✓ | REBIRTH OF THE REBEL [Book Two]

CHAPTER 26

"If your hunch is correct, you need to know the Duke's side," Magnus proposed. Agad bumagsak ang balikat ko at napansin niya agad 'yon. "Don't tell me you can't still wrap His grace in your fingers?" he asked.

"Alam mo na ayaw kong gamitin ang Duke, Magnus. He has his own principles, and it didn't truly align with mine." Humugot ako ng hangin dahil sumisikip ng dibdib ko. "I asked whenever he was in a good mood but he always diverted my attention. Nakakasama sa buntis ang pag-iisip, pero alam ko ayaw niya lang malaman ko."

"Latisha," Magnus called my name. His voice was filled with seriousness. "This marriage is no longer an advantage. Habang nananatili ka rito, marami ang nangyayari sa labas ng Dukedom. We need you out there," he added. His voice was laced with a sense of urgency.

"I have to stay," I said. "If I leave, he'll turn the entire Dukedom upside down to find me. Mas mabuti kung nakikita niya ako kaysa magwala pa siya kakahanap sa akin. As long as the plan is going well, we stay still and enjoy the tide. If the Duke received the merit of this situation, then we are also winning."

Tumayo si Magnus at inayos ang kanyang damit. Bahagya siyang lumingon sa gawi ko bago umiwas at naglalakad patungo sa bintana kung saan siya dumaan. He faced the window with a concentrated gaze and a bizarre aura.

"After all of these, sa tingin mo, would the Emperor pardon you just because you are carrying a Reidensteigh blood in your womb?" he asked. Bakas ang takot sa boses niya pero mas nanaig ang aura na bumabalot sa pinsan ko.

"He spared Annika even if she was a fruit of an affair. I am a Duchess and I carry the heir of the Dukedom. The Emperor will not kill a blood that is related to him," I answered truthfully and confidently. I know I'm not certain, but my hunch is stronger than the conviction of annihilating my own clan.

"Paano kung hindi?" bigla niyang tanong. He moved his body as his gaze settled on mine again. "What if this time, he won't show mercy? Annabelle is a courtesan and her affair wasn't disclosed. You, on the other side, carry the blood of the Moore clan. If he thinks the Moore Clan is an enemy, he will not pardon even a single life."

I don't understand why Magnus is having these uncertainties. Does he want me to overthink that matter? Kung sabagay, pinag-isipan ko din naman 'yan dati pero masyadong plakado ang plano ko para mag-entertain ng loophole.

"Trust me, Magnus," sagot ko. I can't spill the entire case but I want my cousin to understand that I'm not willing to give up anything on my side. I always have a back up plan for every back up plan.

"Fine, as if naman kaya kong ibahin ang desisyon mo," sagot niya agad. He put his hands behind his back and looked at me eagerly. "Pertaining to the favor you asked last time, I have a lead," he added.

Bigla akong nabuhayan ng dugo sa sinabi niya. I could feel my heart pounding way more than the tension could give. Ininda ko ang sakit ng aking tiyan dahil sa wakas umusad ang matagal ko ng hinihintay na balita.

"Have you found her?" I asked him. Anticipation was evident in my voice as I looked at my cousin with urgency in my eyes. "How is my mother? Is she alive?"

Magnus looked at me with an obvious gaze that shattered the glimmer of hope I had a few seconds ago. I felt like my world collapsed even more.

"I will agree with what you said about someone backing up the Moore Clan. I will look through it along with finding where your Mother is," he replied. His voice was mixed with urgency and determination but there was also gentleness flowing in every word. "As long as the necklace is intact, your Mother is alive," he added.

Napabuntong-hininga ako. "Why is she missing after all these crises? Father is dead, and she's the only hope I have for all the questions that keeps me awake most of the time. I want to meet her," I said.