Startled by the crying furball, she proceeded to comfort the distressed fluff beside her.
"Sush, I am alright! By the way what happened last night? I remember I cried a lot.. How did I end up here..Where are we?" She asked Baobao, still trying to remember what happened.
It was at this moment that Wisey gracefully flew towards Eli and comfortably settled on Baobao's head, as if it was the most natural thing to do, then answered,
"So it's like this.. We are now in Grandpa Andi's House… Last night, you cried a lot, you cried rivers of tears, then everyone came to comfort you, even the Prince too, then…"
Wisey took a sudden pause and stared at Eli with a glint in her black round eyes.
"Then?" Eli asked curiously.
"Then you fell asleep within the Third Prince' arms~~~" Wisey continued with a teasing tone.
Gasp!
Eli was shocked with Wisey's recount of the happenings last night. "Did I really do that?" Blushing, she tried to still confirm with Baobao just in case Wisey was just teasing her.
"Master master, you indeed fell asleep.. But don't worry I protected you from that Prince Master, I beat him into carrying you to bed!" Baobao innocently answered.
From his bawling state, he adorably sat up and placed his two paws in his furry chest. Then he lifted his head up high, feeling proud that he was able to beat the 'Prince Master' into carrying his master to the bedroom.
"…"
Eli was startled, she tried hard to recount those things on her own, she finally felt her cheeks and ears hot in embarrassment. For it was the first time she cried in front of so many people. In her past life, she just cried when she was already alone in her room.
But now, not only that she cried in front of so many people, she cried in front of a prince and the legendary Grand Masters of the whole empire. What's more she bawled like a child! How embarrassing was that!
"Ugggh, I don't know how to face Grandpa Andi and Grandpa Ben now…" she couldn't help but facepalm.
"Arrrghhh what's more, the prince!!! I don't know how to answer him! Arggggh!" Eli's hands then ruffled her already messy hair in panic and distress.
Although she was able to sleep through the night, she was still unable to determine the answer to the last night's proposal. The problems were still present and in need of answers. The complications of the matter must still be sorted out before she would be able to come up with the right solutions.
Still lost, she blankly stared towards the arched french windows. Praying in her heart that the Great One will give her an answer.
"Hmm~~ It might sound crazy but, I could try searching from the book of knowledge right?"
Eli, out of options, mentioned the book. Maybe she could do what the modern day people do, type a question on google and search for answers from a forum?
"You can try that Eli chan! Remember that the book of knowldge contained a sliver of the Great One's power!" Wisey, encouraged Eli to try.
"Well who knows, I might find some guidance if not the absolute answers.." She nodded and immediately summoned the book of knowledge.
Who knows, the question might be sent directly to the heavenly realm right? But could the heavenly realm have forums like that too? Eli couldn't help but chuckle on her ridiculous idea.
Although deep inside she was feeling ridiculuous, she still very seriously typed the question:
"The Third Prince turned out to be Little Han's father. He showed up yesterday and gave me a marriage proposal. What should I do on Elise's behalf? Please help because I am at a loss of what to do..."
Finally clicking the search button, the front page displayed a prompt - 'Searching for Answers…Please Wait. Thank you for your patience'.
Unlike her previous searches where the results almost instantly appeared, this time her inquiry took a good few minutes for her to view the results. What she had read made her feel mixed emotions of excitement and bafflement.
The front page automatically flipped to the next page and displayed an interface akin to a modern day internet forum. On the brownish ancient looking paper, the question she typed was printed as the page title, very auspiciously positioned at the top center. She also noticed on the top left a header saying - Ask the Heavens.
Following text displayed the 'search answers' from the very first beings she knew since her new life. However, the answers to the forum made her eyebrows twitch..
