Second Life's Revenge

Days have passed, and the eyes that everyone had been dying to see have finally opened. Laura got up from the bed and looked at the unfamiliar surroundings. She felt her body being stiff as if she had not walked for weeks.

As she was about to get off the bed, the door opened and entered Mary who widened her eyes and almost dropped the vase she was holding, upon seeing the person who was originally lying down, now sitting down on the bed. 

"You're awake!" cried out Mary as she rushed towards Laura and noticed that she was just about to get off the bed. "Get back into bed," Mary ordered, and Laura followed as she was still half-awake. 'Oh, It's Mary, this might be a dream; she thought. But once Mary gave her a cup of water she then realized it wasn't. The feel of the glass cup was real and was just what she needed now, as her scratchy throat was begging for water earlier.

"What happened to me?" Laura asked. Then a flashback appeared in her head, making her shiver. As Mary was about to touch Laura, she slapped her hands away. She was shocked by what she had done and immediately apologized to Mary, who said not to mind it. 

"Almost a week. That's how long you were asleep," Mary flashed a smile but the way she said it didn't sound happy but rather sad. Mary rubbed the hand Laura slapped earlier and sat on Laura's bed. She then said, "Don't worry, you're safe here. No is going to hurt you here."

Laura looked once more at her surroundings and realized that it did look familiar. The walls were blue, and the interior looked expensive. That's when she realized that she was in the Ferguson Estate. Then from her flashback, she realized that the man who saved her was Erwin. He must have been worried about her, but she doesn't see him, and somehow she felt sad.

"If you're looking for His Grace, He's just taking a break right now," Mary giggled as Laura denied about finding him. 

"Thank you, Mary. But why are you here?" Laura asked as she stretched her stiff body as she lays on the bed.

"His Grace asked me to look after you," answered Mary.

"Do the people know about this?" Laura asked, hoping it doesn't spread to the people because if it does, things might get worse. Mary shook her head, then said, "Don't worry about that. According to Blaine, the palace guards are silenced to talk about this. If they do, their heads will be cut off."

Mary then stood up, and with a smile, she asked, "Do you want some chocolate mousse?" Laura's face lit with happiness, and she nodded her head. There is no way she was going to rejected that offer. But before she even got to take a bite, Laura's stomach grumbled out loud, making them both laugh. "I'll be back with porridge, and so please stay in bed."

Laura nodded her head, but once Mary left the room, she stood up from her bed and thought it's better to move her body after being asleep for almost a week. But that's quite long. She wondered if she got a fever during that time she was asleep. 

Even if Mary was there to wipe her body and change her clothes, she still felt sticky. She grabbed a plain-looking dress that was left on the table beside the vase and went to take a bath. It took a while for the hot water to fill the bathtub, but it was worth the wait.

She dipped herself into the warm bath and let out a sigh. But out of nowhere, she hears Mary calling for her. Laura felt apologetic for making Mary again and called for Mary out loud. The bathroom door opened, and Mary scolded her for almost the whole time she was in the bath. This is what she gets for, not listening to Mary.

"Geez, you just recovered, and there you are doing whatever you want," Mary grumbled as she dries Laura's hair with a towel. 

"I'm sorry, Mary. I just felt sticky all over my body," apologized Laura as she looked at Mary from the mirror.

"And because you didn't listen to me, the porridge is cold now. You're not getting chocolate mousse today."

"No, I'm sorry to take anything except for the chocolate mousse," Laura begged as she turned her back, looking at Mary with pleading eyes. Mary couldn't bear to see her pleading eyes, and in the end, she accepted defeat and gave the chocolate mousse to Laura.

While Laura was eating her chocolate mousse, someone knocked on the door before entering. She turned her head to see Blaine, and while bowing his head, he said, "His Grace ordered for you to be checked up." 

"Come in," Laura said and placed the plate onto the table. Blaine kept looking at Laura as he was wondering how a person can be so energetic after that kind of incident took place. Just thinking about it, shivers crawled his back while Mary asked, "Are you catching a cold?"

"No, I just had some thoughts I'm not supposed to think about," Blaine flusteredly answered, making Mary giggle.

"You're weird, but I like it," she said to him and made his heart skip a beat. Blaine cleared his throat, then said, "I'll take that as a compliment then."

The doctor removed the stethoscope and hung it around his neck. He crosses all the things written in the paper that he held, then said, "You've recovered but still be careful about your health." Then he looked at Blaine then reminded him not to feed her anything asides from porridge for at least three days. If not, her stomach will not digest the food properly.

"Also, please feel free to call me if nightmares occur. It can affect your mental health after all," The doctor reminded.

"Thank you very much," Thanked Laura, who was sitting on the bed.

The doctor left the room while Laura felt guilt about eating something else asides from porridge. Well, she can't do anything when half of the mousse was already in her stomach. As the minute's pass, she finds her eyes trained at the door. 

That is because she was waiting for someone to come and visit her. The sun was about to set, and yet she still hasn't seen him. Usually, he would be here talking to her about various things. But he isn't here, and it made her quite lonely. Laura was thankful for having Mary in her room, but it's just different. The feeling is different when the person you like isn't by your side.

Mary, who was with her the whole time, notices that Laura kept looking at the door. She felt bad for Laura right now since she didn't know why Erwin still hasn't come to see her. He isn't dead or anything, but he's just taking a break releasing all his worries. 

They were advised by Erwin to say that he's busy with work and used Louis as an excuse for why he isn't there. Mary did feel bad for Laura, but Erwin is also a human. A person who needs rest and needs to be alone to clear his thoughts.

"Laura, are you perhaps feeling lonely?" Mary hit the bullseye, and Laura panicked, answering, "No, I'm not. You're here. Why do I need to feel lonely?" Mary giggled the way Laura tried hiding about it.

"It's alright. I know you are since you want to see His Grace," Mary said as she closes her luggage. Laura, who was sitting on the couch, apologized in a soft tone and lowered her head. "I said it's alright. How lucky you are to fall in love." Mary teased as she acted to be jealous. 

"We're the same age, and aren't you interested in anyone?" Laura asked as her face lit up as the conversation became interesting.

"No, not really. But I do plan to find one soon since my mother has been bugging me about it," She sighs just remembering the long letter sent by her mother. They were all complaints and profiles of her so-called future partner. But Mary didn't have any interest in them; in short, they weren't her type.

"No pressure. Just find someone who I could approve of," Said Laura.

"Give me an example of who could pass your standard."

"Let's see. Someone like Blaine or Lester," Laura nodded her head, imagining how Mary would act when's in love. It might be a once in a lifetime scene.

"Someone who has high standards. That might take me years to find one."

"That's if you are interested in either of them," Laura gave her a wink.

"Not quite, but who knows."

From behind, they heard someone clearing his throat, and when they turned their backs, they saw Blaine standing and hiding his embarrassment from hearing their conversation. He then said, "I'll pretend that I didn't hear that. The Duchess asked if you would want to join her for dinner."

"I should. I need to thank her for allowing me to stay here for the past days."

"I'll inform the Duchess. See you later," Blaine bowed his head and left the room.