Chapter 50 — New Beginning

She has seen a woman sleeping peacefully in a pretty spacious room in which the building is made of wood entirely. The woman looked beautiful even though her eyes were closed. When the sunlight hit her eyelids, she shifted restlessly as if her deep sleep had been disturbed.

The woman, who is none other than Laura Reaghlobe, who has now changed her surname to Laura Dawson, immediately opened her eyes so that her blood-red irises were seen rolling around the room. She gasped in surprise when she found herself alone in the room. A room she knew was her new home with her husband and their two daughters.

Since leaving the palace, they have settled on a hill far away from human settlements. Incidentally, there is a simple house made of wood near the hill. The house looks like it has been abandoned for a long time. The husband and wife stayed there because the scenery around the hill made them comfortable.

Laura panicked and was afraid when she didn't find her husband or her two daughters in their new home. She rushed up from the bed. She held her throat, which felt so dry, that it looked like she was thirsty and hungry. She needed blood right now.

A smile spread across her ripe lips when her eyes saw several bags of blood lying on the table. With cheerful steps, she approached the table and, without hesitation, drank the blood in the pouch greedily. She was happy because it seemed that Cliff had prepared the blood bag for her on purpose.

While drinking blood, Laura accidentally glanced at the mirror on the wall before her eyes. A mirror that reflects her new appearance after becoming a vampire. There wasn't too much change in her appearance when she was still a human. Her hair was still golden blonde, back hair with a wave at the bottom. The shape of the eyes, nose, mouth, or cheeks has not changed. The only noticeable change is the iris, which used to be brownish, is now red. When she grinned, two fangs were seen growing in her mouth—two fangs to make it easier to drink the blood of its prey.

Laura's body, emaciated during her pregnancy, has recovered to normal. The torn wound on the stomach had closed entirely and did not even leave the slightest scar. Secretly Laura smiled happily because now she was a vampire, just like her husband.

After drinking the blood until she was empty, Laura placed the empty blood bag on the table. Unintentionally her eyes saw a piece of paper lying near several blood bags that were still intact. The hunger had made her not aware of the existence of the paper. She rushed to read the writing on the piece of paper.

Hi darling. How are you today? I'm guessing you must be freaking out and scared because you didn't find us. But still, you will fill your stomach first before looking for us, so I have prepared a lot of food for you. Is your husband's guess correct? I hope his guess is right.

Today the sky is clear. Try to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather today. Oh yes. There's a little surprise for you, hope you like it.

Laura chuckled after reading the writing in the letter.

"Yeah, you guessed right," she muttered. Then she rushed out of the house. The scorching sunlight blinded her vision, making her have to squint her eyes for a moment. She looked around for the surprise that Cliff had said on the piece of paper earlier.

Her mouth slightly opened with a look of amazement when she saw many white roses growing in the house's yard, even though, as she remembered when she and Cliff set foot in this house, there weren't any flowers before. White roses, Laura's favorite flower, and Cliff knew about it.

She approached the bed of flowers and inhaled the scent of flowers that wafted her senses of smell for a moment. Her smile widened as her eyes traced around the yard of the house, which looked beautiful, spoiling the sight. Her gaze stopped when she realized a piece of paper was tucked into one of the flower stalks. She rushed to pick it up and read the writing on the paper.

It would help if you liked the surprise, didn't you, because I deliberately planted your favorite flower myself. I'm sometimes very jealous of these flowers because they always manage to steal your attention, not infrequently. I even feel ignored because of their existence. If I'm honest, I hate white roses because they always manage to steal you from me.

Have you ever asked me how much I love you? Hmm, maybe the answer is infinite and can't be measured by any object because, for your sake, I'm willing to do anything, including doing something I hate the most, like planting the flowers I hate the most to see you smile happily.

You often say you love me very much, whereas I rarely say it. Now hear my confession.

Laura Dawson, I love you so much, with all my heart, and for no reason. Thank you for always being patient with my sometimes too-harsh nature. Thank you for giving me a lot of love that I never got from anyone else before. Thank you for always trusting and waiting for me. Thank you for choosing me to be your partner. And thank you for loving a man like me.

