101 Ways To Tame The Emperor

THE BACK-UP is on the way. All I have to do is to turn a blind-eye if I still want to stay alive. It would be too risky should I try to get up and deal with the rebels again. The gun I got from one of the guards who was now dead had already run out of bullets. I glanced at my bleeding shoulder before looking back at the direction of the little boy whose eyes and nose were now red from crying. There was a lifeless woman on the floor beside him whom I assumed was his mother, who looked like a kitchen helper based on her uniform. But children are not allowed in places like this. He probably came through the back door to be with his mother. Damn. If I get through this alive, I swear I will make sure to report this to the manager of the club. I would not have been having a hard time contemplating right now if not for the little boy’s presence. I gritted my teeth. How could a supposed to be perfect night end up like this? Today is my day-off. All I wanted was just to eat my heart out, get drunk tonight, and have plenty of sleep afterwards. I could still achieve those things, though. After all, I was almost done with my meal and I was a little drunk when the crazy bastards barged into the club. Sleep is the only thing I have to do to complete my to-do list. But one wrong move and I would be sleeping forever. Geez. I only wanted a day-off. And not an eternity off. But at this rate... I took a deep breath before glancing at my wristwatch for the countless time. I called the camp and asked for back-up when these lunatics started taking out their guns. They said they would arrive in fifteen minutes and asked me to stall some time for them, which I did, but nothing much happened. Ten minutes had passed now and so many lives were already lost. Five minutes. I just have to stay still for five more minutes or play dead like the other tall guy beside me who is mouthing me to do the same. I do feel a little disappointed because he had a nice built which he probably acquired from spending too much time in the gym. I remember him sitting next to my table a while ago while flirting with two women. Yet, the second he heard about the gun fires, instead of trying to lend a hand, he just opted to drop his self on the floor and pretend to be dead while the women he was with ran. I can’t see them anymore but they are probably injured somewhere in this club, too. Or they could be among the dead bodies scattered everywhere. That’s why I understand where the guy was coming from. There are still nine armed jerks left. I was able to take down three men earlier before I got shot in my left shoulder. If only I was not suffering from a leg injury due to my encounter with the mountain bandits two weeks ago, I would have been able to fight better. Making a move right now with just the two of us alive is like walking right into a death trap, since the lunatics are hell-bent on acting like gods who could take away lives whenever they please. And the guy probably has family members waiting for his return… unlike me. I flinched when I tried to get up the moment I saw one of the bastards pointing his gun towards the direction of the little boy. My shoulder was throbbing. But the situation was not giving me a chance to contemplate any further. I ran towards the little boy and shielded him with my body. Not long after, I felt several bullets piercing my skin. But to my surprise, the pain did not last long. My whole body felt so hot as if it was burning before I felt completely numb. After a few minutes, I heard screams and the sound of objects crashing from the gun fire. It was deafening. But I’ve gotten used to it. And then I heard my comrades calling me. It looks like the back-up has finally arrived. Great. This means I can get my much-awaited sleep now. “Captain Ortega, where are you?” I was too weak to answer. I took one last look at the little boy in front of me. He stopped crying now. His eyes were wide from shock while looking back at me. I tried to smile to appease him somehow, but he seemed like he was about to cry again, so I stopped doing it. My bad. I surely look horrible right now while smiling with blood spilled all over my body. Still, I want to compliment myself a little. I want to believe I did well. The child was alive and safe. It was only when the gun fire ceased did I allow myself to drop on the cold floor. “Captain Ortega, hang on!” I signaled one of the men to lean closer to me and he did. “T-the kid.” I forced myself to speak. “T-take good c-care of him.” I could hear everyone calling me, but I could not talk anymore. I closed my eyes wearily. But instead of the darkness, a woman who looked exactly like me greeted me. I would have mistaken the woman for me if only she had not been wearing those long, shabby clothes. Our only difference was our hair. Mine was straight and short. It barely reached my shoulders. Hers was wavy and long. I don’t know if I’m dreaming or just imagining things because of the amount of blood I’ve lost. But of all things to imagine, why a replica of me? This is not creative at all. Did my brain cells refuse to function properly because of my injuries? “Save my mother, I beg you. I will give you my body and die in your stead. Just save her. I do not have the power to do it but you do.” The woman said with tears in her eyes. What the hell? Do I look like I have extra power to spare? I am on the brink of death and now my copycat was asking me to save another person? I can not even lift a finger now. Dying in my stead? I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. Too bad, I lack the strength to do it. “I’m exhausted. Just ask someone else.” Those are what I wanted to say. But no words are coming from my now dry mouth. “Please.” The woman added in a broken voice. Even her voice sounded the same as mine. I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly, I could feel the woman’s anguish as she looked at me with those desperate eyes. It was like something was squeezing my heart. Maybe because once upon a time, I looked as desperate as her as I begged the way she did. It was a nasty memory. “Are you saying that you will help me live?” I asked when I managed to find my voice. She nodded. “Yes. I will save you if you promise to save my mother. I don’t have much. All I can offer you is my body and my life. And you can have them both.” And what am I going to do with your life? But I held back and pressed my lips together since I did not want to inflict more pain in her heart. This is just a dream. If I indulge her, maybe she would disappear later on. Maybe then I will have another dream or another hallucination much better than this. “All right-“ The woman’s eyes shone as she finally smiled. I don’t know why but I felt relieved to see her brighten up. I remember smiling that way when someone important to me was still alive. “Thank you, Captain Sabina! Thank you so much!” As expected, the woman disappeared. I shook my head. She did not let me finish. I was about to say that even if this is a dream, I have no plans to save her mother. I know how to fight. I am Sabina Ortega, a Captain of the Philippine Army, after all. I was about to make