Chapter 18
1351 Words
Andrel Raven’s POV
“You look like an idiot, Boss.”
Masamang tingin ang ibinato ko kay Leon na siyang naghihintay sa akin sa parking lot kung saan naka-park ang sasakyan ko.
Since Clea wanted to keep us private for a while, she suggested that we shouldn’t let anyone see us together. Sang-ayon naman ako sa ideya niyang iyon kaya inihatid ko na lang siya sa kotse niya na iniwan niya sa Henan Port.
When I ensured that she safely got out of the premises, I sent someone to look after her without getting suspicious to make sure that she would get home safely.
“You got hit hard by cupid, huh?” Umiling-iling siya at binuksan ang pinto ng kotse. “You are clearly attracted to her, there is no doubt about that.”
Sumakay ako sa backseat habang siya ay sa driver’s seat at agad itong pinaandar.
“So? What are you going to do now?” he asked. “She is your brother’s fiancee. His ministers choose her for a reason so he also doesn’t have any choice regarding that arranged marriage. Only you can stop that marriage.”
“Stopping it might also backfire against me so for now, I will let it stand,” I said. “As long as Aden doesn’t meet Clea, I am sure he will never develop any feelings for her to continue willingly about that marriage.”
Clea is a wonderful woman. I know that even though we only have been out for a couple of days together. And there is a big possibility that once they meet, Aden will surely push the wedding even though he doesn’t like the idea of an arranged marriage.
That is one of the things that I want to avoid to make sure that I will have a long time together with Clea.
However, I will also need his help in this.
“I’m gonna need to go home for sure.” Ginulo ko ang buhok ko at bumaling kay Leon na bakas ang gulat sa sinabi ko.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked.
I nodded. “Tell Ashton to prepare the private jet. I need to talk to Aden.”
“Tonight?”
“I don’t want anyone to know that I went home,” I explained. “Malaking gulo ang posibleng mangyari kapag may nakaalam na bumalik ako ng Reveni. Some of the ministers that still support my claim will rally in the palace. Posibleng isipin nila na pinipigilan ni Aden ang pag-claim sa karapatan ko sa trono.”
“When in fact, he was actually the one who was trying to convince you to accept the throne but you keep rejecting it.” Bumuntong hininga siya at umiling-iling. “You even gave them your official statement about your rights but they still believed that Aden was just manipulating you.”
“They never liked Aden even before…” Ibinaling ko ang tingin sa labas ng bintana. “And it was all Dad’s fault that the ministers still thought that he was never worthy of the throne.”
My siblings and I have a good relationship, together with our cousins. Thanks to my mother, who did everything to ensure that we would grow up close to each other.
But we have an awkward relationship with my Dad. He was distant from us even when we were still young. And he always put Aden and me into a competition to see who was better at things.
At dahil ako ang madalas manalo sa mga kompetisyon na iyon ay nasa akin lagi ang pabor niya. I became his favorite child.
But I never wanted that unfair treatment. I don’t even want the throne for myself because I know that Aden was the rightful heir.
He is the eldest and he works his ass hard just to be worthy in our father’s eyes. Ako ang higit na nakakasaksi sa kakayahan niya kaya nang malaman kong nagpaplano ang mga ministro na gustong ako ang mamuno sa bansa namin ay agad akong umalis at nagpakalayo-layo.
Iyon lang ang nakita kong paraan para masiguro na makukuha ni Aden kung ano ang nararapat para sa kanya at tingin ko ay tama din ang naging desisyon ko.
“A-Andrel…”
Bumaling ako kay Aden gulat na nakatingin sa akin pagpasok ko ng opisina niya.
Hating-gabi na nang dumating ako dito sa palasyo ng Reveni at nalaman ko mula sa tauhan ng mga kapatid ko na dito naglalagi itong panganay sa aming magkakapatid kaya dito na ako dumeretso.
Agad siyang tumayo at lumapit sa akin. “You… you are really here.”
“Yes, brother.” Ipinatong ko ang kamay sa ulo niya at ginulo ang buhok niya. “I am here, Aden. I came back home.”
“Then—”
“But I am not here to take the throne from you,” putol ko sa kanya bago pa siya makapagsalita. Bahagya ko siyang itinulak palayo sa akin at iginala ang tingin sa opisina niya. “You already named Akia as your heir, right?”
“You know I had to name someone,” he said. “The ministers have been pressuring me about marriage because they fear that I might die young without an heir.”
“Oh.” Naupo ako sa sofa na nasa gilid ng silid at tumingin sa kanya na nananatiling nakatayo hindi kalayuan sa pinto. “Your marriage is the reason why I got back here.”
Kumunot ang noo niya. At sa pagkakataong ito ay agad na siyang naupo sa katapat na upuan. “What do you mean?”
“Your minister chose an Azaria to become your bride, right?”
Tumango siya. “They said that it is better to reunite the two countries,” sagot niya. “Mukhang wala na ding plano ang dating angkan na namumuno sa Hexoria Kingdom na muling pamunuan ito kaya hindi na din ako makatanggi sa plano ng mga ministro.”
“Hmm…”
Most of the ministers in this palace were still those people who worked for my father. Some of them support Aden’s claim but others still believe that I should become the emperor.
Nahahati ang kapangyarihan na mayroon dito sa palasyo kaya naman magulo din ang takbo ng pamamahala nila. Pasalamat na lang kami kay Akia at sa mga pinsan ko na nagtutulungan upang masiguro na hindi maaabala ang buhay ng mga mamamayan kahit pa nagkakagulo dito.
“You like my fiance, Clea Mair Azaria, right?” he said. “Are you going to force me to terminate the agreement with Azaria regarding our marriage?”
I shook my head. “Don’t do that. Well, at least not yet,” I said. “That agreement is the only reason why I managed to meet that woman. You are holding her freedom from her family and I’m willing to pay any price you need for you to help me with that.”
He sighed. “You know what I want, Andrel,” aniya. “You are the only one who can unite the whole country again. They will support—”
“Stop it, Aden,” pigil ko sa kanya. “Are you really going to let others dictate how you run this country? You are the emperor. It is your right, not just by birth, but also because you work hard for the people of this country. Man up to it and show them who you really are.”
I know, I should have told him earlier than this.
He has been holding himself up because what our father believed hit him hard. It is engraved in his soul thinking that he doesn’t deserve the throne.
But they are all wrong.
I am the one who does not deserve to hold the throne. People don’t know anything about me but the country will surely crumble if I succeed in Aden.
“Ask something else, dude,” I said. “I can help you with anything other than take the only thing that we both know you work so hard for.”
- Writer
