CHAPTER 13.1
ExplanationsSELENE wasn’t able to react when Lucas admitted that he was already engaged, with a Princess, at that. Selene knew who it was as she’d seen her in several occasions whenever Princess Luan would have to attend balls and parties here in Westmount Kingdom since as far as she knows, the Demelza family and the Heredia family have a tight bond—a friendship they do not know when it bloomed.Moreover, Selene didn’t expect that Lucas would also be acquainted with the aforesaid family. Well, according to what Selene has been hearing, the Demelza family who had been ruling the Izquierdo Kingdom was a better leader than the Heredia family. Had she said this out loud, she would be accused of treason, thus; Selene kept the thoughts ro herself.“Hindi ba... hindi ba mga Demelza ang nagpapadala ng assassin para sa patayin ako?” hindi niya makapaniwalang tanong. May multo ng pagCHAPTER 13.2 Invitation “PRINCE Lucas, King Alexander wanted to initiate a call through the crystal right now. It’s urgent,” Sir Guischard informed him while the knight lowered his head to give respects to him. Lucas, who had just woken up from his daylight slumber and had barely recognized the setting sun shown on the window beside his room was surprised upon hearing the news. He gaped, his jaw almost dropped at the blanket that had been giving him warmth, and his eyes were slightly wide. Since he was stunned, he was inept to provide a verbal response for a bit. “Prinsipe Lucas?” muling tawag ni Sir Guischard sa kanya, naninigurong hindi siya biglang nakatulog na naman. No, he has no plans to sleep anymore. Nabawi na naman niya sa wakas ang enerhiyang ginamit sa pagbabantay kay Selene. Ngayon, mas maayos na ang takbo ng pamumuhay nilang lahat at nakakapagpahinga na rin sila nina J
CHAPTER 13.3 Before the Banquet “KA—kailangan ko rin ba talagang matuto na sumayaw? ‘Di ba, sinabi ni Haring Alexander na ‘wag akong makikihalubilo sa mga maharlika?” pag-uusisa ni Selene noong oras na kaladkarin niya ang dalaga sa bakuran upang turuan itong sumayaw. It’s just a random thought that came across his mind. Isa pa, Sabado ngayon at walang pasok ang dalaga sa eskwelahan. Nang magtanong din siya kung mayroon ba itong dadaluhang proyektong panggrupo, sinabi rin ni Selene na wala itong kahit na anong gagawin. So, instead of letting time rot away, Lucas decided to teach Selene how to dance. “Lucas, nakikinig ka ba sa ‘kin?” pag-uusisa ni Selene noong imbes na sumagot siya, tanging pagbaba lamang ng tingin ang ginawa niya at paghawak lamang sa baba para ipahiwatig na malalim ang iniisip niya. “Lucas!” Doon lamang tuluyang nahugot mula sa m
CHAPTER 13.4 Fear and Worries THEY had someone teach Selene proper etiquette. Hindi isa sa mga kasama ni Lucas kung hindi ibang guro na siyang nakakausap lamang ni Selene gamit ang communication crystal. Dahil gahol na sila sa oras at matinding pananala rin ang dinaanan ng mga posibleng kandidato para turuan siya, strikto at naging mabilis ang pagtururo sa kanya. She didn’t mind but at the same time, she finds each lesson troublesome. “I had it tough when I was younger too,” Lucas shared when they went out to the market, in complete disguise, so that they could buy groceries. Kasama pa rin nila sina Jonas ngunit nagbabantay ang mga ito sa paligid. Naramdaman din ni Lucas ang presensya ng mga ito ngunit hinayaan na lamang ng binata. Nag-aalala lang daw ang mga ito dahil pareho silang galing sa royal family—though, Selene’s family has long fallen, the Knights made sure to treat her with the same
CHAPTER 13.5 Night of the Banquet SELENE was extremely uncomfortable as several helpers lent a hand to help her wear the dress she chose for the banquet. She had been sweat dropping, deliberately feeling the anxiety and pressure crippling from somewhere behind her. Although, no one has uttered a word to insult her, Selene felt the scrutinizing gazes she received. It’s hard not to miss it. Especially when the helpers made it obvious despite them, hiding it through layers of façade and a fake smile. “Ang ganda-ganda niyo po!” Ganito ang madalas na naririnig niyang papuri mula sa mga tumulong sa kanyang magbihis. Nagpumilit si Selene na ngumiti upang ipabatid na ‘masaya’ siya sa ginawa ng mga itong pagtulong pero sa kaloob-looban niya, nasusuka siyang umaktong mabait sa mga ito. It’s hard being the lost princess of a fallen family. Bago pa dumating ang mga tum
