AQR1: A Peerless Genius from Two Cities [COMPLETED]

1: Past & Present

"Samantha..."

I looked at Marco as he called me. We were at the Palace Garden where the different species of flowers started to bloom. It was amazing.

Hindi ako mahilig sa mga bulaklak but watching them alive like this is just wonderful...

"Samantha..." He called me again.

I rolled my eyes. Nangungulit lang to. And as proof of that, I saw him smiling when I looked at him.

"Stop calling me, Your Highness..." Nangunot ang noo niya. He hates it. The people closest to him are forced him to call him Marco instead of 'Your Highness'. And I think that makes him unique.

"Don't call me that, Sammy."

"And don't call me that too."

I stood up at nagsalin ng tsaa sa mga tasa namin. I gave him the other one.

"Say, Samantha..."

"Uhm?"

"What do you think of being an Empress?" He was staring directly in my eyes.

Pang-ilan na ba to? These past few days, he keeps on asking me this. I was avoiding him successfully.

But I don't think I can right now.

I breathed deeply. "My father hates it. You know that already. He told us that being part of the royal court is a huge responsibility. Life can never be normal."

"I know that already."

Then he made me look at him by holding my chin gently.

"But what I am asking is your own thought..."

***

Emerald Hans breathed deeply as that memory crossed her mind. It was a memory from her old life. And although she finds it weird that she will remember that moment with Marco now, she just welcomed it.

Reminiscing right now is just perfect. She's looking at the horizon habang papalubog na ang araw.

Nasa byahe pa rin siya papunta ng Ming Province. Kaya naman malaya niyang napagmamasdan mula sa bintana ng carriage ang araw.

Recently, she had defeated Diana, her old life's nemesis, and the Black Council. She did everything in the name of revenge. At nagbunga naman ang lahat dahil in the end, Diana was stripped off her wings and imposible na rin na buoin niya ulit ang Black Council.

When she was Samantha, Black Council was important for her too. The brotherhood in that secret organization was like a family for her. But there were a lot of things that had happened back then.

When she was dethroned as the leader, she was honestly brokenhearted. She was a pushover, you know. She gave everything to the council. But in the end, betrayals and schemes pierced her deeply.

Pero hindi niya hiniling noon na mabuwag iyon.

It was only after she died that she felt the need to totally shut down the council. Pero talaga bang buwag na ito?

Napahinga ulit ng malalim si Emy. Well, it's not like magpapabaya din naman siya eh. Magmula ng mabuhay siya ulit bilang Emy, she learned how to be always prepared.

"Miss, is there anything wrong?" Tanong sa kanya ni Anika. Lia and Veronica are currently sleeping.

"I am fine, Anika. I thought you were sleeping?"

Anika smiled at her. "I just woke up when I heard you sigh. May bumabagabag ba sa inyo?"

"Wala naman. I am just thinking about what to do next. I have accomplished what I wanted to do so now, I feel like what's a head is blurry."

"The future is always unknown, Miss."

"Yeah, and I don't like it." Then a thought occured to Emy. "Anika, what do you think about being an Empress?"

Hindi agad nakasagot si Anika. But slowly, a smiled appeared on her face.

"A-ah, it's not what you think..." Naramdaman ni Emy ang pamumula ng mukha niya.

Agad namang pinilit ni Anika na alisin ang ngiti niya.

"Miss, Empress is just the same as the Emperor. The burden ng lahat ng nasasakupan nito ay nasa balikat nila. That's why the two of them have to be the wisest and strongest people. And they have to be the support of one another or else, their empire will suffer."

Emy looked at Anika with a new light. Hindi niya akalain na manggagaling ang mga salitang iyon sa kanya. Puro tungkol lang kasi sa socialization ang tinatanong niya dito noon.

Pero hindi pa pala tapos ito. Anika looked at her and smiled gently.

"And I think, Miss, will be a suitable Empress in the future."

"You're too kind, Anika. How can I be one? All I am good at is scheming others. I don't even have a talent of arts. How will it be possible?"

"That's not in the talent, Miss. It's in the heart. You might have schemed others before but sometimes, we have to look past the deeds and seek directly of the reason."

Napahinga na lang ng malalim si Emy. How good to hear those words? Only hindi naman lahat ay ganoon ang iniisip.

"Miss, we're almost at the campsite." Announce ni Red na katabi ng coachman sa labas.

"Great! I am getting hungry too."

***