章 12: Chapter 12: Staying behind

Crystal woke up the next day and found the twins next to her in bed. She was surprised enough to put her free hand over her belly and found that it was now flat and empty. She blinked twice and stared back at her twins, sleeping so peacefully and looking so cute and at ease.

Suddenly, Crystal's eyes started to water as she had trouble breathing. She was relieved that they're alive, safe, and sound and nothing seems wrong with their tiny forms. She was very happy that she was able to nurture them inside her womb for nine months and give birth to them without any complications.

"My babies... I can now see you both... I can now touch you and stare at you two... My babies... my little treasures..." Crystal's tears pour down like an open faucet, she's was not in pain or in any discomfort, she was just so happy enough that she started to cry.

Wrapped in blue and pink bundles that helped her identify their genders. Crystal hastily wiped her tears dry and bent down to leave small and light kisses on their cheeks. Their skin was soft and they're quite chubby. Crystal, who was a first-time mother, was fascinated with her own babies. From their appearances to the volume of their hairs, to the small pebble-sized fists, and small body.

While she observed her baby in silence with a smile on her face, someone came inside the room and approached them. Crystal's fast reflexes made her lightly jump out of the bed and blocked the person from taking a step further towards the bed. She wondered if it's just her motherly instincts, or maybe because of the events that happened from that unknown village that made her uneasy and wary of the surroundings, either of the two she doesn't know the answer at the moment. When Crystal got a closer look at the other person, it was the old lady that was the owner of the house. Crystal sheepishly smiled at her before apologizing and asking her why she came inside the room.

"Oh, I was wondering if you're hungry because you didn't even get a meal or drink from last night." The old lady said and gave her a bowl of porridge. Crystal smiled and gently took the bowl of porridge, thanking her before she started to eat. The old lady started a conversation with her, and she readily replied to some of her questions. After she ate, the twins timely woke up and cried to be fed. Crystal carefully put her baby boy near her blossom and fed him first.

"Do you want to find a nanny for the twins?" The old lady asked her and she looked at the old lady's face.

"Ma'am I cannot thank you enough for letting me stay and rest inside of your home and offer food... but I do not want to stay here for that long." Crystal showed a sheepish and apologetic look on her face.

"Do not worry, I was just asking. Do not feel indebt of me and my husband. We are old, and we like children, sadly our children were already adults and went far away and haven't visited us after." The old woman said and Crystal quietly listened to her story.

"Ah! If I may ask, where are the three soldiers last night? A-Are they still here?" Crystal asked sounding hopeful, the old lady only gave her a wry smile before shaking her head no. Crystal's mood plummeted and look down with a small frown.

'I know we were not friends, but at least we were acquaintances- and we spend two weeks traveling together! How could they just leave me alone inside the old couple's home and travel back to their own homes?' Crystal felt unhappy and mad at the three soldiers.

"Do not blame them, Miss. There was a notice from the three kingdoms that they were going to dispatch another set of soldiers back from your hometown that's why they have no choice but to go back fast. They also left money for you to spend for yourself and the twins," The old lady said and Crystal was finally able to suppress the negative feeling off her chest.

"Back to my question, do you want to stay here for a while longer while at least while your babies reached one year old and you get a job?" The Old lady offered to her that made her a bit skeptical of her offer.

"Ma'am, I appreciate your offer and your god will, however, this cannot be a simple matter. I am still, an outsider here."- Crystal can't help but tell her this fact.

"I know you are weary, especially after your pregnancy. Things will be hard from here on, however, life is short, and you should get all the help that kind people give to you," The old lady said, trying to persuade her.

"Ma'am, some people may be kind but goodwill and scheme are two different things. Please do not fool me. What is it that you want?" Crystal pursed her lips and look at her with a doubtful expression.

Suddenly the old man came inside the room and asked his wife what's the matter. Crystal looked at them and saw nothing was wrong with their actions, tone, and expression.

'Was I being paranoid once again? I do not understand? Why?'

Crystal does not understand what she was feeling deep inside her that made her wary of the two elders.

"Take it easy, Miss. My wife and I are just bags of bones with nothing much left in this house. Seeing newborns just made her emotional and want to take care of them. The soldiers also compensated us to take care of you, so we weren't burdened," Crystal listened to the old man before finally understanding the old woman's intentions.

'It was because all her children are grown-ups already not always around that made him miss them. As I have thought, motherly love is the strongest love of all. And the money made them more welcoming albeit with good intentions from the soldiers,'

Crystal held the bowl on her palm tightly, her eyes looked down to her twins who were sleeping peacefully once more.

She wonders if she will be a good mother, and has to raise them alone... Will they resent her if they knew that she doesn't know who their father was?

If she wasn't able to raise them well and left astray on the path of evil- or worst, get caught in the dispute between the original's family and her twins...

Crystal shuddered at the thought as she grew pale and massaged the skin between her eyebrows from the throbbing pain.

"We will leave you here first, have some rest, and do not leave your children's side, they are quite fussy when after being born." The old lady said to her and close the door of the room.

Crystal slowly collected all her scattered thoughts and put the empty bowl on the side table before she sat back down on the bed and lightly caressed the twin's soft cheeks.

'I have nothing right now, the things I earned from that town, I left it all behind in fear of being tracked or cursed. With the money that the three soldiers left, I wonder if I will be able to start working?'

"Twins... I think I have to go to one of the human kingdoms and get registered as a mercenary..." Crystal frowned at her own thoughts and immediately crossed that out. What if when the twins grow up, they will be labeled as the Mercenary's children?

It sounds so poor and they might get bullied if they were perceived as foreigners.

"What about as a civilian? Aish!" Crystal also crosses that out and shook her head twice, if she registered into one of the three human kingdoms, they immediately she will be labeled as a commoner. Although it's fine for her to be a commoner, she never wanted the twins to be slighted because of a mere social status.

"Besides, my twins are brilliant beings, being tied to such a low status will earn more hate than adoration around them."

Crystal sighed and laid back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, she wanted to do things for the future of her twins, however, she still lacks common knowledge and the history of this world and the original's body.

After that certain event, no new memories were given or triggered for her to retrieve so she was basically helpless from this point on.

"I need to go outside..." Crystal said in a hesitant voice before looking back at her twins, immediately regretting her words.

'Stupid Crystal! You just gave birth last night, and all you can think of is money to spend for the twins! Wake up! They're only a day old, what are you thinking?!' Crystal gritted her teeth and knocked her head with her fist for being too absorbed in the future and not living in the present.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry twins." Crystal bent down to gently kiss their foreheads before she settles back on her lying posture.

'Focus on the twins for half a year, then I will go and be an adventurer under an alias so that I can earn money without affecting the twins' future status.' Crystal nodded at this plan before she turned and stared lovingly at the twins.

"The future is still far ahead of us, but do not worry, dear twins, I will make sure that the two of you will have a good and happy future," Crystal told the two of them with a smile on her face.