to look after as I had expected. Well, kids do turn your expectations back on you so I have to be vigilant.

That's when there's a knock on the door. I just get up and open the door.

I think, everyone knows that I live here. This house is just beside the road and I step out of here everyday.

The person standing at the door is someone unexpected.

"Long time, no see. It has been a while, Queen Dorothy."

The person standing before me is the current queen of this kingdom. We have met a couple of times before.

I let her in and led her to the lounge where Eden is. Eden noticed the guest and moved to a different sofa. She sat down and I sit down as well.

"It has been a while, Clive. Can I call you by your name?" (Dorothy)

"If you want. And you are the same age as Fiona so why not?"

"But who is she?" (Dorothy)

"She is my sister, Clea Belmont. She is currently 2 weeks old."

She must have been curious about Clea.

"Are you alone again?" (Dorothy)

"The past few days have been hectic. So I sent everyone on a relaxation tour and I am house sitting. My daughter didn't want to go so she is with me and I wanted to look after my sister."

"So I missed Fiona, again." (Dorothy)

"Did you have any plans with her?"

"No. But she was gone for so long, I was worried." (Dorothy)

"She was with my mother. I was stuck doing some errands so she went to help. How long was she gone?"

"More than a month. She didn't even say a word. I got to know that she was okay from Montana." (Dorothy)

She seems relieved but irked at the same time. Clea is looking at her.

"Life has been pretty hectic for me for the last couple of….days?"

"Why the sudden interrogative tone?" (Dorothy)

"No…my perception of time is totally messed up. I have been wandering from world to world so much that I can't tell what time is it. And that wandering around will continue for a while longer. At least until, I take control of the world."

I don't know what she was expecting but her face became stiff. It has a shadow of gloom and worry.

"Don't worry, I am not talking about Jupiter."

"Then what exactly do you mean by that? Take control of the world? How will you do it?" (Dorothy)

Maybe I should just explain. Even if she knows, she can't do anything, literally.

"I will take control of this entire system. Meaning all the worlds, past, present, future and alternate realities will be mine to control. I will become the true ruler of the world."

"Is it possible? You will take Lord Jupiter's throne. Can you do it?" (Dorothy)

"You are mistaken. Jupiter is but a proxy for this world. I will not become a proxy. I will become the system creator itself. You may not understand it but there are a lot more out there than you think."

For some reason, whenever I talk with her, it becomes weird. Like I am trying to scare her.

"Don't worry. This world was running without a creator for a long time. I just thought I should take the empty seat to calm down the strife."

"You will not rule over us?" (Dorothy)

Rule? I am not suited to be a ruler. I know that myself better than anyone.

"No. This world will be under Jupiter's control for the foreseeable future. I will just hold the throne."

It's true that I don't have to rule everything myself. I can let my subordinates do the job for me.

I offered her some refreshments. She held Clea while I was preparing the refreshments. She even talked with Eden. I guess she exudes that mature woman vibe. And she seems motherly enough.

"By the way, how is the prince doing?"

"He was heavily reprimanded by his majesty. Well, I did too. You are not angry with him, are you?" (Dorothy)

"No. I don't hold grudges. If I did, Trevor wouldn't be alive right now. And Gwen wouldn't go unscathed either. I just want a good relationship with everyone. I hope you will not mind my brazen behavior."

She said that she doesn't mind. I have a few other questions for her.

"If you don't mind me asking but why are the three continents not united?"

"Was that different from your world? Gwen was surprised at first as well." (Dorothy)

"Yes. Before our demise, our civilization was at its peak and our five continents were somewhat united. There were grudges between countries and that led to our demise however, we were united for the most part."

"Our world has only three continents but one is always is war. The other one is cut off from the world. Only this continent has functional countries where civilization can thrive." (Dorothy)

So it's more chaotic than I imagined. Well, as the harbinger of chaos, I can deal with chaos as well.

In the end, she had to go back without meeting Fiona. I offered to send her directly to Fiona but she refused.

"Then at least take this as a token of gratitude. I have been pretty disrespectful towards you and his majesty. That doesn't fit well with me."

I gave her the water pouch that Strauss rewarded me.

"It is an infinite water pouch. You don't need to fill it with water. Watet will automatically pour out and it's fresh. It can even heal minor wounds."

"Isn't that an important item?" (Dorothy)

"I think. But you can make better use of it. Or would you like weapons? I have many weapons as well."

In the end, she accepted the pouch and left. I even offered to drop her at the castle but she didn't want to trouble me anymore.

Was I too forceful? Well, I hope I made a good impression this time. It's only afternoon. Let's go for a stroll. Eden was dozing off so I woke her up. If she sleeps right now, her night will be long. Let's just stroll around for a bit and come back.

Then I will prepare dinner and eat it. Clea has been surprisingly well behaved. Even now, she is trying to reach me. When I take my finger near her, she grabs it.

Babies are surprisingly strong. Hmm…maybe I can swing by the guild to check on my jobs. I hope I am not forgotten.