"You know what this is, don't you?"
"...Of course, it's the necklace of my late mother that I gave to her at your engagement party."
The expression on Maimoun's face was now complicated, not only because Somay still didn't fully trust him, but also because he didn't know what kind of feelings he should be having now.
This deceased woman was the only female whom Fayte loved; she was his mother, the perfect wife for Somay, and a nurturing mother to Fayte. But for Maimoun, she wasn't just a stranger.
"That's right, it's my late wife's necklace. You didn't give any gift to your fiancée, did you?"
"Are you suggesting I give my mother's necklace to Stella?!"
Maimoun was astonished by Somay's action. Who wouldn't be astonished by such a gesture? He knew well of Somay's pride in the remnants of his beloved wife, whom he adored passionately. And here he was giving her necklace away to him to mend his engagement with Stella.
Somay nodded in agreement. "Indeed, this necklace is very precious to me, not just because of Jasmine, but ultimately because it's not as valuable as seeing my son on the right path in his life, having a strong and happy family... I believe even if your mother or grandmother were alive, they would agree with what i did."
Maimoun's feelings became more complex. He was wrong to think that Somay was testing him. Instead, he wanted what was best for his son, even sacrificing the dearest things in his life to strengthen the bond between his son and his fiancée.
'Damn, now I feel like an ingrate... To respond to such a noble intention with dubious explanations.'
As a family man, Somay knew the importance of a strong relationship between a man and their spouse. The engagement phase was crucial as a precursor to marriage, laying the foundation for a warm and cohesive family or for fragmented families on the brink of dissolution.
"You know what you have to do."
Although Somay had settled matters with his family, regardless of whether he succeeded or not, he still carried the burden of his son's relationships on his shoulders.
"o..of course."
This matter didn't escape Maimoun's thoughts. He didn't know if he had the right to accept such feelings directed towards him. For Maimoun, he had one father and one mother, nothing more. They were in his true world, and he had no intention of adopting any new parents to replace them. So, Maimoun was puzzled about how to react to such paternal feelings directed towards him.
'This feeling is worse than the fear of being exposed.'
Maimoun hesitated to respond to such feelings negatively, but to what extent could he meet such feelings with positive ones? Since he had no intention of responding with the same intensity, what about less than that? All he could do was treat him as a dear person, treat him only as his father, but not as his real father.
'Damn it, I just have to make it seem perfect so that he sees that his effort won't go in vain.'
Maimoun closed his eyes, and signs of pain appeared on his face, feeling the weight hidden in this small necklace.
"Thank you, Father. I promise I'll do my best to spoil this engagement again."
Somay smiled happily. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. You can go now. I expect Stella will be wearing that necklace at dinner."
.
..
...
After finishing his meeting with Somay, Maimoun was now on his way to meet Stella to tell her about the dinner and also to give her the necklace he was looking at now.
"It's truly a beautiful necklace. I wonder what kind of gemstone this is... This necklace carries the weight of many connections in this family."
Maimoun remained silent as if hesitant to say what was on his mind, but in the end, he said it.
"Do I have the right to involve myself in these connections? If it were any ordinary necklace, I would give it to Stella without any problems, but this necklace certainly won't be classified as ordinary."
Unlike Stella, who knew how Maimoun treated her and what kind of feelings he harbored for her, Somay especially and the Stoneheart family as a whole were a different story.
"In the end, a man can have several wives, divorce one, and marry another without any moral issues, but for parents, a man can only have two."
"Whether he loves them or not, whether he acknowledges them as his parents or denies them, even if he doesn't know them, it won't change the fact that they will remain his only parents who brought him into this world."
'And anyone who takes anyone else as a substitute for one or both of their parents is free to do so, but the impostor will never become the truth.'
'Instead, he will even mock the family ties and tamper with them. Although the father of the body I live with now is certainly Somay, the origin of the creature is the soul, not the body. This soul is in Maimoun's soul, not Fayte's, so I had no right to change my parents even if I wanted to.'
Even Maimoun, who showed such a steadfast stance on this matter, had a question lurking deep within himself.
