Lucy's heart palpitated when she saw Franco getting down his horse. Of course, she knew the guy. They were in the same year of Level Three. But both of them had different sets of friends kaya naman imposibleng magkadaupang palad silang dalawa.
Except for these kinds of events.
Kung anong tamlay niya kanina, siya namang sigla niya ngayon.
She watched as Franco waited for his mother. Lucy always admired Lie Feng. She was one of the few who accepted foreigner like her whole-heartedly.
Besides, she couldn't find any reason to hate Lie Feng. She was kind to everyone and very down to earth. She was patriotic and of course, mother of Franco.
She stood straight and waited for Franco to walk towards them. But she was surprised when the two maidservants waited in front of the carriage again until a lady went out of it.
The lady was wearing a turquoise dress with flower embroideries. Just like Lie Feng, it was a traditional dress. Her hair was tied in a bun below her head at nilagyan lang iyon ng isang simpleng lotus clip sa may pinakabun nito.
The girl was very simple, indeed. And yet, despite having less accessories than the rest of the ladies here, she stood out.
Everyone watched as Lie Feng entwined her arm to the girl. Then they both followed behind General Hans and Franco. The lady stood out again. She was like a noble woman while walking, graceful and confident. Ibang iba sa karamihan ng mga naririto na mga dalaga.
Lucy couldn't even help comparing her to Diana. The latter obviously paled in comparison. The lady's nobility was so natural as if she was born to be like that.
Suddenly, the four of them were in front of her.
"Happy birthday, Official Sachel." Bati ng mag-asawa sa Papa ni Lucy.
Habang nagbabatian sila ay hindi maalis ang paningin niya kanila Franco at doon sa babae.
"This pretty lady here, is she your future daughter-in-law? Siya na bang mapapangasawa ni Franco?" Biglang tanong ng Papa niya.
Namula naman agad ang tenga ni Franco.
"How can Franco with a nutshell head deserve a lady like her?" Sabi ni Lie Feng.
Lucy saw na napasimangot si Franco. The lady, on the other hand, chuckled.
The two seemed close to one another. Franco leaned towards her saka bumulong which caused the lady to grin wider.
"Emy, come here." Tawag ni Lie Feng at agad namang lumapit yung babae sa tabi niya. The lady smiled at them. "This is Emerald. You can just call her Emy. Pamangkin namin siya. She just arrived a few weeks ago from Royal City."
"It's nice to meet you, Official Sachel." Emy even offered her hand to Lucy's father for a shakehand.
Agad namang nakipagkamay ang papa niya sa dalaga.
"Oh no! The pleasure is all mine, Miss Hans. I have never thought I will meet someone from Royal City. I heard mayayaman lahat ang nasa lugar na iyon."
Emy chuckled silently. "It was just an exaggeration, sir."
Nagpalitan pa ng ilang salita ang matatanda. Si Lucy naman ay napahinga na lang ng malalim. This Emerald girl was amazing to the point that it frustrated her. How could someone become this perfect? At ang malala pa doon, she was close to Franco.
She thought that a guy who has to interact with this kind of girl would definitely have a high standard. Kapag nagkataon, lalo ng walang chance si Lucy kay Franco.
***
Emy was silently laughing when they finally entered the backyard of the Sachel's.
Lucy was obviously devastated. Of course, Emy knew that she fancied Franco. Kanina lang din niya naalala na si Franco pala ang ikinikwento ng dalaga sa kanya noon na gusto niya.
Back then, she had no reason to take a look at Franco. She was busy with a lot of things. But now was different.
Alam din niyang mula pagbaba pa lang ng carriage ay pinapanood na siya ng mga pinsan niyang sila Cherry at Kelly. And that they even followed her hanggang sa makapasok ang pamilya nila sa backyard.
Meaning, they eavesdropped about her and now they proceeded to Diana para sabihin dito ang tungkol kanya.
It was pretty obvious with the way Diana was scrutinizing her. Emy was only looking through her peripheral at first but then decided to looked directly at Diana after some time.
