(A/N: Please do not proceed if you haven't read BOOK 1 yet.)
The next day...
"Ah, Yumi... You finally come back." Don Enrico said. He even gave her a hug.
Same goes with Doña Silvanna. And of course, Sedric was also there.
Yumi wanted to roll her eyes as this family of three welcomed her like this.
But then again, she still had to remain corteous around them. Although they favored her, they were still in different level than her.
"Come inside, Yumi. We have lots to talk about."
***
Indeed, the don and her talked about a lot of things.
From her condition to the current politics within L City... The don talked about them and made her known his future intention.
The Council Leader position was a very favorable one after all. Securing that to one of his allies would surely benefit him a lot.
Anyway, he told her his prospects of whom should be sitting there soon. Yumi just listened to him. Bukod sa hindi niya pa gaanong kilala ang mga taong sinabi niya except sa isa sa mga ito, she also didn't care that much about the politics itself.
She hated it from her past life. Naturally, she still hated it until now.
"Anyway, napag-isipan mo na naman siguro ang tungkol sa inyo ni Mateo, di ba?" Don Enrico asked.
Yumi didn't respond right away.
The don waited for her. But it was Doña Silvanna who could no longer take it.
"What's wrong with Mateo? He is actually a good lad, Yumi. Besides, I always thought the two of you to have such chemistry."
Yumi's lips twitched.
Chemistry?
Yeah, right. Sa sobrang chemistry nila, she ended bombing his Hidden Barracks.
But she couldn't really say that to them.
Anyway, since nakisali na din si Doña Silvanna, she decided to tell her answer to them.
"I have decide about that, indeed."
"And?" Doña Silvanna asked.
"I will marry him then but not soon as what Don Enrico has said before."
"Oh my! This is definitely made me happy, Yumi." The doña said and she even kissed her cheeks.
Napahinga na lang ng malalim si Yumi.
"You're engagement has to be announced soon though. At least within your families." Don Enrico said thoughtfully. "Don't worry. Since you are a lady, I will let Mateo handle this matter."
Yumi just nodded.
Well, it was just marriage alliance after all.
Kung siya lang ay hindi siya mag-aasawa sa buhay na ito. But since several people seemed to be eyeing her love life, then she would rather marry for convenience.
She hated Mateo, yes. But she couldn't deny that he really had an influential status kumpara sa ibang mga kabinataang kakilala niya.
If she would marry in this lifetime, she would either go for someone ordinary or someone who was at the top.
Mateo, naturally, was under the second category.
Besides, as what she had said earlier, she hated Mateo.
As someone who had been forced to suicide in her last life by her almost lover, she definitely would want to steer clear away from investing her emotion to some guy.
And since she already knew that Mateo was someone she couldn't really trust, then she wouldn't feel guilty in the future about not loving him at all.
Also, she intended to talk to that lad and make their future relationship clear to him. Some arrangements between them had to be made. Since she agreed to marry him, she would take the upper hand in their union then.
That's what she had decided these half a year that passed.
Now, her only problem is, how she could tell this decision to Kami.
***
"I didn't expect you to accept the proposal." Mateo told Yumi when he got out from Don Enrico's office.
He arrived after na mapag-usapan nila Yumi at Don Enrico ang tungkol sa marriage alliance ng dalawa. Then Doña Silvanna quickly told the lad about the "good news".
It surprised him actually.
He knew how the lady despised him. So she must have her reasons to accept the marriage alliance with him.
He didn't mind her reasons though. Her acceptance satisfied him greatly.
Anyway, the both of them just left the office and so he decided to talk to her.
"Don't flatter yourself. If it is a normal circumstance, I will never even think of marrying you."
"Then I am glad that it is not a normal circumstance at all."
Yumi just glared at him for a moment bago tumingin ng muli sa unahan nila.
"We will talk about this matter when the time comes. I have several things in this marriage that I need to reiterate to you."
"No problem, little wife... Or would you prefer honey or sweeatheart?"
Yumi lifted her hand to punch him. Fortunately, nasangga niya agad ito.
"Speak nonsense again and you'll see how I cripple you." She warned him bago sumakay sa kalesa ng binata.
Mateo could only sneer to himself. His little wife was very fierce, eh? Well, he wouldn't ask for anything less.
If she wasn't who she was at all, he wouldn't accept the marriage alliance even if Don Enrico killed him.
***
"Well?" Yumi uncertainly looked at Kami.
She just told him about her acceptance of marriage with Mateo. Though she reiterated to him na hindi pa naman niya agad agad pakakasalan ang binata and she was only required to announce her engagement with him.
Anyway, Kami was silent for a while now and she really began to feel worry about this.
"Kami..."
"Yumi, joining an alliance is one thing. But a marriage alliance? Do you really need to sacrifice your own happiness for this?"
"He grants me more favors that I give to him. Besides, how can a marriage determine my happiness?"
Kami looked at her intently.
The kind of look na nanunubok sa kanyang pagiging rasyonal na tao.
"I stand by what I have said, Kami. No need to look as if you are judging me. "
Kami retracted his expression and looked at her with a no-judgment face.
"You don't need a marriage of convenience. You are strong enough to survive this era."
"I am not worried about myself."
Natahimik ang binata when Yumi said that. He finally realized what that convenience meant.
Napahinga na lang siya ng malalim.
He reckoned she feared for the people she cared in this lifetime. Don Enrico was not a simple person at all. Although he was granting Yumi's requests just for the sake of alliance between him and her but if she happened to reject him, no one really knew what he would do at all.
People who were fighting for power were the most dangerous. Yumi and Kami knew that very well.
"You have me and the guild. We can train more people. We can get stronger until we are untouchable for these people."
"That's my plan. But right now, I can only comply to his request and accept the marriage alliance."
"How about you marry me now instead?"
Yumi looked at Kami with a plain expression on her face at first. He did the same too. For a while, they just looked at each other. Then slowly, their expressions turned to grimace.
At sabay pa silang nangilabot after that.
"Nope." Yumi said.
"Yes, it is a bad idea." Kami agreed. Then he sat beside her.
"Did you know I told Kuya Koshi that you are gay?"
"Shut up."
Then both of them laughed at each other.
Yumi leaned on his shoulder and sighed.
"It's okay, Kami. You cannot do this sacrifice for me. Kasal lang naman to. Not a big deal."
Not a big deal?
How was a lifetime partnership not a big deal?
"You hate him, Yumi."
"Isn't that more convenient then? I can continue hating him. I will certainly not be able to invest any emotion towards him other than that."
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure."
"Hmmn... Hate can turn to love, you know."
"He betrayed me once. Do you think that can really happen? If that's really the case, shouldn't I just go back in the modern times at magpakatanga ulit kay Sancho?"
"Well made point."
***