CHAPTER 14.1 Unexpected Encounter THE air feels tight, she’s suffocating. No matter how spacious, glorious, or fabulous the venue of the celebration is, she couldn’t hide from the tension and unfamiliarity that the place offers. There was no such thing as comfort, and now that she’s able to step in to this place and get a glimpse of the nobles’ lives, Selene finds it understandable that Lucas called such banquet a headache. Selene secretly thanked the mask she wore and the fan she used to hide her face. After all, the frown painted across her face was something beyond a painter’s skill. No one would be able to put it in a canvas. No matter how she looked around and witness the people faking their joy and enthusiasm, Selene could see through their lies. Suddenly, it was as if the bright and glorious venue was embraced by a dark and menacing aura. Threats are around so she can’
CHAPTER 14.2 Dreadful End A SIGH escaped from Jonas’ lips as he finally found the City Knights that Prince Lucas told him to fetch. To be honest, he didn’t want to do them dirty, but they’ve unknowingly pestered royalty, thus; even though he may deem the idea of death unbefitting and too much for these tormenting knights, he immediately nodded his head and obliged when Lucas instructed him what to do.The City Knights, especially that Captain Perez, amidst the celebration whereas they must stay alert to elude any trouble— have been causing the ‘trouble’ themselves.‘Such a pain in the ass. Kaya ‘di ko masisi si Prinsipe Lucas na gusto niyang iligpit ang mga ito ngayong gabi e,’ ani Jonas sa isipan habang tahimik na pinagmamasdan ang mga kabalyero.Sabi sa kanya ng Prinsipe, maging maingat siya. Maluwang naman ang seguridad ngayo
CHAPTER 14.3 Burdensome Encounter “DUMATING na ang Mahal na Hari at ang Mahal na Prinsipe!” Ito ang naging anunsyo ng isa sa mga guwardiya na siyang dahilan upang may magsimulang mga agam-agam.Kanina, walang pakialam si Selene sa mga pinag-uusapan ng mga ito ngunit kalaunan, hindi talaga maiiwasang may marinig si Selene. Isa sa mga ito ay kung gaanong nakakapanliit ang presensya ng Hari, ang iba naman ay usapan tungkol kay Prinsipe Zeno— na siyang ikalawang opsyon lang naman daw bilang namatay ang nakatatanda nitong kapatid at ang dating nakatakdang tagapagmana ng korona sa giyera na pinuntahan nito.Sa pagkakaalala ni Selene, isa nga ito sa mga naging sikat na usapan noong hindi pa niya alam ang tunay niyang pagkakakilanlan.Ang Westmount Kingdom e ang kahariang may kakaibang patron. Hm, kung ang kaharian ng Vintress, Ellesmere, at Izquierdo e binabantayan ng mga deity o
CHAPTER 14.4 DepartureIT WOULD be a lie if they’d say that they weren’t rushing to escape from Westmount Kingdom as soon as the celebration was over. After all, an unexpected variable—a problem arose which made Lucas panic and his thoughts immediately went disarray.“Make sure to assist Princess Selene back in the car and make sure that no one notices her!” he instructed to his remaining knights, a hiss even escaped from his lips.Napasapo si Lucas ng noo at marahang hinilot ang sentido. Hindi niya alam na magiging komosyon din pala ang pag-alis nila rito sa kaharian— lalo na at alam talaga ni Haring Xavier ang tungkol kay Prinsesa Selene.Although, that ruthless man only mentioned it vaguely during the party, it was still implied that a ‘thorn from the past’ survived and was now taking refuge somewhere.Alam ni Lucas
CelebrationNANG dumating ang araw ng debut ni Selene, marami ang um-attend. Mula kina Reyna Sara at Prinsipe Eustace, sina Haring Alexander at Prinsipe Lucas, pati na rin ang ngayo’y si Haring Zeno.Nagtataka nga si Selene dahil nagkaroon ito ng lakas ng loob na um-attend sa debut ball niya pero ayos lang dahil personal itong humingi ng tawad sa kanya para sa nagawa ng ama nito. The thing was, King Zeno kept mum about his father’s greed until he lost ‘someone’. Palagay niya, si Sir Clyde iyon dahil kalat na kalat ang tsismis.But as long as he apologized, she’s good with it.“Are you good?”Natigilan si Selene nang marinig ang boses ni Merlin. Nang lumingon siya, ‘tsaka niya natagpuan ang mahiko na naglalakad patungo sa kanya. May ngiti sa mga labi nito pero hindi rin naman maikakailang nag-aalala ito.“Nakita mo ba si Lucas?” tanong niya.Ipinilig ng mahiko ang ulo. “Ah... Kailangan mo ba talaga siyang kausapin tungkol doon ngayon?”“Yes. I promised him, remember?”Humigop nang mala
