Samantha's weekdays were spent like that. Kada dismissal, sasabihin niya kay Franco na makikipagkita siya kay Lucy at saka mauuna ng umalis.
Sinundan niyang minsan ang dalaga at doon nga ito nagpunta pero hindi na siya bumaba sa kabayo niya para pasukin pa ito.
He was still curious though kaya naman kinompronta na niya si Lucy isang araw.
Lucy told him that she was helping Emy about the initiation day. Ayaw pa nga nitong sabihin ng una pero kinulit niya ito.
He didn’t know kung nainis niya ba ang dalaga dahil sa pangungulit niya. She wasn't even looking at him.
Napaisip naman siya about kay Emy. At first, he thought bakit kailangan pa nito na kay Lucy lumapit para lang sa gagawin sa initiation day eh andito naman siya. But he realized that Emy must be needing a female guidance. Napakamot na lang siya sa ulo niya.
He was about to thank Lucy pero nakaalis na ito sa harap niya. Mukha atang nasobrahan siya sa pamimilit. Babawi na lang siya bukas dito.
***
Kinabukasan...
Lucy was startled ng makita sa labas ng classroom niya si Franco. Of course, she was panicking for a moment. Kahit hindi siya ang pakay ng binata, ganun talaga ang epekto nito sa kanya.
"O, Franco, anong ginagawa mo dito? May lakad ba tayo?" Tanong ni Jules sa kanya. Magkaibigan sila at parehas na nagpapart time sa court.
"Hindi naman ikaw ang ipinunta ko dito eh."
Nagulat si Jules dahil doon. Pero bago pa siya makapagtanong ay nakaalis na sa harapan niya si Franco. Dumeretso siya sa harapan ni Lucy na sa loob loob ay mas lalo pang nagpanic.
"D-do you need anything?"
He smiled at her which caused her heart to beat frantically.
"Hindi na kita napasalamatan kahapon. Umalis ka kasi agad eh."
"You don't have to."
Pero umiling si Franco saka bigla siyang parang nahiya. Inilagay niya ang isang kamay niya sa batok niya at yung isa naman sa bulsa niya.
"Atsaka, I might have inconvenienced you kahapon dahil sa pangungulit ko. Gusto kong bumawi. How about we have lunch together?"
Napanganga si Lucy. Totoo ba to? Was he really asking him for lunch?
"Nagbibinata ka na ba, Franco? Bakit inaaya mong maglunch si Lucy?" Mapanuksong sabi ni Jules sa kaibigan at inakbayan pa ito.
Hindi napansin ni Lucy na pinagtitinginan na pala sila ng mga kaklase niya. Agad siyang pinamulahan ng mukha.
"Sira." Sabay batok ni Franco sa kaibigan niya. "Tinutulungan kasi ni Lucy si Emy para sa Initiation Day. Kaya naman gusto ko siyang pasalamatan para sa pagpayag niyang istorbohin ng pinsan ko."
"Napakamapagmahal mo naman palang pinsan."
"Di mo lang alam no."
Tapos ay nagtawanan pa sila.
"Sumama ka na, Lucy. Wag kang mag-aalala sasama din ako. Panigurado kasing manlilibre itong si Franco."
"Wag ka ng sumama."
"At bakit naman?"
"Baka mailang lalo si Lucy."
Tumawa naman si Jules. "Since when do you become sensitive about ladies?"
"Shut up."
"Hahaha... Iba talaga ang epekto ng pagdating ni Emy sa inyo. Parang di na kita makilala ah."
"Sira ka talaga." Tapos ay tiningnan ni Franco si Lucy. "So?"
"O-okay."
Told you, she was the kind who would grab any opportunity para lang makasalamuha si Franco.
"Great! Tara na."
Tumayo naman si Lucy at sumunod kay Franco.
***
It was a blissful experience for Lucy ang makasama ng ganun katagal si Franco at makasabay pang kumain.
The guy was obviously trying his best to make her feel comfortable and have a conversation with her. She could tell na hindi ito sanay sa ganoon and somehow, it made her feel special.
Syempre, hindi niya pinahirapan ang binata. Kapag nagjjoke ito ay tatawa siya agad. Kapag may sasabihin ito, she paid attention and sometimes, even gave her thoughts about it. At kapag nagtatanong ito ay agad niyang sinasagot.
Franco, on the other hand, appreciated her cooperation. He never asked any other ladies to eat with him kaya this kind of thing was very new to him. Akala niya, magiging sobrang awkward silang dalawa. But somehow, even he enjoyed talking with her.
Lucy was a smart and fun lady. Kaya din ito nakasundo agad ni Emy. Napuna kasi ni Franco na hindi palakaibigan ang pinsan niya. But Lucy was able to befriend her. Mukhang hindi naman sa aloof si Emy. Sadya lang talaga siyang mapili sa kaibigan.
