Soon they entered the duchess' office.
Austin's eyes landed on the woman seated behind the desk, almost buried under a mountain of papers.
She had black raven hair, and eyes of the same cold shade. Her lips were thin, her eyebrows sharply defined, and her small nose added a delicate sharpness to her face. Her perfect hourglass figure stood out—never in any world had Austin seen such beauty.
In every sense or word of any world, she was a beauty that no one could ignore.
But despite her beauty, no one had the nerve to look at her with lustful eyes.
A cold, intimidating aura surrounded her—enough to make anyone tremble from fear.
"Mother, you called?" Austin asked, his expression indifferent, his posture relaxed but cautious.
"You are here," Aurora said, shifting her gaze from the papers in her hand. Her cold eyes softened slightly when they met his.
She turned her head toward Sylvie.
"You can leave," she ordered.
Without a word, Sylvie's figure disappeared into the air.
Then she looked back at Austin, a faint smile curling her lips.
"Why are you standing there? Come sit here."
She patted her lap gently.
"Mother, you know I'm not a child?!" Austin pulled back slightly, his face twisting in mild disgust at the suggestion.
'Even if I have the body of a 5-year-old, my mind is still of a 20-year-old,' he thought, frowning.
"Ohh, you look like a child to me," Aurora said, teasing, the smile on her face widening a little.
"Mother, you know I have memories from my last life. How can I be a child?"
Austin crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. He had made his past life clear to them as soon as he learned this world's language.
"Austin, I know you have memories from Earth or whatever world it was," she said, her voice suddenly sharp and cold.
"But you seem to forget what I told you. You are my child now. Whoever your parents or whatever your age was—it doesn't matter to me. You are my child and always will be. That's all that matters."
Her tone had become firm. Her expression tight with frustration.
Austin stiffened.
Seeing her face, he realized he had made a mistake.
Even back when he revealed the truth about his past, Aurora and Vincent had accepted him. They had treated him like their own. Always.
Now, he could feel the guilt creeping in.
'It's not like I don't like them… but can I really be close with them?
What if I lose them too?
What if I remain weak in this life too?
Won't I suffer the same thing I suffered in my last life?'
His eyes lowered, slowly darkening. A faint wetness gathered as he blinked.
Aurora, noticing the change in his eyes, stood up quickly.
She stepped forward and gently pulled him into a hug, one arm supporting his back, the other holding him tight.
"Austin! Why are you crying?" she whispered, her voice quiet and trembling.
"I didn't mean to make you sad. I… I just wanted to tell you that you are our son now. If you don't think of us as your parents—no problem. You don't need to force yourself."
Austin felt her hand trembling against his back.
Austin who heard her words snapped out of his thoughts, he felt her trembling hand on his back.
His eyes turned normal golden again.
Her warmth, her words—he suddenly felt the fog in his head clear.
'What am I even thinking? This world is different from that one.
I can become strong in this world.
I can protect them myself.
I don't even have that weak and pathetic body now.'
His golden eyes returned to normal.
"What are you saying, Mother? Of course I am your son. Why would I be sad about that?"
He wrapped his arms around her neck, closing his eyes. A small but genuine smile appeared on his face.
---
Aurora froze.
In all the time since he woke up two years ago, he had never let her hug him.
And now—he was hugging her back?
A surprised breath left her lips, but soon her hands steadied. Her smile returned, calm and relieved.
They stayed like that for a few seconds.
"So, Mom, why did you call me?" he asked, pulling back with a gleaming smile.
"How long were you going to be holed up in that room?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Do you like books that much for you to spend day and night there?"
"It's not like that, Mom," he said. "I don't like or hate books."
She frowned.
"Then why read so much?"
"Because it's necessary, Mom," he replied, his tone turning more serious.
"Why is it necessary?" she asked, sounding curious.
"It is necessary to be strong," he replied.
"Hmm, why is it necessary to be strong? You must know that we are one of the strongest people in the empire. We can always protect you?" she asked, tilting her head with a confused look.
Austin paused.
She was testing him—he could tell.
He had already read about her: Aurora Starwill, Duchess of the Starwill Duchy. One of the strongest women in the empire.
But what stood out the most was her intellect. She was one of the empire's greatest scholars.
It was her intelligence that helped his father, Vincent Starwill—a commoner—rise to the rank of Duke.
'She's trying to understand me,' he thought.
"It's necessary to be strong, Mom," he replied, his voice steady, lips curling slightly with disgust.
"It's necessary, because there is nothing more disgusting than being weak in the world.
Being weak is the biggest sin a person can commit.
People always blame others for their suffering, but they never blame themselves for being weak.
Cause of every suffering, every pain is weakness.
As long as a person remains weak, there can be no happiness for him.
What happiness can he have when his happiness can be destroyed on a whim of the strong?"
--
Aurora's eyes widened slightly. Her smile faded.
She didn't need to read his mind—his tone was enough.
He was telling the truth. And she knew it.
Everything he said was real.
She had once believed something similar. As a child, she had felt the sting of powerlessness. It had driven her to become strong.
But even she had never spoken of weakness with such deep disgust.
'Reading tens of thousands of books just to be strong... I really gave birth to a monster,' she thought, watching him in silence.
Then a small, quiet smile touched her lips.
'She gave birth to a monster'