The Hidden Duchess

CHAPTER 3

The Hidden Duchess | Royalty Series 1

Krizzybabes

The next day, we decided to do a makeover for myself, but instead of a DIY hair color, we decided to go to the salon to avoid damaging my healthy blonde hair.

I wore simple denim jeans and a tank top, together with a pink hoodie to hide my blonde hair. I also wore the contact lenses that Mama Mila bought for me, to conceal the real color of my eyes.

We rode a boat to cross the ocean and went to the other side- the city. And when we got there, we immediately looked for a trustworthy salon to color my hair.

After finding one, we immediately went through the process. "Who is Mama Mila talking to, Hera?" I asked the little girl while someone was applying shampoo to my hair.

"Si Sir Vienson po siguro, Ate Ky, narinig ko po kasing tinawag niya'ng 'Sir' eh," she responded.

"Who's Sir Vienson?" I asked, iniwan na kasi kami ng hairdresser para ibabad ang shampoo sa buhok ko.

"Anak po ni Ma'am Betina, 'yung pinagtatrabahuhan ni Mama. Gwapo po 'yun, Ate, tsaka attorney, kaso medyo masungit. Pero mabait naman po si Kuya Vienson, Ate, 'di gaya ng nanay niya." Ang haba na ng sinabi niya kaya tumango na lang ako.

They colored my hair brown, and we spent hours inside the salon just to make my hair color vibrant. "Ate, matagal pa po ba 'yan? Kanina pa po tayo rito eh, nakakabagot," Hera asked, making me and the salon worker who's blow-drying my hair glance at her.

The hairdresser chuckled. "Malapit na po ito, Ma'am, binu-blow-dry na lang po tsaka pa-plantsahin para mas mabilis matuyo," she answered the kid.

Afterward, we went to buy new sets of personal things and clothes because what Mama Mila bought for me was a bit too big for my size, so I needed new ones. After roaming around, we decided to eat at a nearby fast-food restaurant.

Mama Mila ordered our food while I excused myself to go to the restroom, leaving Hera at our seat. On my way to the restroom, a man and a lady bumped into me because the girl was too busy flirting with the guy and wasn't paying attention to where she was going.

"Omg! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to," I apologized. The typical me who would immediately apologize even though it wasn't my fault, just to be polite and tactful.

The lady turned her gaze on me and gave me a spiteful look. "Sa susunod kasi, tumingin ka sa dinadaanan mo," she said, giving me a bitchy look.

"Excuse me?" I asked incredulously, looking at them both. "You're the one who wasn't looking, and you're the one who bumped into me," I said, kaya mas lalo lang tumaas ang kilay niya.

"Excuse me? Are you saying that it was my fault na nabangga mo kami kasi tatanga-tanga ka?"

"I'm saying that because it's the truth. You two were busy flirting, kaya kahit na gumilid na ako, nabangga niyo pa rin ako," I said in a calm tone.

"Wow! Ang kapal din naman ng mukha mo, ano?" she asked, full of sarcasm. I bet she was ready to wrestle with me based on her annoyed expression. "The audacity to talk to me that way, bitch! Sino ka ba sa akala mo ha?" She added, trying to grab my hair, but my reflexes were quick enough to dodge.

"Beatrice, stop it! You're making a scene," the man with her instantly stopped her, and that's when I finally glanced at him.

He's tall, maybe around 5'10" or 5'11", but I wasn't impressed because I'm tall myself. He's handsome, alright. He had a prominent jawline, a Greek nose, amber eyes, in short, a handsome facial structure, and a body that a typical woman would die for, but I didn't show any reaction.

"And you, Miss, can't you just apologize to stop dragging this issue out?" he said in a demanding tone, making my eyebrow raise as I looked at him.

"That's the first thing I did, even though you two were at fault, remember? But instead of an apology, I got blamed, kahit na kayo naman ang naglalandian habang naglalakad," I said with a stoic expression, leaving them speechless. "Next time, kung maglalandi kayo, huwag naman sa daanan para makita niyo kung may dumarating. Respect, kumbaga," I added.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go," I muttered, walking past them.

"That bitch!" the woman exclaimed furiously, trying to attack me again, but I heard the man immediately stop her. Hindi ko na sila tinapunan ng tingin at dere-derecho akong naglakad papunta sa restroom. Paglabas ko, wala na sila kaya naglakad na ako pabalik sa pwesto namin nina Hera at Mama Mila.

"Oh, ba't natagalan ka ata, Kyla?" she asked since they were waiting for me to return before eating. She said it's basic table etiquette.

"I'm sorry, I just ran into some unexpected errands, Mama Mila, kaya medyo natagalan po ako," I explained.

"Bakit anak? What happened?" she asked curiously, so I gave her a reassuring smile and shook my head.

"Don't bother yourself about it, Mama. Tapos na po 'yun," I said. "Shall we eat?" I invited them.

Though still suspicious, Mama Mila nodded, which made me smile even more, and we immediately prayed before eating. We also took out food for Hiro and Papa Henry before heading home.

Weeks passed by instantly, and I always went out with the kids para samahan sila sa school. I met a lot of people and became close with the fishermen along the coast because they already knew me as Papa Henry's pamangkin.

Mama Mila hasn't been home for three weeks now, kaya medyo tumamlay ang mga bata, probably because they missed their mother after three weeks of not being able to see her.

"Mama!" Hiro and I looked at each other after hearing his sister Hera scream in delight, kaya excited rin kaming lumabas sa kusina.

"Mama!" the kid shouted as well before rushing to hug their mother.

"Mama, bakit hindi ka umuwi ng halos tatlong linggo? Miss na miss ka na namin, 'di ba, Ate?" Hera said, glancing at me. I smiled and nodded in response.

"Mama, what happened to your arm? Bakit may cast?" I asked.

"Ah, medyo naaksidente lang noong nagpa-house party si Sir Vienson sa mansion nila. Nadulas ako sa hagdan at nabali ang kamay ko," she explained.

"Okay ka lang po ba? It's not a severe injury, right?" I asked again, feeling a bit worried.

"Ayos naman na, anak. Medyo masakit pa kasi bago pa eh, pero kailangan ko lang daw munang ipahinga ng ilang buwan bago bumalik sa trabaho. Ang kaso, wala akong mahanap na papalit sa'kin pansamantala sa trabaho ko," she said, a bit troubled.

I didn't want Mama Mila to work while her arm was still healing, but I also didn't want her to lose her job. So, I offered to work as her replacement in the meantime. "I can do the work for the meantime, Mama," I said.

As expected, pareho silang hindi pumayag ni Papa, saying it's not appropriate for me to work as a maid because I have a title, but I insisted, saying it doesn't affect my title at all. Besides, ano bang problema sa pagiging katulong, 'di ba? Marangal na trabaho 'yun, kaya bakit ko siya ikakahiya? Isa pa, I want to experience it while I'm here. Once I go back to Spain, hindi ko na mararanasan 'yon, that's for sure.

@Krizzybabes