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 pero hindi na rin sila nagtanong kung anong pinagagawa niya sa dalawa at palaging maagang naalis ang mga ito.
"Anyway, what are your plans today, Miss?" Tanong ni Grace. She wanted their Miss to consider going out the house once in a while. After the party, she just stayed inside the residence. Kung hindi nagbabasa ay nagpapractice naman ng swordfighting.
Grace and Anika were afraid that if this continued, baka pagdating ng pasukan ay mahirapang makipagkaibigan ang dalaga.
Emy knew exactly her maidservants' concern. So nginitian niya ulit ang dalawa.
"I plan to spar with Franco again."
"But, Miss..."
Tumayo na siya kaya natigilan ang dalawa.
"I expect that the two of you will do well in practicing too. Take advantage of the training. You will both need them in the nearest future."
Nagkatinginan na lang ang dalawa.
"Oh, and can you look for a way to stop nightmares?"
***
Gaya ng sabi ni Emy sa dalawang maidservants niya, all she planned for today was to spar with Franco.
And that's also all her plan for the whole vacation.
***
Days and weeks were quickly passed.
Gaya ng dati, if anyone would look for Franco and Emy, they would find them inside the dojo.
Even Franco was amazed by his cousin's tenaciousness.
Emy started weak. Noong mga unang araw, Franco had an easy time defeating her.
But as days passed by, he noticed that their sparring kept on consuming time. Hanggang sa hindi na niya alam kung anong oras silang inaabot sa isang sparring lang.
His cousin was starting to get intelligent with her attacks, that's why he was having a hard time to easily defeat her unlike before.
But that's not the most surprising yet for him...
Today, they were sparring like usual. Nakailan na din silang ulit. But the duration of each sparring just kept longer and longer.
Franco was thinking that this would be the last sparring for the two of them for today. He was also tired. Pero hindi ibig sabihin noon ay he would go easy to her now.
Hindi rin niya alam, but Emy provoked him to be serious everytime.
Both of them started seizing each other first habang hawak ang kanilang mga wooden swords.
Then they attacked each other again. Their swords kept on clashing with one another.
Kung totoong mga espada ang hawak nila, they would have created sparks.
Franco gritted his teeth. He was not holding back at all pero ganun din si Emy. Her attack was getting heavier.
Bukod pa doon, she was quick-witted and reacting swiftly with each of her attacks. Her movements were also getting minimal and precise.
At the moment, she was really giving Franco a hard time.
Even Francis and Feng na nanonood sa dalawa ay hindi mapigilang mamangha. Feng brought snacks for the two but since they were serious, pinanood na lang muna niya ang mga ito.
But the longer she watched, the more she was getting excited. Kaya naman ipinatawag niya si Francis upang samahan siya. At dalawa na sila ngayong nanonood sa kanila.
"Emy improved drastically." Sabi ni Francis.
"She's been practicing everyday with Franco. And you know you have a prideful son, he never holds back in attacking her."
"How can she learn if he does?"
Nagpatuloy sila sa panonood.
May pagkakataon na napapangiwi na lang sila kapag pinapalo ni Franco ng sword niya si Emy. Hindi naman porket pinahihirapan siya ng dalaga ay ibig sabihin hindi na siya nakakatama dito.
Hindi pa rin naman siya matamaan ni Emy pero hindi rin ibig sabihin na hindi siya iilang beses na kamuntikang tamaan nito. If his reflexes were not good, malamang, kanina pa siya nito natamaan.
"Come on, Emy. Kung totoong espada ang hawak natin, kanina ka pa sugatan. We've been doing this for weeks and yet hindi ka pa rin makatama sa akin?" He provoked her.
He really didn't hold back against Emy. Not even his mouth.
"You said you wanted to be strong, but what now? Are you even satisfied by this? What's the use of intelligence kung hindi mo naman natatamaan ang kalaban mo?"
Napangiwi ang mga maidservants ni Emy dahil sa panunukso ni Franco sa Miss nila. Kanina pa din sila tapos sa mga gawain nila kaya dito sila nagdiretso para kung sakali mang kailanganin sila ng Miss nila. But who would have thought they would see this kind of sparring?
Halos mamutla sila Grace at Anika kapag napapalo ni Franco si Emy. Whatever the circumstances, she was still a lady in their eyes.
Franco continued taunting Emy. He was quite enjoying it. Usually, laging impassive lang ang reaction nito sa kanya. But he could feel na nangigigil na ito sa kanya because the way she was attacking was getting more reckless. Those are priceless moments for him dahil kahit papaano, alam niyang hindi pa rin naman pala bato ang pinsan niya and she could still get caught out of her usual graceful demeanor.
He was surprised though ng biglang nagsmirk sa kanya si Emy.
Automatic na nangunot ang noo niya rito.
"Are you done taunting now, my dear cousin?"
This was the first time na nagsalita si Emy habang nakikipagsparring sa kanya.
And before he could even get over his surprised, Emy sneaked an attack towards him.
He was confused. That wasn't her usual attack. Bukod pa doon, she was suddenly very quick and hindi agad siya nakapagreact.
Narealize na lang niya that Emy stopped attacking when her wooden sword was already pointing on his throat.
Hindi napigilan ng mga nanonood sa kanila na mapapalakpak. They all rooted for Emy since she was the underdog.
***
The next day, nagulat na lang sila Grace at Anika when Emy told them na gusto niyang lumabas.
Of course, they were happy. Ilang weeks ding walang inatupag ang Miss nila kundi chess, libro at sparring kaya naman agad agad silang naghanda para sa paglabas ng kanilang Miss.
Wala sila Franco at Francis kaya nagpadala na lang ng ilang guards si Lie Feng sa kanila.
***
Emy had two purposes for going out today.
First was too visit her one of her businesses from her past life and second was to meet Lucy.
Lucy had no idea though that they would be meeting. Mamaya pang hapon ang paglabas niya kaya naman may oras pa si Emy para puntahan ang business niya.
When she said business, it was, of course, the Purple Boutique. It was quite famous sa magagandang designs nito. But only few could afford their prices. Mostly the rich and royalties.
But she was not going there as a customer today. Halos magtataon na din since she established this business, but none of the people of the boutique had seen the owner's face.
She was just glad na hindi niya naisipang gawin iyon noon. Otherwise, Emy would be in trouble.
"You have a great taste in fashion, Miss. I heard Purple Boutique is the best here in Grey." Masayang sabi ni Grace.
"You flatter me, Grace. I just heard about the Boutique from Aunt."
Sila Grace at Anika lang ang kasama ni Emy ngayon. As usual, Lia and Veronica had different orders to do.
***
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
The next day, balita na sa buong Grey City ang gagawing execution sa pitong pamilya sa mismong araw na iyon.Cancelled ang klase dahil dito at karamihan ng mga taong bayan ay nasa harap ng Royal Palace upang masaksihan ang pagbitay sa pamilya ng mga namatay na miyembro ng Black Council.The Hans residence was not one of them. Though they heard about the matter pero hindi sila para makiusiyoso doon. Isa pa, they were thinking about Emy. Halos magtatatlong buwan pa lamang ang dalaga dito sa Grey City ay nangyari na agad ang ganitong pangyayari.What they didn’t know was siya mismo ang may gawa nito.But that was just her first step. She was not making her first blow yet.And now it was the time to start.All day, nasa labas na naman ng residence sila Lia at Veronica to run errands for her. After all, she couldn’t waste time.Her first blow to signal the resume of the game was almost there.***Grey Academy was