--
The Green Hansum Guardian answered: Hmmm I don't think it's that bad to marry the prince. You get to wear a very beautiful tiara~~~ Oh, and you can also finally put a ring on it! *insert crown and ring emojis*
Coolest Awesome Zale The Water Guardian answered: Huh? Is that prince guy awesome? I think I'm cooler! Nobody is cooler than me! *insert arm flex emoji*
The Green Hansum Guardian replied to Coolest Awesome Zale The Water Guardian: *thumbs down emoji*
Coolest Awesome Zale The Water Guardian replied to The Green Hansum Guardian: Heavens Sylvain! Just say that you are envious of my awesomeness! Why the thumbs down ahh????? *insert frown emoji*
The Green Hansum Guardian replied to Coolest Awesome Zale The Water Guardian: Ya ya.. You are the coolest.. Your hair is the curliest! *insert smirk emoji*
Coolest Awesome Zale The Water Guardian replied to The Green Hansum Guardian: Bro!! Who said that my hair is curly?! Leave my hair alone! *insert angry emoji*
Eli's felt her head ache after reading the first few answers. "This wasn't answers, they just turned the page into a chat box!" She said in frustration after giving herself a facepalm.
She noticed though, that there where a few lines standing out amongst Sylvain and Zale's bickering:
--
Amihan Wind Guardian answered: Up to you. I will support. Always.
--
Eli let out a light chuckle. As she read this, she could clearly imagine Amihan's youthful shy face and her adorable childish voice while saying these words. She also saw a lengthy post of the most serious guardian amongst the four.
--
Sky Guardian Celeste answered:
Young one, The Great One had ordered us not to give you a definite answer. This is a journey you must take to grow as a person and a mother… *insert shrug emoji* You must be having a hard time right now because you are well aware of the risk that comes with every decision you are about to choose. That every answer involves risk you must choose to take. But as a guardian, let me leave you a small piece of advice..
Choose the risk that is worth taking!
--
Eli took a good pause to take in Celeste's answer.
To choose the risk that is worth taking. The Sky Guardian's statement does not encourage her to play it safe nor to haphazardly take the risk. Her advice meant that Eli should open up her heart and mind to see all the sides of every choice she had before she could make a good decision.
In deciding which choices to accept, people tend to choose the one with risk they know they have the capacity to endure. Most times, it is undeniably the most sensible approach to use.
However, there are times when people lose out because they chose the ones with the lowest risk to themselves. Not realizing that the other choices with the higher risk tend to benefit them more than that risk they thought they had fully perceived.
"Indeed, it was a good insight, however.. I still do not have the whole picture of everything…" Eli uttered in contemplation.
"I might need to talk to the Third Prince before I could properly consider things… Besides, I don't feel comfortable about making the decision on behalf of Elise.."
She was a transmigrator, the life she was living right now belonged to someone else. How impudent could she be to decide about these things! This life wasn't her own. It was just borrowed. She felt like she could never answer anything whenever she was reminded of this fact.
It was as if the book of knowledge had heard her words that suddenly, another answer appeared on the page:
--
Elise the Recuperating Soul answered: Lady Eli, you seem to be forgetting something… Whose life are you living for right now? It definitely was no longer mine… You cannot say that the life you are living right now isn't yours.
Go feel your heartbeat.. Lady Eli, it is beating not because of me, but you.
Feel Little Han in your womb. He is alive and well because you chose to live this life that had already ended with mine.
Lady Eli that life has already been yours. Please do not feel like you were intruding just because you are living through my body.
Now, please choose because it is already your life that you're living, not mine. *insert heart emoji*
--
A teardrop fell on the brownish page of the book of knowledge.
She didn't know why, but something in her being was finally set free. Maybe, ever since she had lived this new life, she always thought that she was just living on Elise's behalf. Maybe from the first moment she woke up in Prasinos, she had the mindset that everything she would do was all for Elise, not hers.
She forgot that what The Great One had given her was a life, and not a task. The task was just something that came with the life she was living right now. She seemed to misunderstood The Great One's words before she left for Prasinos:
"Your main task is to give birth and be a good mother to the little one. Do not let this be a hindrance for you not to live your life to the fullest!"
She only seemed to have focused on the first part, not on the second. Her task of being a mom, giving birth to Little Han should never be a hindrance for her to live her life to the fullest. The Great One had established from the start that it was already her life that she was living not Elise's.
"Master!!!" Baobao, seeing his master crying again, cried out in alarm.
"Eli chan, are you all right?" Wisey also followed with worry in her voice.
"I'm fine, I just felt relieved because I found some guidance on how I could decide." Eli tried to console the two. True enough, these tears weren't out of sadness but of relief.
Knock knock knock!
While the trio were spending such a warm and fluffy moment, gentle knocks were heard on the door.