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37.3: Morfran’s Escape
Huling Na-update:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Kaugnay na kabanata
Blood and Roses 37.4: The Search
Chapter 37.4The SearchNOONG BUMALIK SI Merlin sa tabi nila, hindi maganda ang itsura ng mahiko. He looked pale, stressed, and problematic. As if a bucket of problem was just poured on his head – and maybe that was really the case, given how the situation unfolded in front of them when they least expected it. Mukhang hindi maganda ang naging resulta ng imbestigasyon at maging si Selene na noo’y nananahimik lamang, tila ba hindi natutuwa sa kung anong maririnig nito.Because when Lucas took a glimpse over to her direction, she looked as if she’s expecting nothing but a bad news – and it’ll forever irk her. Natatakot siya para kay Merlin pero sigurado rin si Lucas na hindi aawayin ng dalaga ang mahiko lalo na’t mabilis itong nag-participate sa imbestigasyon ng pagkawala ni Morfran Demelza.“Kumusta?” simpleng tanong ni Selene rito. Her voice sounded stern and it hinted agitation – lack of patience, probably. But she kept quiet after asking a one-word question. She just crossed her arms
Blood and Roses 37.5: The Last String
CHAPTER 37.5The Last String“THEY REFUSED THE order to investigate them, didn’t they?” was what Selene told them as she approached them.Parehong nagulat sina Lucas at Merlin noon. Hindi nila alam pareho kung paanong nakarating ang balita sa dalaga at kung paano nito nalamang mayroong dumating na sulat mula sa Magic Tower samantalang mahigpit nila iyong itinago rito. They even found a safe spot around the gazeebo to discuss their next step since they didn’t want the last string to be triggered – Selene, but it seems like... She found out the plan.Masama ang tinging itinapon sa kanila ng dalaga at pareho silang nag-iwas ng mga mata mula rito. He even distanced himself from Merlin. Wala siyang planong umaktong inosente dahil lalabas at lalabas din ang katotohanang guilty sila pareho ng mahiko pero kung mayroong magpapaliwanag, mas maganda kung si Merlin.Ayaw niyang kaaway si Selene.“Ma—Mahal na Prinsesa! Anong ginagawa mo rito?” kabadong tanong ni Merlin kay Selene ‘tsaka nito mabil
Blood and Roses 38.1: Madness
CHAPTER 38.1MadnessTHEY MIGHT HAVE lowered their guards down. Lucas did not really catch up after Selene opened the door that leads to the Grand Magus’ room. But for as long as he can remember, dark magic began to get released from that cursed room after Selene busted that door open after it’s been locked. Muntik pang mahila roon si Selene, she was supposed to be engulfed. Ngunit mabilis na nahabol ni Lucas ang dalaga’t nahila ito mula sa awrang humihila rito.“Ayos ka lang ba?!” natatarantang tanong ni Lucas sa dalaga. Dinala niya ito sa parte ng pasilyo kung saan ang palagay niya’y ligtas silang dalawa.Meanwhile, Selene looked surprised. Maging ito ay hindi inaasahan kung anong bumati sa kanila. “I didn’t expect them to be this... desperate.”“That’s not the problem right now. We have to get out of this place, Selene.”“What? Pero nasa loob si Morfran Demelza at ang Grand Magus!”“Don’t be stubborn! You’ve been like this for the past few days! Alam kong natutuliro ka’t nag-aalala
Blood and Roses 38.2: Led to Nothing
CHAPTER 38.2Clues Led to NothingBAGO PA MAN sila makalapit sa kwartong dapat ay kinaroroonan ng dating Haring Morfran Demelza at ang kasalukuyang Grand Magus, tila ba mayroong nag-flash o click na mabilis – at sa isang iglap lamang, nawala ang presensya ng dalawa.Pareho silang natigilan noon ni Selene at nagkatinginan. Parehong gulat at biglang kinabahan sa nangyari. Then, they rushed to the room alongside with other knights. Kaso pagdating nila sa kwartong kinaroroonan ng mga ito, ang tanging nakita lamang nila ay ang buong skeleton ng mga mahiko’t hindi na nailigtas na kawal sa sahig, nakakalat.It was as if the Grand Magus’ magic ate their flesh and left nothing but bones.“They teleported,” Selene muttered in a hushed voice but the anxiety was hinted in her tone of speaking.Napalunok si Lucas at bagamat gusto niyang i-cheer up ang dalaga, malinaw pa sa malinaw, kahit anong lingon ni Lucas sa kapaligiran ay wala na talaga ang dalawa. Ni bakas ng presensya ng mga ito, maliit na
Blood and Roses 38.3: Surprise Attack
