Chapter 241 - How long is forever?

"Mom."

The child sobbed and cried as she called out to their mother, standing on the doorway with the interior of the room dark as the lights were off. She was clutching the sides of her nightdress as she continuously sobbed, making her way towards the bed where her mother slept as she didn't respond. Her voice wasn't enough to wake her up.

She tried her best to climb up the bed and it took her almost a minute, sobbing and crying. It was hard to see as it was dark and the tears were ruining her vision.

"Mom," She called out to her once again but this time she shook her by the shoulders, hoping that she would wake up this time and respond to her and she did. Her mother groaned before she pushed her upper torso up, letting herself sit up from her position. She rubbed her eyes and groaned, the child sobbed and the mother responded with her voice groggy and low as she just woke up.

"What is it, darling?"

The child didn't say anything and just threw herself to her mother who was startled by the sudden action but eventually recovered and held the child in her arms, hugging her tight. She felt the area where her daughter buried her face slowly getting damp with her tears, she figured that her daughter probably had another nightmare.

"It's okay, I'm here. The nightmares aren't going to come after you, I'll protect you," Her mother said in a groggy voice but worry and sadness were lacing her tone. It was bothering her, to be honest. She doesn't know what to do. Her daughter was being haunted by nightmares, it started that time when she was sent to the hospital as she fainted during work. It was because she didn't eat anything for the whole day and was just working, she didn't even take a break or sleep.

Her daughter was left alone in the small apartment that they were living in, they weren't rich nor was they poor. They could manage to survive and living in this world with this kind of like. She was asleep for two days and to think that her daughter was just all alone in their apartment, how did she manage? What happened to her while she was alone? What about her food? Who fed her? Was she able to sleep while she was alone?

Those were the thoughts that were running inside her head as soon as she woke up and she heard that she was asleep for two days. Thankfully, their neighbor was kind enough to check up to her daughter as they noticed that her mother still hasn't gone home and figured that the child was alone. They were the one that fed her during that time.

But even so, her daughter was terrified. Even though she was used to being alone in the house whenever her mother has to go to their job, it was different. Her mother didn't come back, there were no calls from her telling her that she would come home late or something.

She could only pat her daughter's back and hum her a lullaby as to calm her down and it eventually did. Her cries and sobs died down but she was trembling. She hugged her closer and caressed her head. She felt her daughter move and lift their head to look at her, though it was dim, she could see the sad look on her daughter's face. It pained her.

"Mom," She called out to her.

"Yes, dear?"

"Are you going to stay with me forever?" That question caught her off-guarded and she blinked multiple times while staring at her, her eyes wide with wonder before her lips broke out into a smile and she responded. Her voice this time wasn't groggy, it was sweet and gentle that it soothed the child in her arms down.

"Even after death, I will stay. Even when you get somehow reincarnated or had another life, I'll always be there. It would be nice if I would still be your mother during that time and I would watch you grow up. If I were given a chance to choose, I would still choose you over and over again. Nothing and no one would replace you, sweetheart."

The child hummed, reassured by what her mother has responded.

"I'm going to stay with you forever."

How long is forever?

Alexandra stood in front of the painting, staring at it with her eyes wide. She just couldn't believe it, despite the change of appearance and such. She knew that it was her. The smile, the face, and the eyes. It was her, just by that, she could tell that it was her.

Her mother had dark brown hair and blue eyes in her previous life while the mother in her current life had platinum blonde hair that was silky and wavy but the eyes were the same. As well as the smile.

Nostalgia came rushing over her and the sense of familiarity was there.

--"Do you think that parallel worlds exist?"

"What's that?"

"An alternative universe. If in this world or universe, we lived a horrible and cruel life, in the other we might not be. It could be either better or worse. You could be the poorest man here in this world but the richest man in an alternative universe. You could have brown hair in this life but be blonde in an alternative universe. There might be some universe that could contain magic just like the ones in the movies."

"I see."

"What about in reincarnation?"

"You always tell me about that. After you die, you get to be reincarnated and start another life."

"Well, yeah. That's fascinating, isn't it?"

Alexandra just stood still and didn't say anything. The people around her did the same thing too. It has been so long since they last saw the empress' face though it was only a portrait of her. Though the expression on Alexandra's face was somehow doubting and confusing, she looked shocked, disbelieved, sad, confused, and all sorts of emotions that they couldn't identify was seen in her face.

Alexandra opened her mouth, trying to speak as she finds the right words to say.

"I-I—T-Thank you for showing this to me, father. Now I-I know what my mother looks like, she's pretty. I t-thought it was a goddess," She stammered and stuttered, her lips were trembling and there was a clenching feeling in her chest. It was hard to breathe as if just looking at the portrait of her mother was the one causing this. She could feel her heart starting to beat fast and loud as her head ached and throbbed in pain.

All sorts of emotions that she couldn't identify were whirling inside her like a tornado, overwhelming her system, and destroying everything inside her. She just can't.

"Yes, she is," She heard her father respond in a sad tone of voice which she rarely hears. Alexandra gulped, is it only me but the air is making it hard to breathe?

