CHAPTER 67 #5
Ngunit unti-unting nawala ang aking ngiti nang biglang bumalik sa isip ko ang mga alaala ng silid na ito years ago.
This was the same room where I had once been completely clueless about who Vincarion truly was.
Hindi ko alam noon na siya pala si Vincenzo.
Dito kami aksidenteng naghalikan, and I still remembered how confused I was about everything that happened between us afterward.
Napatingin ako sa paligid ng silid.
Everything looked almost the same.
But so much had changed since then.
I had changed.
And now, his son was sleeping peacefully in the very same room where so many memories of his father had begun.
Napatingin akong muli kay Raquim.
"He really looks like you, Vincenzo..." mahina kong sambit, careful not to wake him.
Napangiti ako nang bahagya, though there was a familiar ache in my chest.
"I miss you."
Kumuha ako ng tobacco sa tabi ng mesa, at lumiyab naman ito nang kusa sa pagitan ng aking mga daliri dahil sa aking kapangyarihan. Agad kong isinara ang pinto patungo sa terrace para hindi maamoy ni Raquim ang usok at hindi siya magising.
I took a slow drag and leaned against the railing of the terrace, watching the darkness that stretched across the forest below me.
The faint smoke escaped from my lips and disappeared into the cold night air, strangely matching the thoughts running through my mind.
"Anastacio, why did you come out suddenly?"
Naramdaman ko ang presensya niya sa aking tabi ngunit nanatili ang aking tingin sa madilim na kagubatan.
As my Sovereign Spirit, Anastacio was not simply a spirit bound to my power.
Sovereign Spirits, especially those who formed a bond with their masters, often saw their masters as their parents.
They could feel our emotions, sense when something was wrong, and even understand the things we couldn't say aloud.
Kaya siguro naramdaman niya ang bigat ng nararamdaman ko kahit wala akong sinasabi.
"I felt your emotions, Master."
Napatingin ako sa kaniya.
"You were sad."
Bahagya akong napabuntong-hininga at muling tumingin sa buwan.
"I'm fine."
Alam kong hindi niya iyon paniniwalaan.
After all, Anastacio could feel what I felt. He knew when I was lying. He knew when I was hurting. And tonight, he probably knew exactly how much I missed Vincenzo.
"Do you believe in fate, Master? maybe if you just trust it..."
Tahimik akong napatingin kay Anastacio, then slowly turned my gaze back toward the moon.
His voice was calm, but somehow, his words reached something inside me that I had been trying to ignore.
"Maybe you don't have to understand everything that is happening right now. Maybe you just have to trust that there is a reason behind all of it."
"I don't believe in fate, Anastacio... because fate... has disappointed me."
I said quietly as I let the smoke drift from my lips. My eyes remained fixed on the moon, but my mind was already somewhere far away, buried beneath memories I wished I could forget.
"How can I trust something that has taken so much from me?"
Napahinga ako nang malalim.
"Fate gave me people I loved, only to take them away. It gave me answers when it was already too late, and it showed me the truth only after I had already suffered because of it."
Bahagya akong napangiti, but there was no happiness behind it.
"So no... I do not believe in fate. I believe in myself. In Rassia Saint Quentin. I am the creator of my own life. My future is not written by some prophecy, nor will I allow fate to decide what happens to me."
I tightened my grip on the railing.
"My future is in the palm of my hand."
I had been told countless times who I was supposed to become, what I was destined to do, and what the prophecies had decided for me.
But I was done letting other people decide my path.
"I may be the Orythea. I may be the Child of Fire..."
I slowly turned toward Anastacio.
"But before all of that, I am Rassia Saint Quentin. And I will decide my own destiny."
Kumuha rin si Anastacio ng isang piraso ng tobacco sa mesa, ngunit bago pa man niya ito magamit ay kusa itong lumiyab dahil sa kaniyang mana. He let the smoke drift around him as he stared at me, a small smile slowly forming on his lips.
"You and Aurelius are so opposite, Master. He was a fate person. He truly believed that everything happened for a reason and that the path written for him could never be changed."
Sandali siyang tumingin sa buwan bago muling bumaling sa akin.
"Kamukhang-kamukha mo rin siya... but your personality is completely different."
Napataas ang aking kilay. "How?"
Napangiti si Anastacio. "Aurelius trusted fate. You challenge it."
Anastacio took another slow drag from his tobacco while I stared at the moon again. The silence of the night settled between us before I finally broke it.
