CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"HOW dare you take a break? Go back to work!" Napapitlag ako nang bigla siyang sumigaw mula sa gilid ko. Dali-dali kong ipinagpatuloy ang pag-aayos ko ng wardrobe niya. Kanina pa siya nakaupo sa gilid habang umiinom ng tsaa at binabantayan akong magtrabaho. Sandali kasi akong natulala nang maisip ko ang mga nangyari kahapon. The prince didn't take it easy. I know that because my punishment started really early this morning.
He barged into my room this morning when I failed to open the door for him after he banged the door three times. He was livid. He shouted at me for being lazy and a sleepyhead. He trudged to my armoire and took my maid uniform. He threw it to me and said, "wear that and come to my room. Quick!"
At heto ngayon, halos maglilimang oras na akong nag-aayos ng walk-in wardrobe niya. Kahit maayos naman, ipinapaayos niya pa rin. Lahat ng damit niya ay naka-arrange according to its type. And his shoes are arranged like that too. Now, he wants me to rearrange it according to their colour. Nagsimula akong mag-ayos, madilim pa ang paligid. Ngayon, magtatanghali na, di pa ako nakakalahati sa dami ng gamit niya. Sa totoo lang, wala akong karapatang magreklamo. Kasalanan ko naman talaga. I know that the queen would do this yet I still chose to tell her. In my defense, it's for Blaze's sake. The problem is that I don't have the courage to tell him that, and he also doesn't wanna hear it anyway.
Dumating ang tanghali. Tumayo siya mula sa pagkakaupo niya at naglakad palabas. Tanghalian na kasi siguro. Ni hindi man lang ako inaya. Dahil hindi niya naman sinabing pwede akong kumain, nag-stay na lang ako rito at itinuloy ang ginagawa ko. Kanina pa ako nagugutom dahil di pa ako nag-aalmusal pero natatakot kasi akong masigawan kapag bumalik siya.
After an hour, he came back. He still looks livid whenever he glances at me. I felt the pang of guilt again.
"I'm only giving you ten minutes to eat. Your time starts now," he glowered. Nagmadali akong nag-bow sa kaniya saka tumakbo palabas. Dumiretso ako sa kusina. At dahil katatapos lang ng tanghalian, puro tira-tira na lang ang pagkain dito. But since I'm starving, I had no choice. I took some of the plates with fish in it and ate it until even one grain of rice is devoured. Ms. Sierra, who was helping the dishwashers, saw me while I'm like a scavenger looking for leftovers.
"Is the prince maltreating you?" She asked me. I am now gnawing on a half-eaten sourdough bread. I shook my head as a response to her.
"This is a punishment," I replied, still chewing the food. She handed me a glass of warm water which I gladly took.
"Anong oras na po?" Tanong ko pagkatapos kong uminom.
"It's already one in the afternoon," she replied. Shocks! Feeling ko lumagpas na ako sa ten minutes. Isinalpak ko ang buong tinapay sa bibig ko saka uminom.
"Thank you!" I shouted in an incomprehensible manner while running through the staircase and gnawing the bread at the same time. Hinihingal pa ako nang makabalik ako sa kwarto ni Blaze. Naabutan ko siyang nakahalukipkip sa tabi ng pintuan.
"Your highness," I greeted while panting.
"You are one minute and sixteen seconds late. Now go back there and finish your job before I toss you out of Nevada," inis niyang sabi saka naglakad papunta sa kama niya. Naupo siya ro'n, sumandal sa headboard, at nagbasa ng libro. Bumalik na ako sa loob ng walk-in wardrobe niya at itinuloy ang ginagawa kong pagliligpit.
