Chapter 03- A beauty to behold
RECAP
"And Ms. Sister Brown, here's a small token of gratitude for effectively motivating your Brother Brown all this time." He fished out a mahogany casket which was about 25x15 cms.*
I gasped at its sight.
Beautiful Angels were carved all over and vivid rare filigree designs acquired every nook and corner where the angels didn't sit. Not even a rice grain sized of an area was left unattended. This box defined 'luxury in art'.
Ch-3 A beauty to behold
Lily's POV
"Can I open it ?" I asked brimming with eagerness.
"Of course beautiful, it's all yours now"
"Mine? Why?" Confused obviously.
"You see…, as I told you, about the mansion, I actually made a small visit to the mansion with no actual purpose. As I was pacing around, I found so many valuable unique antiques covered in layers and layers of dust. The walls were so rich that they still gave the royalty vibe through those Spiderwebs and birds nest on the pillars and windowsills, faded red curtains added extra richness to the long windows. No amount of dust and dirt could ever taint that place. The mansion is something else.
Among all those rich things, I found a huge, about a solid 10 ft long painting of a woman in her, maybe, 30s hanging up on the wall. She was gorgeous, dressed in some of those royal gown. The red curtain which was supposed to protect it was torn and had holes all over was just hanging on only one top corner hook, revealing the whole painting for view.
Just below the painting was a mahogany table and above it, resting was this casket. Alone. And of course, dusty as hell." He halted his oh-so-adventurous story right there.
I waited for him to continue but when he didn't I asked "you didn't open it yet?" I diverted my gaze to the casket and tightened my grip around it.
"Oh that I did the moment I laid my hands on it. Why don't you try opening it this time ? Maybe there's something as rare as you…." He trailed off nodding towards the casket.
"A suspense gift I see" I carefully lifted the casket with both my hands and held it in front of my chest. I examined it and with utmost care I clicked open the lock and the lid.
"Woahhhh! " I let it out of my mouth forming a perfect big round 'O'.
Is that phrase *'A beauty to behold'* applicable for things ?
"I've never seen anything, literally anything so gorgeous in my whole damn 18 years of life" I spoke with a voice just and octave higher than whisper.
"Trust me sister, neither have I"
There lied a beautiful, sorry, the most beautiful neck chain. I couldn't quite make out what metal it is, but the way it shone against the light is so similar to the northern lights. It was loosely yet delicately wound by a very thin platinum chain, inspired by a *snake*. This design terminated with the snake's neatly sharpened teeth clasping a bright crimson red quartz sword miniature. I bet this quartz sword cut still cut through any man's throat in a single go.
This masterpiece lying here is no ordinary ornament. It seems like it has got a….purpose? A rather strong one! It is not just any woman's pretty jewellery, it's something much more than that.
It defined power. Authority. Royalty.
Beyond everything, I felt a strange connection with it. And this connection felt like it was something that belonged to me. Something I lost or may be it was something I couldn't protect and now it made it's own way here, to me.
Should I call it destiny? Well, as long as what I have known, read or heard, destiny or fate often tie two people together not a person and a thing.
"A master piece, isn't it ?" questioned Mason pulling my deep thoughts
"Yes it is" was all I could manage to say. Suddenly Mason's phone rang, he picked it up and my great CEO brother was forced back to work. He waved me a "bye" and leaving me all alone with this casket and the neck chain in it.
I, with utmost care pulled the neck chain out of the box, but me being me didn't notice the hook still clutched to the velvet base of the box. This poor thing couldn't withstand my force and tore the velvet on its way out of the box.
What. The. Hell.
It wasn't an actual base to begin with. Below the velvet there light a book waiting for someone to discover it. "Did I just lay my hands on a Pandora's box?" I thought to myself. It was so full of surprise. Did Mason know about this book? I guess not. Pulling all these thoughts to the back of my head I opened the book.
It's a novel! Me being a novel addict was already on cloud nine to have found a new book to dive right away in.
Again a surprise! This book had about only ten pages well anyway I started to read it. And from then began my never ending journey with this book...…
FLASH BACK ENDS
It's been three months since I started off with this book and damn! Those ten pages never seem to end. At all. Call me a crazy person, maniac or anything and everything you want to but trust me when I say " it didn't " and about the story, well I never remember what I read the last night, when I wake up the next morning. Don't mistake me to be suffering from some amnesia thing. I remember everything just like any normal being.
Now, too, I just can't sleep without reading this book fully aware of the fact I never remember anything about it tomorrow.
Currently I am in page four, reading a new character's introduction- Vivienne. An Army General's daughter. As fearless as a wild cat, stealth like a hungry tiger that would pounce on it's pray any moment, smart like a wolf and sharp like an eagle. A highly skilled fighter. A knight in a shinning armour. Above all, a strong woman always holding her head high brimming with pride and a confident shoulder that wouldn't crouch down for a single second at least.
"She's everything am not" the jealous me sulked and drifted to sleep as the medicines took the better off my mind and body.