CHAPTER 38.3Surprise AttackAFTER THREE DAYS, Selene did manage to prove him that she’ll be alright by her own. Sa totoo lang, nagulat din siya. Inaasahan niya kasing malakas pa rin ang magiging impluwensya ng emosyon sa mga desisyon nito. But it’s good to know that she’s finally treking the right path and that she’s being rational again.“Maybe seeing me half-naked did really help,” panunudyo niya kay Selene habang magkasama silang nag-uusap sa harapan ng kotseng sasakyan niya.Selene and Merlin will be sending him off along with the knights that King Alexander sent so that they could ensure his safety. Although, there’s really no need for such extreme measures and his knights could stay here for a while, Merlin suggested that they could just send a new troupe as soon as he returned safely to the Kingdom of Vintress.Sa huli ay wala siyang nagawa kung hindi ang sumunod. Dahil nga Black Mage ang kaalyado ni Morfran Demelza nitong nakaraan, natatakot sina Merlin at Selene na baka bigl
Blood and Roses 38.4: Abducted
CHAPTER 38.4AbductedTHE KINGDOM WAS in a chaos after the news about Prince Lucas Sutcliffe of the Vintress Kingdom was reportedly missing. It was just by chance when Selene and Merlin found out and the news had spread like wildfire even among all Four Kingdom along with the news that Morfran Demelza was behind this scheme. It was only after a group of merchant found the Prince’s vehicle partially destroyed and his companions were all passed out or dead.The only survivors were Lucas’ personal knights and the driver but it’s difficult to say that they didn’t suffer from any serious injuries. It just so happened that help arrived on time and they were managed to get saved.Still... Lucas’ body can’t be found anywhere.And this enraged even King Alexander who immediately requested – no, insisted – to visit the Kingdom of Izquierdo as soon as possible to help find his son.“Pakiramdam ko galit ka talaga sa ‘kin dahil sa nangyari,” ani Merlin sa communication crystal.Kausap noon ng mahi
Blood and Roses 38.5: Trails of Something
CHAPTER 38.5Trails of SomethingLUCAS CAN’T REMEMBER what happened entirely. Just bits by bits and some vague voices that gave him an idea what the conversation could be all about.After he was greeted by an insane Morfran Demelza, Lucas lost his consciousness, but as soon as his body regained the willpower to shake whatever Black Magic was embracing him and he was able to open his eyes ever so slightly, he found himself travelling with Morfran and the supposed ‘Grand Magus’. Out in the woods where he could feel no sense of familiarity.It turns out that he’s abducted, not killed. But he also knew that he’s injured since there stung a pain around his side. Although it’s closing now, healing all by itself, Lucas still found himself uncomfortable with his dampened clothes – possibly from the blood that drew out from his wound.Lihim siyang napamura sa isipan matapos niyang tignan ang buong kapaligiran. Apparently, they’re riding a carrier carriage. Something used to transport and deliv
Blood and Roses 39: Spark
CHAPTER 39.1SparkTHE SEARCH TEAM were doing great at tracking the trails left by Lucas. At some point, there was a time where the ‘vehicle’ that the missing Prince of Vintress Kingdom was going on circles, as if the Grand Magus and Morfran Demelza knew that Lucas was leaving trails of his own blood for them to follow. But at the same time, it only happened once so they assumed the possibility that Morfran and the Grand Magus got lost around the woods.“Haring Alexander, patungo po sa abandonadong bayan malapit dito ang dugo ni Prinsipe Lucas,” report ng isa sa mga kawal ng Vintress.Right, there were two search teams in this mission. A group led by Selene from the Izquierdo Kingdom’s knights and the one who accompanied King Alexander.Ipinilig ni Selene ang ulo at inilipat ang tingin sa kalapit bayan. Ito ang pinag-uusapan nila ni Haring Alexander kanina. Na-raid daw ito noon nang maupo ang mga Demelza bilang bagong namumuno sa kaharian ng Izquierdo. Ikinatatakot daw kasi ng mga ito
Pinakabagong kabanata
Blood and Roses Celebration
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
Blood and Roses Troublesome Preparations
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
Blood and Roses 43.4: Debut Preparation
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
Blood and Roses 43.3: Busy
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
Blood and Roses 43.2: Nonsensical
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
Blood and Roses 43.1
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
Blood and Roses 42.5: Family
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
Blood and Roses 42.4: Not an Ordinary Relationship
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
Blood and Roses 42.3: Relationship
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
