Chapter 3 – Montrose Reunion

Theo is sitting on his bed, looking outside his window. The sky is dark and full of stars. One single moon hangs up there, staring back at him. It’s weird seeing only one moon instead of three.

It has been two hours since he woke up. Since the chaos with his fire magic. Since the massive headache.

“Thea sweetheart. Are you okay? Is your head still bothering you? Talk to me, okay, Sweetheart?”

Theo sighs. He can never get used to ‘Thea.’

It wasn’t just a headache but the original Thea’s memories flooding into his brain, occupying it forcefully. He has yet to understand everything. But now he knows that the one speaking to him just now is Thea’s mother, Leila Stroud-Montrose.

And the one leaning on the wall at the foot of his bed, staring at him, is not a demon but Thea’s oldest brother, Arthur Montrose.

Theo has read about reincarnation, rebirth, or transmigration during his quest for higher magic. But he has never met anyone who truly experienced it.

Theo smiles weakly at Leila. “I’m okay, Mother. I’m just looking at the moon and the stars outside. They are beautiful.”

Another thing Theo cannot get used to is his voice. It's very soft and gentle, almost soothing. He has yet to look in a mirror, but the moment he hears it, he knows Thea must be beautiful.

Theo is not ready.

Leila sighs in relief. She is still in shock. In the past few weeks, the Montroses’ luck seems to be on the bad side. Incident after incident kept happening. The climax was her youngest’s accident. The doctors said she was lucky she didn’t die. Leila has been jittery, but at least she still has her husband’s and her sons’ support.

Arthur watches Thea with mixed feelings. He remembers what happened after the massive headache. He still remembers his own panic and his suspicions. He feels both ashamed and relieved.

Lucas had already said that disorientation and blank memory are very normal after being in a coma for four weeks. He even said Thea is lucky she can remember this much. Other memories will gradually return to her, or they might never return.

The most important thing they can do now is not to press her to keep remembering. “Let her remember on her own,” Lucas had said.

“And if she never remembers anything else, show her that that is okay too.”

Arthur understands the meaning of full unconditional support. He has been on the receiving end since he was born. Now it’s his turn to support his family.

But this nagging feeling… Arthur subconsciously rubs his chest.

It doesn’t escape Theo’s eyes. He knows Arthur is suspicious. He understands men like Arthur. His own King… was like that. Too smart for his own good, and suspicious as hell.

Theo cannot stare at Arthur too long. He still sees a demon because of Arthur’s silver hair—a demon that, in his old world, must be exterminated. But here, according to Thea’s memory, Arthur has always had hair like that.

Theo turns to see Thea’s mother.

Leila Stroud-Montrose is 46 years old (according to Thea’s memory), but she looks no older than 35 (according to Theo). She is about 170cm tall, has a slender figure, long wavy light brown hair, and shocking blue eyes.

She had married Maurice Montrose when she was only eighteen. It was love at first sight for Maurice, who was already 28 at the time. Their romance took the world by storm, with many watchers not believing in their love.

But they proved them wrong. Maurice proposed to her after knowing her for two months, and three months after meeting her for the first time, Maurice married her in front of the Archbishop of the country and brought her back to his estate in Selene.

Theo notices, along with Thea’s memories, there are also some lingering feeling from Thea, especially if the feelings are strong. Like now for example. Theo cannot help but feel a love so strong toward Leila that he is close to crying every time he sees her.

It’s almost the same when he’s looking at Arthur. Not love between man and a woman or between a man and a man(he would know!), but annoyance, camaraderie, and familial love that Theo cannot explain. Yet he knows that they are there.

It is why he often closes his eyes and tries to adjust his feelings, before opening them again. He cannot close them too long, Leila would worry.

And constantly doing this has exhausted Theo, whose physical body is still recovering from the coma. On top of that, Theo can feel that Thea had never properly exercised in her entire life. His muscles and physical strength are non-existent.

The ever-observant Arthur notices Theo’s exhaustion and straightens himself. But before he can say anything, there’s a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Leila answers, but she keeps her eyes on Theo.

Theo’s eyes flash open. He turns to the door, anxious.

Arthur notices this again and moves closer to Theo, trying to calm him down—not knowing that his close proximity only makes Theo more anxious.

A head of light brown hair appears, followed by the face of a young man in his mid-twenties. He has misty bluish grey eyes.

Julian! The name jumps out, followed by a tremendous feeling of love and loss. Theo is dumbfounded. He’s missing this young man?! No! Not me! It’s Thea!

The door opens wider, and in walks a man in his late fifties—tall like Arthur, with dark brown hair and misty bluish grey eyes.

“Father…” Theo suddenly exclaims. He chokes on the word. He cannot stop himself. It’s Thea! She loved her father very much.

For the first time since he awoke, Theo surrenders to Thea’s feelings. He lifts both arms, wanting to embrace Maurice, while tears stream down his face.

Leila sees this and chokes up. “Oh, Thea…”

It only takes three large steps for Maurice to reach Theo and envelop him in a big, tight hug.

Theo breaks down in Maurice’s embrace.

Leila’s tears start to fall. Julian moves to his mother and holds her close. Arthur closes the door, ensuring this intimate family time remains uninterrupted.