Seraphina's POV
On the third day of the week, the doctor finally allowed me to go back to work. After reviewing my remaining laboratory results and confirming that everything came back negative, he said I was fit enough to return. It was a relief for me because Mira could finally go back to her condo and get some proper rest.
As the doctor removed my IV, I stretched my arms. Finally, I could move comfortably without worrying about the needle in my hand.
Mira started packing her things as well. I told her to get some rest because I'd be fine now that I could move around freely. Lucca was in the living room, waiting for us to finish. The dark circles under his eyes were proof that he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Who would, after staying in my house for two straight nights? I kept insisting that he go home, but he refused to listen. I understood why he didn't want to leave me, but did he really have to guard me twenty-four hours a day?
After Mira and Damian left, my house became quiet again. After several days of having people around, everything finally came to an end. I had never experienced inviting so many people into my home before. Their presence filled the house with a warm, lively atmosphere. If Grandma could have witnessed it, she would have been proud of me for finally making friends.
I walked over to Lucca, who was lying on the sofa. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The sofa was far too small for someone as tall as he was. I wanted to wake him up and tell him to sleep on my bed instead. It would be much more comfortable than the sofa.
"Am I really that handsome for you to stare at me like that?"
I was caught off guard when he suddenly spoke. I had thought he was asleep.
"Weren't you sleeping?" I asked.
"Half asleep," he answered.
"I wasn't staring at you because you're handsome. I just wanted to tell you that you could use my bed so you'd have a more comfortable place to sleep," I said. I had never offered my bed to a man before, but Lucca was an exception. He had taken care of me until I recovered.
Without hesitation, he stood up and walked into my room. Moments later, he was already lying on my bed, fast asleep. I couldn't help but smile at the sight before me. The image of Lucca sleeping on a girl's bed. Even then, my bed wasn't quite long enough for his entire body.
Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly left him to rest. I went to the kitchen and had breakfast. Mira had made egg sandwiches, cooked some bacon, and prepared fresh fruit on the table. I ate more than usual since the doctor kept reminding me to maintain a healthy weight.
After breakfast, I decided to visit Grandma's grave. It had been a while since my last visit. I planned to go alone and didn't want to bother Lucca.
I headed to the bathroom and took a shower. I brought my clothes inside so I could change there since Lucca was in my room. I wore a pair of denim jeans, a white T-shirt, and white sneakers.
After getting ready, I glanced into my room one last time. Lucca was sleeping soundly. I couldn't help but smile at him. I hoped he would finally get the good night's sleep, or rather, good day's sleep, he deserved.
As soon as I stepped outside the gate, one of my elderly neighbors called out to me.
"Seraphina… You've had so many visitors these past few days. Who are they? They're all so handsome and beautiful," the old lady said with a giggle.
"They're my friends, Grandma," I replied.
"Why have they been coming in and out of your house so often? I haven't seen you outside in quite a while," she asked.
"I was sick and had to stay at home," I answered. "One of the handsome men you saw is actually my doctor."
"Really? You weren't admitted to the hospital?"
I wanted to excuse myself without answering any more of her questions, but walking away would have been disrespectful.
"He's a friend of one of my friends, Grandma. That's why."
"I guess they're filthy rich. Their cars are amazing too!"
I forced a smile at her question. Before she could ask any more, I gathered the courage to stop her politely.
"Grandma, I really need to go. I don't want to be late for my appointment," I excused myself.
"Of course! Go now. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Thank you!"
Then I walked away as fast as I could, hoping none of my other neighbors would stop me to ask more questions. I sighed. Now my neighbors would probably think I had wealthy friends. What would they say about me now? Maybe some of them would think I was a gold digger, but who knows? I couldn't control what people thought of me.
I took a bus to my grandmother's grave. A few minutes later, I arrived at the cemetery. I continued walking toward her tomb, but before I could reach it, I noticed someone standing there.
I stopped and tried to figure out who it was from a distance. I stayed where I was, waiting for him to leave.
When he finally turned around, I gasped.
It was Lucca's master.
"Sir..." I called as soon as I recognized his familiar face.
He looked slightly taken aback when he saw me.
Then my eyes shifted to Grandma's tomb. I had been right. He had been visiting her grave.
"I..." He seemed about to say something but stopped himself.
