Shades of the New World

Chapter 216: Reformed children

'Guess she's just joking,' Evin thought a bit later and didn't take the comment to heart.

But inevitably, his mind was pulled towards the topic again.

'But to be honest Even if I date someone that's 20 or something, I'll still look like a goddamn child molester considering my age No-no-no, that's fucking stupid. The whole reason why pedophilia is illegal is because it's a goddamn physiological problem But it also doesn't feel right even if the two sides are children... which is why me dating someone my physical age is considered a scandal'

'I guess it's also a mental problem since there are cases of young children becoming engaged because of their parents and at the end of the day, those children don't really understant what it means to get married and have children together. They only start realizing the weight of it when they turn into teenagers Though, I guess mage children would start thinking about it a bit earlier, because they're just smarter. I mean, I'm sure Bella knows what those things mean,' Evin thought with a frown.

'And at the end of the day, even if she likes me now, she'll realize that it's just a random crush when she becomes a teenager. Obviously, if she somehow turns obsessive like Four, then we might have some problems'

'But to be honest, Four really isn't that obsessive. She said she wanted my heart and started digging through my flesh for only once and afterwards she just became aggressive, so I can't just label her as a yandere yet. After all, people act weirdly all the time. Even if she was serious I don't think a relationship between me and Four would work out, since she usually borrows Twelve's body,' Evin pondered, his hands on his chin.

'So if I somehow romance Twelve, I guess I just get the whole package?' Evin frowned again.

'What the fuck am I thinking about?' Evin shook his head and focused on the food. 

There was literally zero reason for him to be worrying about this. Evin was still seven for god's sake, he should be calling out others pedophiles for trying to make him date someone. 

'You goddamn pedo!' Evin shouted at Lana in his head.

The woman herself didn't seem to mind the fact that she ruined Evin's mental state and was just sitting silently with a satisfied smile on her face, watching Evin's expression change every so often.

The silence ensued for a few minutes before the door to the dining hall opened and the Earl walked in alongside his daughters. 

There was another old man dressed in a butler's clothing behind them, a stern look on his face as he glanced at the table and the maids around. Behind him a group of servants were carrying a tray filled with food, served on silver plates. 

"Oh, Evin! Didn't expect to see you so soon! Hmm? Were you always this big? Or has it been so long already?" Velpin laughed loudly as he sized Evin up.

The three girls also seemed surprised to see Evin grown so big in such a short time.

"Ah, some stuff happened in the North and I aged a bit. Though thanks to that, I can properly rely on my body now, so all's well that ends well, I suppose," Evin said smilingly as he got up to bow to the Earl alongside the other three mages.

"Is that so? Really, the world must seem so different to you mages. Every day I get surprised by one thing or another that Bella manages to achieve. Truly, I never thought I would feel happy for the existence of Oaths, ahaha," Velpin laughed and casually gestured everyone to sit.

Bella sat left of the Earl and next to Lana, while the two other sisters sat opposite of her. 

"I'm also surprised by all the things I learn these days" Evin replied idly, but his attention was on the Earl's daughters.

He noticed how Bella seemed to smile almost mockingly at her father's praise, a clear change from how she used to simply ignore him most of the time. The other two sisters also seemed to show some hostility towards their father, while before, they would just be looking at Bella with a veiled hate and pity.

'What happened here?' Evin thought curiously, his lips almost unconsciously curling into a smile. 

The lunch went on, with Velpin endlessly droning off about one topic or another, though for some reason, never asking why Evin came to visit him. 

'Guess I should've brought someone else along, to keep the Earl occupied But I really don't know who it should be,' Evin was a bit annoyed, since he had to constantly dedicate a part of his attention to the Earl's speech. No one else seemed to be willing to talk to the Earl, as everyone was whispering to each other in their little groups: Lana was bothering Bella, while Olevyn and Arelyn were speaking to each other. 

Although Evin was busy entertaining the Earl, he was still more focused on the others, especially Bella, who was acting like a bird that was freed from her cage.

The previously docile and quiet Bella, who was never allowed to do anything outlandish or wrong was gone, and was replaced by a girl who was much more carefree and casual. In the past, the girl would be sitting behind the table with a stiff back, her every move carefully planned and trained. But now, she sat with an almost unconcerned expression on her chair, sighing exaggeratedly at whatever Lana was saying to the girl with a grin.

And although she acted annoyed by the woman, Evin could see her hiding a smile behind her eyes, the edge of her mouth twitching to hide the fact that she was holding back a laughter.

But Evin couldn't help but feel that there was something sinister hidden behind her joyful smile. Evin could sometimes see a hint of sadism, or a tinge of viciousness flash past her eyes, as she occasionally glanced towards her sisters.

'Perhaps it's the earlier signs of sadistic psychopathy? After all, there's no need for her to pretend anymore and she can finally express herself freely without worrying about what others think of her,' Evin thought idly and then looked at the elder sisters.

Olevyn was still as passive as before, idly nodding along to whatever Arelyn said to her. She ate mostly in silence, her small frame seeming even smaller compared to normal, with how tensely she held her whole body together. When her gaze accidently fell on the little girl sitting across her, she would hurriedly retract her eyes, a glint of fear briefly flashing through them. She would then look at Arelyn with a tinge of pity, a small sigh escaping her mouth occasionally.

However, the biggest change had undoubtedly occurred to Arelyn. She was much more composed and much more proper compared to before, where she almost sat in front the table like she was cosplaying some sort of handbook arrogant young lady of a house. 

She seemed to be really trying hard to have a proper posture and follow the general rules of etiquette the nobility here had. Evin didn't know what kind of rules they abided by here, but he definitely knew that they followed something here. But etiquette aside, what was more important was how she interacted with the young mage of the household.

Every time Bella moved even a little bit sharply at the corner of her vision, her body would flinch without her control and her head would slowly turn towards the young girl, a look of panic appearing on her expression. Though her eyes never dared to look at her sister directly, Arelyn took note of whatever Bella was doing and return to whatever she was doing after nodding slightly to herself. 

But compared to Olevyn who was only fearful and passive, there was a certain resolve in Arelyn's eyes when she was looked at Bellaslayn's direction. It almost seemed like she was resolved to get over a trauma, killing every little bit of fear she experienced in the process.