Sarina's POV:
Feeling the humid, damp weather on my skin as I waited for my ride at the new NAIA airport waiting area finally made me realize how much I missed the rainy days in Manila.
The flight was a straight 8 hour journey back to the Philippines and somehow I found myself missing Leone. Somehow the excitement of seeing Sey was mixed with an emptiness that seems to grow stronger every hour.
Is this because I left Illyria and the man who just confessed his love to me.
As I was guided by the same stewardess that he hired for me out of the plane, I became aware of a crowd of reporters and media personnel waiting by the arrival area and froze when one of them noticed me and started creating a fuss.
I almost forgot the media and how quick the news seems to have traveled here. My anxious expression must have alerted the stewardess because she told me to follow her to a private room where my cousin and Lawyer were waiting for me with open arms.
Seymone was the first to jump at me, Her hair was cut in a pretty shoulder-length style now and she seems in good health. I hugged her tightly as my sudden longing for my lover diminished a bit upon being with my beloved cousin.
"Welcome back cousin! You have no idea how long the media was waiting for you! You made the news!"
"W-What news??"
Sey showed me a short newscast video on her phone. It was a cover story about my rags to royalty coverage that seems to have gained me some attention. And since I already had a previous interview because of my eye color changing months ago; the media easily found a connection.
I was wondering why my Facebook and Instagram started having so many followers in a short span of three weeks which was why I switched my accounts to private and Luis had to hire a social media specialist to create another account meant for my image as a duchess and keep my social media pictures from being used to hurt my reputation.
"I have had a lot of requests for interviews and guest appearances in several talk shows but under your orders, I declined them on the account that you have other pressing matters," Luis said as he motioned for two airport staff to take my belongings.
"A-Are they bothering you at the university Sey? I am so sorry." I looked at my cousin who shrugged it off.
"It does get a bit rowdy but UP is a big school so I have been able to avoid them with help from friends." my cousin was as bubbly as ever until her sharp gaze looked at me more closely after we hugged. " You have gotten more beautiful and-and you are glowing! Did you use a different type of makeup? or skincare?"
I blushed at that sudden question. I wanted to tell her about Leone but not in front of Luis so I did the best way I could to make her forget about her question momentarily.
"I have some pasalubong for you and Luis! Let's go home and open them up okay?" I smiled at her when she did not press me further and was more excited about her present from my trip as we were escorted out of the airport.
The Media descended upon us like starving crows and I ducked my head as Luis protected both me and Sey with his body as we walked at a brisk pace and the next thing we know, we were ushered into a limo and drove away from the airport.
It was only after a few minutes that I sighed and breathed more calmly. My life has changed so much since Henry's death but oddly I do not feel as scared as I thought since my stable income means being able to provide for my cousin.
[Translation: Pasalubong are gifts/souvenirs bought during one's vacation. Usually, this word is also heard when Overseas Filipino Workers are coming home for a visit, they buy pasalubong for their families.]
I actually wanted to go back to the medical field as well in the future, perhaps even study further and become a doctor like how I have always wanted. but it will have to be set aside for now; I must concentrate on the task at hand.
I need to find out where the King's missing daughter is.
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Wow.
The entire condominium unit I bought a few months back has certainly transformed. I did not notice how empty it was until now, Seymone's artistic gift with dressing up a place really shines here.
The living room, bathroom, kitchen, and even the veranda had become even cozier from the looks of a few additions and fluffier cushions and small succulents and hanging plants.
"This is amazing Sey. Where on earth did you find the time to do this when you are so busy in school?" I hugged her and she looked happy with my praise.
"We had a guest lecturer who was an interior designer and I was just so inspired by her job and how she could convey her feelings with designing homes and studios so I used our home as my thesis project on correlating graphics and interior design into one space. I got a perfect score on it. I am gonna be the Valedictorian!"
"Oh Sey! Congrats! I am so proud of you!"
"Wow. You sound like a mother!"
We both giggled as Sey gave me a tour of the apartment which ended in me using the kitchen to cook her favorite dishes for dinner. Being back with my cousin, having my leg bumped by my dog's tail, and even smelling the smoke of cooked adobo meat somehow made me forget momentarily about him.
Luis made sure that my luggage was placed in the house when I finished cooking. I extended an invitation for him to eat with us and he accepted knowing how my food is delicious.
