BRAND NEW WORLD

Chapter 69: The Day We Became a New Family Again

The creaking sound of the back door echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention toward it.

Two figures stepped inside.

A pair of silver-haired elves—Radhimar and Rania.

The moment they entered, their gazes locked onto the blonde elf sitting at the dining table beside me—Ringgamana.

Their bodies stiffened.

Their eyes widened.

Sweat formed on their foreheads.

"Lun... are they...?" Ringga’s voice echoed in my mind.

"Yes... They are our ’children.’ The boy is Radhimar, and the girl is Rania."

Moments later, a dwarf entered behind them—and froze just the same.

"This one too?" Ringga asked.

"He’s the youngest. His name is Bartasz."

"A... father?" Rania murmured, her voice trembling.

"Fa...ther...?" Radhimar echoed, his voice barely audible.

"Lun... what should I do?" Ringga asked nervously.

"Just play along," I replied through telepathy. "They don’t know they’re NPCs. So just act your role, okay?"

"...Alright."

Ringga stood up from his seat.

Then—

"Come here, my dear children... I am your father," he said, opening his arms wide.

I immediately let out a long sigh and slapped my forehead.

"You idiot! They already know you’re their father! You’re supposed to say something like ’I’m home!’ or ’Father has returned!’ or even ’You’ve grown so much!’—but with proper emotion!"

"Ah... really?" Ringga scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry..."

He straightened his posture.

His expression turned serious.

Then he looked at the three of them—

"...Father has returned."

"...This... can’t be..." Radhimar whispered, stepping back slightly, his hands trembling.

The moment those words left Ringga’s lips—

tears began to fall.

Rania and Radhimar ran forward, throwing themselves into his embrace.

Bartasz remained where he stood at first, watching his siblings cry in their father’s arms.

Gently, Ringga placed his hands on their heads and stroked them.

Then he looked at Bartasz—

and beckoned him closer.

Hesitantly, shyly—

Bartasz stepped forward and joined the embrace.

The four of them stood there together.

A family reunited after centuries apart.

My vision blurred.

Tears slipped down my cheeks without me realizing.

Behind us, Lusserina, Abiyasa, and Anandita had all stopped what they were doing, quietly watching the scene.

Even they were moved.

Only Lusserina managed to keep her composure, though her eyes softened.

After a while, Rima quietly returned and sat beside me.

"Mom... why are they crying while hugging Uncle Ringga?" Daisy asked, her face filled with confusion.

"That’s because... they haven’t seen each other for a very, very long time," I replied softly.

"...Then why are they calling him ’father’?" Daisy asked again.

"Errm... that’s because—"

Ah, how do I even explain this!?

"It’s because Uncle Ringga is their father," Rima answered calmly, cutting in beside me.

"Father...?" Daisy murmured.

"...Does that mean he’s my father too?"

"Yes," Rima replied with a smile. "You can call him father, too."

Daisy glanced at me, silently asking for confirmation.

I smiled.

And nodded.

The moment she received her answer—

She hugged me tightly, smiling happily.

"She seems happy," Rima whispered. "She’s asked Lusserina and me about fathers before... about Ringga."

"...I see."

Back in the game, Ringga and I were always together.

Because of that, people often assumed we were a couple.

I never cared about it.

In truth—

We were just friends.

But now...

in this world—

Were we husband and wife?

What... is actually happening?

Still...

Seeing Daisy’s smile—

I couldn’t bring myself to take that away from her.

...It looks like I’ll have to keep playing this role.

• •

After some time, they finally let go of their embrace.

Lusserina, Abiyasa, and Anandita returned to preparing dinner.

Radhimar, Rania, and Bartasz sat beside Ringga, talking endlessly—trying to fill the centuries they had lost.

Time passed quickly as we listened to their conversation.

Soon, dinner was ready.

The food was served across the table.

And just like that—

We shared a meal.

As one complete family.

• •

After dinner, the conversation continued.

Laughter and smiles filled the room.

Daisy, who had been shy at first, eventually joined in after being encouraged by Rania.

...They really did miss having a father.

Before long, Daisy began to grow sleepy.

I was about to take her to bed—

But Rima insisted on doing it instead.

"I’ll take her. You stay here," she said.

And so—

not wanting to interrupt the moment between Ringga and the others—

I decided to step outside for some fresh air.

• •

I stood on the balcony.

The night air was cold, brushing gently against my skin.

But the darkness wasn’t overwhelming.

Fireflies flickered softly.

