"Do like the tea, Your Highness?" tanong ni Duchess Kristine sa tabi ko.
I smiled at her, "It's delicious."
Pumalakpak siya sa kasiyahan. "It is actually a blueberry mint tea with a hint of rose petals. Since Your Highness loves blueberry and roses so much."
Hindi ko siya sinagot at ngumiti na lang. I took a sip of my tea.
I'm in the Southern border of the Empire, where the Duchess lives. Lima kaming nandito kasama na si Lady Elaine from the West, Viscountess Ariella from the Southeast, and Lady Thaurie from the North.
Surprisingly, I got along really well with them. Ang babait nila, they talk to each other like they've been friends for a long time but still kept formalities.
"Your Highness, have you heard of the news?" biglaang tanong ni Lady Thaurie. "It has been circling throughout whole Empire for a while now, but I am not certain if it has reached the Imperial Palace."
"What is it?"
"It has been the talk of the town for a while now, they said that the Prince might have be seeing someone."
Nabilaukan ako sa narinig. Umubo ako habang pinaghahampas ang dibdib ko sa gulat. "W-what?"
"Oh, yes! I have heard of that too," sabat ni Viscountess. "I have heard that His Highness visited the whole Empire to purchase some jewels."
Kingina. Ano ba ang pinaplano ng gagong 'yon? "Maybe he's buying jewels for himself since you know, it is Father's birthday in two days. He might be buying gifts for him or maybe for himself," pandadahilan ko.
"I wish we could say the same thing, princess but he has been seen a couple of times going outside jewel shops with jewelry for women on his hand," kaswal na sabi ni Duchess Kristine at uminom ng tsaa.
"I heard that the Prince is already engaged," dagdag tsismis pa ni Lady Elaine. "But I am not certain. Should we ask Her Highness?"
Sabay silang lumingon sa direksiyon ko.
Isa-isa ko silang tiningnan, "What?"
"Is it true, Your Highness? That the Prince is already engaged?" tanong ng Viscountess.
"Ah... I'm not really sure," awkward kong sagot at tumawa. "I haven't seen him for the past days. I should maybe ask him later at the palace when he's there."
Pagkatapos ng ilang oras ay nagsiuwian na kaming lahat. I went inside the carriage. Naramdaman ko ang paggalaw nito. Napapangiwi pa ako minsan tuwing may natatamaang bato ang gulong, ang sakit sa pwet, shuta.
Halos paika-ika ako sa paglalakad nang makababa ako. Parang may tumamang pana sa pwet ko sa sakit.
"Faith, can you prepare a cold bath for me, please?" utos ko.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Nang maihanda na ito ay agad akong lumusong sa tub. I shivered at the cold. Naramdaman ko ang pagmasahe ni Faith sa buhok ko at ang ni Lily sa braso ko.
"Are you unwell, Princess?"
Umiling ako, "No, I'm fine, just tired."
"Would you like a drink of hot tea after this, Princess?"
"Gladly, thank you."
Tinulungan nila ako sa pagbihis. Lumabas ng kwarto si Faith upang gawan ako ng tsaa habang sinusuklay ni Lily ang buhok ko.
"Your Highness is so pretty," she complemented, making me blush.
"Hindi naman..." Agad akong napatakip sa bibig ko nang masabi ko 'yon. Shit, I forgot hindi pala sila nakakaintindi ng Filipino.
Kasabay ng pagkatapos ng pagsuklay ni Lily sa 'kin ay ang pagpasok muli ni Faith sa loob.
"Your tea is ready, Princess."
My eyes closed the moment the tea ran down my throat. It's heat quickly enveloped the whole of my esophagus to my stomach. I moaned at the feeling.
"Is Your Highness enjoying the tea?" Tumango ako dahil masyado akong naka-focus sa iniinom ko para sumagot. "I'm glad."
Huminga ako ng maluwang nang makaupo ako sa kama. I laid down. Pumikit ako ng ilang minuto at hindi namalayang nakatulog pala ako.
I heard rustling from the windows. Minulat ko ang aking mga mata at tumingin sa paligid.
It was already night, sobrang tahimik na ng buong lugar. I can hear the crickets from the outside. I must've slept too much.
Umayos ako ng upo sa kama and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands while yawning. Grabe, antok na antok pa ako.
"Hmm?" Napalingon ako sa bintana nang makarinig ng ingay. "What was that?"
Out of curiousity, tumayo ako at lumapit sa bintana. I opened the glass door that separated the balcony from the inside.
Wala akong ibang nakita kundi ang madilim na kalangitan, ang mga puno ng kagubatan, at ang iilang knights na nagp-patrol sa palasyo.
