BXBX NOVEL Chapter 83 - What If?
Laura opened her eyes, and her vision came in direct contact with the red rose above the book that she was reading last night.
The mysterious spirit of the mirror visited her again last night!
She looked at her companion. Rebecca was still sleeping soundly beside her in the bed. This means, she fell asleep last night and failed to see the mysterious spirit coming out of the mirror.
She rose from the bed and went to the bathroom to relieve herself. Inside the bathroom, she splashes a good amount of water on her face, washing away the sleepiness from her eyes.
Finished in the bathroom.
She exited and went to the closet to change her pajama into something casual. She remembered that today is the day they will go home to her father-in-law's mansion back in South Pond Town.
She looked at the window - it's opened the whole night?
Did Rebecca forget to close the window, or she intended it that way?
She looked outside, oh, it's raining!
She lowered herself on the chair and began combing her hair with the hairbrush while staring at the single rose above the book.
A few minutes later.
Rebecca finally awakens from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Laura. "Oh, you're awake already, and I wake up late!" she said and sits upright. "Where is the mysterious spirit?" she looked outside the window, it's already morning. "Dang! Did I miss him? Did he visited you last night?" she asked.
Laura nodded her head. "Yes, she visited this room last night," she answered, pointing her index finger at the single rose above the book. "Look at that rose...that's the evidence!" she replied.
Rebecca looked at the rose. Her eyes widened. "How did he came inside and what time?" she asked in bewilderment.
"What time did you sleep last night?" Laura asked her.
"I was still wide awake at 1:00, waiting for him. But it seemed I fall asleep and only wake up this morning," Rebecca said with a sigh.
"It's okay, there are still many days and nights for this kind of experiment," Laura said.
Rebecca's face suddenly lighted up. "Yeah, we still have many days to experiment," she agreed, feeling energized again. She rose to her feet and went inside the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Rebecca looked at Laura. "Thanks for letting me sleep in your room last night. I'm going back to my room to prepare for breakfast and our journey later," she said and picked up the mirror from the table.
"Okay," Laura replied.
Rebecca exited Laura's room and went back to her room, holding the mirror in her hand.
~
One hour later.
The maid went to Laura's room and knocked on the door. "Miss Laura, breakfast is ready!" she announced.
"Okay, thanks! I'll get down in a moment," Laura replied while brushing her hair.
She finished styling her hair into a ponytail a few minutes later.
She exited the room and went downstairs - going to the dining room. When she entered the dining area, Graven and Rebecca were already sitting on the chair waiting for her presence.
Laura sat on the chair beside Rebecca.
Graven looked at the ladies. "Girls, are you ready for our travel?" he asked them.
"Yes!" Laura and Rebecca replied in unison.
"Okay, let's eat our meals and begin our journey this morning after breakfast," Graven said.
They began putting food on their plates and starts eating breakfast with a good appetite.
One hour later.
They finished their meals and left the dining room area - heading upstairs to pack their things for the journey.
Another hour had passed.
The servants brought their luggage down on the ground floor and deposited them in the carriage.
Laura and Rebecca were already properly dressed up for the journey.
Graven looked at the ladies. "Girls, you may enter the carriage now so that we can start our journey," he ordered.
The ladies entered the carriage aided by the male servant.
Graven chose to board another carriage for his transportation because Rebecca wants to stay with Laura.
A total of two carriages were moving on the road, leaving the property, going to the main road that will take them back to the South Pond Town.
They traveled straight for five hours, only stopping for lunch and a trip to the toilet.
When night time comes... Graven's entourage stopped over in Voyage Inn, a good place to rest for weary travelers. The inn was located in the sleepy town of Wallaben Cove.
They ate dinner in the eatery owned and ran by the inn for their valuable guests.
The eatery's signature dishes were very much loved by the travelers and the rooms they offered are all tidy and comfortable to sleep in.
Graven rented three rooms total. One for him, one for the ladies, and one for the servants.
The travelers sleep early that night, tired of their journey.
When they wake up in the morning, it was already 7:00 am.
Half an hour later.
They gathered in the eatery to eat breakfast.
