Enticing Series 2: Trouble (SPG)

Chapter 20

Clea Mair’s POV

“It was you, right?” Iyan ang isinalubong ko kay Andrel nang pumasok siya sa VIP room ng isang restaurant kung saan napagkasunduan naming magkita para maglunch. “You talked to your brother.”

Ngumiti siya at hinawakan ang magkabilang balikat ko tsaka hinalikan ang pisngi ko. “Hi, baby,” aniya. “How is your day?”

“Andrel!”

“Let’s sit first, okay?” Hinila na niya ako at magkatabi kaming naupo. “To answer your question, yes. I immediately went back home last night after we met and I talked to my brother. We agreed to hold his pursuit of taking me home and made him deal with the marriage agreement with you.”

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed. “You surely move fast about this, huh? And your brother even gave me a lot of freedom for the whole two years. Even involving other guys.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya. “What?”

I nodded. “Hindi mo alam iyon?”

“I only told him to hold off on the wedding as long as he can,” he answered. “Nothing more than that since I know he will use that to take advantage of the price that I have to pay for this favor.”

“Aside from that, he also forbids my family to take surveillance over me,” I added. “And he will send someone to his side to guard me, instead of someone that was hired by my family.”

Sa nakalipas na dalawang taon mula nang umalis ako sa palasyo, kinailangan ko pa ding maging maingat sa bawat kilos ko dahil alam kong minamanmanan pa din ako ng mga matatanda sa angkan namin.

I have the freedom to live outside and do what I want but it still has a lot of limitations.

Pinagbabawalan ako ng mga matatanda na huwag pumunta sa mataong lugar tulad ng mall, park, even church. They also forbid me not to visit any bar or be seen by a lot of people. Even outside the palace, they still wanted to feel in control over my life.

But now, everything has changed.

I can finally have true freedom. Without restriction, without holding back. Because of my future husband, the brother of the man that I like.

“I don’t know if I should be happy with this setup or not,” I sighed. “I am not complaining about having another two years of freedom but it is weird. I am having a date with the man I like and two years from now, he will become my brother-in-law.”

Napangiwi siya. “It is kind of weird.” He looked at me and smiled. “Well, not unless I stop your wedding with him.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at hinampas ang balikat niya. “Huwag kang nagbibiro ng ganyan, huh! On second thought, pwede din pala. Iyon ay kung tatanggapin mo ang gusto ng kapatid mo na ikaw ang susunod na emperor.”

“That is out of the question, princess,” he said and slightly pinched my cheeks. “But as I said before, we will cross that bridge once we get there. For now, Aden gave you freedom and I am going to take advantage of it.”

Well, that is all we can do for now. Take advantage of the time that his brother gave to us to be with each other.

“But I am confused,” sabi ko at tumingin sa kanya. “It is normal for the leader of a country to take his bride as soon as the agreement is made. Pero bakit ang kapatid mo ay wala yatang planong pakasalan ako? Mukha ngang wala siyang intensyon naituloy ito dahil sa loob ng dalawang taon ay hindi siya nagpapakita ng interes na pag-usapan ito kaya dumating na sa puntong muntik nang maghanap ng ibang pamilya ang mga matatanda sa angkan ko kung saan ako ipapakasal.”

“As far as I heard from my cousin, he only chose you because it was your father who arranged that marriage,” saad niya. “Kaya nga hindi ikaw ang nirekomenda ko dahil napapaisip ako kung ano ang plano ng daddy mo at bakit gusto ka niyang dalhin sa Reveni. I even thought that he was planning to influence our country by using you.”

“If it was my father’s decision, I can assure you that it was not his intention.”

“Yeah.” Tumangu-tango siya. “I investigated when Aden decided to choose you. And both of them were just trying to protect you from your clan. And your wedding was supposed to happen as soon as Aden agreed.”

“Sa panig ng kapatid mo nagkaroon ng problema,” sabi ko. “They said the emperor of Reveni held the wedding indefinitely because of personal reasons. Hindi na-indicate kung ano ang rason iyon kaya sinamantala ko ang pagkakataon para humingi ng kalayaan sa mga magulang ko.”

“You are right,” aniya. “May nangyari nga sa palasyo ng mga panahong iyon at hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa din nare-resolve kaya naman hindi ka pa din gustong dalhin ng kapatid ko sa Reveni Empire.”

Dad did a huge favor with Aden Henan just to protect me.

Alam niya na kung sa Reveni Empire ako napupunta, hindi magagawa ng mga matatanda sa angkan namin na kontrolin pa ang buhay ko doon. Mapoprotektahan ako ng mga Henan at mabubuhay ako nang hindi na pinapakialaman ng mga Azaria.

At kahit may nangyari pang hindi maganda sa panig ng emperor ay hindi pa din niya ako pinabayaan. Siniguro niya na mananatili ang kasunduan ng pagpapakasal ko sa kanya at naging daan iyon upang kahit paano ay maging malaya ako.

I suddenly felt bad about having this kind of feeling for Andrel.

Emperor Aden has been protecting me for the past two years just by agreeing to their marriage agreement. And now, he was even extending my freedom and giving it with no limitations. He has been so kind to me.

Yet I chose to spend the time that he gave to me together with his brother.

“Hey…” Andrel cupped my face. “Is there something wrong? Did I say something that made you upset?”

I shook my head. “I feel like I was cheating on your brother.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya at ilang sandali lang ay bigla na lang siyang natawa.

Napanguso ako. “I am serious, Andrel Raven!” sabi ko. “Your brother has been kind to me and I feel like it is wrong to be with you because—”

“Oh, don’t say that, princess.” Umiling-iling siya.

“But—”

He put his fingers in my lips. “No, buts,” he firmly said. “Alam niyang mawawalan ka uli ng kalayaan oras na mapunta ka na sa puder niya kaya binigyan ka niya ng sapat na oras para sulitin ang buhay sa labas. You should do everything you want, take advantage of everything, be who you are in this limited time because once you marry my brother, you are bound to serve, think and love only him for the rest of your life.”

I am aware of that.

It might not be like my clan’s palace but my freedom will also be in the hands of other people even when I arrive at the Reveni Empire.

“Be with me, Clea Mair.” Hinaplos niya ang pisngi ko. “Even just for a while.” Dahan-dahan niyang inilapit ang mukha sa akin at ipinikit ko na lang ang mga mata ko hanggang sa naramdaman ko ang paglapat ng labi niya sa labi ko.