My Stubborn Mistress

Doctor Derek who holds the book as the one reading, Marie asks him. "What"s the matter, Doctor Derek?"

"Miss Marie, glad you were here now. Can you read this chapter?" Derek handed her the book. Marie took the single sofa to sit, then began reading the whole chapter that made another change from its original story.

"No. This can"t be!" she burst out. "Madison, please, do nothing yet!" she prayed. Her niece is debating within herself to change something in the past. She cannot do that! Marie"s thoughts.

"Can we talk to someone about this? What happened to the progress of saving Lady Isabella?"

"They were reporting directly to the Chairman and Quinn. Maybe I can ask Larry, and then everyone must notify the others about it as well."

"But we can"t ask them to come here and talk to them personally," Marie"s presumption.

"No. The Ca.s.sie we have here should not see her parents who alive."

The four of them fell in deep thoughts. Later on, Butler Leroy makes a call to the Crow Mansion and Derek called Larry to discuss something… not that long, Larry arrived.

"How are they?" asked Larry. He examines the three bodies lying in the middle of this library.

"We"re worried that they are not waking up yet, which we can"t dare to move them to have put blankets underneath to give them a warmer bed and felt comfortable," Derek expressed.

"According to Jessie"s report, they haven"t reached Lady Isabella yet."

"Then we have to wait longer? How if the masters won"t wake up for a long time?"

"Okay. The thing is, the security system that protected the entire forest is actually not to protect the forest, but the outsider people." The four people in front of Larry giving a questioning gaze at him. He felt like was under interrogation. 

"What do you mean by that, Master Larry?" butler Pete who raised a question.

"The forest has been there for a thousand years, and so the shamans before the civilization… colonization to be exact."

"Hmm…" 

"You"re telling us that there is something in that forest?"

"Yes. The Alliance put up the tight security to protect not the Shaman"s village but the people who plan to enter the Mystic Forest."

"Define Mystic, Larry." Derek sounded likely joking but his face was not. Also, butler Leroy and Pete glanced at each other.

"Mystic like unimaginable things to happen?" Leroy"s thoughts. He was in deep thoughts.

"Mystic forest was like surrounded by mysteries?" Pete seconded.

"Mystic forest such as the forest has its life?" Marie questioned.

"The shaman who could only answer this," Larry replied. "There are only a few people that hold knowledge about this forest. There are ancient writings around the forest, and only those who knew this language would be saved."

"Amazon is a huge forest, Mr. Larry."

"That is why, crawl the ground to survive inside this forest, but—," Larry paused.

"Even underneath the ground is not safe..." he added.

"I think, I have to believe this… after to what happened to Quinn and the others? I have no reason not to believe this." Derek stated his thoughts.

"I agree with the doctor. I heard folktales from my old pal, it pa.s.sed down by his forefathers."

"Then, what will happen now? Is the Chairman has a plan?" Marie"s query.

"Among us, it was Uncle Henry and Uncle Landon who knew this language and the ones that familiar with this forest."

"Are the masters going to Brazil?" Leroy asked. He has received no command yet.

"It is what they"ve come up with. Although everyone a.s.sisted and monitored by ATHENA, the forest would be playful and possibly angry for those who were carrying weapons inside."

"It was violent towards anyone who it thinks bring troubles."

"Likely, yes."

"They can"t send any air transport?"

"Uncle Nicholas explains that cannot be... that is why most of the Amazon forest are avoidable to fly around its air territory."

"How about pa.s.senger planes or any aircraft? Isn"t the plane normally pa.s.s that area?"

"Could pa.s.s by, but should not below from the height it allowed them. In the past, there are always planes crashes around the forest because no one knows about it yet, that the forest brings danger both in the ground and air territory. The plane should maintain a thousand feet."

"When the Alliance founded and grew, Lady Isabella presented to the world leaders about this mystery that surrounded the forest, and so they began putting up the invisible wall, that"s to secure outside the forest. Lady Isabella then having a dialog with the shamans. Make some agreement and began prohibiting to enter the forest without permission." Larry added.

"And this is one of countless secret the alliance is protecting."

"So then, it will take a while before Lady Isabella could come to guide us. Then the masters and the two Miss must bear it for a while..."

* * *

Back in the 18th Century...

By the afternoon, Marivella came back to pick up Carlene. She brought Madison to their house and introduced her to her mother Caroline.

"Awesome!" She is meeting her grandmother and their name was actually close… then, her name is more like her grandma. Also, she is lovely like her mama Marivella.

"Would you mind wearing this skirt and Jeogori? This is the clothing we wore back in mama and papa"s country."

"Hum. Not all, I won"t mind wearing them!" Of course, she is familiar with these clothes. It becomes a traditional dress in the future.

"We will finish it tomorrow morning, then we can go to Gala together in the evening," Marivella announced.

"Um, can I help anything?"

"Oh..." Caroline and Marivella looked at each other, smiled then nodded. "Would be glad to have you."