The latter stopped talking with Cherry and Kelly at nakipagtitigan din sa kanya.
But since Emy had another plans, she smiled sweetly at Diana bago nagbaba na agad ng paningin niya.
Being timid fitted Emy perfectly. She was certain to use it well.
Maya maya lang din ay nagsipagdatingan na ang iba pang mahahalagang bisita ni Official Sachel. Of course, even the Princes were there.
At syempre, center of attraction na naman si Diana, since everyone knew that she was in a relationship with Prince Vio, the second Prince. Rumor said that the Emperor was just waiting for him to turn 21 to announce him as the Crown Prince.
Pero hahayaan ba naman ni Emy na mangyari yun?
That title was for Marco only. She would never let his murderers to live the life that was supposed to be his.
***
Sebastian cringed as he saw what his half brother was doing at one of the Official's birthday party. This Vio only knew how to show off amongst the crowd.
Buti sana kung skill niya ang pinagyayabang niya.
But then again, couldn't anyone consider flirting as a skill?
Napailing na lang siya sa naisip niya saka nahiga doon sa isang malaking sanga ng puno.
Nagpakita na siya sa celebrant. That was all that mattered to him. Ang kailangan lang naman ay magpakita siya eh. Masabi na umattend sa mga ganitong klaseng gathering.
Which he hated so much.
"Who's there?" Sebastian asked nang may maramdaman siyang tao sa paligid.
Soon enough, a man in black overall appeared in front of him.
"Your highness, pinapunta po ako ni Young Master Calix sa inyo."
"Any news?"
"Someone send him a letter."
Saka inabot nito sa kanya ang isang papel.
'Prepare. I'll be seeing you one of these days. -Q'
Napaupo ng ayos si Sebastian dahil doon.
Q...
He knew Q was Samantha. Her secret business was very useful hindi lang para sa dalaga kundi pati rin para sa kanya.
What the lady didn't know, he already infiltrated her business.
But Samantha died months ago. So who the hell was this impostor?
"Did you know kung sino ang nagdeliver nito?"
"It was the same maid, Young Master."
Napakunot ang noo ni Sebastian.
The maid?
How brave was that maid to use her young lady's secret identity? What? Did she want to avenge her young lady?
Napatingin ulit sa sulat si Sebastian. Then he realized that it was the same handwriting as before.
Could it be that he had it wrong back then? Was it possible that Samantha is not Q?
"Young master, that maid is currently living at General Hans' residence. Sa pagkakaalam ko ay ang foreigner na pamangkin ni General Hans ang pinagsisilbihan nito ngayon."
Out of curiousity ay hinanap ng mga mata niya ang pamilya ni General Hans sa mga bisita. Madali lang ay nahanap niya agad ang mga ito. But his eyes landed on that lady beside Franco.
***
"Hi."
Emy was busy getting food from buffet table when someone greeted her.
It was Lucy.
"Hello. You're that lady beside Official Sachel a while ago, right?
"Papa ko siya."
"Oh."
"I am Lucy." Then she offered her hand na agad namang tinanggap ni Emy.
"Emy."
Kumuha muna sila ng makakain bago naupo doon sa mesa nila Emy. Busy sila General Hans, Lie Feng at Franco sa pakikipag-usap sa mga kakilala nila. Kaya nagpaalam na lang si Emy na kakain muna.
"So... ilang weeks ka na din pala dito sa Grey City. How come none of us have seen you before this?"
"I was detained."
Napaangat ng ulo niya agad si Lucy.
"Just kidding." Emy even laughed softly. "Actually, I am busy studying about Grey City. Franco borrowed books for me at yun ang pinagkakaabalahan ko lately."
"Wow, it must be boring."
Emy just chuckled.
"Bakit di ka na lang magpakwento sa kanila?"
"I am not a fan of oral stories. I like facts."
Lucy noticed that the girl smiles and laughs a lot. Kahit pa parang napakasophisticated niya pero kapag nakausap mo siya, parang ang gaan gaan lang ng lahat.