CHAPTER 43.5Troublesome PreparationsLAST WEEK, inanunsyo ni Merlin sa publiko na dalawang buwan mula ngayon ay magaganap ang debut ni Selene sa High Society at sa parehong araw ay kokoronahan ang dalaga bilang ang Crown Princess ng kaharian ng Izquierdo. Nakakagulat dahil mukhang marami ang naghihintay sa kanya at ang selebrasyong inanunsyo ng mahiko ang nagtulak sa lahat na mag-throw ng festival para sa darating na debut niya’t koronasyon.But announcing an important thing comes with a huge responsibility: she and Merlin will be busy planning her debut out and the entire preparation.Mayroon naman silang mga katulong. Tulad na lamang ng pamilyang Valderas na bukod sa pagtuturo sa kanya ng etiquette ay tinuturuan din siya kung paano ba siya magbi-behave habang nagaganap ang selebrasyon. She was also taught how to dance and after thirty minutes, she realized that that was not her strongest asset. Kaya extra-ng atensyon ang ibinubuhos sa kanya dahil bilang Prinsesa ng kaharian, kailan
CHAPTER 43.4Debut PreparationBAGAMAT HINDI INTERESADO si Selene na magpakilala sa lahat lalo na’t noong una ay wala naman talaga siyang plano na mag-ascend sa trono at pamahalaan ang buong kaharian ng Izquierdo, ngayong nagbago ang desisyon ni Selene sa buhay ay hindi na maiiwasan ang pag-de-debut at pagpapakilala sa publiko.“I don’t like the idea of pleasing the noble faction,” was what she told Merlin while they were busy discussing her debut which will happen within two months. “Kung pupwede lang natin silang i-out ay iyon ang iri-request ko sa ‘yo.”Napailing-iling si Merlin sa sinabi niya ngunit mayroong naglalarong ngiti sa mga labi nito. “Alam kong sasabihin mo ‘yan at pinag-iisipan ko na ring i-filter ang mga imbitasyon pero sinabihan akong ‘di pwede. We’re not persuading them that you’re much worthy than the previous royalties that they wanted to pursue. You just needed to let the entire Kingdom know that you’re no fiction.”“Do they still think that I’m fake?”“Some of th
CHAPTER 43.3BusyIT WAS ONLY a week after when Selene received a letter from Lucas. Ang sabi sa liham na natanggap niya, nakauwi raw ito ng ligtas sa kaharian nito ngunit kasabay naman noon ay ang tambak-tambak na gawain at mga dokumento. Natatawa si Selene dahil kalahati yata ng nilalaman ng sulat nito ay puro rants at reklamo tungkol sa trabaho nitong kailangang tapusin sa lalong madaling panahon, pero naaawa rin siya sa binata dahil ang dami nitong dinanas at hindi man lang nito masulit ang bakasyon nito.Then again... His duties would not be this delayed if Morfran Demelza didn’t interfere with their homecoming and abducted the Prince of Vintress Kingdom.Mabuti na lang talaga at mabilis ding naresolba ang problema at wala ring masamang nangyari kay Lucas dahil kung hindi, patuloy niyang pahihirapan si Morfran Demelza. But then recently, she has been receiving reports that Luan Demelza had frequently visited the front gates of Izquierdo Kingdom and demanded to talk to her. There
CHAPTER 43.2Nonsensical“MERLIN, ALAM MO ba kung anong dahilan kung ba’t nadi-delay ang pagdating ng sulat ko patungo sa kaharian ng Westmount and vice-versa? Natatakot kasi akong baka may bumubukas pa ng liham ko para sa mga kaibigan ko,” tanong ni Selene kay Merlin noong nasa hapagkainan silang dalawa.Parehong ginabi sina Merlin at Selene sa pagtatapos ng mga gawain nila. Merlin had finished his duties and approved some projects to further improve Izquierdo Kingdom’s situation such as budgeting and passing a law beneficial for everyone. Meanwhile, the reason why Selene had finished her duties as soon as the sun had finally set and the nightsky had dominated across the atmosphere was because she enjoyed reading the comparison between the eras of both Demelza family and Griego family. Gumawa pa siya noon ng maiksing summary ng mga nabasa niya.And while it’s true that her parents weren’t perfect as King and Queen, one of the sole reasons was because their deaths didn’t happen until
