I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 143: Under the Spotlight

Arthur ended the call and turned around, only to be slightly startled to see Jessica still sitting in the chair not far from him, her face pale.

He blinked once and forced himself to calm down. Ever since he had identified fire as his resonance, his temper had been quicker to rise.

Jessica was shocked, completely so.

She had heard everything Arthur said.

At first, she had thought Arthur and Sam were putting on an act.

But the horrific site, the shortage of doctors, and the political consequences were real. She knew they were. There was no way Arthur and Sam could have arranged something like that merely to counter her article.

Seeing that Jessica didn’t react, Arthur took a cautious step toward her.

"Ms. Kwan."

Jessica startled so badly she jumped in her chair. Arthur immediately took two steps back.

"Hey, it’s okay, Ms. Kwan. It’s okay," Arthur said quickly, his voice gentler now. He raised both hands, palms open, in a calming gesture.

Jessica’s attention snapped back to him.

"It’s alright," Arthur continued carefully. "I’m not angry at you."

He paused, choosing his words. "I’m sorry if I came across that way. I’m angry at the situation, not at you."

Jessica stared at the now-transparent glass wall, but the horrific image of that pile of... something was forever etched into her mind. Her gaze drifted to the thick folder resting on the table.

The confident reporter was gone.

Her hands trembled slightly in her lap.

When she finally spoke, her voice was small, almost childlike.

"Even if the damning article was written by me?"

"Yes. Even if you wrote the article," Arthur said, nodding once. "It’s unfortunate, but that article would still exist even if it hadn’t been you."

"Why?" Jessica asked. She sounded small now, almost childlike. None of this was what she had intended. She had truly believed she was helping the families of the missing people.

"Because the real culprit’s target is me," Arthur explained, his tone steady. "If you hadn’t been chosen, he would have used someone else."

Jessica fell into silence.

When Arthur saw that she was no longer afraid, he straightened and said, "I apologize, but there are urgent matters I need to attend to immediately. If you don’t mind, Ms. Kwan, we’ll speak again another time."

He was ready to dismiss her then and there. He would rather deal with pressing matters than continue playing verbal chess with a reporter.

Jessica didn’t react right away.

She sat quietly, but she wasn’t doing nothing. Her mind was racing, processing everything she had just learned.

When she finally looked up at Arthur, her eyes were clear. Sharp.

"I was used by someone else?" she asked. A flash of anger crossed her gaze.

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"And that was the end of Arthur’s story," Julian says with a grin. Theo, sitting beside him, is grinning as well.

Theo adds, "That was about a week ago."

Leila sighs. "I am so proud of my firstborn. But sometimes, he really shouldn’t hide things from us. We are his family."

Julian shrugs. "He said it was a surprise."

Leila chuckles. "And you two just believe your older brother like that?"

Theo tilts his head. "Of course. He’s our older brother. If we can’t trust him, who else can we trust?"

Julian nods slowly. Then both he and Theo laugh.

Leila laughs too. She is simply happy that her children are safe and actively working together toward something they all believe in.

The aftermath of Mt. Helene is far from over.

Based on their stories, there are still many things they need to do.

One of those things reminds Leila of something else.

"Thea, don’t forget. Today you’re coming with me to buy your Halloween party dress."

Theo blinks at her.

"Mother, Halloween is still several weeks away. And you said party dress, but don’t you mean costume?"

Theo has never experienced Halloween before. There wasn’t a similar tradition in Caelthorn. How could there be? Life there revolved around war and conquest.

Se, he is very much looking forward to this Halloween celebration.

But now he is being told he has to wear a dress?

"Yes, Thea. Halloween is when you wear a costume," Leila says calmly. "But I’m talking about the Halloween masquerade ball in Solarys that you’ll be attending with Arthur and Julian. Don’t make me regret giving you permission to go."

Theo gets up abruptly.

"Let’s go buy that dress."

A beat.

Leila and Julian both burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs as tears stream from their eyes. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

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A few hours later, Leila and Theo are in the largest shopping arcade in Arvion. Just the two of them. No bodyguards in sight.

Leila still can’t quite believe that Arthur would allow his little sister to go shopping without anyone accompanying her. It’s a huge step for Arthur. Part of her had half expected her firstborn to insist on sending someone anyway, but to her surprise, he didn’t.

He only nodded and agreed that it was fine for Thea to go alone.

Leila and Theo are in the middle of a very late lunch when Theo’s phone vibrates.

It’s a message from Julian.

Hey, if there’s a TV around you, turn it on. Any channel. Or just search in your browser: Live, from Arvion Dungeon Emergency Unit Hearing Room. It’s Arthur.

Theo frowns as he reads the message and immediately looks around for a television.

Leila notices his expression. "What is it?"

"Julian says we need to watch TV," Theo replies, already scanning the room. "Arthur is there. Live from the Arvion Dungeon Emergency Unit Hearing Room."

He doesn’t have to look far.

The lunch place has a television mounted on the wall, and the regular program is already being interrupted by a live broadcast.

Theo heads straight to the bar and asks the staff to turn up the volume.

"We apologize for interrupting your regular program," the anchor says. "This is breaking news. We have a field reporter currently inside the Arvion Dungeon Emergency Unit. At the moment, the studio does not yet have full details, so let’s go directly to our reporter on site. Kate, are you there? Can you hear us?"

The screen shifts to the field reporter.

Kate stands inside a room that resembles a courtroom, though the audience space is much larger. Reporters from various media outlets fill the room, many of them already preparing to begin their own live broadcasts.