The kids and I miss you, come here. These lovely flowers of yours will lead you to where we are.

Laura hugged the paper after she finished reading the writing inside, then followed what Cliff said. She stepped, following the white roses that grew along the path from the yard. She frowned in wonder. When did her husband plant those white roses without her knowledge? Moreover, she planted it along the path leading to a beautiful hill, which was why they had chosen to settle here.

She continued walking up the path, following the whereabouts of the white roses that Cliff had deliberately planted for her. The further she stepped, the closer she got to the hill. That's where her husband and two daughters are currently. Cliff sat at the top of the hill with a stretch of green grass as his seat while leaning against a tree. Laura smiled momentarily, waved at her husband, then dashed towards where her husband was.

"It turns out you are here?" Laura asked as she took a seat beside her husband. Laura looked at her two daughters, who were sleeping in a bassinet that was wide enough to fit both of her baby daughters. Her forehead wrinkled. She wondered when Cliff bought the bassinet.

"Cliff, that bassinet, where did you get it? And those flowers, when did you plant them? Why didn't I know?" she asked, confused.

"This bassinet, of course. I bought it in the village closest to this place. As for the flowers, I planted them when you were sleeping," Cliff said, but it still confused Laura.

"But how is it possible that in one night you can plant that many flowers and at the same time go to the countryside to buy a bassinet?" Laura tilted her head with her eyes twinkling playfully, making Cliff chuckle.

"Hey, don't laugh. Hurry and answer me. I'm so confused," she said as she pursed her lips.

"Do you think I can do all this in one night? Of course not, Laura. I did a lot of things while you were sleeping."

"Wait a minute, how long have I been asleep?" asked Laura realizing something unusual seemed to be happening to her, not to Cliff.

"According to you?"

"Oh, come on, don't tease me." Laura hit Cliff in the chest because she was annoyed with her husband's behavior, which she thought was too wordy.

"After we left the palace and decided to settle down on this hill. You sleep for one week. While you sleep, I do many things. I bought a bassinet and a supply of blood bags for you. Buy white rose trees that have bloomed and plant them in the house's yard and along the path from our house to this hill. I even had time to return to where I came from when you fell asleep." Laura was shocked to hear that. She was shocked that she could sleep for that long.

"It's only natural for a new vampire like you to fall into a deep sleep. Your condition was also injured yesterday. It would help if you had a long sleep to recover your condition," explained Cliff. Laura nodded.

"Do you often sleep too long?" she asked Cliff.

"Hm, not often, but once when I was seriously injured," said Cliff. Laura smiled because now she understood what had happened to her.

"Oh yes. Have you prepared names for our two daughters?" Laura asked when she remembered they had yet to name their twin daughters.

"Should I give them names?"

"Because you're their father, of course," Laura said firmly. Cliff closed his eyes, looking thoughtful. He was in that position for a long time. Finally, his eyes opened again with a broad smile on his lips.

"I've found a suitable name for them."

"Is it true? Tell me what name you gave them. I hope I will like it," Laura said. Cliff smiled faintly at that.

"Her sister is named Celin Dawson. Celin is the same as my grandmother's name. At the same time, her sister named Clara Dawson. Clara is the same as my mother's name. What do you think? You like it?"

"Yeah, of course, I like it. The name fits them very well," Laura said enthusiastically, of course making Cliff sigh of relief hearing that.

"Oh yes. I wonder why I could give birth to twins, even though in my family line, no one has ever given birth to twins."

"My father, he used to be born twins," Cliff answered while smiling because he remembered his father and uncle, Rowan, and his twin brother Roul or Ariana's father.

"Oh, no wonder. It turns out your father is a twin, huh? Hm, Cliff, you've made sun-block necklaces have you, for our two daughters?" asked Laura realizing Cliff's sad expression. Because of that, she deliberately diverted their conversation.

"To be honest, I'm not good at socializing. I don't have any acquaintances with a magician. Meanwhile, the necklace had to be made by a witch because it had to be equipped with a spell against the sun," Cliff replied, which again confused Laura. After all, she saw her two daughters wearing necklaces around their necks.

"Then their necklace. Where did you get it?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.

