I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 248: Normal? Not

"Lunch is ready!"

"Woohoo, finally!"

"I thought I’d die if I had to wait any longer."

"Oh my God, the smell is amazing. And seeing the dish itself? It’s amazing!"

Julian, Liam, and Claudia noisily file into the kitchen and take their seats at the dining table.

"Maeve, this is too much," Liam says, though he is grinning widely, already reaching for a spoon.

Maeve laughs. "That’s what you said last night about the pasta, but you finished the leftovers."

Claudia smacks her brother lightly on the back. "You need to stop eating so much. You’re on a break. You’re not even exercising. What happens if you get fat? I don’t think you can clear dungeons anymore."

Everyone freezes.

Cutlery clatters awkwardly against plates. It is subtle. Brief. So brief that it could be dismissed as nothing.

The pause lasts only a few seconds before they resume moving.

Conversation returns. Casual. Forcedly normal.

Claudia frowns.

She is sure she saw them freeze.

But it was over in a flash.

Maybe she imagined it.

Claudia is not the type to imagine things. Still, without proof, she cannot call it out.

Instead, she glances around and asks lightly, "Where’s Arthur and Thea? Are they in their rooms? Shouldn’t we call them for lunch?"

Before anyone can answer, the sound of the apartment door opening echoes from the entrance.

Arthur and Theo step inside, greeted immediately by loud cheers and exaggerated complaints.

Arthur helps Theo take off his outer coat and hangs it neatly in the wardrobe by the door.

Theo returns the greeting, clearly pleased to be home in time.

"Oh, good. I’m not late yet. I was hurrying Arthur all the way back. I really didn’t want to miss Maeve’s curry."

He kicks off his shoes, slips into his indoor slippers, and makes a beeline for the dining table, abandoning Arthur with the coat and shoes.

Arthur only chuckles softly and finishes tidying everything with practiced ease, placing each item exactly where it belongs, as if he has done it a thousand times before.

He quickly follows after Theo. He does not want to be late for lunch either.

Everyone is already seated. A plate of rice and chicken curry sits in front of each of them, steam rising gently. The aroma fills the apartment, warm and inviting.

They are eager to start.

But they wait.

Maeve is still at the stove, scooping rice and ladling curry onto her own plate. She always does this. She makes sure everyone else is served first. She checks portions. Makes sure no one is lacking.

Only after she is satisfied does she finally take her seat.

She glances around at the table, a quiet smile on her face.

"Let’s eat."

And she digs in.

Only then do the others begin.

"Oh my God, Maeve!" Claudia exclaims after the first spoonful.

Her eyes widen dramatically.

"This is amazing. No, this is beyond amazing. This is the best chicken curry I’ve ever had."

Maeve nods, pleased. "Thank you, Claudia. I really appreciate it. I know you’ve eaten a lot of different curries. I’m flattered."

Claudia swallows quickly and shakes her head. "I’m not just saying it, Maeve. I don’t sugarcoat."

Liam cuts in without looking up, already scooping another mouthful. "She really doesn’t."

He resumes eating with full focus.

"This," Claudia says, pointing at her plate with her spoon, "has officially ruined my taste buds for curry. From now on, I will expect nothing less than this."

"Wow, Maeve. Just wow."

Maeve smiles again, visibly happy that her cooking is being appreciated so openly.

Julian turns to Arthur. "So. How did it go?"

Claudia perks up. "Yeah. Where did the two of you go?"

Arthur chews calmly. He lifts one finger, signaling them to wait while he swallows properly.

After a moment, he sets his spoon down.

"We went to see Chief Lutherford. Well, Thea wanted to. I just accompanied her." He pauses slightly. "And to answer your question, Jules, it was... interesting."

The atmosphere shifts.

The topic has clearly changed.

Everyone is now watching Arthur.

Waiting.

Arthur glances around at the eager faces and chuckles softly.

"Guys, let me enjoy my lunch first. I’ll tell you everything after I’m finished. Okay?"

"Okay," they reply in unison. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

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A good thirty minutes later, everyone has moved to the living room.

They settle into their usual spots comfortably.

Theo sits quietly on the arm of the sofa, licking his ice cream with small, absent motions.

All eyes turn to Arthur.

He leans back, stretches slightly, then exhales.

"To make everything clear," Arthur begins, glancing around at each of them, "we need to go back to this morning."

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Theo’s phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen and saw a message from Captain Chambers. The captain had been messaging him regularly that past week, updating him on the victims whenever there was news and on Chief Lutherford’s condition.

Among everyone who had heard about the chief’s indefinite leave, Captain Chambers had reacted the strongest.

He had protested the loudest.

But the higher ups had already made their decision. There had been no room for negotiation. In the end, he had no choice but to obey.

Even so, he had continued to check on Chief Lutherford’s condition whenever he could. Not only out of duty, but because he genuinely wanted her back in her position, steady and decisive, so he could return to being just a captain instead of carrying responsibilities that were never meant to be his.

Theo read the message and dialed his number immediately.

"What is it, Captain?" he asked as soon as the call connected. He did not bother with greetings.

"Like I reported in the message, Ms. Montrose, Chief Lutherford refused to return to Solarys," Captain Chambers said. His tone was controlled, but the frustration beneath it was obvious. "She said it feels weird."

Theo exhaled slowly. "Captain, if that’s what she thinks, I can’t really change it now, can I? I don’t understand what it is you want from me."

"This is not her," Captain Chambers insisted. "The Chief Lutherford I knew was proud to be chief. She would never abandon us."

Theo closed his eyes briefly before answering. "Captain, what Chief Lutherford experienced in that dungeon is not something you, I, or anyone else can guess or judge. We are not her. We simply cannot know what she’s thinking."

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

"And you also know that the current Chief Lutherford has lost roughly the last eight months of her memories. Those eight months might feel like nothing but a bad dream to her. What I’m trying to say is, the Chief Lutherford standing in front of you right now might not be the same Chief Lutherford you remember."

His voice cooled.

"She might only be Alicia Lutherford."

He ended his explanation feeling a flicker of annoyance. Captain Chambers was clinging to a version of Alicia that might no longer exist.