I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman

"I’m starving. Let’s go out and eat." Theo grins.

Liam returns the grin. He slaps his thighs and gets up.

"Let’s go!"

Theo flips open his bedcover and gets off the bed... only to find his feet wobble the moment he tries to stand.

"Whoa." Liam quickly extends his hands, steadying Theo. "You alright?"

Theo looks confused as he sits back down. He stares at his feet, then looks up at Liam.

"That’s... odd. I’m sure I have enough strength to stand. I don’t feel weak or anything," Theo says.

Liam doesn’t say anything, but he can feel it. Theo is weaker than usual. Even his voice is less... energetic.

Liam stays quiet and simply extends one hand toward Theo.

"Let’s try again."

Theo nods and takes his hand.

He slowly stands, gripping Liam’s hand tightly. He quickly realizes that without Liam supporting him, he’s not strong enough to stay upright.

The realization sends a fresh wave of anxiety through him.

But Theo forces it down. He pushes himself to stand.

When he finally manages it, his knees are already shaking.

He can’t even stand properly on his own. How is he supposed to walk?

A new kind of fear settles in. It shows clearly on his face, but he says nothing.

Liam notices, and his heart sinks.

Fuck. What do I do now?

After a few minutes of struggling just to stay upright, Theo can’t hold on anymore. He drops back down, sitting on the edge of the bed.

He pants heavily.

Just standing like that, and I’m already out of breath? What the hell is going on?!

He is still holding Liam’s hand. He wants to try again, to stand using Liam’s strength to pull himself up.

But Liam stops him, by putting his hand on Theo’s shoulder.

"Thea, please don’t force yourself. You passed out from exhaustion and have been asleep for two days straight. Don’t push yourself right away." He says.

"And... you just found out about your magic. Give yourself, and your body, time to adjust."

"Please," he adds, more gently.

Theo looks up at Liam and makes a dramatic pleading face. "But I’m hungry," he whines, dragging the words slightly.

He tries to hide his fear behind the joke, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Liam smiles. "Well, you can have breakfast in bed. Be a real princess for one day. You deserve it."

He grins, playing along with Theo, who is clearly trying to mask his anxiety.

Theo gives a faint smile. He’s grateful that Liam is going along with it. He nods and scoots back, leaning against the headrest.

"Alright then."

"I’ll go get you food," Liam says as he steps away and heads out of the room.

The moment the door closes, Theo’s entire demeanor changes.

His shoulders slump as he sinks fully into the headrest.

He is still out of breath.

"Ridiculous... This is ridiculous! What’s going on?" Theo mutters, frustration creeping into his voice.

He exhales slowly.

"Okay... okay. Don’t lose it. Calm down." He takes a deep breath.

"In."

"And out." He exhales through his mouth.

"Again, in."

"And out."

Theo repeats the motion several times, forcing his breathing to steady.

Then he closes his eyes, trying to figure out what is happening to his body.

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

Click.

Liam closes the door.

He lets out a shaky breath.

His hand tightly holding the door handle.

He stands still for a moment, forcing himself to calm down.

What’s wrong with Thea?

She seems weaker. Her voice has less power, her pronunciation slightly slurred, her gaze not as sharp. Her movements are no longer as fluid and elegant as before. They are stiff, unnatural, almost hesitant, as if her body no longer listens to her the way it used to.

And then there’s her strength.

Liam looks at the hand Theo had used for support.

There was barely any strength there.

She felt so small. Helpless. Weak.

Liam takes another deep breath.

It hurts to see her like this. More than I expected.

He straightens his back.

Don’t read too much into it. It could be as simple as her being completely spent.

He nods.

Yeah. That’s probably it.

He nods again, as if convincing himself.

Then he heads toward the kitchen.

That’s when he hears the commotion coming from the living room.

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

"Stop sighing, Maeve. You’re driving me crazy," Liam hears his sister say.

"And you stop changing the channels. It’s driving me crazy!" Maeve’s voice is just as irritated as Claudia’s.

"Oh, leave me alone. Go cook something," Claudia dismisses her rudely.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Maeve’s anger flares.