CHAPTER 43.1NOONG MALAMAN NI Selene na nakatanggap siya ng sulat mula sa kaharian ng Westmount, na siyang lugar na kinalakhan niya’t mayroon siyang koneksyon, hindi naiwasan ni Selene ang mapangiti. She remembered that she had just recently sent a letter to one of her friends – kaso hindi siya kaagad na nakatanggap ng sagot mula sa mga ito. The thought that she was waiting and a lot has already happened since then makes her feel relieved.Siguro matagal lang talagang dumating ang sulat dahil malayo ang ibiniyahe ng inutusan niyang magdala noon o mayroon ding naging conflict sa kaharian ng Westmount. That’s just her estimation, honestly. Ayaw mag-isip ni Selene nang kung anu-ano.After she thought of how long it took to receive a letter from her friends, Selene opened it. She was extra careful because the letter had a dried rose inside it, and she assumed that her friends sent her this to use as a bookmark, perhaps? And that’s what she’ll do if she ever starts reading another book.As
CHAPTER 42.5FamilyAFTER DISCUSSING MERLIN’S relationship with her parents and understanding that they had such a complicated and rough time hiding their romantic feelings toward each other, Selene remembered that one thing that Count Valderas told her about her mother’s roots.“Merlin, nabanggit pala sa ‘kin ni Konde Valderas na tagakaharian ng Vintress pala si Mama?” pag-uusisa niya habang nasa kalagitnaan sila ng paghahapunan.Matapos nilang mag-usap ni Merlin, nagpahinga sandali si Selene para balikan ang mga dokumentong iniwanan niya. Nawala na sa isipan niya si Lucas at ang pag-alis nito pero sa tuwing mababakante ang isip niya, ito ang una niyang hinahanap kaya minabuti ni Selene na abalahin ang sarili. Mahirap na, baka hindi pa niya maituon ang atensyon sa mga dapat niyang inaasikaso.Susulat din naman si Lucas. Magkakaroon din sila ng contact sa isa’t isa.Anyway, pagkatapos ng isang oras ay tinawag si Selene ng isa sa mga personal maids niya para maghapunan. Naghihintay na
CHAPTER 42.4Not An Ordinary RelationshipFROM THE WINDOW, Selene could witness the sun set and of how the beautiful orange hue was slowly turning into a dark bluish nightsky. Hindi alam ni Selene kung anong oras nang natapos ang klase niya pero base sa kalangitan ay mukhang late na niyang na-settle lahat. It must be because she enjoyed her previous classes or maybe... She was scared to find out the truth about Merlin’s relationship with her parents.Hindi napansin ni Selene na matamang pinagmamasdan pala siya ni Merlin. Napangiti ito noong mapansing parang kabado siya bagamat wala pa naman itong sinasabing katotohanan. But then again, she can’t help it! Anong mararamdaman niya sa oras na marinig niyang niloloko pala ng mahiko ang isa sa mga bayolohikal niyang magulang?“Did you seriously think that I’d have the courage to hurt King Arthur or Queen Erina?” naaaliw nitong tanong. Even amusement danced on his purple eyes which made Selene flinch and pause.Selene pressed her lips togeth
CHAPTER 42.3RelationshipDAHIL KAY MERLIN, maraming nalaman si Selene tungkol sa mga magulang niya na hindi nakalagay sa mga libro at dyaryo noon. Nalaman niya kung anong ugali ng mga magulang niya at kung anu-anong kaugalian ba iyong namana niya mula rito.It turned out that Selene looks like her father but mostly behaves like his mother. But the way she deals with things is very much like her father. So, baga sa percentage, mas dominant ang naiwan sa kanya ng tatay niya kaysa sa nanay niya. Bukod kasi sa mata at ugali, mas malapit daw siya sa tatay niya. Parang resulta raw si Selene ng halos perpektong scan pero nagkaiba raw sa kasarian.“Anong relasyon mo kina Mama?” pagtatanong niya sa mahiko kalaunan at para linawin ang tinutukoy ay itinuro niya ang litrato ng bayolohikal niyang ina, si Reyna Erina.Natigilan si Merlin noong marinig ang tanong niya at tila ba naubusan ito bigla ng mga salitang dapat isasagot sa kanya. But she’s curious. Gusto niyang malaman kung ano ba ang relas