Nakipagkwentuhan pa si Lucy sa dalaga tungkol sa Grey City at Royal City. Hindi niya mapigilang hindi magtanong sa kaibahan ng dalawa.
Dapat talaga ay tungkol kay Franco kung bakit niya nilapitan si Emy. But her curiousity took a better of her.
Isa pa, masarap kakwentuhan si Emy. She doesn't beat around the bush at napapatawa siya nito.
"Emy, we have to go now."
Nagulat na lang si Lucy when Franco was suddenly in front of her. Kahit pa si Emy naman talaga ang kausap nito but she couldn't help na kiligin.
"I'll be going now, Lucy. Let's just continue our talk when we meet again."
Napatango na lang si Lucy bago pinanood ang likuran ng dalawa na papalayo na sa kanya.
She never felt this happy ever since that dreadful day.
***
Emy got awakened again by her nightmares. She grasped her chest and caught her breath.She also felt hot tears on her face as she recalled the explosion that killed her loved ones.Agad niya iyong pinunasan. There was no room for her weakness. Not specially now.She stood from bed and lit up the lamp on her table.After grabbing some water to drink, her eyes fell on her chess board.That's right. She couldn't let weakness now. Everything was already in place. All she had to do was wait for the pieces to act willingly on their roles.***"Miss, you're up early." Bungad sa kanya ni Anika. Kasunod niya si Grace na may dalang tray ng pagkain."Or maybe, our Miss didn't sleep again." Grace said disapprovingly.Naabutan na naman kasi siya ng dalawa sa harapan ng mesa at nagchchess.She just smiled at them."Those two are out already?" Emy asked pertaining to Lia and Veronica."Yes, Miss." They answered per
It was a normal day for the people inside the Purple Boutique. It was neither hectic nor boring.Sakto lang. After all, sa mahal ng mga damit na gawa nila, iilan lang ang mga customers nila.But it didn't mean wala silang pera.They had several staffs na pinapasweldo but it was not like they were limited to the work within the Boutique.Ganun ang inabutan nila Emy when they entered the boutique.Agad naman silang sinalubong ng isang babae."Welcome! Anong maipaglilingkod ko sa iyo, Young Miss?"Iniikot muna ni Emy ang kanyang paningin bago tumingin sa sumalubong sa kanya na babae."I'd like to speak to your manager."Nabigla ang babae maging sila Grace at Anika."Err...""I specifically come here today for your manager. Please call him."Him. The woman noticed the pronoun she used. Could it be that she knew Mr. Bao personally?"Please have a seat, Young Miss. I'll be back."Emy nodded a
Emy's remaining vacation days were spent in practicing and reading.Medyo disappointed nga sila Grace at Anika eh. Their Miss was only able to befriend one person during her vacation.Pero di bale, they would not fail once class started, which was going to happen two days from now.Today, napilitang lumabas si Emy para mag-enroll. Dahil nagmula siya sa ibang lugar, kinailangan niyang magpakita personally para itala ang kamyang pangalan para sa pasukan.Okay lang naman dahil makakapaglakad lakad din siya sa loob ng Academy. She heard marami na ang nagbago sa academy every since the explosion happened.She would definitely check them out today.***Grey Academy was a bit busy kapag ganitong araw na lang ang nalalabi before the start of classes.May mga hahabol kasi sa enrollment lalo na yung mga transferee at mga freshm
Emy was silently castigating herself. Sa dinami rami ng pagkakataon na maaari siyang magkapanic attack, kung kelan pa naroroon ang Fifth Prince. As much as possible, she didn't want to get involved with any royal family in this lifetime.After all, she was planning against one of the Princes that's why she needed to be more careful.She looked at the back of the guy in front of her. She knew quite a lot about these princes. It was one of the advantages kapag naging malapit ka sa kahit na kanino na nasa Royal Palace. But truth be told, she was not just a simple acquaintance of Marco. They were almost lovers. Almost because as much as she liked Marco, her father, the Prime Minister, was totally against it.Her father knew how suffocating the game of the imperial harem and he didn't want them to be part of that. Only to get disappointed in the end since both of his daughters died because one of them was already caught up in that game.Anyway, she knew that t
