Three years later...Sydnee frowned when she saw Nikolai dressed like a hooligan. The small body was covered by a thin black silk that was a gift from the Crown Prince. After Anthony went back from the convention, he brought great news that the two kingdoms had decided to end the war and signed a bilateral agreement. It was all due to Anthony's strength in persuassion. The king then asked what Anthony wanted as a reward, and being a sly man, he asked the King to grant him Sydnee as his wife. In the same day, Sydnee received an edict about her marriage with Anthony. Duke Theodore was not as surprised as she was because the duke had a bet with Anthony, that if Anthony would bring good news from the convention, then the duke would not obstruct his plan to marry Sydnee.A year after she was married off to Anthony's household, Sydnee bore him a son who had a great resemblance with Anthony. This called for a celebration. Since then, when Nikolai would celebrate his birthday, the maids wo
Just like the wind, I was invisible. No one dare to get close to me. During recitation, I would volunteer myself to speak in front because teachers wouldn't choose me. For them, I was the last option. I had no friends. Of course, they wouldn't get along with a poor girl like me, because almost all students here in my school were born with a golden spoon in the mouth. I was the exception. The good thing of being alone? I could do what I want. I smiled while watching the little kitten ate my leftover fish in my lunchbox. Earlier, I didn't finish my lunch because I need to finish some projects. So when I got pass by here and saw the kitten, I just gave my leftover away. "We're the same," I whispered under my breath. "People don't want us." I heaved a sigh. I waited for almost ten minutes before the kitten finished my leftovers. "Good," I said before I put back my lunchbox inside my backpack. When I stood up, I saw the students nearby looking at me with ridiculous looks. Sometimes
My forehead creased. "This might be a misunderstanding. It's impossible for the kitten to die. We ate in the same lunchbox, yet I am still alive." I shook my head. "This is crazy."I tried to turn around to leave, but the man grabbed my wrist. "Wait," he calmly said.I looked at him. He stared deeply at me. "What?" I weakly asked."The kitten was poisoned."I nodded. "I guess it is food poisoning.""And I'm afraid that it is after you."My forehead creased even more at what he just said. "After me?"He nodded. "Be careful.""That's impossible." I desperately laughed, but I guess it sounded like a nervous laugh. "And who would be after my life?"I shook my head at the thought of someone who wanted me dead. I could not think of a reason why someone's after my life. Not only that, but I think that idea was impossible."You're talking nonsense." I coldly said and shoved away his hand that was holding my wrist. "I don't even know you, so stop making a ridiculous idea, will you?"He weakly s
My innocent and young mind did not know the reason why we stayed on the streets, or why dad was not with us. I just thought of the fascinating city lights. I even tried to chase after the cars if not of my mother who scolded me like that was her last night.Not only that, but I could see how angry she was at me. She blamed me for why we are staying on the street, and why dad was put to jail, and why our house was burned. She scolded me like there was no tomorrow. Furthermore, she spanked me hard, even slapped me in my both cheeks.I cried because of so much fear and pain.And in that one night, I saw how cruel the world was. And still up to the present, I could still experience the cruelty in both my school and in my own home.Home. Is it really... where the heart is?I took a step forward. I walked closer to the nipa hut and entered in. A few more steps and I could enter the small kitchen.And I saw mother. She was silently taking a sip on her small bowl of soup. "Take some soup," she
"I only know a few of them," I said and secretly sighed. The feeling of intense stares from my classmates burned a hole on the back of my head. My lips pursed into a thin line and my stomach was churning. I was not used to this feeling of being the center of attention, and I just wanted to go and sit on my chair at the back area, away from their scrutinizing eyes. The problem was the teacher's attention on me and I did not want to appear disrespectful in front of him. "That's okay." He played with his pen on his fingers and smiled amiably. "Then, you'll perform the activity first." "W-What?" When I realized what I uttered, I cleared my throat. "I mean... uh." "You mean what?" he asked, clearly teasing me.I gave up and shook my head. Just what did he want in me? I sighed again. "Then... what should I do, Sir?" "Kindly introduce yourself in the form of singing. Make the lyrics your name, age, and what you love the most." My cheeks burned red in embarrassment. He wanted me to sing
I looked away. I was afraid that he might see the uneasiness in my eyes. He would surely think of me as someone he could play with, and I did not want that."Okay," was all I could utter at that time. I did not know what to say or what to do. I just looked down on the grass and played with the hem of my uniform. My heart could not stop beating so fast.He cleared his throat. "That incident was not an accident, Sydnee. Someone wanted you dead, and that person might not stop until you're dead.""Are you scaring me, Sir?"And I heard his laugh. The deep laugh from my Math teacher was not really amusing. In fact, it was alarming that I made him laugh like that. It was as if I made a very stupid move, and he might give me a lower grade."You can say that," he said after some time. His smile never faded on his lips. "But do your parents know about that? Have you told them?"I shook my head. "What's the point? I don't like talking about school to them." I secretly sighed. "And as if they care