a deal with her and say that I would only train her so she could save her mother without needing anyone’s help, my help specifically. I could teach her a trick or two to help her mother in distress. We could plan it together. But my copycat appeared to be a little rude. She did not let me finish talking. But wait. Did the woman just call me ‘Captain Sabina’? How did she know who I was? Then again, who cares? Anything is possible in a dream, isn’t it? When the woman disappeared, I suddenly felt so weak and so sleepy. The pain is coming back all at once. I feel hot and cold at the same time. The coldness seemed to creep inside my bones and yet, I could feel myself sweating profusely. “Captain Ortega, we are almost at the hospital! Please open your eyes now! We need you, Captain! Don’t leave us!” I heard my comrades’ voices out of nowhere. I struggled to open my eyes to calm them down, knowing how worrywart they could be at times like this. They may look like grown men who are a lot taller than me, but in some ways, they are still like babies in a dire need for guidance. But when I opened my eyes, I was not in the ambulance. I was inside an unfamiliar dilapidated room instead. The space was too small. Only a few items are here and yet, it already looked crowded. And it was filled with unimaginable things. I found myself lying on a tiny wooden bed that looked like it would fall down any minute. It creaks with my every movement that I would rather sleep on the floor next time than lay on it. Aside from a vintage drawer which had a rusty alarm clock on top of it, a round table-that I would not dream of using since one of its legs seemed like it was about to break-a faded wooden chair, a few medium sized boxes, a life-sized mirror, there was nothing else in the room. Every item seemed so old that it was a miracle someone was still using them at this age and time. There was not even a lamp inside. There were only candles on the table to light up the room at night. It was a good thing that it was still daytime. There was a light coming from the grilled window that was so high that I would not be able to reach it without a ladder. I looked up and noticed that there was not a ceiling either, just the roof. And from where I am, I could see the holes in it. There are several holes that when it rains, the owner of this room probably has to wear a freaking raincoat. There was not even a small fan here. How could a person survive in this suffocating place? The more I look at it, the lonelier I feel. I get that life is hard for most people, but this is still too much. And I am alone. Damn. Did my comrades lie to me when they said we were in the ambulance? Did they suddenly give up on me and leave me here to rot? But that was impossible. I know them. Their hearts are way too soft to pull this trick. Besides, if they brought me into this house, I would have felt it somehow. I slapped my cheeks several times. But I stopped when it stung so much the fourth time. It was then that I realized that I was not dreaming. This is real. But why in the world am I here? Who dared to bring me here without my permission? When I examined my body to look for my wounds, I noticed that I was wearing a worn-out black dress that almost reached my toes. Its sleeves are pretty long, too. So that is why I am feeling so hot. Who in the world wears this horrifying thing nowadays? I grunted in disgust. Even if the witches are real, I doubt if they would think of wearing something like this now. But come to think of it. The dress looks similar to the one my copycat wore earlier. Putting the dress aside, I noticed that I didn’t have a single wound or scrape on my body. But what about the bullets from earlier? I felt every single one of them grate my skin. How the hell am I fine now? My lips parted in disbelief. Things are getting more and more absurd. I unconsciously looked up out the window. I’d noticed earlier that it was daytime but it was only beginning to sink in to me now. When I glanced at the clock, it said it was three in the afternoon. It was not even midnight yet when I passed out at the club after I was shot. “What’s happening? Am I dead? Is that the reason why I don’t feel any pain? But this can’t be heaven. This place looks so dull to be heaven. Oh, crap.” I was aware that my voice was getting louder and louder each second that passed. But I could not help it. “Does that mean I’m in hell then? No way. I’m a loyal member of the Army. I don’t deserve to be in hell!” I stood up and walked near the mirror. It was only when I saw my reflection did I realize that my hair style changed. It became longer and wavy just like my replica’s hair. But how could that happen? I went near the two boxes and checked on them. I was disappointed when I found out that aside from a couple of towels and more shaggy clothes, there was nothing else inside them that would have given me clues. I was about to leave the room to search for answers when the door suddenly opened. A woman with short blonde hair and fair skin entered the room. She looked tall, all thanks to her high heels, which meant that without those extremely pointed shiny things that could pass as killer weapons, she would be the one looking up to me right now. She was wearing a long red dress that almost reached the ground, full make-up, a decorative hat, long lace gloves, and so many accessories that they almost hurt my eyes. Her dress was like the ones from the Victorian era. Was she perhaps cosplaying or something? Whatever. Those things did not really bother me. What annoyed me was the way she smirked upon seeing me. Just who was this brazen woman standing so proud before me? If I am truly in hell, then could this woman be the manager in hell? She did look like it. I just did not expect that they would be this glamorous. I have to admit, though. The woman was quite pretty. But she could have become prettier without that evil gleam in her eyes. While staring back at her, I realized that hate at first sight was possible, too. It was the first time I had seen this woman but I could tell right away that I didn’t like her and that I was never going to like her. Ever. I don’t like the way she looks at me. Her blue eyes were bursting with sheer mockery as her eyes wandered from my head down to my feet. No one had ever looked at me that way before. I would have knocked her down if only I didn’t need answers. I will probably do that later when I’m done questioning her. “So you are still alive,” she said after a while. God, even her voice matched her fashion style. It was annoying. “You were unconscious for three days. We thought you had died. We also thought that it was your way of escaping from your marriage with the Emperor. We were a little worried, so don’t rush your death while you are still here. If you are going to die, it should be inside the Imperial Castle so our family can be highly compensated for it. Don’t worry, dear sister. Even if you die, the house of Peiris will make sure to prepare a big burial place for you, since we will benefit so much from your sacrifice.” My eyes widened. Did I hear the hell manager right? Marriage? Sacrifice? Emperor? What the hell?