"Are you visiting my grandma's grave? Did you know her?" I asked curiously. Lucca had never mentioned that his master knew my grandmother.
"Ah, yes," he answered calmly. "We were old friends."
"Lucca never mentioned that you were Grandma's old friend," I said. I couldn't help but wonder why Lucca had never told me. Maybe he simply hadn't thought it was important, or perhaps he should have mentioned it when we met at the hospital.
Then I remembered something.
"Were you the one who visited my grandma before? Your coat looks familiar," I said, studying the brown coat he was wearing. Even his hat looked familiar.
"I'm sorry for not introducing myself properly before," he said. "Lucca didn't mention it because I rarely talked about your grandmother. The only thing he knew was that we were old friends."
I nodded. That explained my curiosity.
Suddenly, fragments of the dream flashed through my mind—the king, Grandma as the queen.
I looked at him intently.
If I were to guess, he was around the same age as my grandmother. But why did that dream feel as though it had happened centuries ago?
"Are you all right?" he asked with a gentle smile.
"Ah, yes. Would you like to have some tea with me, Sir? I'd like to know more about you and my grandma," I said.
In truth, I wanted to know if he knew anything about the dream, the one that kept replaying in my mind. The dream where Miana, Mandy Moore, became the villain. I also wanted to know if Lucca and I were somehow connected to it.
"Sure," he replied with a smile.
I smiled back. At least I didn't have to convince him. If he had refused, I wouldn't have known what excuse to make just to get him to have tea with me.
We left the cemetery together and headed to the nearest coffee shop. As I opened the door, one of the staff members greeted us. Since it was still early in the morning, there were only a few customers inside.
"Good morning, ma'am. Here's the menu," the staff member said with a smile.
I looked around before choosing a comfortable table for us.
It was my first time spending time alone with a stranger, yet I didn't feel awkward around him. Maybe it was because he was much older than me. Or maybe it was because he was Lucca's master, someone who almost felt like a grandfather.
"Please order whatever you'd like, Sir. It's my treat," I said.
"You don't have to be so formal with me," he replied warmly. "You can call me Grandpa, just as you called your grandmother."
I looked at him for a moment.
Even in his old age, I could tell he must have been a very handsome man in his youth. He had a sharp nose, fair skin, and hazel-brown eyes that anyone could easily admire. Though wrinkles now lined his face, his handsome features remained.
"I'll just have chamomile tea," he said, pulling me back to the present. I hadn't even realized I'd been staring at him.
"How about a pastry? Please choose anything you'd like," I offered.
"I already had breakfast before I went to the cemetery, dear. I'm not hungry," he replied.
I nodded and ordered a strawberry vanilla milkshake and a slice of banana cake. I didn't usually visit coffee shops because I wasn't much of a coffee person, but today was an exception. I couldn't think of anywhere else to go since it was still early.
After the staff took our orders, we began talking about my grandmother.
"I met your grandmother years ago. We first met here in the cemetery. She was grieving for her husband."
I don't remember any of it because I don't think I had even been born when Grandpa passed away. Grandma always told me that Grandpa was the most gentlemanly and responsible man she had ever known. She said that losing him was the most painful experience of her life.
"I felt sorry for her back then. That was the day we became friends," he said with a smile.
There was something behind that smile. I couldn't help but wonder... had he fallen in love with my grandmother back then? His expression seemed to tell me that she had once held a special place in his heart.
"I comforted her and accompanied her to the cemetery almost every day. We were both still living in the province at that time. I can honestly say we had a very strong friendship."
"Didn't you ever court my grandma after the two of you became close?" I asked.
"She was grieving. I didn't comfort her just to take advantage of her vulnerable state. I simply stayed by her side until we eventually parted ways."
"Parted ways?"
He nodded.
"That was when she moved to the city to find a job."
"A job?"
So Grandma had worked in the city after Grandpa died? I had always thought she only moved here after I was born. It turned out she had already been working in the city long before that.
"Yes. We lost contact after she moved. It was a painful parting for me because we never even had the chance to say goodbye. Your grandmother left so suddenly since her daughter was already in college and she needed to support her."
Grandma had never told me about that part of her life. She only mentioned that she had an old friend, but she never said that friend was a man.
"I guess your grandma never told you about me, did she?" he asked with a laugh.
"You never even had a chance with Grandma," I blurted out without thinking.
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
"I'm sorry."