"As I said earlier, I went to where I came from when you were sleeping. I went to a pure-blood vampire cemetery to pick up the necklaces that belonged to two people who meant a lot to me. The necklace that Celin wore used to belong to my younger sister, Niki. Whereas the necklace that Clara was wearing used to belong to A-Ariana," Cliff said, sounding nervous at the end of the sentence, and of course, Laura realized this.

"Ariana? Who is Ariana?" Cliff looked panicked at Laura's question. Of course, he was reluctant to tell Ariana to Laura for fear that it would hurt Laura to hear it.

"Hm, let me guess, that girl named Ariana must be your first love. Right?" Cliff was shocked because Laura herself answered him. He couldn't help but nod because he didn't want to lie to Laura.

"I already guessed. You don't need to be nervous, relax, I won't be angry. Everyone has a past, and Ariana is part of your past. I won't tell you to forget her. I also understand if she is always in your heart. The past is significant because thanks to the past, there is who you are now," said Laura. Cliff stared at Laura's face closely. I don't know. He just felt amazed at Laura's thoughts which he thought were very wise and extraordinary.

"You know, Cliff, I'm so happy. Now I'm a vampire just like you. I no longer have to fear that I will grow old or die. I will stay young and live forever, just like you and our children. You're happy, too, right?" Laura asked anxiously, waiting for Cliff's answer.

"Of course, I'm pleased. I even feel my happiness is too much. I feel like I don't deserve happiness after all the sins I've done in the past. I even thought I should be severely punished for all my mistakes." Laura cupped Cliff's face with her hands, causing them to look at each other now, deep into each other's eyes.

"I said everyone must have a past, whether a dark past or a happy one. The past is not there to be regretted, but it is there to be used as a reference and guide so that in the future, we can be much better than the past. Maybe it's true that you have sinned a lot before, but you realize your mistakes and try to change yourself for the better. You have made the right decision. You managed to make the most of your time. Don't keep blaming yourself. Let it pass. The most important thing is now that you realize what you did in the past was wrong and don't try to repeat it because you already feel the pain of regret that you felt due to your past actions. Make your past actions a lesson for you so you can improve for the future. After all, it is the future you should think about, not your past." Cliff nodded, while Laura smiled at the end.

"Everyone must have committed sins and mistakes, whether intentional or not. If you still have time, opportunities to improve yourself will always come. Depending on that person can make good use of it or even waste the opportunity. I'm glad you've made the most of the opportunity you got. If until now you still feel remorse and are overshadowed by guilt because of the sins you have committed in the past, I think you can make up for it by doing various good things in the future. I'm sure the more you do good, the less guilt you feel. Cliff, to atone for your past sins, promise that you will always do good from now on. Don't hesitate to help people who need your help." Cliff nodded again.

"After all, the wheel of life is always turning, sometimes it is above, and sometimes it is below. Like our life, there are times when we feel various kinds of suffering, and there are times when we feel happiness. Therefore, never think you don't deserve happiness. Everyone deserves happiness, including you, of course. You used to live by always feeling suffering. Of course, it is appropriate that now you live happily. Life is fair, Cliff. Karma prevails. Every deed will get a reward. So do you. You said earlier that you should be punished severely for your past deeds. Without you knowing it, you've received that punishment. The feeling of regret and guilt always haunts you and makes your life uneasy until you think you don't deserve happiness. That's your punishment. It's excruciating. Isn't your life always being chased by guilt and regret?" For the umpteenth time, Cliff just nodded.

"Therefore, avoid repeating the same mistake. You're stupid if you fall into the same hole. Laura laughed, ending her wise words. Cliff pressed their foreheads, and I don't know who started it because now they were kissing passionately. Cliff is happy because now he doesn't hesitate anymore to make out with his wife. After all, they are both vampires now.

"We'll be together forever, right, Cliff? We will never be separated, right? The four of us will always be together," Laura said after they broke their long kiss.

"Of course. Nothing will be able to separate us. We will always be together. Forever," Cliff said without hesitation.

Laura smiled broadly, satisfied that Cliff's answer met her expectations. She rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and so did Cliff, who rested his chin on the top of his wife's head. Both of them closed their eyes, enjoying the happiness because, ultimately, love had united them to become a family.