•⏳•
Feeling exhausted, I lay on the bed. I am currently in a room located on the second floor of the palace. There's an after-party happening, and my brother and parents are enjoying it.
But my feet are already giving out, and my body is begging for rest, so I came here ahead of them. I was escorted by three palace maids earlier. They even offered to help me with my clothes, but I insisted that I could manage on my own.
I'm not comfortable with anyone touching me. Even though Lala can be annoying at times, I can't deny that I trust her when it comes to assisting me with bathing and dressing. I am comfortable around her.
Besides, I'm a new guest in the palace. Who knows if there are people here with hidden grudges against the Anderson family and I happen to be the chosen target because of my innocent face? Baka mamalayan ko nalang na may nakatarak ng dagger sa likod ko.
I shook my head. My imagination is running wild again. With my mind working like this, it's hard for me to fall asleep.
Yawning, I sat up from the lying position. I was thinking of requesting a cup of coffee to help me sleep, but I know that coffee isn't a common thing in this world.
I know it sounds crazy, but coffee was my sleep aid before. While others don't get sleepy when they drink coffee, it's the opposite for me. Coffee has no effect on me, no matter how many cups I consume.
I put on the robe I found in the walk-in closet and opened the door leading to the balcony. I stepped outside and decided to get some fresh air.
The cool night breeze carried away the fatigue. It gently brushed against my silver hair. Yes, Naseria had silver hair. This hair color is rare, and it's truly captivating to look at.
As I gazed at the garden, a scene from my encounter with the main villain of this novel came rushing back to my memory. Remembering the things he said and the things I said, I couldn't help but laugh.
He asked me who I was, and I was about to ask him the same question earlier. It suddenly dawned on me na parehas pala kaming tanga dalawa.
Imagine, we already knew each other's identity, yet we still chose to pretend.
In the end, we ended up exposing ourselves. Ang funny lang.
I looked up at the sky. The half moon was still there, but there were no stars around it. Only the half moon was casting its light on this dark night.
Naalala ko na Izra's first tragedy in life also occurred during the night.
He was also a royalty, the king's legitimate son, but born out of wedlock. He was not included with the king's children from his many wives. He was the son of a woman the king had met in a brothel.
He was the king's firstborn son. Because of that, Izra's mother was overjoyed, thinking that her dream of becoming a queen would finally come true.
However, when the baby Izra was born, he was targeted by the king's second concubine. The concubine planned to harm him. As a result, Izra ended up with a deep and sizable wound on her left cheek, which left a scar resembling a cross.
Fortunately, his eyes were not affected, allowing him to still have his sight. Pero ang pangyayari na iyon ay nanatili kay Izra hanggang sa kaniyang paglaki.
Because of the scar, many were afraid of him. Even his own mother couldn't look him in the eyes.
In this world, having a scar on one's body is considered a curse and a bad omen not only for the person bearing the scar but also for those associated with that person.
He's not very well-known to everyone because he doesn't often attend social gatherings. Even at welcoming parties organized by the King himself, he rarely shows up.
So, according to rumors, people say he's hiding because he has an ugly face. In their belief, if a man has a scar on his face, it means he won't be able to find a spouse.
But since I don't belong to this world, my beliefs are different from theirs.
Napangiti nalang ako sa naisip. The encounter with the Archduke earlier was like a dream come true for me.
Once again, I looked up at the half moon in the sky.
“Let’s see each other again, Archduke,” I whispered to the air before deciding to step back into the room and close the balcony door.
***
“What?!” My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets nang marinig ko ang nakakainis na sinabi ng kapatid kong masarap batukan.
Umagang-umaga ay ginagago na naman ako ng animal! He woke me up so early and told me to get ready. It was still quite dark outside nang gisingin ako nito.
Hindi ko nga sigurado kung natulog na ba ang lalaking ito o hindi pa. Baka wala na talaga itong balak na matulog.
He scratched the back of his neck. Para itong bata na nahuli ng magulang na may ginagawang masama tapos takot mapagalitan kaya nag-iisip ng maaaring palusot.
“Repeat what you just said.” I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms to show that I was starting to get angry.
Ang aga-aga pa, piste naman.
“I was drunk, okay! I’m sorry,” he said, his voice getting softer and softer to the point where I could barely hear him. His head was now bowed as if seeking pity.
As much as I wanted to feel sorry for him, it seemed like I needed this pity more for myself.
My brother just told me na pinagyabang niya pala sa after-party ang pagiging magaling ko daw sa pagluluto! Eh, hindi ko pa naman nasusubukan na magluto at ipagluto sila, paano niya nasabi iyon?
This guy, really. He always finds a way to involve me in his problems.
“Kasi naman! Some of the royalties belittle you, saying that maybe the Chamberlain's child is more wife material than you. I couldn't stand that!” At talagang nagrason pa!
I rolled my eyes. “How old are you again?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Then act like it!” I snapped at him. “You shouldn’t be getting caught up in such petty discussions, for heaven’s sake! Ako iyong naiipit sa gitna, eh.”
“Sorry na, bunso. I’ll help you out. Maybe I can cook, and you can take credit for it. Please forgive me.”
Despite my annoyance, there was nothing I could do but take a deep breath. Did he really think I would be happy because he supposedly defended my name to those royalties?
Ha! I would probably prefer to tarnish my reputation rather than exhaust myself trying to please all of them, useless people!
“I can do it myself. You probably can’t help me when all eyes are on us. But you can assist me with the ingredients,” I calmly said before making my way to the palace kitchen.
Hinila ako ni Kuya kanina patungo sa isang sulok paglabas ko palang ng aking silid. I thought he had something exciting to tell me, but it turned out he brought me trouble instead.
When I realized that I seemed to be lost, I asked a nearby palace maid. Bakit ba kasi sobrang lawak nitong palasyo?
Well, I guess since the King and Queen live here, their palace should be bigger than the palace owned by other wives and concubines.
As we arrived in the kitchen, I immediately introduced myself. I thought they might shoo me away since the guests might not be welcome here for safety reasons.
But it turns out that the Queen had already informed them about my visit to the kitchen this morning. I couldn't help but give my brother a glare, but he just smiled back at me innocently.
He should be grateful that I'm skilled at cooking. If it were only the original Naseria here, the entire Anderson family might have been embarrassed.
Sorry, but I have to tell the truth. Ganda lang talaga ang ambag ng babaeng iyon.
YOU ARE READING
Awakening in White Locks
Fantasy"I love you," he whispered, their foreheads gently touching. A tear escaped her eye, for she understood that "I love you" was once a beautiful melody, but now it threatened to transform into a tragic symphony. "I will soon have to leave you," she co...
