Meaningful scenes, as well as serenity that seems foreign.  Breaths colliding with each other, as if channeling various perceptions and empathy, about the past that is almost the same but not the same.  They didn\'t blink for a long time, as if in awe of each other\'s appearance, or perhaps of each other\'s life stories.

"Then?"  Baron Jason\'s voice sounded very low as if he was almost choking.  His chest shook violently with the sadness that had hit him.  His dead father.  "What were you doing then?  I\'m sure you\'re jealous of the other kids, who can get the love of their parents and can get things easily without having to work hard."

As if he was saying that to himself.  It was as if he was looking in the mirror and seeing his reflection.  Is he jealous of other people?  Of course, he did, of course, he was jealous.  Especially when other people can get a confession easily, without having to brag and twist the facts.

"Of course I\'m jealous," she sighed heavily, tearing up and holding the pain in her chest and throat.  Imagining those times was like being in pain because being chased by a nightmare felt real.

Now he was no longer on her body but lying on his side facing her, holding his head with his hands, as if he was posing.  They\'re in the lovey-dovey zone, which might take them to another level.

"I keep asking myself why I was born this way."  Her voice cracked and barely came out, swallowed with the end of her throat that seemed to swell with frustration and sadness.  "Did I make a big mistake when I was little?  Was I born a bad boy when I was a baby so that my parents would rather dump me than take care of me?"

"So you…" He failed again to continue what he wanted to say.  Not because he forgot or anything, but a dam seemed to block his voice, making it hard for him to speak.  This topic is too sensitive, especially since he can feel that he is in her position, even though on very different levels.

Reluctantly she nodded.  With that, she seemed to admit how sad her life was.  But what can she do?  Fate is like that.  What can she do to change the past?  There is not any.

"At least that\'s what our leader said," she muttered, fixing her eyes on the furthest wall of the room.  "He said we were all dumped by our parents."  Silence for a moment.  "To be more precise, we were sold," she continued, unable to hold back tears anymore.  Her voice trembled even more, as her throat was choking like a thousand thorns embedded in it.  "We were sold by our parents, then we lived like lucky slaves."

"Being a beggar at a young age cannot be called luck."  Remembering his slave who had died in the past, Baron Jason suddenly became more sensitive many times over.  Every suffering and injustice that happens to ordinary people is like hurting him.  "You can\'t have a life of your own.  You were exploited by someone with no dignity.  That\'s even more terrifying.  What\'s more, you must be living in an inappropriate place, and the food might be terrible.  Your clothes are not even proper, your cleanliness is not maintained.  Try to refute me if I\'m wrong!  I will give you a great reward."

Lowering her head, it seemed she couldn\'t dodge anymore.  Whatever she said was a fact, it was all true.  Her past was truly horrific, with poor housing, food, clothing, and hygiene.  The only signs that she was still alive as a child were her lungs continuing to expand and contract, and her eyes still blinking with tears.

Flies flew around her stinky body, and the wounds were festering and infected.  She just realized how much she had changed, how much her well-being had improved.  And all because of Lyra, her savior.

"Then how did you get to meet her?"  Although there seemed to be some hatred left in his eyes for Lyra, it had lessened a lot.  If previously the flames rose and swelled like the larvae of an erupting volcano, now the flames only look like coals.

"I was on trial at the time, because I was caught stealing money from the leader," she recalled, clasping her hands together to strengthen herself.  This is one of the biggest turning points in his life, which must be passed after the most horrific incident that she had ever experienced.  "I wanted to run away at that time, at the age of 10.  I\'m old enough to realize that it\'s time to dare to change my life.  Because I think if not now then I will lose all my opportunities forever."

Baron Jason was silent, listening solemnly.  He couldn\'t remember the last time he heard a girl\'s life story.  His relationship with Lyra wasn\'t that deep.  She never even told about her life story in the past, about her family, about her parents, her romance, and her dreams.

In the past, he would have looked like an absent-minded person, who was always daydreaming when he saw her because he was in love and infatuated.  He is now fully aware of what he is listening to, and what he should respond to.

"I was pretty good at lurking in the past, so I managed to steal the chairman\'s money.  I also managed to escape to another city, which I consider the safest place ever."  Once again her gaze was filled with memories.

"That\'s how we were when we were kids, weren\'t we?  We are to nave, who think the world is only limited to our villages or even our homes.  Isn\'t it?"  Her face turned to his, who was staring at her without blinking.  For a short time, they looked at each other, absorbing the serenity that was pouring out in a rush.

Their eyes flickered gently but surely, delivering a synchronized rhythm, even their heartbeats too.  Breaths drawn in and out filled the air in the warm and comforting room.

"You\'re right," he said at last after they had been silent for a long time, amazed at each other.  "We were naive as children, and even as adults.  We take things narrowly and easily, without wanting to think harder."  Glancing at her meaningfully.  "Naive that is sometimes misleading."  As if he was talking to himself, who was talking about honesty.

She was silent, waiting for him to say something else.  After she heard nothing, she continued, "Apparently there is a friend of the chief in the town, who was able to find you in less than a day.  I was kidnapped, dragged away to be tortured for using the chairman\'s money.  I remember that at that time I almost died, my body was full of blood, my bones were broken a lot, it felt like I was dying.  My body was left alone in the forest, which was then again tortured by the city\'s little thugs.  I was going to die, until then someone came."

***