The moonlight reflected across the lake, illuminating the surroundings with a calm, silvery glow.

...This house is getting crowded.

Maybe we need renovations.

Or... a bigger house.

So many things have happened since I arrived in this world.

For some reason—

I can barely remember my life before coming here.

And yet—

Sometimes, fragments of those memories resurface without warning.

It’s one of many mysteries I still don’t understand.

At first, I thought I would find answers.

But instead—

I only found more questions.

Questions like—

Can I return to my old life?

How would I even go back?

And if I can’t... what should I do in this world?

For the first two—

I still have no answers.

But for the last one...

...I think I do.

Just like when it was still a game—

I love this world.

I love exploring it.

In fact—

I feel more alive here than I ever did in the real world.

Here, I can move freely.

See things I’ve never seen before.

And most importantly—

I have a family.

A family that cares about me.

There’s one more mystery—

For some reason...

I feel like I’ve lived here my entire life.

...As for the children...

I feel guilty for lying to them.

But even if I told them the truth—

They wouldn’t understand.

...and this is for the best.

Right?

"...So you’re here."

I turned.

Ringga had stepped onto the balcony.

"Oh? Finished talking already?" I teased.

He sighed.

"Yeah... I can’t believe they didn’t run out of things to say."

"They’ve probably been holding all that longing for over two hundred years."

"If I hadn’t stopped them, they’d probably keep going until morning."

I laughed.

He laughed too.

Then—

silence.

We stood side by side, watching the moonlight dance across Lake Dewata.

• •

Eventually, we returned to the room.

But when I saw the bed—

I froze.

"...Lun? What’s wrong?" Ringga asked.

"Ah—nothing!"

But inside—

I was panicking.

Wait...

Do I have to sleep in the same bed as him!?

Just thinking about it made my heart race.

"S-Since we’re just acting... You sleep on the floor. I’ll take the bed."

Ringga raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I do that? We’re husband and wife. It’s only natural we sleep together," he said with a sly grin.

Then—

He jumped onto the bed.

"Hey!" I shouted—before quickly covering my mouth.

"If you’re too loud, they’ll hear," he teased.

"F-Fine! I’ll sleep on the sofa!"

I turned—

but suddenly—

He grabbed me.

THUD!

I fell onto the bed.

His hands pinned mine down.

His face was just inches away from mine.

I could feel his breath.

I could hear his heartbeat.

W-What is he doing!?

I-Is he going to kiss me!?

...and why is he so strong!?

"Don’t bother resisting," he said calmly.

"Our STR stats are on completely different levels."

Slowly—

He leaned closer.

Instinctively, I turned my face away.

He smirked.

Then leaned in even closer.

My heart pounded wildly.

"...Wait."

I suddenly remembered something.

I turned back.

Our lips were only a breath apart.

"I may lose in physical strength," I said with a sly smile,

"But you forgot something."

"I’m stronger in magic."

"...Especially curses."

His eyes widened instantly.

He immediately let go and backed away.

"Please—anything but that," he said, raising both hands.

His face had gone pale.

...Thank goodness I remembered.

Otherwise—

Who knows what would’ve happened?

After that—

Silence filled the room.

An awkward silence.

"...Fine," I said.

"You can sleep on the bed. But don’t cross this line, understood?"

I placed a pillow between us as a barrier.

"Yesss!" he cheered—only to stop when I raised a finger.

He forced a bitter smile.

And just like that—

We lie down.

The Next Morning

I woke up early and headed downstairs.

Rima and the maids were already there.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Madam!" Lusserina, Abiyasa, and Anandita replied.

"Morning, Lun!" Rima added.

I sat beside her.

She looked at me—

then burst out laughing.

Soon after, Ringga came down and sat beside me.

Rima laughed even harder.

"HAHAHAHA!"

"What? What’s so funny?"

I turned to look at Ringga—

and immediately wanted to laugh too.

He looked back at me—

and burst out laughing as well.

We both laughed at the same time.

Then—

I grabbed a mirror.

...Oh.

Dark circles.

A zombie face.

So that’s why she was laughing!?

"Madam, this may help," Lusserina said, bringing sliced potatoes and cucumbers.

"Oh, thank you!"

I placed them over my eyes and leaned back.

"Hey! I want some too!" Ringga said, copying me.

Soon, the others came down.

Daisy climbed onto my lap sleepily.

"Mom... you have potatoes on your eyes," she said innocently.

Everyone laughed again.

And just like that—

We shared breakfast.

As one family.