Lukas looked over and was immediately mesmerized, but this time he came back to his senses quickly.
Still, he couldn't help but sneak a few admiring glances at her before glancing at Helen.
'Two perfect specimens of beauty!' he thought in his heart.
Both were extraordinarily beautiful ladies and had no flaws in their beauty, grace, or demeanor.
Also, they were almost identical—the only difference between them being their ages. While one was a woman filled with mature charm, the other one had her young glow.
There was also another difference: while Helen had a gentle and warm expression on her face, Natalie's expression was cold and aloof.
'Original Lukas, her son and her brother, is dead. I'm me and in no way I'm related to them.'
Lukas repeated this in his heart a few times, feeling the slight amount of guilt he was feeling after realizing he was attracted to both diminish. The tiny amount that remained, and couldn't be eradicated currently because of Original Lukas' memories, he suppressed it in a remote corner of his mind.
Natalie walked over to the bedside, nodded at Helen, who was looking at her with a motherly smile on her face, before she looked at Lukas and asked, "Are you feeling fine now, Elder Brother?"
'Hm?' Lukas raised an internal brow at this. 'Wasn't she supposed to be a loving younger sister? How come she is so… indifferent?'
From the corner of his eyes, he could see Helen's expression had turned awkward—a little sad even—due to how Natalie greeted her and him.
"I'm feeling fine, Little Natie." Lukas smiled and then said, "Congratulations for becoming a Two Star Mage!"
Seeing his happy smile and Helen's sad expression, a hint of guilt flashed in the depths of her eyes, but her expression remained the same as she nodded. "Thank you."
"Is something wrong, Little Natie?" Lukas asked, not able to bear the uncomfortable silence that followed her thank you. "You know, no matter what it is, you can always tell me."
Natalie stared at him silently for a few moments before she shook her head. "Everything's fine, Elder Brother. Don't worry. Now, please excuse me."
Saying this, she turned around and walked toward the door but stopped beside it. Without turning around, she said, "Try not to leave the mansion casually from now on."
Lukas stared at her back as she opened the door and headed out, a thoughtful expression on his face.
As the doors closed after her, he turned to Helen and asked, "Do you know what's wrong with her?"
Despite her saying everything was alright, he knew she was lying—something was really wrong; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so passive and indifferent. It was as if she was trying to push them away from her.
Of course, the thought that her success in cultivation had changed her crossed his mind, but based on the memories he inherited, he knew Natalie wasn't someone who would let success or strength get to her mind.
Helen heaved a helpless sigh, shaking her head. "No, I don't. I tried asking many times, but she didn't tell me anything."
Seeing her worried look, Lukas reached out and gently placed his hand on hers, which were resting on her lap, and gave them a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't worry, Mother. Maybe she isn't telling us because it's not something we need to know, or maybe she is just waiting for an appropriate time to tell us," he said, looking into her eyes.
Helen nodded and sighed. "I hope it's not something bad."
A short while later, Oriana returned with a tray full of dishes.
Helen helped him sit up. Then, as if fearing he might not be able to eat himself—which was true, because Lukas didn't even have enough strength to pick up a spoon—she started feeding him.
"Mm~"
Lukas' eyes lit up, and he couldn't suppress a pleased groan when he had the first bite—the food was just too delicious. And from how he immediately felt a little better, it was very nutritious too.
After savoring the taste, he glanced at Oriana, who was standing at the foot of the bed, looking at his pleased face with a motherly smile on her face, and said, "Your food is delicious as always, Oriana."
"I'm glad you like it, Young Lord," Oriana said, lightly bowing her head, pleased to hear his praise.
Helen glanced at the food and then at Oriana, a hint of competitive spirit flashing in her eyes. But then she remembered she was too busy for the next week to find some time to prepare a meal for him, and she sighed, a hint of rage in her eyes.
'She knows about Lukas' accident and that I want to spend some time with him, but she is still sending me out of the city. It's too much.'
Then she bit her lower lip, again a helpless look appearing on her breathtakingly beautiful face.
A while later, Lukas finished eating and Oriana took the dirty dishes away.
Helen talked to him for a while more before she guiltily told him she was leaving the city for a week and wouldn't be able to take care of him.
"I understand, Mother. Please take care of yourself," Lukas said understandingly, which only made Helen feel worse, but she had no choice. She didn't want, nor could afford, to give anyone any excuse to target her, Lukas, Natalie, or her family.
…
After Helen left, Lukas lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.
He wasn't thinking about the Legacy he received, Helen, Natalie, Oriana, or his new family that didn't treat him well because he was a cripple—he was thinking about his real family back on Earth: his father, mother, younger brother, and sister.
How sad would they be?
How would they live without him looking after them?
His father had an accident when he was in college, which put him in a wheelchair for life and made him unable to work.
Since his mother had been a housewife and had never worked outside a day in her life, the responsibility to earn a living fell on the eldest child's shoulders—his.
Fortunately, he managed to get a placement in a good company from his college and started earning.
Unfortunately, it had been just two years since he started working when he died and transmigrated.
As for how he died?
Lukas' black eyes glowed an ominous red when he recalled that night.