That night, pinaiwan ni Emy sila Lia at Veronica sa kwarto niya. Hindi na rin na naman nagtanong pa sila Grace at Anika at agad ding pumunta na sa quarters nila.Dinalhan naman siya ni Lia ang tsaa at cookies gaya ng dati."How are your task for today?" Tanong niya sa dalawa.Si Lia ang unang sumagot since naiwan lang naman siya kanina sa residence at nagsanay kasama ng Army ni Francis."The training they have given me for the day is intense. But I managed to learn all the lessons.""Good. I have great expectations from you. I will need you to get stronger for the future."Hindi man gaanong maintindihan ni Lia kung bakit palaging parang may pinaghahandaan ang miss niya, hindi na lang siya nagtanong pa."How about you, Veronica?""Gaya po ng sabi niyo, I continued observing that person you asked me to follow. It is still the usual routine for the day."Napatango lang si Emy at pinag-isipan kung sino sa kanilang dalawa ang
Days quickly passed. Halos mag-kakalahating buwan na rin na pumapasok si Emy sa Grey Academy.Seriously, school bored her to death. Even in her previous life. Mainly because whatever she was learning from school could be easily gain by her once she read a book.But she had to attend school because it was a requirement. So she just entertained herself with another aspect of school.Luckily, Grey Academy was an interesting place. It was very huge and one could easily "get lost" kung hindi ka pamilyar sa mga dapat mong daan.And lately, madalas "maligaw" si Emy sa kung saan saan sa campus.Kanina nga ay panglimang beses na niyang napadpad sa isang corridor ng campus kung saan ay dead end na. The weird thing about that corridor, kahit pa nga dead end na siya, may ilang estudyante ang palaging naroroon. Para bang may binabantayan ang mga ito doon.At dahil panglimang beses na nga niyang naliligaw doon, ipinagdrawing na siya ng mapa kanina ni Bran
So her name was Emerald Hans.Serafina was sure na iisang pamilya lamang sa buong Grey City ang may apelyido na Hans. She wondered kung kaano ano ba ni General Hans ang dalagang iniuwi ng anak niya. Sa pagkakaalam kasi niya ay iisa lang ang anak nito at lalaki iyon.She didn't ask Sebastian anymore. She knew the temperament of that lad. But she still intended to have someone investigate this lady on her behalf."What do you plan to do with her?""Ihahatid ko din siya sa kanila ngayon. It will be a huge mess if she's found missing by her family.""With her condition? Fresh pa ang tahi niya. Baka mapasama siya.""I'll take care of her, don't worry." Then Sebastian looked at her mother. "Lend me some of your ointments and medicines.""You don't have to ask. I will give her as much as she needed." Tumayo si Serafina mula sa pagkakaupo niya sa tabi ng dalaga saka nagpunta sa may cabinet.Nagsalin siya ng ointment sa isang maliit na
Emy needed to recuperate her strength and healed her sprained ankle. Okay lang yung mga sugat niya dahil maitatago ng damit niya ang mga iyon. Pero hindi ang iika-ika niyang paa.Mabuti na lamang at weekend kaya naman may dalawang araw siya para makapagpagaling at makapagpahinga.She just asked her maidservants na ipaalam kanila Lie Feng, Francis at Franco that she caught a flu kaya hindi siya makakalabas sa kwarto niya during weekends. Naniwala naman agad ang mga ito dahil namumutla pa rin hanggang ngayon ang dalaga.Bukod sa gamot na binigay sa kanya nung S, kinailangan niya ring uminom ng gamot para sa dugo. Lia concocted her herbal medicine which could help her fill her blood lost.She focused in healing herself. Alam kasi niya that it would be suspicious kung bigla na lang siyang aabsent. At mas lalo naman kung iika ika siyang papasok. She needed to be in perfect condition by Monday.Kaya naman wala siyang ginawa buong weekend kundi ang magpah