Nag-usap pa sila about sa iba pang topics hanggang sa nagdecide silang bumalik na sa campus. May panghapong klase pa rin namn sila eh.
"Thank you." Pasalamat niya kay Franco ng alalayan siya nito pababa ng carriage.
"I should be the one thanking you again." Saka tumawa ang binata. "Well, see you around."
Tumango siya saka nauna ng umalis. She couldn’t contain her smile anymore. It was like a dream for her. She almost skipped while walking dahil sa saya niya. She knew it was silly pero in this world where full of schemes and heartaches, she wanted to take this opportunity to at least be like a real teenager.
Lucy had an urge to look for Emy and hugged her. Kung hindi dahil sa dito ay hindi ito mangyayari sa kanya.
Hindi na naman siya nahirapan na hanapin si Emy. The lady was just ahead of her. Mukhang pabalik na ito sa klase niya. She was about to call her nang may biglang humarang sa dalaga.
It was the Fifth Prince.
She thought na nagkataon lang yun. But when Emy tried to evade him, he still blocked her way.
She saw Emy looking around them quickly. Nang wala siyang nakita na ibang tao sa paligid ay nginitian niya ang binata. Then they said few words to each other. The guy also smiled at Emy.
Lucy gasped as she realized something.
"No, that's not it. I just have... I just have someone important to meet today."
So was it the Fifth Prince? Kaya ba hindi niya masabi kung sino ito?
Napatakip na lang ng bibig niya si Lucy saka napangiti. Of course, Emy was beautiful. Even in her opinion, her beauty was out of place in this Grey City. She obviously stood out even in her simplicity.
"I have to confirm if it really is the Fifth Prince." Lucy thought to herself bago umalis na doon.
Meanwhile, hindi naman talaga nagngingitian ang dalawa. If Lucy had looked from different angle, she could have seen that it was a smirk that they have given to each other.
The Fifth Prince stopped Emy from walking back to the classroom. Luckily, there was no one around them.
When she asked kung anong kailangan nito sa kanya ay nginisian lang siya nito. Sabay sabing, "I am watching you."
Saka ito umalis na.
Napailing na lang si Emy. Hindi niya alam kung bakit parang wala lang sa kanya ang sinabi nito. Maybe because she knew na kung may iba pa mang mas makikinabang sa ginagawa niya ay ang Fifth Prince ito.
If Emy destroyed the Black Council, pabor ito sa kanya bilang Presidente ng Supreme. And if she ruined Prince Vio for killing Marco, then it was also still a favor for him as he wanted the throne that much.
Napaling na lang si Emy. She had more important things to do now than to deal with the threats of that guy.
***
That afternoon ay muli na namang nagpaalam si Emy kay Franco na hindi sasabay. To her surprise ay hindi na ito nangulit pa sa kanya gaya ng dati. At pinagsabihan pa siya nito na wag masyadong pahirapan si Lucy sa pagtuturo sa kanya.Of course, hindi nakaligtas sa tenga niya ang balitang sabay na kumain sa labas sila Lucy at Franco.She could have teased him more kung hindi lang siya nagmamadali.May dalawang araw na lang siya para madagdagan ang green liquid na ginagawa. Hindi kasi siya makaalis ng weekend dahil nagpupumilit na sumama si Franco sa kanya. Kahit pa nga sabihin niya na kanila Lucy siya pupunta. Palibhasa kasi wala siyang pasok kapag weekend.Payapa siyang nakaupo sa loob ng carriage kasama sila Grace at Anika nang sabihin sa kanya nung isang tauhan ni Calix na may sumusunod sa kanila.She discreetly looked behind them at nakita niya ang carriage ni Lucy na sumusunod sa kanila.She smiled by herself. It's about time na rin to ha
The Initiation Day finally came. It was truly a festive day. Halos excited ang lahat na pumunta ng Grey Academy. They even dressed up going into school.Except for Emy. Light color ang dress niya ngayon at napakasimple lang. She also just let her hair loose. After all, she had a mission to do and had to look normal today in order for her to not caught any attention.She even had a huge hat na kapares ng dress niya. It could cover her face well kaya hindi muna niya ito isinuot ngayon dahil kailangan muna niyang harapin ang pamilya niya."Akala ko matatagalan ka na naman eh." Sabi ni Franco kay Emy ng pumasok na ito sa great hall. Gaya noon, batok na naman ang inabot niya mula sa Mama niya."Are you okay, Emy?" Alalang tanong ni Feng."Opo.""Don't be too nervous later ha. Kayang kaya mo naman gawin kung ano man ang mapili mong topic eh.""Thank you po.""Sayang nga at hindi ako ang top student ng Level Three. Kung saka sakali, m
