My Prince, My mate

5. Beginning of the End

THE STUDENTS FILLED THE ROOM with chatter as Sebastián went inside. They were discussing the latest issue of Episodios Nacionales (National Episodes). Apparently, it mirrors the current events happening in the country and is written as a novel.

“Are you children? Those are for kids. You should read the news in the newspapers,” he said to them with pride. Sadly, his classmates laughed at him. No one insulted him before making his blood boil. His family was losing face against the social unrest, but that didn’t mean the people had the right to mock them.

“Look, the novel offended someone. Are you a supporter of the crown?” Francisco taunted him. He smirked as he looked him in the eyes.

Just as Sebastián stood to punch him in the face, the door opened. “You’re lucky. Next time you won’t be.” He went back to his seat.

“Buenas dias, please take your respective seats. We will begin discussing our new topic for today.” His professor greeted them with a crisp voice. He was old—much older than the other staff. More like a grandfather to the students. His strictness entailed everyone being silent and listening in, or else going off to the administrator’s office.

The room was silent except for the books being placed on the desks and the students flipping through the pages.

Sebastián took out his book and placed it on top of his desk. Since he read on the topic for the day, he calmly listened to Professor Alvaro.

“The way we think and the way they write our laws can go in different directions. How would the government enforce the law when citizens break it?” Professor Alvaro spoke a little faster, and the words slurred a bit.

“Yes, Sebastián, tell us.” He recognized him because he raised his hand to ask him to repeat the question.

“Professor, can you repeat the question? I didn’t get it.” Sebastián tried to explain himself. Sweat trickled down from his hands as Professor Alvaro walked towards him.

“Stop making excuses and read the third chapter on page one hundred ninety-eight.” The professor’s voice boomed. It echoed through the four walls.

Everyone bowed their heads as if their desks were the most interesting thing. He would have done the same if he hadn’t stood up. He picked up his book and opened it to the page directed to him.

Right there and then, he wanted to throw it out the window. The moment he saw the lewd drawings of men and women kissing each other and doing other sensual things, his cheeks turned pale like the snow outside.

It can’t be right. He made sure he took the right book when he fixed his stuff earlier. He closed it once again and checked the cover. It was the right one.

“What is taking so long, Sebastián?” Professor Alvaro was already beside him. “Open it,” he commanded.

“Si, Professor.” Sebastián’s hands trembled as he opened the book slowly. He tried his best to steer it away from the professor’s line of sight.

“Go on, read the text.” His professor nudged him once again.

He opened the book for him to recite, but he couldn’t remember the words. He stuttered to answer.

Before he could protest, Professor Alvaro had already grabbed his book. “This is how you should read.” He demonstrated to the class how to find the page. One after the other, his expression became sullen.

At first, he was stupefied, but then his cheeks turned rosy, and his head was about to explode. “What kind of joke is this, Sebastián?” he asked him.

“Professor, I can explain,” Sebastián pleaded with him. His eyes tried to make contact with Professor Alvaro, but the old man bore through the book.

“This is prohibited content. Where on earth did you get this?” The old man closed the book and raised it above his head.

All the students turned their attention to Sebastián. Suddenly, he became famous, but not in the right way. Some clapped at him, while others winked.

He swallowed his saliva as if it could turn back time. His mind scrambled as to how he possessed such a book. He wasn’t fond of reading those kinds, as he loved doing the actual thing more than reading them.

Sebastián, go to the administrator’s office now. For the rest of you, read the whole chapter. When I get back, you will have a quiz.” Professor Alvaro escorted him.

All the while, he traced his memory, from the time he placed the book in his bag all the way to the other week. Surely, something might happen to it.

As if a boulder of snow had plummeted over him. He shivered in disgust as he remembered everything. ‘Carmelita!’ he screamed in his mind. He wanted to stab her a thousand times while life slowly faded away from her eyes.

Every single day, he projected his best self. He was always polite to everyone, even his admirers. Yet here he was, about to be expelled from the most prestigious university in the kingdom.

His parents would disinherit him if word got out. Worse, it might not be the end of it. His life, as he knew it, would become a distant memory. For sure, he would end up begging in the streets for food scraps after talking to the administrator.

“Stay here and wait for your turn. I will endorse this book to the administrator.” Professor Alvaro pointed him to one of the empty chairs in the hallway. A dozen or so students were patiently waiting to be called out.

He wasn’t interested in why they were there. At that moment, he could only think about his future. If they expelled him, no school would ever accept him. Given his offense, even his parents’ influence won’t be able to help him.

Once he was done there, the next thing he wanted to do was execute his vengeance on Carmelita. She was the reason he was sent there. ‘Watch out, Carmelita, he thought as he waited outside.

“Sebastián, come in.” Professor Alvaro called on him. The students waiting with him stared like he was doomed already.

THEY FINISHED SCHOOL the day before it was officially winter. Carmelita was looking forward to spending time with her family while avoiding Sebastián.

Word got out fast about his time in the administrator’s office. Students even whispered about his punishment. Apparently, he should have been expelled if not for his parents.

Instead of repenting, Sebastián hunted her down for the past couple of days, yet she managed to slip out of his grasp. She smirked at the thought of him in the administrator’s office. It served him right.