What is the concept of family? Who are the people you can consider your parents? Is it enough that the child's body is made up of their genes to consider them as parents? If so, doesn't Somay have the right to be his father too?
What about the soul? Do parents have a role in shaping it as well?
Maimoun knew the answer to that, and this answer held no doubt in itself, but in the end, he didn't attempt to reveal it because he couldn't bear the consequences of that answer, nor did he want to bear them.
"Damn it, who would have thought that moving to another world would bring all this annoying philosophical nonsense."
And with this grumble from Maimoun, he decided to stop thinking, and all he had to do was treat strangers and relatives fairly, especially when it came to Somay and Stella.
"I haven't seen anything from these two except for treating them kindly and enduring the harm they suffered from the previous owner of this body, so my intention towards them was to take responsibility and compensate for that kindness with kindness like it."
And to divert his mind from such details, he pondered over the necklace in his hands. He immersed himself in this role until he didn't notice a girl carrying a pile of dirty clothes covering the road, and vice versa, even she didn't notice Maimoun. They were both moving in the same path but in opposite directions, so it was logical that they would collide if Maimoun didn't pay attention to it at the last moment.
"I almost collided with this maid. I must focus on my path as I walk."
in the end Maimoun pay attention to it and move away from the maid's path and avoid some unnecessary events, and just as he was about to step aside from the path, something obstructed the maid's foot despite the road being level and there being nothing there.
"Aaaah!! Nooo."
The maid cried out in fear as she felt herself falling, causing the pile of clothes to fall on Maimoun, and a smooth, oval-shaped white stone fell on his head as well.
"Daaamn, that's painful."
As soon as the maid heard Maimoun's pain, she was filled with terror.
'Was that the young master's voice? And was I likely the cause of it!!?'
So she didn't even have time to feel pain for falling on her face before she rose, inquiring about his condition.
"Are you alright, young master? I'm sorry, something obstructed me suddenly, and I didn't realize you were standing in front of me."
"This is you, Sina? I won't blame you for your fall while carrying all these clothes, but what surprises me is why you're carrying a stone in the midst of these clothes. What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry, young master. I'm sorry..." Sina began a new round of apologies, but she soon noticed something.
"A stone? What stone are you talking about?"
"This stone."
As Maimoun held his injured area with one hand, the other hand held the smooth, oval-shaped stone with a transparent white color.
".. This stone!"
Sina couldn't help but be puzzled because she was the one who collected all those clothes and put them in the basket, and there was no trace of this stone when she did so.
"Young master, I don't know where it came from. It wasn't there in the first place in the pile of clothes."
"If you don't know who the owner of the stone is... I feel like I've seen it before."
"Yes, young master, trust me, I had no knowledge of it."
Sina was terrified that he wouldn't believe her and that she would get into trouble because of a mistake she didn't have a hand in. She had no choice but to curse the person who put this stone in the clothes silently, while Maimoun was fascinated by this stone. It was beautiful and unusual.
"Don't worry, I believe you. But I'll take this stone until its owner is identified. If he or she want it, they can come to me to take it back."
"Yes, young master, as you wish," Sina breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't scold her for this incident.
"Anyway, are you alright, Sina?"
"Y...yes, thank you for your concern."
Sina blushed with embarrassment to see Maimoun inquire about her condition and approach her closely instead of getting angry at her for what happened, even if it wasn't her fault.
"Good, be careful with your steps and take care of yourself."
"O...okay, young master."
After seeing that everything was fine, Maimoun decided to continue on his way, leaving Sina to her work.
'Truly, the young master has changed completely... I've started to adore the new young master. Huh!! What's this shiny thing?'
As Sina was carrying the discarded clothes on the ground, she happened upon the necklace that was given to Maimoun. It had fallen, and he hadn't noticed because he was now busy with the stone he admired. And as Sina picked up the necklace, she was amazed by its beautiful shape and color, and she instinctively wanted to have this necklace, but she knew she couldn't.
To find a precious necklace lying on the ground where Maimoun had fallen didn't require a genius to know that it belonged to Maimoun.
"Young master," Sina called out to Maimoun, who had already begun to distance himself from her.
"Hmm? What's the matter, Sina?"
"I found this necklace."
"......................!!"