She shrugged her shoulders and grinned again at me. What's with that grin? And why was she staring at me like I've grown another head?She then shook her head. "No. What I mean is the math teacher."Just when I thought that, I've successfully shooed that teacher away in my mind. I rarely smiled at her. "What's with him??"I see that you are close to him."Me? Close to that teacher?I chuckled at what she had said. "We're not close. You saw it wrongly.""No. I saw you two talking under the tree in the middle of the field. You are close to him."My heart skipped a beat at her words. "What do you mean by that?""Are you his girlfriend?"My cheeks burned red in embarrassment. "What? Of course not!" I yelled.She laughed like crazy. She even had the guts to harshly tapped my shoulder. I shoo her hands away and held my shoulder. "Why are you laughing?""You blushed!" she exclaimed.I held my cheeks. "What are you saying?"But she looked around the room and yelled. "Classmates, look at the co
"I-I did..." I breathe deep. "I didn't mean to offend you."Rogie wanted me to follow him. I did not want to, but he insisted. He even tried to take a hold of me, and I was thankful that a teacher approached us and asked what's happening. I got a chance to escape from his grip on me.The varsity team flew even before the teacher came close to us. Of course, they would not want to involve in any acts that will violate the school rules because doing so will blacklist them in school's varsity."That boy," I hissed and checked my wrist.It was reddish because of Rogie's tight grip. I sighed and walked hurriedly. I did not want to be caught again by Rogie, knowing that he was looking for me."Sydnee!"My breath hitched, but I immediately recognized the familiar voice. It was the Math Teacher, Anthony. I turned around to face him."Sir," I greeted.It was weird that I felt relieved upon seeing him. Just this morning, I did not want to see him again, but I was happy that it was he who found m
Three years later...Sydnee frowned when she saw Nikolai dressed like a hooligan. The small body was covered by a thin black silk that was a gift from the Crown Prince. After Anthony went back from the convention, he brought great news that the two kingdoms had decided to end the war and signed a bilateral agreement. It was all due to Anthony's strength in persuassion. The king then asked what Anthony wanted as a reward, and being a sly man, he asked the King to grant him Sydnee as his wife. In the same day, Sydnee received an edict about her marriage with Anthony. Duke Theodore was not as surprised as she was because the duke had a bet with Anthony, that if Anthony would bring good news from the convention, then the duke would not obstruct his plan to marry Sydnee.A year after she was married off to Anthony's household, Sydnee bore him a son who had a great resemblance with Anthony. This called for a celebration. Since then, when Nikolai would celebrate his birthday, the maids wo
The group of criminals who had ran away went inside a shabby inn. They were running like a madman without stopping for the fear that the guards would catch up with them.It was also the place that the group agreed to meet with the lider of the spies in that night. The assassin looked around and only the old woman who was busy playing with the abacus was present inside the inn. "Hey, old woman!" the assassin yelled. "Give us something to drink!"The old woman paused and brought out a tray of cold drinks from the bottom of the counter. "Here. Twenty cents."The assassin brought out twenty cents and distributed the cold drinks on to his companions. He then motioned the one who was near to the door to check outside. After a few minutes, the man came back and shook his head. The assassin grinned. Those slow royal guards could not catch up with them? Hah. What lame guards!They planned to spend the night inside the shabby inn. The group just sprawled on the floor, wearied by the things th
The moon was big and round. It shone so bright that the stars could not be seen in the night sky. The night breeze caressed her skin. Sydnee closed her eyes and smiled. The translucent moonlight shone on her blue dress and the tiny crystals shone when the moonlight touched them. In the middle of the night, Sydnee was like a fairy who descended into the world. It was the scene that Anthony saw after he followed the girl. He was glad that Sydnee was granted another title, but he was unhappy to see her dancing with men. He wanted to also dance with her, but he was being watched by both the crown prince and the second prince. He did not want to implicate Sydnee. His foot stopped a meter away from the shining girl under the moonlight. He drew a breathe and called out her name. "Sydnee."When she heard Anthony's voice, Sydnee opened her eyes and looked at the man standing before her in a daze. The moonlight shone on his suit and his eyes emitted a gentle brown light. She smiled and walk
"What did you say, Mom?" Catarina faced Lady Geneva and gaped her mouth in shock. "Did you just say that Dad would make this trash the heiress of the dukedom?!"Lady Geneva hushed Catarina. They were still inside the hall and the place was full of aristocrats and officials alike. It was the day that Duke Theodore would announce his heiress. The royals were also present. "Keep your voice down!" Lady Geneva sighed. "We can't stop your father in his decision. Let's just accept it dear, okay?" Lady Geneva coaxed and placed her hands in Catarina's shoulder."No!" Catarina broke away from the Lady's grasped. "I can't accept it! Mom, I was with Dad all these years! I studied how to become a good duchess, but... but that trash take my inheritance away!""Catarina!" Lady Geneva said and dragged the girl onto the corner where no one was around. "Just let this event go in peace. We can deal with Sydnee later, okay?"Looking into the resolute gaze of Lady Geneva, Catarina finally calmed down.