"I-I'll be taking my leave. I'm heading to the garden to get some fresh air," She said before she turned around and left, running with her head down low. The sound of her heels hitting against the floor rang and resonated inside the room. Carlos ran after her, wondering why the princess was suddenly acting like that after seeing the portrait of her mother.

Was she shocked? But why would she be shocked? I understand that she would be sad after seeing her portrait but it was different, he thought to himself, confused. Still running after the princess who was also running as she heads towards the garden to get some fresh air, that's what she said earlier before she turned around and left.

--

Alexandra panted and gasped as she stopped in her tracks and arrived in the almost empty garden. She went to the nearest one possible, somehow, being surrounded by flowers would calm her. The atmosphere that the garden would hold was soothing and calming with the sweet scent surrounding the place, it helped her relax and sort out all of her thoughts that were scrambled inside her head.

"This… What's happening..? Why..?" She mumbled to herself, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Her feet were sore, her knees were weak, she can't breathe, her mind was a mess. Everything was way too much for her. It was like something was preventing her to breathe.

--"Mother has always like daisies, father even made her one garden with only daisies filled. The reason was that despite its simplicity, it was beautiful and pretty. She also said that it was a goddess' sacred flower yet she didn't tell me which goddess that was. I have never heard of a goddess whose sacred flower was just a daisy."

A voice rang inside her head.

Right, even her mother in her previous life has always liked daisies and the reason was also that. Their simplicity, their daring and tenacious spirit, growing where they weren't supposed to be yet bringing more beauty to the place. Daisies symbolize purity, innocence, and faith. In Norse mythology, the daisy is Freya's sacred flower. Freya, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, and as such the daisy also symbolizes motherhood and new beginnings.

Selena.

That was also the name of her mother in her previous life and her current life. They held the same blue eyes, smile, and face yet the color of their hair was different. I admit, I also find a few traces of clues in my face that resembled what I looked like in my past life. Even though the color of my eyes was different, the shape and such was the same.

I never have stared at the mirror and smiled just to see how pretty I looked. I was normal-looking, neither ugly nor pretty. I always have my lips either pursed into a thin line or forming a frown.

However, we are talking about my mother here. Despite the smell of flowers and the atmosphere of the garden soothing me, I couldn't think straight at all. As if my mind has become a library except that all the books were scattered and were not placed in the correct section. It's making my head spin in transition and my thoughts are making me dizzy.

She looked down the ground, clutching the side of her dress.

"What's wrong, princess? Why are you alone in this garden?" She heard a voice. She was expecting Carlos but it wasn't. She lifted her head and saw a maid, she recognizes who she was and called out to her name.

"Beatrice."

The lady smiled at her and she felt it again, the creepy feeling in that smile of hers. She didn't say anything and just waited for the princess to speak once again.

"Something just happened earlier."

"Care to tell me, princess? I'm a good listener," Beatrice spoke as she smiled at her. However, something was ringing inside her head, like an alarm going off telling her to leave or run away. Her guts were urging her to turn around and leave.

Where in the damn world is Carlos?

She looked back behind her to see if Carlos was there and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw his figure approaching the garden. She looked in front of her again and saw Beatrice's hand blocking half of her view, her palm in front of her forehead. "What are you doing?" Alexandra asked her.

"You looked quite sickly, I was planning on touching your forehead to see if—"

Alexandra's eyes widened as she sensed something.

Mana.

She immediately jumped back away from Beatrice who was smiling at her innocently.

"What's wrong, princess?"

"You were trying to use a spell against me, weren't you?"

However, Beatrice didn't say anything and just smiled at her, this time it was much more creepy and disturbing. Alexandra couldn't help but shiver as she looked at the smile in her face. She took the dagger that was hidden inside her skirt as she chanted a few words.

"Cast and befall,

Pierce your enemies to death,

My arrows."

She said and burning arrows materialized in front of the magic circles that appeared as she chanted then she looked back to see Carlos approaching them, great.

He looked confused as to why the princess looked like she was going to fight the maid in front of her, however, the maid also has what it seems like a fireball on top of her hand but it was a dark color.

"Princes—"

But before he could finish what he was going to say, he felt a pain in his back. It was like a tingle but an intense one, like a severe electric shock. Then there was heat but the heat was different from what you have imagined, it's not like the burning one or something. Though he didn't feel anything for a while then it suddenly began to hurt, then he coughed out blood as he felt something being pulled out inside him. Blood started to stain his uniform.

Then what it seems like a person has materialized in front of him, revealing a lady in her 18s wearing a maid's uniform. He recognizes her as one of the maids that Alexandra has been interacting with and becoming friendly nowadays. Lillianna.

"Carlos!"

He heard her call out to his name as he suddenly fell to his knees.

"I have applied some poison in the dagger. It would paralyze you then knock you out. It will slowly kill you, it might take days though if you don't have any antidotes."

"Carlos!"

He cursed to himself.

"Your enemy is here, princess," Alexandra's attention was grabbed when she sensed something approaching him but she was able to dodge the upcoming attack and fire the arrows that she have summoned, however, it just vanished even before it reached Beatrice.

Just what is happening?