He laughed softly.
"You don't have to apologize. That was my decision back then. Although I regret it now, there's nothing I can do. The past can't be changed."
For a brief moment, sadness flickered across his eyes. I could feel the pain of loving someone he could never have. As far as I knew, Grandma had never entered another relationship after Grandpa died. She always said she would remain loyal to him.
Our order arrived, interrupting our conversation.
He took a sip of his hot chamomile tea before smiling again.
"You know," he began, "I always turn down Lucca, Damian, and Dominic whenever they invite me to have tea at expensive cafés. They want to give me a luxurious life because, as you know, they're all very wealthy. But I never accepted those things."
"I don't need their money. If I had wanted it, I could have simply asked their parents for more when they were children. But I never did. I took care of those boys as if they were my own grandsons."
He chuckled.
"If anyone heard that I refused things like cars, a house, or even a farm, they'd probably call me a hypocrite."
"May I ask why you keep refusing everything they offer?" I asked.
"Because all I want is their presence in my little house. Every time they visit me, I can't describe how happy I feel. They keep insisting on renovating my house and making it bigger, but I want it to stay exactly the way it was when they lived there."
He smiled warmly.
"Money can never buy memories."
He was right.
Money could never buy memories.
That was exactly why I still regretted almost selling Grandma's ring to the pawnshop. The guilt I had felt back then still lingered even now.
"I attended your grandmother's wake when she passed away," he continued. "I saw you and your mother there, although I don't think you noticed me."
He looked at me gently.
"How have you been since then?"
I let out a deep sigh as memories of those difficult days came flooding back. Losing Grandma had been one of the most painful experiences of my life, so painful that I felt no one could truly understand what I had gone through.
"It was the most painful experience of my life. I spent years all alone, and even now, I still wish Grandma could have lived longer. A few years later, I was diagnosed with depression," I explained.
Sharing my feelings about Grandma with someone who had known her felt strangely comforting.
"I grieved for her too, and even now, part of me still does," he said with a soft laugh. "You know what my greatest regret is? What if I had confessed my feelings to her? What if we had ended up together? Life is always full of 'what ifs.'"
He looked at me with gentle eyes.
"If I were you, live your life to the fullest and do the things you've always wanted to do. Don't spend your life dwelling on regrets, or you'll only end up regretting even more."
I nodded.
He was right.
That was why traveling with the boys and Mira had been so fulfilling. If Mira hadn't pushed me, I probably would never have experienced those moments.
"By the way, there's something I've been wanting to ask. I hope you can give me the answers," I said.
He nodded.
"Are Lucca and I connected? I keep having the same dreams that he does."
When I asked the question, he didn't look surprised at all. It was as if he had been expecting me to ask.
"Yes."
"I saw you and Grandma in my dream too. Are you connected to it as well?"
That question caught him off guard.
Shock and confusion flashed across his face.
"What do you mean?" he asked, listening intently.
"In my dream, you and Grandma were the king and queen of a kingdom centuries ago. The curse that has been passed down from generation to generation began because of something Grandma did."
He took a deep breath, as though the air around him had suddenly become too heavy.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up. It's been bothering me, and Lucca never seemed to dream about that part," I said.
"He did dream about it," he replied after regaining his composure.
I looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"But he chose to keep it from both of us."
"Why would he hide it?" I asked.
"What else would you expect from Lucca?" he said with a faint smile. "As long as he believes he can handle something on his own, he'll never ask anyone for help, not even me."
Sadness once again settled in his eyes.
"I always knew this day would come," he murmured before looking at me with a meaningful gaze.
"I am dying, Seraphina."
I gasped.
"I've already told Lucca."
"Why would you say you're dying? No one knows when their time will come," I said.
He gave me a weak smile.
"I can feel it. My body grows weaker every day. All I want now is to see the three boys I raised live happily."
He paused.
"Don't leave Lucca, Seraphina. He's going to need you."
My eyes widened.
Why would Lucca need me?
If anything, I was the one who always depended on him.
"Shouldn't you be telling me that I'm the one who needs Lucca?" I asked. "I can't be of much help to him. He already has everything he could ever need."
"That's what you believe," he said gently. "But trust me, he needs you far more than you realize."
He smiled warmly.
"You are precious, Seraphina. Just like your grandmother, you are no ordinary woman."