The king sitting on his throne smiled at Sydnee. "Raise your head," he said. Sydnee raised her head while she maintained her gaze on the floor. She was taught not to meet the gaze of the king as a subject. "Your daughter is indeed a beauty.""Thank you, My King."Sydnee tried hard not to pursed her lips nor to look at the Duke who was standing beside her. She thought that the Duke did not let anyone know that he could talk, except for his confidante. But it turned out that the king knew that truth all this time.It was good that only the King and the eunuch by his side was present in the throne room excluding the two of them. At least the information that Duke Theodore could talk was still a secret. It was nice not to invite unneccessary trouble on the household. After some time, the king granted Sydnee a tutor for both etiquette and education. She lowered her head and thanked the king, although she was indignant with the tutor of etiquette. Did the king think that she still neede
The copy of the video spread across the capital. The eldest miss of the Baronness who were active in spreading rumors about Sydnee paled when she checked the video that circulated overnight. It was her being tangled with the guard last year. Who recorded this video? The eldest miss immediately summoned her maids and talked with her mother. She and Baroness Jenica went into the third prince's manor to ask for help. Meanwhile, in the fifth's prince manor, the maid who picked up the memory card while buying something in the market yesterday was laughing with the other maids. They were maiden commoners who had not seen a naked man and they were fascinated with the 'good' body of the man in the video, They of course, did not know who was the two people doing it in that video, but they enjoyed watching it. It spread in the whole manor and outside of the manor. The fifth prince who were stationed in the border did not know about this thing.When the third prince's lackeys investigated the
After the commotion in the terrace, although no one talked about it during the rest of the meeting ball, Sydnee knew that she was the center of gossip in the nobles' private chats. She could feel gazes from everyone thus she left the hall earlier. "You haven't enjoyed the party yet," Aleksander said while playing with the wine glass in his hand. Sydnee huffed and looked at the man. "Don't follow me. Go back and enjoy the party.""Ah, a pity. I couldn't enjoy it without you." Then he winked at her. Anthony, who was walking beside Sydnee frowned and looked at Aleksander who was on the other side of Sydnee. "Go back, Tamarin."Aleksander gaped, feigning shock while staring at Anthony. "You know me?" "Stop pestering Sydnee."Aleksander put his free hand on his chest and looked at Sydnee sadly. "My beloved Sydnee, I'll go back. The man beside you is dangerous and I couldn't win against him ---"Before Aleksander finished his words, Anthony took hold of his shoulder and threw him back
Aleksander led Sydnee in the corner where there was no one. Sydnee then pull away her hand from his hold. "What do you want?" she huffed. The man looked down on her and grinned again. What on earth did he want with her? Sydnee frowned. "It looks like the duke's favor is on you, huh?" he said. "So?""Be careful with the people around you. You never knew who is secretly watching you."Before Sydnee could utter a word, a man stood beside her. She was startled. She did not notice how the man got close to her. It was surprising because Sydnee was trained to notice every movement in her sorroundings under the duke's command, that's why there was no one who could get past her defense, and this is also the reason why Sydnee could counter attack Catarina in every petty tricks. "Sydnee," the man called. Her eyes widened when she recognized the voice. It was Anthony. Sydnee tipped her head back to look at him and her breathe hitched when their eyes met. Anthony smiled at her. "What are you
The ride towards the capital was peaceful. Catarina did not throw tantrums like she would usually do. Lady Geneva did try to pick on her. Sydnee was glad because of silence. She looked outside the window and watched as their car drove past other vehicles and establishments. It was her first time to visit the capital and she was nervous yet excited at the same time. The duke had asked her to do her best to appear humble and dignified in front of the officials. Of course she knew why. She would be the center of biggest power fractions in the capital and the duke had also warned her about the royals who would set eyes on her. When they arrived at the capital, Sydnee was left in awe while watching outside the window. The teritories like Consolacion and Obando were nothing like the capital. The place was full of buildings that were so high, one could like at the sky to spot the end of the buildings. There were also a lot of people wearing revealing shirts and there was no distinction bet