"How was he? Aurelius Archimedes Quentin... my ancestor and Cassandra's ex-lover, huh... how was he like?"
Anastacio smiled faintly, as if an old memory had suddenly returned to him.
"He was a very, very energetic person."
Napalingon ako sa kaniya.
"Very energetic?"
Tumawa siya nang mahina.
"Yes, Master. Aurelius was the kind of person who could enter a room and immediately change the entire atmosphere. He was loud, cheerful, confident, and always had something to say. He was also extremely stubborn when it came to the things he believed in."
Napangiti siya habang muling tumingin sa buwan.
"And he was completely head over heels for Cassandra."
Napataas ang kilay ko. "Seriously?"
"Completely."
Bahagya siyang napangisi. "He would do almost anything just to make her smile. Kahit ilang beses siyang tarayan ni Cassandra, babalik pa rin siya na parang walang nangyari. He was hopeless when it came to her."
Napatawa ako nang mahina.
"So that's how my ancestor was..."
"Yes. But don't misunderstand him. Behind that energetic personality was someone who carried a tremendous responsibility. He loved his people, he loved his family, and he was willing to sacrifice everything for them."
Sandali akong natahimik.
"Sounds like someone I know."
Napatingin sa akin si Anastacio at ngumiti.
"Perhaps you inherited more from him than you realize, Master."
Napatingin akong muli sa buwan.
Maybe Aurelius and I weren't as different as I thought...
Hindi ko inaasahan na ganoon pala si Aurelius. The Quentins are known for their cold personality, pero based on how Anastacio described him, he seemed to be the complete opposite.
Napangiti ako nang bahagya. "I never thought my ancestor was like that."
I always imagined Aurelius as someone serious and cold, especially knowing that he was once supposed to become the second emperor of Erenhal Sartorias. But apparently, there was more to him than the image people had passed down through generations...
I stared at the mirror. I was wearing a smokey eyeshadow that emphasized my eyes. My eyelashes were already long, but I still applied mascara to make them stand out even more. I wore a nude lipstick to emphasize my eyes more and keep the look elegant.
I was wearing my usual black dress with my ruby brooch pinned against my chest, the familiar piece shining slightly under the light. I paired it with red stilettos, adding a touch of color to the otherwise dark outfit.
I looked at myself in the mirror for a few seconds.
The woman staring back at me looked different from the girl who had once stepped into this world clueless about who she truly was.
Now, I knew exactly who I was.
Almost seven years had passed since I woke up inside the novel I once read. Ngunit iyon pala ay isinulat ni Vincenzo.
A lot had changed since the day I first opened my eyes in this world. In this body.
I was supposed to poison Cayena, just like what happened in the first timeline.
But that never happened.
I am Rassia Saint Quentin, and my future is in the palm of my hand. Hindi ko hahayaan na ang tadhana ang magdikta kung saan hahantong ang buhay ko. Itatama ko ang lahat ng pagkakamali ko sa dati naming buhay ni Vincenzo, kahit gaano pa kahirap at gaano karaming bagay ang kailangan kong harapin.
I will do everything to bring peace back to my life and to this world. I will take back what belongs to my bloodline, protect the people I love, and make sure that the mistakes of our past will never repeat themselves again.
And most of all, I will fight for the life I truly want.
A life where I can finally live freely.
A life where my son, Raquim, can grow up without having to inherit the wars and hatred that came before him.
I don't know what the future holds for me, but this time, I will be the one to decide it.
The Six Azure Blades, Vincenzo's trusted knights, were already inside my room. May dugo silang Erenhal, and they were the ones I chose to accompany me once I finally started putting my plans into motion.
They were Lazlo, Stain, Alaric, Raja, Tyron, and Zen.
Six of the most trusted warriors I had, and each of them had proven themselves worthy of standing beside me.
But among the six, Raja was the one who was always with me.
She was the only woman among them, and somehow, we naturally became closer because of that.
She was now one of the people I trusted with my own plans.
"Your Ladyship, the princes and the princesses are already in the chamber, waiting for you," wika ni Raja.
She had a boy cut that suited her perfectly, giving her a sharp and confident appearance, yet she still looked undeniably beautiful. Her presence was different from the other knights, and perhaps that was one of the reasons I had always preferred having her around.
Ngayong araw ang pagsisimula ng plano ko. I needed to organize everything carefully, and before I could make any move, I needed a proper council and trusted advisors.
Of course, the Erenhals were perfect for that.
They had lived through the old empire.
They knew its history, its traditions, its strengths, and its weaknesses better than anyone else.