"It is good to have you back Lady Sarina, I am afraid that I could only order food from restaurants for Miss Seymone while you were away." the lawyer looked mildly satisfied as he took another helping of rice and adobo.
"It is fine. Sey knows where to find good food while I am not around. I am just glad you decided to join us." I smiled as we continued eating.
I noticed that my cousin seems to be getting along with Luis, she seems to like to tease him but the lawyer's cool and mature approach to dealing with her made me laugh. I was relieved because my cousin was still harboring some second thoughts of making his life miserable after I left. Thank goodness they are getting along.....
After Sey went to her room, I immediately invited Luis to the veranda where we sat by the table and I breached the subject of the King's missing daughter to him and asked for his help.
"I know. Leone sent me an email and some of the King's last investigation files from five years ago which might help. " his lips became an enigmatic smile as he lifted an elegant finger to push his glasses up his nose. " It seems like things with you two have progressed rather...fast."
His neutral voice on this made me blush and I wonder if I should explain but then he chuckled in a deep baritone that broke the tenseness of the conversation.
"It seems like everything is unfolding really well. Just as Henry said."
"Wh-What? Henry? What are you saying, Luis? H-He died even before Leone and I could meet." I was bewildered and the lawyer's green eyes twinkled with apparent amusement.
"You are aware that those eyes you inherited from him are not just for show. It gives you a rare ability to see things...events that are from the past right? Well, Henry's mastery of it has progressed to a point where he could see dreams of the future and he told me that if you ever met his beloved nephew, his life and yours will forever be changed." he smiled as if he could not believe it. " The old duke's words seem to be true. You milady are the answer to repairing the rift and darkness that has surrounded the Royal Family. You may count on my help in locating the lost daughter of my King."
Hearing that somehow Henry planned this made my heartache. My dear friend....so reckless and yet he was like a father worrying after his stubborn daughter. I closed my eyes and somehow I could not help but smile a bit. If he had not meddled with my eyes then maybe I would have never met Leone.
Never known his embrace and his kindness.
Nor his touch and kisses.
"Thank you, Luis...I have a clue as to where to look first."
"Already?"
"Yes. Seeing the King's painting of his lover gave me a clue actually." I nodded as we concluded our talk and he left, promising to escort me around while I conduct the investigation.
Once I saw him out, sudden fatigue overtook my body and I suddenly felt so tired. I then went up to my room and took a nice bubble bath. The bathroom was not as big as the ones in Leone's mansion but it was bigger than my former apartment which was only big enough to fit one person and a bucket and pail for washing. The bathtub in this place was wide enough for me to just lean back and floated amidst the bubbles and fragrant lily scented petals, clearing my body of my exhaustion.
Drifting to the memory of Leone when he and I bathed each other. I was so shy and unsure about how to clean him because he was bigger than me in terms of body mass but he was gentle and patient as I moved around to scrub him.
But it only took him a few minutes to clean me up since I was small as a puppy before him and yet his hands made me hot and even tenser as if his touch alone made me feel things I have never felt before.
A mixed sense of arousal and comfort.
"Ahhh." I gasped and looked around, my face becoming red at remembering such erotic memories. After seeing that the bubbles have dissolved and the water getting colder; I hurriedly showered off the soap from my body and dressed for bed.
I wonder how he is doing? I asked myself as I lay down in bed after drying and brushing my hair, the air in the Philippines is already humid because of the rains in this season. I do not even need to crank the A/C to the maximum, just the air from my terrace is enough to cool the room.
Is he eating well? Sleeping on time? He has a habit of skipping lunch whenever he is swamped with meetings and business deals. I sighed and turned on my side and embraced my pillow which seems to be too cool against my skin.
Once again, my thoughts centered around Leone whose warm body would surely shield my smaller frame from the cold. He would ways keep me warm and safe. Somehow it does not feel right sleeping alone in my room anymore.
I miss him.....does...does he.... miss me too?
I scolded myself for being such a needy girl, a trait I use to despise in a woman but somehow I could not help it. I miss him already......
The hickey that I was hiding all day by wearing a turtleneck started throbbing suddenly, making me shiver.
Curse you Leone...
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Leone's POV:
"Thank you for taking the time to attend this meeting gentleman, We will now adjourn for today. Have a safe trip home." I ended today's board meeting and had my secretary write the minutes on her tablet as I prepared to leave first before the other members of the board, who bowed and wished me goodnight.
