The Journal III

Laura got out of the bathroom, taking small steps as she dried her hair with a towel. As she slowly walked towards the couch, she asked Mary to make some tea and call Lester.

Mary moved out of her room immediately to do what has been asked as Laura sat down. Laura looked out the window admiring the full moon and was suddenly reminded of the orphanage.

She had wondered how sister Abby and how the others were doing. It has only been a few days and yet it felt like months had passed already. She thought about the orphanage and the young man she had met, which looked similar to Winston.

Both had silver hair but Winston's was darker and his eyes were grey and he was less bulky than the other man. Laura wondered who he was because she knew that she didn't see things wrong. She knew that the young man was part of the royal family, but he didn't seem like it.

It was a big mystery to her because she had not once heard about him. A man with light blue eyes but has the hair color of the royal family. She continued looking at the moon, admiring how it can be so up in the sky freely.

She was envious of how a moon can move freely without worrying while she was down there somehow restrained. At that moment she had wished that she could live life recklessly and do what she wants, but she knew that life wasn't that easy.

Life surely is unfair.

Suddenly there was a knock on that Laura hadn't noticed as she was deep in thought and came in Lester followed by Mary who carried a tray and placed it on the coffee table.

Lester then walked towards Laura, who seems to be in a daze. He coughed getting Laura's attention and asked why she had called for him.

Laura immediately asked Lester to bring the worn-out journal she had asked him to keep earlier. Lester understood and quickly went to get a box that had a lock from a hidden drawer that Laura had not seen before.

Lester got a key out of his pocket and unlocked the box and handed the journal to Laura. Mary, upon seeing the worn-out journal and asked Laura what it was. Laura replied saying she had bought it earlier while she was on the way home.

Mary then proceeded to place a cup on the table and pour some hot tea into the cup and gave it to Laura. Laura thanked Mary and took a sip of the tea. Her body immediately felt warmed up after the bath she had taken since the air in the room was quite cold.

Mary and Lester looked at Laura, who was placing her cup down on the table, then proceeded to ask the both of them to take their rest. Laura held the journal while looking at it. And out of nowhere she felt a sudden burden on her shoulder and didn't know why.

The worn-out journal didn't look any special, and she was worried that she wouldn't be able to read anything. But as soon as she opened the journal, a bright light comes out of the book and which made her feel like she had blinded her eyes.

She shut her eyes and looked away from the light and thought to herself 'what was happening'. Her eyes were still closed, and then she realized that the light had faded. She opened her eyes slowly and had seen the worn-out journal had changed.

The journal didn't look worn-out or broken anymore, instead; it looked nice and brand new. The only thing that didn't change was the color of the journal, but she realized that each side of the journal had turned gold.

Laura slowly opened the journal and suddenly heard voices echoing but were muffled. She was taken aback and looked at her surroundings to see if she was just hearing things or it was actually happening.

Laura didn't see anyone in her room, and she knew for sure that no one was in the room except for her.

"To my child, I see you have finally awakened me. I am Septus and you people call me the god of life and death. I have chosen you to be my child and you shall serve as my servant. In this journal, you will be able to choose your own fate and so choose wisely as your own future is in your hands."

"Wait! Septus at least tell me why you gave me this."

"I don't have much time to spare as I am still weak. Please remember that your own future is now in your hands and that you will choose your own path. Farewell, my child."

The voice in Laura's head then suddenly disappeared, yet she continued calling out for this name. She was still in confusion and once more opened the journal thinking maybe Septus would come out again.

But no, it only worked once. A soldier suddenly knocked onto her front door asking if everything was alright because he had heard her shouting. Laura had reassured the soldier saying she was fine and thanked him for being concerned.

Laura looked at the first page and noticed that there were writings on it. She read out loud the writings, and she felt blown away. She covered her mouth and continued reading the writings on the first page until quietly until she read the last sentence out loud.

"Will you save or not?"

She flipped to the next page, curious to see what is written, but to her surprise, nothing was written. She then thought that once this event has passed, only then will the next page be seen. Laura felt worried and undecided about whether she should save him or not.

It was not because she wanted to earn his trust, but it was because she was scared to be accused once more. The first page had written, 'On the day of the celebration, everyone is required to wear a mask to hide their identities. But at the same time, a bombing will happen and the emperor will be killed'.

Laura remembered in the past that the emperor had been stabbed but was not dead. She wondered why it had stated killed instead of being wounded. She was anxious that the future was changing, and that there were people who were reincarnated like her.

After minutes of thinking, she had made her decision. However, she was still worried that things might not go the way she wants. She got the journal and placed it back in the box, then locked it.

As she went to retire for the night, a voice came and said, 'I'll see you soon' and Laura drifted into a deep sleep.

The next morning was the day of the celebration, Laura received a package and a letter from Serena and asked Mary to bring the dress out of the box. Mary took the dress out of the box and was astonished by the design.

Mary thought that it'd look good on Laura and was excited to dress her up. Laura, on the other hand, couldn't explain how much she loved it and would be sure to thank Serena later. Laura touched the dress and loved how it felt and how it looked.

The saturated purple color with a hint of white had made it very appealing. Not only that, but the beads Serena had used were also clear and had reflected the light making the dress shine.

"I knew it! Miss Serena really does make the best dresses."

Mary admired the dress and gently placed it on a hanger, then moved to the dressing table to choose Laura's jewelry. The other maids who were in her room had also admired the dress and were excited to see Laura in it.

"Come and move your hands. We have a lady to dress."

Later that night Mary couldn't stop complimenting and admiring Laura as she wore the dress that Serena had made.

Laura, on the other hand, loved how the dress looked and started to get embarrassed as Mary kept complimenting her, and continued saying the same things. Laura looked at the full-body mirror and noticed that something was missing in her dress.

She then remembered the necklace the count has given to her and thought maybe now was the time to wear it. She got the necklace out of the box and asked Mary to help her clasp it around her neck.

Laura looked at the mirror and for the first time, she was dressed properly and nicely and she felt like a princess. She recalled in the past where she had never gotten a nice dress and had only worn a second-handed dress from Tine's closet.

She really hated the fact that the dresses given to Laura were all sizes of children and looked unsuitable for a celebration.

"I knew that my miss was pretty but you look even prettier after getting dressed up. My efforts are definitely not wasted."

Laura laughed softly and thanked Mary and the other maids for helping her out. The other maids who had helped her were shocked at how different Laura looked. That was because nothing but bad rumors were said about her.

A knock was heard from the door and entered Lester, who had stood frozen as soon as he saw Laura. He didn't expect her to be that beautiful looking and never thought that he would become speechless after seeing her.

"You look gorgeous tonight."

"That's what everyone says, but I'm not that sure."

Lester paused for a while, thinking about why she didn't have much confidence within her. He thought that she was mature enough not to think like that, but he remembered that she was just a kid.

Lester then remembered that he needed to give her the mask or else she wouldn't be allowed to enter. He then went to her and handed her a black and gold mask, and she took it and wore it without any problem.

"If you are ready, the carriage is outside waiting for you."

"What about Tine?"

"There are two carriages and it seems like she's running late."

"Is that so? Let us go."