The Reincarnated Minister's Second Daughter Wants To Live A Happy Life - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Even though you’re all art students, I believe you also have talent in literature. In a sense, literature is also art, don’t you think so?” 

“Yes.” 

The students weakly answered the literature professor as they tiredly flipped the pages of their literature book. It was as thick as an almanac. Just looking at the book would make one die of too much information. 

On the left side of the room, Daisy sat on the far left. This time, a girl was her seatmate. Caspian was seated at the very front. 

Daisy’s seatmate introduced herself as Judy Miles. She was a girl with two pigtails and a pair of big glasses. 

‘Is she a nerd?’ 

However, compared to her appearance, Judy was the opposite. She was not the intelligent nor the-one-who-was-always-bullied type of student. In short, she was just as average as Daisy. 

Daisy watched her with an interested look. She watched as Judy flipped her book but had difficulty understanding the passage they were given to read. 

‘Though she’s cute.’ 

Judy’s appearance gives out the cutie girl vibe. The type of lolita girl with small height and two pigtails – want to put it inside your pocket. 

“Did you understand what it says?” 

“Uh… no. Let’s just wait until the professor explains it.” 

“You, the one with the yellow cardigan on the left. Stand up.” 

As soon as Daisy’s words fell, the scary literature professor called her to stand up. Daisy pointed to her in confusion, but the professor looked at her sharply. She had no choice but to stand up. 

“Read the poem.” 

“Yes. 

…I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.” 

“You may sit down. Share your thoughts about this poem.”

No one raised their hands. Once again, the room was submerged in pin-drop silence. 

The professor in front circled around the table in front before facing the class again. He adjusted his glasses before continuing to speak. 

“Let me give you an example. What is it that no one can take away from you?” 

The students looked at each other before someone on the right side raised their hand. 

“You.” 

“Your right as a person?” 

“That’s right! So, can you tell me now what this poem means?” 

The professor leaned on the table with an expectant look on his face. Another student raised his hand. 

With a loud voice, he answered, “That we have the right to choose our own path.” 

“What else?” 

Another student raised their hand. 

“It doesn’t matter which road we take. We are destined to go down to one, so we must sacrifice the other one for the other one. Adding his answer to mine, I think we have the right to make our own decision, and no one is allowed to take that from us.” 

“Good insight. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Gabriel, sir!” 

“You may sit down now. I heard what I want to hear now.” 

The professor went to the board and wrote something. 

“This was one of the most famous poems of Robert Frost, ‘The Road Not Taken.’ We are all walking down an undetermined path. A time will come when we are to compromise something. Like when the author met the crossroads, he must pick one out of the two. Of course, it is impossible to take both at the same time. We are left with a choice: right or left?” ¹Reference: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-The-Road-Not-Taken-by-Robert-Frost#:~:text=Frost%20uses%20the%20road%20as,one%20way%2C%20or%20the%20other

The students looked at the professor with awe in their eyes. Daisy wasn’t that much different. Even with time, teachers will always be at the top of respected people. 

This group of students, some of them in the future, will become famous painters, photographers, actresses and actors, models, or even political figures. Teachers will always be the ones they will be thankful for in the future. 

“Now, I want you to make your own poem about what path you would take if you were the one who met with crossroads. But this is with a thrill: one road is rough, where all the stones, pebbles, and possibly water puddles will hurt you. The other one is an excellent cemented road. You don’t know which would be better, but what will you choose? I will give you half an hour.” 

The students were stumped by what the professor said. Even though they were not saying anything, the look in their eyes indicated that it was difficult for them. 

Right after the professor finished talking, he started the timer and sat down on his chair. He then flipped open his literature book that wasn’t related to their lesson. 

‘What road would I choose?’ 

Daisy was left with two choices: to go to the rough road or take the excellent cemented road. If she was the past her, she would surely pick the latter. But now that she had experienced something rather traumatizing, she could endure some rocks and pebbles. She started writing on a piece of paper as soon as she made that decision. 