I managed to maintain my aloof expression until I got into my car, all vestiges of a noble prince vanished as I drove home and sighed deeply.
It has only been a few days...
And yet, I can feel it.
Something is missing....the moment she left. It was as if she took a piece of me with her and it just made my longing for her worse.
But I suppose this was still bearable because I know she will come back in three weeks.
But that does not change the deep yearning I have to see her and hold her in my arms again.
As I came home, I can feel how Sarina's kindness has somehow influenced my staff.
Mrs. Briggs still bakes me the same delicious fruit tarts with the same recipe Sarina used and Melissa seems to be more productive and was always tidying up the room where she used to stay. The other staff members seem to be hard at work than ever and would tell me stories of how Sarina would take time to talk to them and how warm and kind she was.
I can tell that I was not the only one in love with her.
In a short span of time, she has managed to make my employees fall head over heels with her too.
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After a short bath and checking my emails while reviewing my schedule, I saw a new email in my inbox. It contained the written testimonies from the staff members that were present when my father's lover worked at the Palace. I remember that when the scandal broke across the country; these people were dismissed and returned to their hometowns.
Somehow in such a short time, Mirage has gathered this much on my father's past?
My sleepiness faded away as I laid down with my back propped against the pillows as I poured over the testimonies and video taken from the ex-staff of the Palace. According to most of them, my grandfather who was the 50th King at that time has harbored a staggering debt that he could not have hoped to repay and would have threatened the economy of the Kingdom. He went against the tradition that allowed the heir to choose and find his own bride and entered into a loveless marriage with a Danati Princess and then forced my father into an arranged marriage with my mother who was also Danati Royalty.
Our country was still recovering from the aftermath of the recent World War by then and we were not a powerful country like German or France so I could understand why he did that but to involve my own father in his selfishness seems too much. As I read on, despite having connections with a rich country like Danati, our economy was still struggling back then.
When my mother passed away, the country was slowly recovering and somehow talks of another arranged marriage for my now widowed father with another Danati princess was underway when Father met a young Filipina lady who came to work in the palace as a maid.
Somehow multiple eyewitnesses saw a sudden change in my father's demeanor, he was much kinder and laughed more often and he would often be in the company of the said maid.
Somehow my grandfather found out that the maid had gotten pregnant and one testimony from a former maid who had become close to my father's lover had written a testimony saying that my father challenged him and went against the arranged marriage, claiming it only made him miserable and unable to care for anyone, not even his own children so he declared that he will not marry the princess my grandfather picked for him for the second time.
The old king was angered beyond belief, my father was whipped and beaten for his insolence while the maid was locked up in a remote part of the Palace. From what I read, he never gave in to the pain he received and would silently endure until he was sent on a forced trip to Europe to close some business deals.
What followed was the story everyone knew.
How my Uncle helped my Grandfather deported the maid back to the Philippines while my father was away and that made him turn into a cold man. The moment, grandfather died and he became king, he deported all those who helped my grandfather during his reign and replaced them with men he trusted, and lastly, he exiled my Uncle who silently accepted his fate and went away. I lost the very man who was like a father to me and my relationship with my real one became even worse than before.
After reading other testimonies, my feelings towards my own father became confusing now that I have read what really happened.
A dull pain crept up on me as the thought of Sarina being out of my reach and I closed my eyes to digest everything.
He lost the woman he loved due to the manipulations of my grandfather and was filled with anger, despair, and hate; instead of self-destructing, he kept it all bottled up and became the man he is now.
Someone who refused to show weakness and love, but despite his indifference and lack of parental love; he kept the economy stable with his own power and never even relied on our familial connections with Danati.
Now that I have read all these, Father was harsh and almost uncaring but he never had us whipped or raised a hand to us despite my headstrong ways. And yet....his unfeeling mask was lifted the moment he saw Sarina; I saw a light in him that suddenly came back to life. At first, I thought he was also interested in her but then after she told me that my father thinks she is his lost daughter because she closely resembles his lost lover; I began to understand him.
For him, Sarina was like redemption. A way to atone for not being able to protect the woman he loved. If I were in his shoes and the thought of her being taken away from me almost made me want to murder those who would dare.