Liam frowns deeply. For as long as he’s known Maeve, she doesn’t get angry easily. So for her to react like this now, Claudia must have said something that truly struck a nerve.

But Liam also knows Claudia. Her words can be sharp, but they’re rarely rude or outright dismissive.

Something else is going on here.

Liam steps into the living room, calm but alert.

"Ladies," he says in a low, soothing voice.

He immediately notices the tension. Both women are practically baring their fangs at each other. They stand too close, their postures stiff, like they’re on the verge of turning this into something physical.

That alone is enough to make Liam uneasy.

"Ladies, please. There’s no need for this, right?" Liam raises both hands, trying to project calm.

Both of them turn and glare at him at the same time. It would be funny under different circumstances, but Liam knows better than to laugh.

"Claudia, Sis. I don’t know what’s going on here, but you are almost ten years younger than Maeve. Please show some respect," Liam says firmly, though his tone remains controlled.

He turns to Maeve.

"Maeve, this isn’t you. You don’t get mad or worked up like this. Not over something as trivial as changing channels. Not like this. Please... help me here. Calm down." His voice softens, more careful with her.

Liam looks between them, watching closely.

Claudia crosses her arms, pouts, and looks away with a sharp "Hmph!"

But she doesn’t add fuel to the fire.

Liam turns to Maeve, his eyes quietly pleading.

Maeve swallows, visibly holding herself back. Her fingers curl slightly at her sides before she exhales.

Liam lets out a breath of relief.

"Thank you, ladies."

"Now," he claps lightly, keeping his attention on Maeve, "do we have anything for Thea? She’s awake, and she’s starving." He hopes the news will shift their focus.

"She’s awake?!" both Claudia and Maeve say at the same time.

Liam nods.

"Yay!" Claudia squeals, all traces of her earlier irritation gone. She immediately turns toward Theo’s bedroom, but Liam quickly grabs her shoulder to stop her.

"Nope. Not now. She’s hungry and not ready to meet anyone yet," Liam says, hesitating slightly.

No. I can’t tell them. It has to come from Thea herself.

But both Maeve and Claudia catch something in his tone.

"She’s not well?" Maeve asks, concern replacing her anger almost instantly.

Claudia says nothing, but her expression mirrors the same worry.

Liam sighs.

"I can’t really tell you. It’s not my story to tell. But... yeah. She’s not herself right now. Let’s give her some space. Until she’s ready to say it herself, please don’t ask her anything," Liam explains.

Maeve frowns.

"Liam, that sounds serious. Should we be worried?" she asks.

"I don’t think it’s life-threatening. That’s why I’m not saying anything unless she’s okay with it," Liam adds.

Claudia nods. "That’s fair. We should respect her wishes and not push her about whatever she’s going through."

Maeve hesitates. "Is that wise, though?"

"Wouldn’t that make it seem like we don’t care about her?"

She walks into the kitchen and starts preparing food for Theo, her movements slower than usual, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

"I think we all know we care about each other," Liam says, following her. "That won’t be an issue."

Maeve nods slowly. "Alright. I’ll trust you on this, since you know what’s going on."

"Thank you." Liam pauses, then adds carefully, "And Maeve... would it be too much to ask if the food is less strong in flavor?"

Maeve looks at him, slightly taken aback.

She knows Theo. He loves bold flavors. Anything bland is unacceptable to him.

But now... Liam is asking for this?

Something is definitely wrong.

Still, Maeve has already decided to trust him. She doesn’t question it. She simply nods.

Liam looks visibly relieved. "Thank you."

Claudia steps forward. "Is there anything I can help with? I want to help." Her tone is softer now, almost tentative.

Maeve notices the shift. She gives a faint smile and nods.

"Come on. I know you make a great omelette. Thea loves a good omelette."

Soon, both women are busy in the kitchen, working side by side. The earlier tension lingers faintly in the air, but it no longer dominates the room.

Liam watches them for a moment, then sits on a kitchen stool, finally allowing himself to relax just a little.

For now, at least, things are under control.