I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 190: Misplaced Assumptions

Theo opens his eyes and blinks a few times.

For some reason, he feels uneasy.

Did I have a nightmare? Why can’t I remember?

He gets up, walks to the window, and pulls the curtain open.

Sunlight pours in, lighting up the dark room.

Theo closes his eyes, letting the warmth rest on his face.

The uneasiness doesn’t fade.

His Resya chirps softly, vibrating against his wrist.

Theo flicks his fingers, and a hologram interface appears in front of him.

A notification from Arthur.

Today’s schedule:

Breakfast.

Briefing.

Free time.

Training.

Dinner.

Rest.

And a message beneath it:

"I’m trying a new feature in the Resya: calendar. This will mostly be used by Claudia. We’ll just need to read it and follow it. See you at breakfast."

Theo checks the time.

Twenty minutes before breakfast.

He exhales quietly, pushing the unease aside for now, and heads to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

------------------------------

When Theo arrives at the dining area, the rest of the Rhaenas are already there, chatting noisily. But no one is eating.

Theo realizes they’re waiting for him.

Warmth fills his chest, and the uneasiness from earlier finally melts away.

"Good morning, Thea." Claudia smiles at him.

Theo smiles back. "Good morning, Claudia. Good morning, everyone."

He joins them, greetings exchanged all around.

"You’re here early," Theo says to Claudia.

"Yeah. Arthur texted me that we’ll have a briefing after breakfast. I figured having breakfast here wouldn’t be so bad either, so here I am."

"What is this briefing about, Art?" Julian asks, his mouth full.

Arthur looks at him like he’s five. "Don’t talk with your mouth full."

He then turns to address everyone.

"I want us to be disciplined. That’s how great teams stay great. We’ll do a briefing every day after breakfast. Even if it’s just telling each other how we slept. I want us to stay updated with one another."

When his teammates look unsure, Arthur adds, "I’ll finish my breakfast first. While you guys eat, I’ll explain what I mean."

Five minutes later, Arthur wipes his mouth with a disposable napkin and begins.

"What I meant earlier is this: we need to keep communication open. Between us. As much as possible, no secrets. Because secrets slowly poison a team."

He pauses briefly.

"I’m not saying you can’t have secrets at all. Of course you can. But try to share. If you’re uncomfortable sharing with everyone, share with just one person. Don’t bottle it up alone."

He continues, calm and firm.

"This morning briefing will be for discussing our schedule for the day, or what happened the day before. A review, basically."

Arthur glances around.

"And if you’re wondering why we review in the morning, not at night when memories are still fresh—"

"My answer is this: yes, memories are fresh at night. But they’re often inaccurate. Because they’re mixed with fresh emotions."

He pauses again, meeting their eyes one by one.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

People nod silently.

"Okay. I have a few updates," Arthur continues.

"After this, I’m going with Maeve to meet the client. They called several times yesterday and left a bunch of messages. That tells me they’re desperate. For what and why, I don’t know yet."

He glances around the table.

"For the rest of you, it’s free time."

"Then we’ll have lunch," he adds.

"And after that, we’ll go see Captain Chambers together. They want to see all of us regarding what happened yesterday."

"I’ll come with you to see Captain Chambers," Claudia chimes in immediately.

"I need to make sure he gives you that recommendation letter he owes us." Her eyes twinkle.

Everyone nods.

Arthur leans back slightly.

"Now, if there’s nothing else," he says, his tone shifting,

"I need to know what really happened in the dungeon."

He looks at them one by one.

"I don’t want the public version. I want the raw version."

------------------------------

"Arthur, our meeting with my teacher is not for another ninety minutes, but there’s something I need to talk to him about. So, I’ll be leaving first. We’ll meet there later, okay?" Maeve says. She’s already fully dressed, her bag slung over her shoulder, fingers resting on the door handle.

Arthur looks up from his laptop. He studies her face for a second longer than necessary. There’s something tight there. He closes his laptop.

"Maeve, wait." He gets up. "Let’s leave together. You can go see Mr. Ludwig first, and I’ll wait at the café nearby. I’ll work while waiting."

Maeve pauses. Just for a heartbeat. Her fingers loosen from the handle.

"You don’t have to—"

"I know." Arthur cuts in gently. "But I want to."

For some reason he can’t quite explain, he feels like Maeve shouldn’t be alone for this. Whatever this is.

Maeve looks at him, really looks at him. Then she nods.

"...Thank you," she whispers.

------------------------------

"Maeve! Oh, thank God you’re okay!"

Jonathan rushes toward her the moment she steps into the Custodians’ office. His relief is raw, unfiltered. His arms are already opening for an embrace before Maeve can react.

She takes a step back.

The motion is small. Instinctive. But it might as well have been a slap.

Jonathan freezes mid-gesture, arms half-raised, expression locked somewhere between disbelief and hurt. The surroundings seem to go quiet.

Jonathan’s raised voice draws Victor’s attention. He looks up from across the room, sees the scene, and his heart drops straight to his stomach.

I was right.

Oh my God. I was right.

He hesitates. This should be private. He knows it should. But panic crawls up his spine faster than reason can stop it.

Jonathan slowly lowers his arms. His eyes never leave Maeve.

"...Maeve?" he asks softly, like he’s afraid she’ll disappear if he speaks too loudly.

"Teacher," Maeve says carefully. "There’s something I’d like to say to you."

"Maeve! Don’t abandon us!"

Victor’s voice cuts through the space as he rushes forward, all composure gone.

The words catch Maeve off guard, she blinks and turns toward him. "Huh?"

"Yes—yes, Maeve, please." Jonathan suddenly grabs her hands, holding them tight, as if anchoring her there. "Don’t do this."

Victor reaches them, breathing hard, sweat beading on his forehead. His usually calm face is pale.

"Maeve, please," he says, voice breaking despite himself. "Please reconsider. Jonathan raised you. We taught you everything you know. You don’t understand how cruel the outside world can be."

He gestures vaguely, like the danger is everywhere.

"We only want to protect you. Nothing more. That’s all we ever wanted."

He pauses, bent slightly forward, catching his breath.

"Please... please reconsider."

Jonathan nods along with every word, grip tightening unconsciously around Maeve’s hands, his eyes searching her face for reassurance that isn’t there.

Maeve doesn’t pull away.

She doesn’t speak either.

She’s too busy trying to understand what they think she’s done.

Victor watches her silence and misreads it completely. His shoulders slump.

"Maeve," he starts again, softer now, resigned. "If you really insist on staying with Arthur..."

Maeve’s eyes widen.

"...then please don’t forget us," Victor continues. "After all, we are your family. Forever, Maeve."

Jonathan nods fervently.

"And— and please don’t quit being an Apprentice," Victor adds hastily. "And this... this deal with Arthur and his team. You’re part of it, right? Please don’t cancel it."

The words tumble over each other, tangled with fear and assumption.

Maeve’s head is spinning now.

Staying with Arthur?

Quit being an Apprentice?

Cancel the deal?

She feels like she walked into the middle of a conversation she was never part of.

"Maeve," Jonathan says again, gently shaking her hands. "Please... say something."