"They say that among the Seer Lady's blessing was also a curse. If the royal line does not choose a bride they can love, tragedy and misfortune will come their way for spitting on her gift." I murmured the words I read in one of the old scrolls in our archives and sighed. "I guess my grandfather paid the price and my father became the victim."
Not many would believe such things as "curses" or "gifts and powers" but my family does possess them so that is why it is hard to ignore.
The entire family archives are full of diaries, research, and dissertations of several past family members explaining our powers and how we needed to conceal them from outsiders.
Which is why I get it now.
I understood.
Closing my laptop, I laid on my bed and closed my eyes until sleep claimed me. Somehow I came to pity my father and that would have never happened if Sarina had not told me to give my father a chance.
Sarina..........
In such a short time, she has meddled with my family a lot more than any lover but instead of pushing her away, I wanted to believe.... a chance to form a bond with my errant father but saying and doing it are both very different things; the latter being very hard to do.
Because as Lyonels, we are both stubborn and too proud to give an inch.
Sleep soon overtook me and somehow I turned to embrace my pillow and straddle it, wishing it was my lover. My hands grasped something soft but it was flesh, upon testing it by kneading it and feeling it bounce, a familiar moan made me open my eyes.
And my gaze beheld startled gray eyes and rosy lips.
It was her, she was wearing a very thin long sleeve and mini shorts but there was no mistake. The feel of her was real yet at the same time, it was too fragile like glass, which means.....were are melding into each other's dreams.
"Hey!" I felt her fidget so I let go of her breast, she turned and just realized who I was; her pretty face became redder than a beet when she realized that I was wearing nothing but my boxers, which did nothing to hide my sudden hard-on. "L-Leone..."
Her throaty voice made me feel even hotter as I pulled her back in my arms, I smelled her familiar scent and the stress and fatigue from my work just vanished as I gathered her into my embrace.
She did not fight back and even pressed herself closer to me.
Spotting the familiar berry-colored hickey on her neck, I shifted to bite her before sucking vigorously, making her tremble.
"If this is how I would dream then I would gladly go to sleep early from tonight onwards." I kissed her nose which was a bit cold. " Hello duchess"
"Yes. Hi. " she blushed and buried her head against my chest and I felt my heart beat faster at her honest answer. " It feels different now that I am away from you."
"Seems like we feel the same way." I then coaxed her to lift her head and leaned in. " Mmmmm...Rina."
"Hmm?"
"Let me in." I then nuzzled her nose before taking her lips in a hungry kiss.
Is it possible that she tasted sweeter since I could not do this to her because she is far away? I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder. I locked lips with her repeatedly, savoring her reactions which bordered on being impatient and at the same time aroused.
Until she pushed me on my back and straddled me. Her hair spilled across her shoulders and her legs spread wide as she sat on my crotch made me groan and shift a bit to avoid coming too soon.
"Leone...I want..." she leaned her butt towards my crotch and wiggled a little. That small gesture spoke volumes since it was not too long ago that she was a virgin and now she seems more assertive, I like it a lot.
I laughed in a sexually painful way as I grabbed her shorts and tore them to shreds, making her gasp in shock but it vanished as soon I was the one on top, on my knees kissing her pussy.
"I know what you want," I growled against her warm skin and she trembled as I had my way with her.
Maybe it was the distance between us but we made love in a more primal and rougher way than I anticipated.
We soon had our fill of each other as we cuddled together and I kissed her in the most gentle way to make up for loving her this way; she just smiled and returned my kisses playfully, the slight jolt of happiness that flooded through me must be from her.
We talked about her return to her country and how the media seem to have been on her because of her sudden rise in Illyria's social status but after that, she talked about her cousin's latest achievements. She sounded like a proud mother, It made me think that she will make an excellent one someday.
That was still far away but somehow I would be happier if she would be...
No. It is too soon, I don't want to scare her away so I just kissed her forehead as she yawned, a haze of an urge to sleep flowed over me.
"Can we...see each other again?" she asked me before her eyes slowly drifted close and she snuggled against the curved of my shoulder.
"Just think of me and I will find you...every night. Sleep now."
"Okay."
I waited for her to fall asleep before I reluctantly close my eyes while holding her. She seems to be working hard for us...so I will do the same.
I would confront Father and see if we could ever reconcile.
It was what my Uncle had wanted years ago and now since my lover is trying her best for him then maybe I should put in an effort as well...
It was the only thing I can do right now...for her.