After making a real fool of myself in front of Camillle, it was really awkward to have dinner, and something my grandfather told was ringing on my mind.
" (...)it may be that the feeling of losing you caused her to mistake affection, for love(...)"
She was still so young, and, the only friend that she had, that used to always be at her side, was suddenly in a coma. I could see how she would mistake aftection, for love, after going through that.
But, another thing kept bugging me.
"But, if you think about it, she would be the ONLY woman who you could ever be yourself around."
That was also true... To any other woman in the world, no matter what, my Casanova skill would take precedence over my own. But not her, to her, I could speak clearly, and show her just who I am. I could be myself...
Not so sure if that would be a good thing...
Who I am, that's hard... I've lived 17 years in the Waking world, and had a normal, slightly sad life. But, I've never hated that life, I was proud of my father, loved my mother when she was alive, and missed her when she died. I went to school, but didn't have many friends, when my father died, my grandfather took me in... But nothing much changed after that, other than the fact that the people who used to bully me, now tried to butter me up...
So I took a part time job, to get way from all that...
Never really engaged with the people around me, it was a really lonely life...
I think that's the reason why it didn't feel that hard to live alone for 120 years in the Dream World...
Not gonna lie, there was a time were I was about to lose it... I spent 1 year sculpting a comet to look like a rabbit out of boredom, and then, felt sorry for it being alone and created 19 more rabbit comets...
The funny thing is, I didn't once thought about the people back here, I just wanted to get back, but... For the reason why I wanted that... I really didn't had any. To be honest, all I wanted was to wake up, because I was afraid of what would happen, if I died...
I have many times more memories of the time in the Dream world, than in the Waking world...
Dream world... I think I have to stop calling it that, since it's not a dream. It's a real world, that I created. Well, the skill name is "World Creation System" and not "Dream World Creation System"... I wonder why I never once assumed it was a real world.
-You're thinking way to much, stop that... You are not that smart to begin with. Leave the thinking to me, and just eat, you are making Camille more worried.
It's true, I was never that smart to begin with, but, recently, all I could do is think. Maybe the reason for that is the increase on my intelligence from the achievements, or, maybe I just don't want to think about all the deaths that happened on those worlds I created...
And sudden, a bread came flying at my face.
-I told you to eat! Stop thinking about stuff that already happened, we gotta think on the future, act on the present, and learn from the past, switching that order brings you nothing but headaches. If you keep that up, Camille may fall for someone else.
-No I wont, that's a lie!
As soon as she stood up, she went full tomato, and sat down again, hiding her face with her hair. Camille wasn't eating with us, but she was sitting in a nearby chair, along with other maids. But I was so caught up in my own mind, that I didn't even realized it.
-Camille, come eat something as well... I'm sorry for earlier... My mind is a bit of a mess yet. Take a seat and eat, we used to eat together all the time when I was living here, didn't we?
-I cant Jee Yon, I'm the head maid now, my mom told me that it is impolite for the head maid to dine with the house master. But don't worry, I've already eaten!
She was so small, and cute, I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for her to become a Head maid, with such a young age.
-I told you already, your mother was just teasing you... Don't you remember that she used to dine with me all the time? In fact, everyone did, why do you think this table is so big?
-Protocols are to there to be followed, ALL THE TIME.
It was funny looking at her being so firm against my grandfather, her employer, the other maids couldn't help but giggle a bit seeing that. And it was fun. Looking at her, getting mad at my grandfather, and my grandfather getting mad at her.
Maybe that's the reason I wanted to wake up, having this, felt good. Looking at the both of them, felt like family, for the first time in a long, long time.
-Why are you crying?
-Jee Yon, is something wrong?
Both of them stopped arguing while they looked at me, they said that almost at the same time, it was funny. I didn't even noticed that I was crying, until they brought it up, and for some reason, the tears didn't stop. I wasn't sad, but couldn't stop crying. As if all the brooding, all the remorse. It was washed away. The reason for waking up? I think I just wanted to cry, to laugh, to eat, and to have a family again.
-I'm fine, the food is just too good. That's why, Camille, please, make sure we all eat together from here on out, I was alone for quite some time, I don't want to be alone anymore.
Almost instantly, Camille grabbed a chair and sat at my side. She was still quite blushed, but, just having her there, was enough to heal me a bit.
-Would you look at that, that stubborn maid really did sat down. And here I spent 2 years eating alone, really... no respect for the elderly at all... What a cruel maid.
-I'm not cruel. I'm not Jee Yon, I'm really not, your grandfather is just mean! I always done my best, I tried my hardest, I was... I really was...
And now the one crying was Camille, she just stood there, next to me, looking down at the floor, and with tears running down her cheeks, I didn't know what to do, and my grandfather was making hand gestures and signs, telling me to hug her.
I couldn't, I was too embarrassed, but, looking at her crying like that, It was just too much. I had to do something. So I got out of the chair, and kneeled down in front of her. I placed one hand on hers, and with the other hand, I grabbed a handkerchief that was in my pocket, and dried her tears.
Her eyes were red. She was trembling, in fact, I think she was holding out those tears for a long time.
-I'm here now Camille, I won't go anywhere. I'm sorry. And I know you did your best. Now, I'll do my best too.
Camille just nodded in agreement, a small smile showing up in her eyes, she gently embraced my hand that was cleaning her tears. How could I not fall in love with such a cute being.
-Wow, I told you to hug her, but you went well above that. Are you sure the Casanova skill is nullified?
Both me and Camille were too embarrassed to look at each other after that. I stood back up, sat down on the chair, and stuffed my face with food.
When I looked at my grandfather, his expression was softer, but I could see that his eyes were also red, this was my family, this was more than I had hoped for, he was no longer the cold grandfather I had when I was younger, and I, wasn't the same person as well. I had something to work for, people to protect, and sins to atone for.
But more than anything, I had something I had to uncover. The truth of my skill, the truth of how it works, and if I am the creator or not.
After the meal was done, Camille start cleaning the table along with the other maids. My grandfather told me to follow him to the meeting room again.
-So... Do you want to try and purify that rock? I'm still waiting for Iris to come back from the world government meeting. But I'm sure that nothing good will come from their data.
-I'll try. Somehow, I think my skill has something to do with that, but at the same time...
-You feel like it's not the same, but just similar?
-Yes, I can't tell you how, but, the feeling I get is, that this was created using something similar to my skill, but not quite the same.
-I guess we will have to trust your guts, nothing else we can do, since nothing we tried so far worked. I'll open the box, and you just try to purify it. If you cant do it in 10 minutes, I'll close the box again.