Shipwrecked Hearts

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It was night. I walked down the hallway from the dining hall, sabay kaming nag-dinner ni Maximo. We went on our separate ways after eating and talking. Gaya ng inaasahan ko, maraming mga g'wardiyang nagbabantay sa paligid. Sa halos bawat pillars ay may naka-post doon na g'wardiya. May mga grupo ring rumuronda.

Mabilis akong naglakad papunta sa aking kwarto. I locked the door, I was getting paranoid because of how many people were out there... what if my suspicion was true? I should have had told Maximo about it rather than keeping my mouth shut just to keep the noble's sanity intact.

Pinikit ko ang aking mga mata ngunit hindi ako makatulog. Maraming naglalaro sa aking isipan. Ang hula at mga katagang sinambit ni Caroline, ang kan'yang kamatayan, ang nakaukit na letra sa kan'yang katawan, at ang posibilidad na nasa panganib ang buhay ng aking mga magulang. All of it were playing in my head. I tried keeping them down, but they were resilient.

Tinignan ko ang grandfather clock sa gilid, it was midnight. I wanted to smoke or drink alcohol, but I realized how bad it will be for the life forming inside me, so I needed to abstain myself with such bad habits.

Bumangon ako at saka tumungo sa counter, kinuha ko ang pitsel upang magsalin sana sa baso ng maiinom na tubig, ngunit walang laman. I sighed. I was thirsty and my throat feels rough and dry. Hindi ko rin alam, but I was craving for water. Weird.

Tahimik akong lumabas sa silid, I saw guards again—they all looked sleepy, when they saw my silhouette, tila nabuhayan sila. They became more alert of the surroundings. I shook my head and walked. May mga nadaanan pa akong rumuronda sa paligid. I ignored them and went to the kitchen. I filled the pitcher with water and drank. I drank three glasses of water like it was nothing.

Lalabas na sana ako sa silid nang biglang bumukas ang pinto, bumungad ang isang babae. She must be a noble too. She looked at me, nang tumama ang ilaw ng buwan sa kan'yang mukha ay agad ko siyang namukhaan—Minerva. Oh, right. Since she's an aristocrat's daughter, she is living on this palace as well.

"You scared me." She whined, "akala ko kung sino, maid lang pala."

"Excuse me?" Triggered ako sa iyo!

"Did you not hear me?" Ngumisi siya, she walked past me and took a bottled wine at the display section. She poured some to her wine glass and took a sip. She looked at me and pretended to be shocked, "saan ka pinulot ni Maximo?" Hindi ako sumagot. "Well, I don't even see what he saw in you. I mean, you look like a maid, sorry if I thought you were a maid, but that was because you really look like one." Uminom siya muli.

Tinignan ko siya. Halatang kagigising lang din niya. How can she sleep with a makeup on her face and jewelries around her neck and fingers?

"Minerva, right?"

"Right." She faked a smile. "Kira, right?"

"Kira Renaissance." Pagdidiin ko sa kan'yang sa huling pangalan. Girl, you better know your place and I'm going to make it clear to you right now!

"I think Minerva Renaissance fits more than Kira, but oh well, there's no law here that says that a pirate should only have one wife, I hope you're aware of that. Just a friendly reminder." She smiled.

She's really getting into my nerves!

"I also hope that you're aware that Maximo is only mine. Only mine." Tugon ko sa kan'yang, "try to seduce him or whatever you want, but it'll always be me he'll see. You'll reach the point of life wherein you'll wish that you were me, and it'd be your greatest tragedy, since you can never be me. Sad life, I know." I patted her on her shoulders and walked out with a victorious smirk.

~~~

Nagising ako dahil narinig ko ang komos'yon sa labas, I slipped myself into my comfy sandals and went out, "hey, you." I pointed out the nearest guard who was about to leave and check on whatever the commotion was. Nakita ko ang pagkumpol ng mga tao sa silid na naglalaman ng mga inumin. It was few walks away. "What's happening?"