"I must be hearing things." Akmang babalik na sana ako sa loob nang makakita nanaman ako ng kakaiba. "Well, I guess I maybe am hearing things. But I'm pretty sure this thing isn't just a figment of my imagination."
In the middle of the forest stood a very tall tower. Halos kailangan ko pang iangat ang ulo ko para makita ang pinakadulo nito. Sa pinakataas nito ay may isang bintana na bukas. Para siyang 'yong tower sa Tangled, but more creepy looking and bigger.
Mula sa bintana ay nakakita ako ng pag-ilaw sa loob. From red, to blue, to green, and to white. Ilang ulit na ganito ang pabalik-balik na umiilaw hanggang sa tumigil ito. Akala ko ay wala nang mangyayari nang biglang umilaw mas malalim na pula at agad na nawala.
Can't hold my curiosity any longer, pumasok ako sa loob at nagsuot ng isang cardigan. I'm gonna see what the heck that light was.
Dahan-dahan kong binuksan ang pinto at tiningnan ang paligid. Sinigurado ko munang walang taong dumadaan o tumamabay man lang bago naglakad.
Plano ko sanang bumaba sa main stairs pero naalala kong marami palang bantay doon. Wala akong choice kundi gamitin ang hagdan sa side towers. Hindi lang sa walang dumadaan dito ay madilim pa ito at shortcut din papunta sa kagubatan.
Kinuha ko ang isang torch malapit sa pinto sa dulo ng hagdan bago tuluyang makalabas sa palasyo. Thankfully, walang sumalubong sa 'kin na guard kaya agad akong naglakad papasok sa kagubatan.
Ang dilim-dilim. Parang medyo umulan din kanina dahil maputik ang daang tinatahak ko. Kahit may hawak na torch ay hindi ko pa rin makita ng maayos ang daan sa sobrang dilim.
"Ah!" napasigaw ako nang bigla akong matumba. Rinig ko ang pagkapunit ng night gown ko kasabay ng pagpatay ng sindi ng torch.
"Who's there?!" I froze on the spit when I heard footsteps coming on my way. Without a thought, I hurriedly stood up and ran.
Ilang beses pa akong nasugatan dahil sa mga kahoy at sangang nadaanan ko. Humihingal ako ngayon at habol ang hininga habang nakatayo sa harap ng tower.
Tiningnan ko muna kung may nakasunod sa 'kin. Nang masigurong wala ay tsaka ako pumasok sa loob.
Isang hagdan patungo sa itaas ang bumungad sa 'kin. Wala akong nakitang torch o source of light man lang.
Inilahad ko ang aking kamay. Concentrating, droplets of water appeared in the sides of my arm. Dumaan ito patungo sa palm ko at doon nagtipon lahat hanggang sa naging bola ito. When it was as big as my palm, a glint of light glowed in its core until it lighted up the place.
Tahimik akong umakyat. The stairs were going in circles up to the top since it's a tower. I can't see anything besides the inside walls.
Pagod ako nang makarating sa tuktok. Ang haba ng hagdang tinahak ko, akala ko pa nga wala nang katapusan.
Bumungad sa 'kin ang isang malaking kwartong puno ng mga libro at iba pang kagamitan. May isang mesa sa gild ng bintana at nandito nagkakalat ang mga papel at kung ano-ano pa mang hindi ko maipangalan.
Inikot ko ang buong lugar. Ilang beses pa akong natatapilok dahil sa mga nagkakalat sa sahig. Grabe, hindi ba marunong maglinis ang nakatira rito?
Sa gitna ng kwarto ay isang bolang gawa sa salamin. Lumilitaw lang ito mag-isa sa gitna. It's inside were mists with different colors. Lumitaw ang pulang mist at inilaw ang paligid ng pula, kasabay ng pagsunod ng asul, berde, at puti.
Ah, ito pala 'yong umiilaw.
Nilapitan ko ito. I levelled my head with the ball. I gently tapped it, wondering if what will happen. Unfortunately, parang wala namang nangyayari.
Bumusangot ako. Umayos ako ng tayo at lumapit sa bintana. Humawak ako sa railings.
Kitang-kita mula rito ang kwarto ko. Pati ang buong palasyo. Hindi ko makita ang village dahil nakatalikod ang tower dito.
Napapikit ako nang naramdaman ang simoy ng hangin. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam. Huminga ako ng maluwang.
"What are you doing here?" a low voice from behind startled me.
"Ay, pagong!" sigaw ko sa gulat.