Everyone watched as Diana and Emy faced off with chess. They all knew that Diana was good in this game. But they were expecting that this girl would somehow give her some sweat.Napailing na lang ang karamihan while they were thinking that this girl was just making a fool of herself.However, not all of them were thinking the same.For example, Franco had never seen Emy played chess before but he knew that she wouldn't just let anyone beat her this badly. He knew that for a fact because he witnessed her tenaciousness before.Kaya naman kahit na naririnig na niya ang mga sinasabi ng mga tao sa paligid ay kalmado lang siya na nakaupo doon at nanonood.Isa pa na kagaya ni Franco ay ang lalaking nakaupo sa itaas ng puno. He hated socializing that much lalo sa mga tao ng Grey City kaya naman he preferred to stay kung saan walang masyadong tao. But he made sure na sa pwesto niya ay map
Because of that explosion, the classes in Grey Academy for a week was cancelled again. But there was another reason for it. The Emperor feared that because of the happenings in the Academy, their treasures hidden in there would be lost.And so, secretly, the emperor had commanded to close the campus for a while. They took their time to visit the treasures there.However, matagal ng wala ang mga ito doon. It was taken by Sebastian. At dahil hindi naman alam ng Emperor iyon, he thought that it was taken by the White Mask person. But it wasn’t just simply concluded by the Emperor himself. Prince Vio was the responsible one for this."What are you going to do?" Serafina asked Sebastian once na nakauwi na sila. Kagagaling lang nila sa Throne Room dahil ipinatawag silang lahat ng Emperor. He announced there about the lost family treasures and it might have been taken by the White Mask person.Of cour
Nagstay pa ng ilang araw si Grace para maituro ang mga dapat niyang ituro kay Anika. Gusto niyang masigurado na sa pag-alis niya ay may gagawa pa rin sa ng mga gawain niya para kay Emy.Mabilis namang matuto si Anika kaya kampante siya dito.Hanggang sa dumating na ang panahon ng pag-alis niya. Ikinalungkot ito nang tatlo pero wala naman silang magagawa. They could just hope that she found new life in Royal City.***The next day...Dahil wala namang pasok ay nagpaalam na si Emy na maglilibot libot sa bayan. Pinayagan naman siya ni Feng. Mabuti na lang at wala sila Franco dahil malamang ay mangungulit iyon na sumama.Sinama niya sila Lia at Veronica dahil busy si Anika sa pag-aaral nung make-up guide na ginawa ni Grace bago umalis.However, hindi sila magpupunta sa bayan para mamasyal. They would visit the Purple Boutique."Young lady!" Gulat na sabi ni Harley ng makita niya ang dalaga na pumasok sa boutique kasunod sila Lia at
For the past few days, Emy's mood obviously didn't change. In fact, maging sila Feng at Francis ay nahalata din na bugnot ang dalaga nitong mga nakaraang araw. Franco, on the other hand, felt her rage through sword fighting. Halatang sa kanya ibinubunton ng dalaga ang inis nito.Iniisip tuloy niya if he had done something that caused her irritation.Days passed at nakareceive ng balita si Emy. She heard that Diana had finally found a new HQ at malamang sa malamang ay kikilos na ito as soon as possible.That improved her mood. Ibig sabihin kasi non, the game would resume in no time.As Diana prepared for her next move, she should also do the same. She had to make sure that all her pieces were in place kapag kumilos na si Diana.Luckily, Calix contacted her again. Saying that he had already moved the girl in boutique. Galit pa rin siya dito dahil sa panttraydor sa kanya and she was
When Sebastian went back to the palace, agad siyang sinabon ni Vio tungkol sa "pagkakatakas" nung nakaputing maskara. Simple siya nitong ipinihiya sa harap ng kanilang ama at mga tauhan nito.Hindi naman nakakapagtaka iyon dahil bukod sa nabulilyaso na naman ang plano nila ay nagkaharap pa silang dalawa kanina. Kaya malamang ang init ng dugo nito sa kanya."Your priority should be the command of the Emperor before your role as the President of Supreme.""My priority must be the most pressing one at the moment. And that is to suppress the Black Council members who were causing chaos around the campus."The Royal Guards have seen it too. The casualties made by the Black Council members were too much. Are you saying, Vio, that I should have turned a blind eye on them and instead pursued the White Masked person who did nothing but to defend the students against the Black Council?"Do you really think that if I do that, the parents of those injured and
Napalunok si Calix ng lumapit sa salamin si Emy.He and Sebastian had been watching them from the two way mirror ever since they entered that room.Pero nang lumapit si Emy sa salamin at tanggalin nito ang sumbrero nito, he couldn't help but to feel as if they were doing something indecent.Emy started to remove her bun and that freed her long and beautiful hair."Turn around." Sebastian told him.Nangunot ang noo niya dahil doon pero tiningnan siya ng binata."I said turn around."He obediently did as he was commanded. Though, hindi niya napigilan na makaramdam ng dismaya.However, Sebastian fixed his eyes on the woman in front of him.He watched as she moved her hands on her own hair to fix it. He watched as she looked satisfied as she placed her hat back. And how she traced her own reflection o