III. The Impact of Her

~ Prologue ~

Another exhausting day passed within the Winston Bakery.

Everything has been cleaned and everyone has left the store. The windows were barred. Some of the lights were dimmed as two people remained inside.

Laura was too immersed in scrubbing the floors. They were already cleaned by her other works. But for some reason, she was compelled to do it again. Perhaps, it was her way to ignore what just happened when she brought a letter to Robert's home without his knowledge.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

'As the cockerel greeted the morning with its powerful crow, Laura just finished writing a letter for Robert. After their bitter separation, Laura couldn't help but be guilty for how they parted ways.

'It was a decision that only one was willing to make.

'She knew it was for the better. But she also knew that she never considered Robert's feelings before making it absolute. And when they ended everything on a sour note, she was uneasy about everything.

'Because of that, she did what she thought she could do: write a final letter to Robert.

'A person she just met... but had a certain impact on her life.

'She folded her letter and carefully sneaked out of her room. She didn't know if she could still get past the barrier to the Immortal Realm. But she would do her best to get through.

'And it seemed as if the gods were on her side.

'On her way up to the mountain, an Immortal was headed back to their realm with a cart. It was filled with barrels that carried an all-too-familiar emblem. And it was none other than the royal emblem of Western Wind. She had seen it numerous times on Robert's saddle.

'She quickly hid in between the barrels when the Immortal stopped to have a quick chat with the portal keeper.

'When they arrived at the castle, she slowly made her way to the stables, hoping to find Nana Olsa. And to her luck, she was there, attending to the horses.

'Nana's eyes widened in horror as she saw the young lady. "What are you doing here?" Nana asked as she approached her.

'Laura replied immediately, "I know I shouldn't be here."

'Nana asked, "Well, if you know that, then why risk your life to be here? Didn't I already tell you and Robert to stop seeing each other?"

'Amidst the cold treatment towards her, Laura remained polite as she said, "I am not here for Robert. I came here for you."

'Nana asked, "And why are you looking for me?"

'Without another word, Laura handed over a letter to the old lady. As Nana received the letter, Laura explained, "I never got the chance to fully explain my decision to Robert. You witnessed how we treated our last conversation together. I don't want our final meeting to end on that note. This letter will help him understand why I made that decision. And I hope you'd be able to give this to him."

'Nana stared at the young lady that stood before her. She was surprised that Laura wasn't desperate to have Robert back. She was more than willing to let him go, just for him to have peace. Nana marveled at how strong-willed Laura was, amazed at her willingness to do what was right.

'Nana nodded and Laura turned around. But before Laura could go further, Nana remarked, "He raised you well. I couldn't be more proud."

'Laura stopped on her tracks. She turned around, with her brows knitted together. "What did you say?"

'Nana hid the letter in her apron before saying, "He raised you after his own heart. And with that, I'm satisfied with what you are as a person."

'Laura stood in shock. Questions swirled in her mind, "What is she talking about? Who's the 'he' that she was pertaining to? Did she mean... Grandpa Ben?"

'Laura walked back a few steps and asked, "What do you mean? Why are you saying such things?"

'Nana gave a brief smile before heading back inside.'

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Laura? Laura?" Grandpa Ben's faded voice became clearer as she returned to reality. He sat beside her, helping her put away the bucket and the brush. "The floor has already been cleaned. Are you trying to make us slip?" he smirked.

"Grandpa Ben, may I ask you a question?" she turned to him.

Grandpa Ben stopped as he looked towards his beloved Laura. "This seems to be different. What is on your mind?" he asked.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Nana Olsa, by any chance?"

Grandpa Ben sat, frozen. He didn't even blink. His eyes were wide open upon hearing Laura's question. His fears, his worries immediately overpowered his ability to think clearly. He didn't expect such a question from Laura.

Especially not at this time.

"Grandpa Ben?" Laura's gentle touch on the old man's arm was enough to calm him down. Grandpa Ben looked at her hand and back to her face as she asked another, "Do you know her?"

'Perhaps, the time has come,' Grandpa Ben thought to himself.