"Thank you!" She"s happy to spend time with them. Caroline giving her instructions and shows the pattern of what she has to st.i.tch. Gladly, she learns the embroidery from her grandmother, who her great-great-grandmother taught her.

"Mrs. Chen, I heard, you have a real name from the country where you came from," curiously, she open it up.

"Hmm... you are correct." Caroline lifted her chin, then glance at her direction, smiled. "Marivella"s name is So-young, and I am Soon-book."

"Oh..." Then there is no surprise when Marivella reincarnated, she named as HwYoung. "How about its meaning? I heard, there are beautiful means of its name."

"Yes. Mama"s name as Soon-bok, it means gentle and blessed… one with a gentle soul." Marivella explained.

"And yours?"

"Oh, well… It says, So-young means Eternal, Beautiful, and Prosperity." Blus.h.i.+ng, Marivella shared these facts.

"Beautiful and that is so true!" her compliments which Marivella chuckles. 

"Don"t be too exaggerated," she said.

"I am telling the truth!" her eyes gleam while telling this, and so Marivella and Caroline smiled warmly at her.

"All right. I"ll go to the kitchen and make us tea." Caroline announced. She then came back with a tray of tea and a sweet croissant.

"Thank you."

Overwhelmed, Madison sips the tea Caroline offered her. She also tried the croissant, and it is tasty, to imagine that this is the 18th century. The food is already good. They have a long break with the beautiful story of Caroline about her childhood days and Louis of how she already has a crush on him even before.

Madison enjoyed hearing the story of Marivella"s parents; the grandparents of her past life. Getting busier embroiling, Caroline heard a loud bang of the door. She went to check upon but then; they force the door to open. Caroline shocked, seeing a group of town soldiers barging inside her house.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked them hysterically.

"We are looking for Marivella Chen," said an officer who stood as the captain. They enter the house an invited and his other companion checks each room: the living room, the library, the dining hall, and the kitchen. One attempted to head upstairs but Caroline blocked the way.

"No! You can"t go upstairs!" she yells and stretched both of her arms.

Hearing the noises outside, Marivella and Madison came out of the room. Caroline"s working area is an extension room accessible through the small hallway in the kitchen. 

"What is happening, Mama?" asked Marivella. She felt furious upon seeing a group of rascals searching around their house.

"Are you Marivella Chen?"

"Yes, I am. What do you want?" she asked the captain, then two of the soldier hold both her arms.

"Don"t touch her!" Madison tried to grab Marivella"s arm but another soldier pulling her to the corner. Madison trying to get free. To her anger, she holds the guy"s arm. She poses in front of him then with all of her strength, she carries the man and throws it on the floor; like the ones in pro-wrestling.

Stunned, the soldiers dropped their mouths. They never have seen anyone doing this kind of moves and so, they weren"t sure if it called self-defense or simply an attack. How did this girl do that? It is what on their head.

And for Marivella, who taught some defense by her father in secret, she never crosses other women knew to fight.

"Yo— you— how did you?" the officer shuddered, but regains his posture. "Take that woman too!" he ordered.

"No! I am the only one you need, right? Then take me and leave her alone!"

"Mama?" Once again, she"s touched by her mother"s bravery. But she won"t allow Marivella to face this alone. "No! Take me too! Is this about the mayor"s granddaughter? I who splashes them the bucket of water! So I am the one who offended her!"

"Carlene? No. I am the one who slapped the mayor"s granddaughter, so this is only my wrong," Marivella insisted.

The officer scratched his head. The two girls now began arguing who do it. "All right! Take them both!" he ordered to bring the two girls instead.

"Wait, officer! You can"t bring either of them! You cannot harm them!" Full of bravery, Caroline runs in front of the door and blocked the way. 

"Mama, don"t worry. I will be fine. I am ready to face the punishment of what I did. I"m sorry, mama..." Marivella apologizes for bringing another scandal to the family.

"So-young…" Caroline felt too much anguish toward her daughter.

"Don"t worry, Mrs. Chen, I will protect her!" Madison promised. If she has to fight, she won"t think anymore to stay careless when time Marivella was in danger.

In the wooden gate, Peter and James just arrived from their afternoon cla.s.s. "Mama! Where will they bringing big sister?" James asked. He quickly attacked the soldier who held Marivella in the arm but they only threw him on the grown.

"Don"t hurt them!" Marivella yelled and glares at the soldiers.

They were pus.h.i.+ng to climb at the carriage and Madison tried to shrug the hands that hold them.

Helpless, Caroline watching horridly at the carriage where her daughter kept inside. "Peter, hurry! Tell your father!"

Peter did not waste time and runs with a speed headed to the central town where their father worked. "Watch, Mother, James!" he requested before he left.

"What they will do to your sister?" Caroline cried. Devastated, she fell on her feet and continued weeping. James helped her mother to go back inside the house while they waited for his father to be home.