Napaharap ako at walang sabing umatras. Naramdaman ko ang railings sa beywang ko pero dahil sa pagkagulat ay mas lalo akong napaatras. Hindi pa nakakatulong na may naapakan akong glass tube kaya mas lalo akong nadulas hanggang sa maramdaman ko na mahuhulog na ako. The light ball floating on my palm suddenly popped and water immediately dripped down the floor.
Pumikit ako sa takot. I waited for my back to have a hard contact on the ground and the pain I'll feel. Pero wala akong maramdaman. Instead, I felt an arm wrapped aroun my waist, stopping me from falling.
Unti-unti kong iminulat ang mga mata ko.
Rosh was holding onto me tightly on my waist, his other hand was on the side of the window preventing us both from falling. Both of my hands were on his chest as he gazed at me with confusion on his eyes.
Napangiwi ako. "Hehe, hi."
I squealed when he held me tighter, pulling me closer to his face. "Answer me, woman."
Our noses were almost touching each other. Halos hindi ako makahinga habang siya ay mariing nakatitig sa 'kin. Parang wala lang sa kaniya ang lapit namin habang ako ay halos mamamatay na sa sobrang kaba.
"Why are you here?" he whispered. "Answer me, will you? Hmm?"
"H-Huh? Ano..." bulong ko, "may nakita lang ako..."
"And what is it that you saw?" His breath sent shivers down my spine. Shit, why is his voice so deep?!
Kabado ako habang ang mga kamay ko ay nanatili sa dibdib niya. My chest was heaving up and down because of nervousness. I feel like I'll faint.
"T-Teka nga." Sinubukan kong kumalas sa hawak niya pero mas lalo niya lang iyong hinigpitan. "Rosh, let go of me."
"Not until you tell me why you are here."
"May nakita nga ako," naiinis ko nang sagot.
"Then what is it?"
Sa inis ay tinuro ko 'yung bola sa gitna. "That! That weird floating glass ball thingy that has glowing shits in it."
Imbes na lingunin niya ang tinuro ko ay mukhang nagulat pa siya sa narinig niya. He licked his lips, smirking. "Damn, I never thought Her Highness could curse."
What the? 'Yon lang ba ang narinig niya sa sinabi ko?
Nang binitawan na niya ako ay agad akong lumayo sa kaniya. Pinagpagan ko ang damit ko.
Lumapit siya sa isang gilid. Using his mana, he made a floating light ball―
similar to what I made earlier―and floated it to the top center of the room, making me see everything.
Nagkakalat na libro, glass tubes na kung saan saan lang nakalapag, mesang sobrang daming papel. The room was just an absolute mess.
"Hindi ka ba marunong maglinis o tamad ka lang talaga?" I asked.
Lumapit siya sa kaniyang mesa at sumandal doon. Pinagkrus niya ang kaniyang kamay sa dibdib bago ako sinagot.
"Both, I guess?"
I scoffed. "Wow, if Caleb's here, he's going to be crazy seeing this stuff," I commented. "If he was a woman, he could definitely pass as a cleaning maid in the palace."
Caleb was a clean freak. Naalala ko pa no'ng isang araw, sinamahan niya ako na maglibot sa buong palasyo. When we went to one of the attics, halos mahimatay siya nang makita kung gaano 'yon karumi. He even told me to explore the rest of the palace alone because he is going to clean it. I can still hear his mumbles while cleaning the attic.
Napataas ng kilay si Rosh sa sinabi ko. "Your point, exactly?"
"I'm just saying that men who clean is such a turn on, okay? No need to be bitter."
"What? You prefer hygienic men with a clean room rather than a handsome wizard who can destroy a whole empire for you?" Bakas ang pait sa boses niya.
"Pinagsasabi mo?" tanong ko pero hindi niya ako pinansin at tumingin sa ibang direksiyon. This man confuses me.
Pinagpatuloy ko ang paglibot sa buong lugar habang siya ay nanatiling nakatayo sa isang dulo at pinapanood ang bawat galaw ko.
Napansin ko ang isang hagdan, sa dulo nito ay isang pinutan na natatabunan ng kurtina kaya umakyat ako rito. Hindi naman ako pinigilan ng isa kaya tuluyan na akong pumasok sa loob.
Bumungad sa 'kin ang isang kwarto. The room was made of pure wood. Unlike the outside, it was clean. Too clean, spotless even. The floor's shiny, para akong nasisilaw.
"Men who clean is a turn on, huh?" Napaigtad ako sa gulat nang marinig ang boses niya sa likod. "Well, is this clean enough for you?"
"You're weird," komento ko.
Pumasok ako sa loob at sinuyod ang buong lugar. Wala namang masyadong kagamitan maliban sa isang cabinet na nakadikit sa pader at isang kama sa gitna. Akmang lalabas na sana ako nang may mapansin ako.