At the front of the class, Caspian stared at his paper and didn’t know what to write. He was suddenly reminded of that memory from a long time ago. 

Under the bright sun and clear skies, the screams echoed inside the residence and red-colored the afternoon. He was reminded of how her cold body felt against her arms as he held her for one last time and took his last breath. 

The memory he had put behind his mind and wanted so badly to forget about it surged like a massive storm, causing a ripple in his heart. 

Caspian took a deep breath and tightened his hold on his pen. 

‘It would still be the same.’ 

It was unknown to whom his words were directed: to him or that particular person. Caspian held the pen and started to write something on his paper. 

After exactly half an hour, the professor’s timer went off, startling the silent classroom. The professor turned it off and put down the book he was reading. 

“I want someone to read his own poem. Let’s see what your answer is.” 

Everyone was hesitant. However, they were confident in their work and courageously raised their hands. The professor smiled and picked the closest one to him. It was Caspian. 

Daisy looked at Caspian, who calmly put down his hand and stood up. In her eyes, he faintly moved his head in her direction. It might be her imagination, though. 

Caspian moved his head faintly to look at Daisy before looking down at his paper and reading his poem. His low voice echoed throughout the silent room. Everyone was eager to hear what he wrote. 

“Read it.” 

“Yes. 

Under the blood-tainted sky, 

Between the swords and pride

The hanging curtains and blinds, 

You are the only one….” 

“That’s a good poem. You can sit down now.” 

Caspian sat down. When he looked down at his hand, he didn’t expect it to be trembling. 

Even with that past memory, it still scares him to this day. How many times was it that he woke up from that terrible nightmare? It brought him back to that horrible day where red-colored the sky and darkness ate him. 

If Caspian was asked why he wrote that poem, his answer would be the same. In that distant memory, even if he were to go back to that time, he would still do what he did back then. It was a pity that he chose her over his father, but he didn’t regret it. Not once did he. 

The professor was amazed by the poem Caspian recited. It was filled with emotions. 

“Student, have you ever fallen in love before?” 

The other students perked their ears when they heard the word ‘love.’ No matter where it is, the concept of ‘love’ will always get people’s attention. Not to mention, they are a group of first-year college students. 

Caspian bowed his head and pondered. 

‘It couldn’t be considered love.’ 

Caspian shook his head, and the professor was surprised. To hear such an emotional poem, it would be hard to believe someone who had yet to fall in love wrote that. 

The professor smirked and asked another student what she understood from Caspian’s poem. 

With her hands on her chest, the student cleverly answered, “I believe our classmate Caspian had experienced unrequited love. He said, ‘You are the only one.’ If that is not love, what could it be, professor?” 

The professor burst out into laughter when he heard the student’s answer. Really, students’ imaginations are really rich. 

When Daisy heard Caspian’s poem, she had one thought in mind: ‘Beautiful.’ Paired with his low voice, it matched perfectly with his mellow poem. His side view and the sun shining behind him created an almost perfect atmosphere for a dramatic scene in a movie. It was simply otherworldly. 

“Good work, Caspian. You must have experienced something that pushed you to choose that person. So, was it the rough road or the excellently cemented road?” 

Caspian raised his head and looked at the professor, “It was the rough road, sir. The end was not good, but I was glad I chose that road. As Robert Frost’s poem, it made all the difference.” 

“What a splendid answer!” 

The professor clapped his hands with a broad smile on his face. He was clearly delighted. 

~~~~~ 

A/N: 

References: 

• • https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-The-Road-Not-Taken-by-Robert-Frost#:~:text=%22The%20Road%20Not%20Taken%22%20is%20all%20about%20what%20did%20not,sacrificed%20one%20for%20the%20other.

• • https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-The-Road-Not-Taken-by-Robert-Frost#:~:text=Frost%20uses%20the%20road%20as,one%20way%2C%20or%20the%20other.