One hour later, after eating breakfast, they went back to their respective rooms and packed all their belongings in their bags, and left the inn.
After depositing their luggage in the carriages, they resumed their journey heading to the South Pond Town.
Their estimated time of arrival to their destination is early evening today if no unforeseen delay will come their way.
~
Inside the moving carriage.
Laura was reading the book while Rebecca contented herself in looking at the beautiful countryside landscape outside the window.
Rebecca shifted her attention to Laura. "You didn't wake up last night when the mysterious spirit made himself visible inside the room?"
Laura glanced at her. "No. Maybe the mysterious being didn't bother to wake me up because there's another woman inside the room," she replied.
Rebecca pondered for a moment. "I think you're right," she said and looked outside the window again.
Laura resumed reading the interesting book in her lap.
A few hours went by.
Lunchtime comes.
They stopped in an eatery located a few meters away from the road. The eatery happens to serve delicious seafood dishes topped with native sweet delicacy. Graven's entourage enjoyed the food immensely.
After staying in the eatery for one hour, they were well-rested and eager to continue their journey.
The servants readied the carriages, and they resumed their journey.
Inside the ladies' carriage.
Rebecca looked at Laura, who rested her eyes from reading. "Are you excited about going home to your father-in-law's house? Did you miss Cooper?" she asked.
Laura released a deep sigh upon the mention of Cooper's name. Sadness enveloped her face. She looked at Rebecca. She thinks she can trust the woman with her real feelings and emotions towards her future husband. "To be honest... I'm not happy in marrying Cooper," she confessed. "Please, don't tell Cooper, Sir Nicholas, and Graven about my true feelings towards my future husband," she begged.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your problem," Rebecca said, with a nod of her head. She was sympathizing with Laura's difficult situation, understanding her dilemma. "So... the one in your heart is Luke, right?" she asked.
Laura nodded her head, teary-eyed. "Yes! But he's already dead. Our love story is only short-lived. There is no happy ending for us," she said sadly, feeling emotional at the moment.
"Oh, don't be sad," Rebecca said. She cleared her throat. "But what if Luke is alive and comes back to you? With no physical body, just a ghost. Will, you still love him?" she asked, testing Laura's true feelings for Luke.
Laura sighed deeply. She was confused for a moment.
Rebecca was shaking her head a few times. "Look at you... you are undecided! It seemed your love for Luke is just a shallow feeling. Your love for him changes with his appearance. Am I correct?" she asked, poking deeper into her heart.
Laura stared speechless at Rebecca's face for a few minutes.
"You see, loving a being that is not human comes with a heavy price. What if the man you love, no longer the bearer of his old charm? Let's say... Luke was resurrected from the dead and come back with a deformed and hideous face - will you still accept him? Will you still love him?" Rebecca asked.
Laura took a deep breath, unable to answer Rebecca's question right away.
"When the time comes that Luke is, even more, uglier than Cooper, I think you won't give him a second glance," Rebecca declared.
Laura pouted. "Please don't say that! My love for Luke is real!" she said, feeling upset.
Rebecca laughed a little. "Okay, as you say so! Don't be upset and mad at me. I'm just trying to make you realize and question yourself the depth of your love for Luke. Don't hate me for this," she said.
"Don't worry, I'm not mad at you," Laura responded with a smile.
"Okay, let's stop discussing Cooper and Luke. It will only make you upset. I don't want to ruin your mood," Rebecca said and shifted her attention to the surroundings outside the window.
Laura continues reading the book that she was holding in her right hand. But this time, the words were swimming in her eyes. She can no longer continue reading the book. She was deeply bothered by Rebecca's questions.
She's now questioning herself about the sincerity of her love for Luke. Did she love Luke for his handsome face? Was her love shallow and only skin deep? What if Luke comes back and he's no longer the same handsome man that she used to love?
She bit her lip, feeling torn inside.
A few minutes later, she realized that she doesn't need to torture herself with those unpleasant thoughts because Luke is already dead. It would be impossible for him to come back to life!
With those comforting thoughts running in her mind, she finally regained her focus and enthusiasm in reading.