On the other hand, she had to explain the book to Natalie. She even had to buy her the same one to appease her. It wasn’t cheap, either.

“Mel, hey chica, let’s go. Professor Emilio would not like for us to be late again.” Her best friend pulled her towards a large stone building. She was a dwarf in the land of giants, just like her.

“Stop dragging me, Natalia. I am coming, okay? Let’s just stride bigger. Well, as far as we could, as we have shorter legs than most of the people here,” Carmelita ranted as a couple of students were also brushing off their sides and going in the other direction.

“Ugh! Why do you keep calling my full name? Nat would suffice. We aren’t strangers to each other,” her friend grumbled under her breath.

Whenever she wanted to piss Natalia off, she called her by her full name. Carmelita knew it would do the trick.

It was a chaotic Thursday for them. For one, the most handsome but terrifying professor on the entire campus greeted them.

They were barely safe, as their asses had touched their respective chairs when Professor Emilio came in.

“Buenas dias chicos and chicas, (Good morning, guys, and girls,)” he greeted them with a stoic look. He was a handsome man in his late twenties, and she was drooling over him while the rest of the class resented him.

It had been too long since she first met him. All she knew was that he was part of the royal family.

“Ms. Jiménez , did you hear me?” the professor called out.

Panic began to sip into her nerves as she did not know what he said last. “Si (yes), Professor,” she answered, not knowing what it was she agreed on.

“Can you recite the first prose in Romeo and Juliet’s story?” the professor asked again.

Carmelita was blushing at the thought, as it was all about soulmates with a tragic ending. She read the prose while the rest of her classmates stared at her.

She wasn’t good at speaking Spanish, unlike her mama, who was fluent. She grew up talking three languages, and it did not help her with her Spanish as they only used it whenever they were in the hacienda, which was once in a blue moon. She was better now than on her first day in Madrid, but it still wasn’t enough.

“Very well. It seemed you murdered the story, Ms. Jiménez . Please work on your speech once again. Written words are only as good as when you can speak them fluently,” Professor Emilio reminded her.

Some of her classmates chuckled at their professor’s insults.

“Nat, was I really that bad?” Carmelita was furious. Never in her entire existence had she been humiliated like today. She thought her speech was doing better for the last few weeks, but she didn’t know what got into her today. It was as if her tongue got twisted as she spoke the words.

“Well, let’s just say an elementary boy would have said it better.” Nat was not one to mince words. She learned that the hard way when she first came to Madrid. “You seemed out of touch today. Are you okay?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows in concern.

“Oh boy, was I really that bad? How did I survive all these months here?” Carmelita was already contemplating her life choices.

“Nah, I was joking. You were fine. He just likes to humiliate students, that’s all,” Natalia retorted.

Carmelita let out a loud sigh that earned her a stare from Professor Emilio once again. She immediately kept her mouth shut. She did not want to flunk this subject, or else it would be goodbye Madrid and hello La Punta.

The rest of the class went by without a glitch. Carmelita went out as fast as she could just to avoid another interaction with Professor Terror, as students liked to call him. He might be handsome, but she didn’t want to see him for a bit.

“Mel, let’s go. Some of the girls from other classes said the prince is here. Let’s go.” Natalia dragged her towards the open area at the center of the building where the girls were crowding over a carriage. It had the royal emblem just as she remembered it.

Is he really here? Carmelita asked herself.

At the corner of her eyes, she saw Professor Terror walking past the giggling girls and into the royal carriage. He went inside as if it were normal.

She tried to peek inside just to get a glimpse, but unfortunately, it closed as fast as it opened. Just like the other girls, she was disappointed and walked away. Professor Emilio shunned her hopes of talking to the Crowned Prince, her childhood crush.

“Ms. Jiménez , why don’t you get inside with us? I heard you were the Gobernadorcillo’s (Governor’s) granddaughter. The prince wants to meet you.” Sebastián smiled as he called to her. There was an open window on the door of the carriage showing him and Professor Terror inside, but there was no prince in sight.

Carmelita gulped at the sight of him. This was it. The end of her life was near. She heard him the last time, swearing to take her life because she humiliated him.

Seeing him inside the royal carriage would only mean he was a royal. She realized she was in trouble. “I like you a lot, Nat. If I don’t come back, you can have all my dresses and other belongings. Goodbye.” She hugged her best friend before walking towards the carriage.

She saw her life flashing through her eyes. Every step was a year of memories. As she remembered her family, a single tear ran down her cheeks. As it dropped on the cobblestone path, she had no strength left to move forward.

The door had opened for her. She mustered up all her will to live and stopped coming near the carriage. However, just as she was about to attempt to escape, two powerful hands grabbed her. “I won’t let you escape again.” She heard Sebastián speak.

The doors closed on her, and two pairs of eyes landed on her. She wanted to hide behind the curtains, but she couldn’t move. As if they chained her to the seat like the prisoner that she was.

“Let me go!” She kicked him in the legs, but Sebastián just laughed.

“I am not done with you, Carmelita,” he said with the softest voice she had ever heard. Shivers went down her spine. She was now counting the minutes she had left.