Frontier Horizon

Chapter XXXIV: The Surprise Visitation of the Emperor

"DR. THUNDER, I'm so glad you came!" nakingiting bati ni Lora sa lalaking kalalabas lang mula sa asensor kung saan siya nakalulan.

"Greet him with a proper honorific, Lora." Agad na napalitan ang ngiti ni Lora ng pagkagulat nang marinig niya ang isang napakapamilyar na boses. Nanlaki ang mga mata niya nang makita ang pigura ng isa pang lalaking nakatayo sa likuran ng duke.

"Dad, I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ng dalaga sa kaniyang ama. Mabilis siyang tumayo mula sa pagkakaupo at nilapitan ito upang magmano. Tumayo rin mula sa pagkakaupo sina Arima, Cyllan at Yzra, at yumukod upang magbigay pugay sa kadarating pa lamang na emperador.

"I can see that from your expression."

"Where's mom?" muling tanong ni Lora sa kaniyang ama habang sinasabayan niya itong maglakad papalabas sa asensor.

"She's busy at the moment."

"If you don't mind me asking, Uncle Loren, may I ask what are you doing here? Did we do something? Are we in trouble?" takang tanong ni Arima. Kita ang kaba sa kaniyang mga mata.

"I'm here to escort Thunder and to grant Izeno's wishes," maikling sagot nito habang inililibot ang kaniyang tingin sa penthouse.

"What does my father want?" tanong ni Yzra sa kaniyang tiyuhin habang nanatiling blangko ang kaniyang mukha.

"He wants me to take every heilen capsule you have, so you wouldn't dare to do something dangerous again," seryosong tugon ni Loren at tinapunan ng tingin ang apat. Ang kaniyang mga mata ay tila mananaga sa sobrang talim ng kaniyang mga tingin.

"You can't do that, dad! No way!"

"There's no bargaining, Lora. Izeno and I already agreed to this decision," maawtoridad na wika ng emperador bago binaling ang kaniyang atensyon sa dukeng kasama niyang pumunta sa penthouse na kinaroroonan ng mga tagapagmana. "You can start the check up."

"Shall we start, marquess?" tanong ni Thunder sa nag-iisang binata sa grupo. Agad namang tumingin si Cyllan sa kaniyang kababata. Tinanguan naman siya ni Lora. Hindi naman ito nakaligtas sa paningin ni Loren.

"I need to talk to Lora for a minute. Maaari bang sumunod na lamang siya, Cyllan?" Nabaling ang tingin ni Cyllan sa emperador dahil sa naging tanong nito. Agad naman siyang yumukod upang sagutin ito.

"Of course. . . Your Majesty," turan niya't tiningnan sa huling pagkakataon si Lora bago sinimulan ang kaniyang paglalakad patungo sa kaniyang kuwarto kasama ang duke na si Thunder.

"Do you need some privacy?" Arima asked thoughtfully. Loren shook his head.

"You can stay. It's no confidential."

"Tungkol po saan ang pag-uusapan natin, dad?"

"I'm going to assign you to an assassination mission and I want you to clear this mission by tomorrow. Think you can do that?" tanong ni Loren sa kaniyang natatanging anak. Ang mga mata naman ni Lora ay agad na nagningning dahil sa pagkasabik.

"What are you talking about, dad? Of course I can do that! Who's the target? Where can I find him? Can I kill him tonight?" sunud-sunod na tanong ni Lora sa kaniyang ama habang nakaguhit sa kaniyang labi ang isang matamis na ngiti.

"Once you track Conrad Gomez down, you're permitted to kill him anytime you want, but again, your deadline is tomorrow."

"Wait, Conrad Gomez? The 'fishy' businessman? You don't know how long I've been wanting to kill him!" Lora cheered. "Finally, he's time has come." A hint of evilness covered Lora whilst she's steepling her fingers.

"I'm bored, too, uncle. Can I come along?" Panandaliang natigilan si Loren dahil sa hindi inaasahang tanong ng kaniyang pamangkin na si Yzra. Siya'y napatikhim.

"I wouldn't mind, but this is The Parliament's business. If anything happens to you, I'll be liable."

"That's a no then."

"I'm sorry, Yzra."

"I understand, uncle."

"Wait, dad. If you're going to take the heilen capsules, how am I supposed to heal faster if I'm badly wounded after the mission? I can't go to school like that," pangangatwiran ni Lora sa kaniyang ama, ngunit hindi ito umepekto kay Loren.

"Gomez is an easy kill. You're a princess. You can dispose him without a sweat."

"Uhm, uncle. . . Makikisingit lang po. Para po pala saan ang malalaking kahon na dala-dala niyo ni Duke Thunder?" tanong ni Arima habang nakatingin sa apat na malalaking kahon na kaniyang tinutukoy.

"Those are your gowns for the upcoming 4th of July Ball. Iris designed those herself," tugon ng emperador bago kinuha ang tatlong kahon at isa-isang inabot ito sa tatlong dalaga. Sabay-sabay nila itong binuksan.

Yzra got an iridescent lace short front long back ball gown. On the other hand, Lora's emerald green off-shoulder ball gown was styled in a bohemian way.

"Wow." Arima couldn't hide the amazement in her face as she scans her dark flower-beaded ombre long gown.

"And to complete the look, Iris said that you have to wear the flower crowns."

"Maybe mom can't cook like Yzra, but her designs are the best!" kumento naman ni Lora habang yakap-yakap ang kaniyang natanggap na damit. Natigilan siya nang may mapagtanto. "What about Cyllan's, dad? Where is it? Did you get anything for him?"

"Your mom said she didn't know what Cyllan likes, so she designed his suit like yours," ani Loren at iniabot sa kaniyang anak ang isa pang malaking kahon. Napangiti na lang si Lora nang makita niya ang laman nito.

"By the way, dad, will you be here on July 4?"

"No, we'll be busy that day. Why you asked?" Awtomatikong lumungkot ang pakiramdam ni Lora dahil sa naging sagot ng kaniyang ama, ngunit napagtagumpayan niya itong itago sa pamamagitan ng isang pilit na ngiti.

"Oh, nothing. . . I was only hoping if we could celebrate my 18th birthday together."

"I see. Now that you mention it, Iris wanted me to give this to you," ani ni Loren na tila hindi napansin ang pagbabago sa emosyon ng kaniyang anak. Binigay niya ang isang maliit na kahon kay Lora.

"A ring?" hindi makapaniwalang wika ni Lora. Hindi niya inaasahan ang ganitong uri ng regalo lalo na't nasanay siya na puro armas ang natatanggap tuwing kaarawan niya.

"We're done talking. Maaari mo nang puntahan si Cyllan."

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Note: Thank you for reading Frontier Horizon! Please don't be shy to leave a comment if you enjoy this chapter. I love to know what do you think about every update.

July 16, 2020 UPDATE
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