Isang itim na kurtina ang nakalagay sa isang pader. Out of curiousity, nilapitan ko ito. Tinanggal ko ang kurtina at bumungad sa 'kin ang isang malaking painting.
It was a painting of a kid. He had silver hair, purple eyes, and a cold look on his face. Nakasuot siya ng royal clothes at isang korona sa kaniyang ulo. He doesn't look happy.
"Sino 'to?" tanong ko. Kahit hindi na ako lumingon ay alam kong nasa likuran ko siya, nagmamasid sa 'kin.
Naramdaman ko ang paglakad niya papunta sa direksiyon ko. I felt his presence on my back. he slowly leaned forward to the side of my face. I nearly flinched when his breath got in contact with my skin.
"That's Ezekiel D'aureville, the Prince of Aurevia."
I caressed the painting using my fingers. I can feel its rough texture as it glides through my fingertips. "Where is he now?"
He shrugged. "Probably dead."
Doon ako napalingon sa kaniya. "Dead? Why?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. The last thing I heard was that he ran away when he was five, after saying that he doesn't want the responsibility as the next Emperor. He's still a kid, he doesn't know anything about survival. So surely enough, he is long gone. Maybe being eaten by a beast or what," page-explain niya sa 'kin na parang wala lang bago tumayo at iniwan ako.
I stared at the kid's face for a moment. He looked familiar.
"Bakit 'to nandito sa 'yo? It's not like you're a painter or what."
He was about to go outside his room when he stopped on his tracks after hearing my question. "Why would I need to answer that?"
I shrugged. "Why would you not? Unless you're hiding something..."
Biglang lumindol ang paligid. The furnitures started floating and spinning around the room like a tornado. Tiningnan ko si Rosh at nakitang nakatayo pa rin siya sa kaniyang pwesto at nakatalikod sa 'kin.
Napansin ko ang mga kamay niya. His right was covered with green mist while his left is covered with white. His hands balled into tight fists. Kahit hindi ko masyadong makita dahil napapaligiran ito ng mist ay alam kong halos lumalabas na ang ugat nito sa sobrang higpit no'n.
Napahawak ako sa pader nang maramdaman ang pagkawala ko ng balanse sa sarili.
"Jeez, calm down, will you? Wala pa nga akong sinasabi."
"What do you think am I hiding?" He turned around, looking at me. His face was now void of any existing emotion as he waited for my answer.
"Well," muli kong nilapitan ang painting, "first of all, that's not your real hair color, am I right?"
Napatigil siya.
"Also, that's not your real eye color," I pointed out. "You dyed your hair black and used your mana to change the color of your eye. You also lied about being a wizard. It's just an easy escape for you since you've mastered all elements."
"You lied and pretended to be someone else in order to be where you are right now." Unti-unti ko siyang nilapitan. "Am I right, Your Highness, Prince Ezekiel?"
Bakas ang gulat sa kaniyang mga mata. "H-How did you..."
Even if he knew I'm from a different world. I can't tell him how I knew it. It would be weird.
But surprisingly, I started to remember things from the book as time passes by. It's like my buried memories that's slowly started to appear one by one in my head. I don't know if it's because I'm in Roxanne's body, or because I'm slowly adapting inside her that even her own memories starts appearing inside my head.
Now, Roxanne's memories with Rosh are vividly playing in my brain. The painting is what triggered it. Triggering the princess' memory is what's helping me understand the story's situation right now that's why I need to trigger it more as much as possible.
Roxanne and Rosh met in a royal banquet, with the celebration of the Emperor's second Prince, Theo. As the rulers of the neighboring Empire, Roxanne and her family were the special guests. Thousands of other high-ranking nobles joined the celebration. Congratulating and giving blessings to the newborn. Everyone clearly forgetting the first Prince. Everyone but Roxanne.
In the back of the Imperial Palace. Roxanne saw the first Prince sitting under a tree. Lonely and had no one to talk to. Not sure whether the Prince saw her, she stayed from afar, not taking a single step towards the Prince. Giving one last look before going back inside. That was the first and last time the two ever met.
"You ran away not because you're scared to take the responsibility but because you thought no one liked you. You thought your brother, the second Prince, was more favored than you. With that kind of mindset, you also thought that they might make the second Prince the Emperor imstead of you. You were too scared to accept it that you ran away. Even when you know you're going to die, you ran away."
I remember it now. That's why he didn't look familiar the first time I saw him. It was a disguise. A disguise to hide him from everyone who knew him. And he wore that for more than twenty years...
Rosh Ezekiel D'aureville. First Prince and the future ruler of Aurevia.