Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

Adrian walked forward and put his hand on Lia’s shoulder—which was somewhat of a challenge because of the difference in height between them due to their age difference.

He tried shaking her, tried pulling on her clothes, and even punched her a few times on the back.

But nothing worked. It felt as though she were a giant rock that he couldn’t move even an inch from its place. This was the same experience he had when he tried interacting with a living being here.

The only exception was The Fake.

’It really is just as I guessed.’

She was not special in any way, like The Fake. On the way, he had been trying to talk to her, but she couldn’t hear him.

This gave more weight to Adrian’s hypothesis.

’It can’t be a coincidence.’

Seeing this girl die and then him being reincarnated in another world for no apparent reason, then seeing her again and the pull confusing her for The Fake.

’There is most likely some connection.’

If this girl really had something to do with his reincarnation, this was an opportunity for him.

Opportunity to possibly find the truth about his rebirth.

With that thought in mind, Adrian sharpened his focus and followed behind her.

Lia took a transit bus, sitting in the seat by the window near the front.

Adrian noticed several passengers taking glances at her from time to time. Well, it was understandable. On top of being beautiful, the girl’s features made her stand out in the crowd.

Her deep, golden hair was distinct from the black or brown hair most people in the country had. Her golden eyes had a quality to them that made them appear as if they were glowing subtly.

Soon, the girl got off at one of the stops and entered a lane after walking a few hundred steps.

After walking a bit more, she arrived and stood in front of what appeared to be a diner. There was even a board hanging above.

Adrian tilted his head.

’What’s she doing here?’

Seeing as she had left the school early, he thought that it was because she attended some sort of extracurricular classes. He had expected her to go home to change out of her school uniform and then leave for the classes.

But for her to arrive at a diner...

’Is she hungry? No, she could’ve eaten at home. Maybe both her parents work, so there is nobody at home to cook for her?’

But all his assumptions turned out to be wrong.

Because the girl entered the diner, nodded at the middle-aged man at the counter, and entered the kitchen. A middle-aged woman wearing glasses was working inside. As soon as she saw Lia, she briefly frowned, then pointed at a basket full of potatoes.

"Finally here, huh? Chop all those potatoes into finer bits for fries."

Lia nodded and rolled up her sleeve.

"I will have it done in half an hour."

The woman turned away and continued what she was doing. They both worked in silence as Lia quietly chopped the potatoes with practiced efficiency.

After around twenty minutes...

"Ma’am, I have chopped them all."

The woman looked at the chopped bits, observing them for a few moments. She then nodded and pointed at another vegetable.

"It’s good enough; do those now."

Just like that, a few hours passed as Lia continued doing one task in the kitchen after another. It was now evening, with the sky slowly turning dark.

"Ma’am, I’m finished with this too."

The woman looked at the peeled vegetables and nodded.

"Yeah, it’s fine. You can go home now, girl."

But Lia didn’t move, standing where she was. Seeing as she wasn’t leaving, the middle-aged woman asked as she looked over her shoulder.

"What is it?"

Lia didn’t reply instantly. She lowered her gaze to the floor and spoke in a low voice.

"I was hoping I could receive this month’s payment in advance. There are only a few days left for the month-end, and I am in a bit of need for some cash."

The woman paused and stared at her, causing Lia to lower her gaze even further. But soon, the woman walked away with a sigh.

"Wait here. I’ll bring it for you."

Looking at all this, Adrian’s brows furrowed.

’So it’s what I thought.’

Initially, he had thought that this might’ve been her home and that she was helping her parents run the diner. Though seeing as how the girl was addressing the woman formally, that didn’t seem to be the case.

’She is working here part-time? But isn’t she a minor?’

It was illegal for minors to work, and those who employed them could get into serious legal trouble.

Just then, he heard the woman speaking something outside. But he couldn’t make out what she was saying. Walking as far as the pull allowed, Adrian tried listening in on their conversation.

"The girl is asking for her payment for this month."

He didn’t hear a reply. All he could make out was the sound of drawers being slid open and then shut.

Then the man’s voice came.

"Here, give it to her."

He didn’t hear any reply for a while; then the man spoke again.

"Why are you looking at me like that, dear?"

The woman replied, and her voice sounded different. It sounded frustrated.

"This is the last month that girl will be working here. I can’t take risks any longer. Besides, I can already do all the work on my own, so we never needed her."

There was a brief silence, then the man replied, sounding a bit vague and nonchalant.

"More hands can be very helpful when there is a crowd here, and we are pressed for time."

BANG!

He heard a loud sound, as though someone had banged on a table. Then the woman spoke with a voice that was a bit louder than before.

"A crowd? We barely get customers here. We are struggling ourselves, and you just have to be a saint and do charity for strangers. Ugh, I’m so sick of it!"

Moments later, the woman returned and handed Lia an envelope, which likely contained the money.

"Here, take this. Now go home."

Lia offered her a bow.

"Thank you, ma’am."

Her voice didn’t sound thankful at all, for some reason. No, they didn’t sound like anything. They were plain and formal, as if spoken for the sake of it.

With that, the girl left the diner and walked ahead on the same lane. After about twenty minutes of walking, she stopped in front of a two-story building.

Taking out the keys from her bag, she opened the door and stepped inside. Adrian followed behind her, inspecting the house carefully.

The floors looked dusty, and there were even a few spider webs at the corners of the ceiling. It looked as though nobody had taken care of it for quite some time.

Adrian furrowed his brow.

’Does nobody live here?’