Chapter 41
TAHIMIK lang kaming naka upo habang nakatingin sa anak ni Cine na naglalaro ng manika sa sahig.
"So the siblings are here..." napalingon kami sa nagsalit na si Xerxes at sabay-sabay na umikot ang aming mga mata.
Wearing in his usual attire, he walked towards the direction of Cine and took the seat beside her.
Mula ng sinabi ni Cine ang sikereto na ilang taon ding itinago sa asawa ay hindi na kami nito tinigilan kaka-asar.
Noong una ay nagtampo siya sa kay Cine pero hindi naglaon ay naging okay na sa kanya ang lahat kaya heto siya at sinisimulan na naman kaming asarin.
He says that ang labo daw naming magkakapatid kung hind daw namin sasabihin na magkapatid kami ay walang maniniwla.
Mukha daw kaming mga estranghero kung mag turingan minsan. Tapos ampon daw ako dahil sa kulay ng buhok ko.
Oh! before I forgot I cut my hair, masyado na itong mahaba at nakaka disturbo na sa akin at isa pa ang hassle kapag naliligo ako. Onyx at first got angry because I cut my hair, saying, he loves my silver hair and that I shouldn't had it cut per wala na siyang magagawa.
"Where is Philip?" Wheesus ask while sipping his favorite tea. Philip is Cine and Xerxes' eldest son.
"Sa kwarto natutulog." Tumango ang kapatid ko at bumaling ang tingin nito sa direksyon ko.
"So what's your next move?"
As of right now, Rothschild is attacking our inner alliances, brainwashing them to oust our family that has been ruling for ages.
"Ang tanong ay bakit niya ginagawa ito? At iyon ang isa sa mga tanong na hindi ko masagot-sagot." Cynthia Ann said while stroking his husband's arm. I saw how Xerxes divert his stare to Cine and kiss her fully on the lips. Napaingos kami ni Wheesus sa ginawa ni Xerxes na ikinangisi nito.
Asan ba kasi si Jack Onyx?
"I don't see any reasons that makes him angry at us. The only thing I know was when his family murdered ours a decade ago." Pagpapatuloy nito.
"They knew about that damn prophecy." Malamig na sagot sa kanya ni Wheesus.
"Alam niyo naman ang kasinungalingang iyon pero patuloy padin iyong pinapaniwalaan ng mga Rothschild." Wika ko habang hinahawakan ang pendant na bigay sa akin ng yumaong kapatid. Kahit alam kong sa kaloob-looban ko ay hindi nawawala ang posibilidad na baka nga totoo ang propesiyang iyon.
"Fool of them not to know that the primrose is still alive." Sumikip ang dibdib ko sa sinabi ni Wheesus. Naramdaman ko nalang na humawak sa kamay ko si Cine kaya ngumiti ako sa kanya.
Napailing-iling ako sarili habang inaalala ang mga nangyari sampung-taon na ang nakalipas.
"Out of all the days, talagang nuong araw na iyon nag damit si Victoria na parang ako. Wala din ang mga diyel niya ng mga panahong iyon."
Victoria, my twin sister, likes to put on silver wig and pretend to be like me on occasions. Sabi pa nito ay para hindi na ako malungkot dahil lagi kong nirereklamo kung bakit magkaiba kami ng kulay ng buhok kung magkakambal naman kami.
As a gift, I gave her my diyels. Kahit labag sa pamilya namin ay binigay ko sa kanya ang mga diyel ko para mas marami siyang magiging kalaro.
If not because of me, being a primrose, maybe my sister would be here and not me.
If not because of my standing in the bloodline of De blois, my sister would still be alive.
But because of that darn prophecy, they took her away from me.
I'll always ask the people above why they took my parents and my sister.
Ang dami naming pangarap dati. We dreamed of going to school together, graduate together, fall in love, get our first heartbreak, how to overcome it together but then in just a snap my twin was took from me and I felt like nothing has left me even my sanity.
Nuong una hindi ko matanggap na wala na si Victoria, I always go to her room and talk for hours like she was there and listening to me kasi yun naman lagi ang ginagawa niya.
You see, I'm the total opposite of my twin sister, I'm not demure nor obedient. I'll do everything I want even it may affect to other people. I don't listen to our parents. In short, sakit ako sa ulo.
Their death took a toll to our family a big time. Since wala na kaming mga magulang, madaming kumukwestyon na galing sa iba't-ibang makapangyarihang pamilya kung kaya ba namin pamunuon ang mga ari-arian na naiwan ng aming mga magulang.
They also tried to get the Maze Palace to us. Masyado silang nagpadala sa ganid at tila ba kaya nilang bawiin sa pamilya namin ang lahat nang dahil lang nawalan kami ng mga magulang.
They should know better who they are messing with.
Cine was just 16 at that time while I am ten and Wheesus was eight. We don't know anything aside that we have a very no-so-ordinary last name.
Wheesus and I will always be grateful to Cynthia Ann for standing up against all the families who were trying to trick us right after the death of our parents. At buti nalang meron kaming mga taong handa kaming tulungan sa mga panahong iyon. They stay loyal to our family; they guide us, mold us and help us build ourselves for the years that is awaiting.
Elena Vicander, my first attendant, always told us that we are De Blois and that alone screams something.
The Lobregat's, a distant family relative helps us by being the messenger outside the walls of Maze Palace hanggang sa unti-unti naming nabawi lahat saamin.
The advantage we have is that no one outside the Maze Palace knows our identity.
"It seems like Vail Rothschld is the only one who knows the prophecy." Ani ni Wheesus na ikinatango ko.
Upon investigation that was lead by Wheesus, it seems like only Vail, the head of Rothschild right now is the only person aside from us who knows about the prophecy.
"Until now, I'm still baffled why our ancestors tried to sell our family by making a hoax prophecy." Nagtinginan kami ni Wheesus tila hinihinga sa akin ang sagot ngunit wala akong maisagot sa kanya kasi kahit ako hindi ko din alam.
At ang pinanghahawakan ko lang ang librong binigay sa akin ng aking lola at kahit ako hindi ko matukoy lahat kong totoo ba ang mga nakasulat doon.
But I know deep down in our hearts.. that maybe.. maybe that prophecy is real.
That deep down, we know that the story our grandmother once told us might be true.
Two is better than one..
..but only one has to rule
No twin must be born for it will chaos around the plain..
I remember my grandmother, Verllian Marie, always told us about the prophecy that our ancestors had made.
Na dapat walang kambal sa pamilya namin dahil magdu-dulot lang ito ng sakit hindi lang sa pangalan namin kundi narin sa mga taong nakapaligid sa amin.
Gabi-gabi bago kami matulog ay lagi niya kaming kinikwentuhan tungkol sa isang taong importante sa buhay niya.
She always told us about this young girl who is brave, vicious, intelligent but had a soft heart.
I always remember how my grandmother would look at me and how she likes to touch my hair.
She told us that the girl was also called a primrose like me and that the girl is so brave that she went to the lion's den alone without her diyels. The girl disappear for a month and returned with a blood in her hands. Her eyes were blank and it seems like her soul was stolen from her.
Laging napuputol ang pagkuwento samin ni grandma dahil nakakatulog kami. My siblings and I always look forward when it's bedtime since we like how grandma continues her story.
Nalaman namin kung paano niya lagi kina-kausap yung babae pero hindi siya pinapansin nito hanggang sa natagpuan nalang niya ito sa loob ng kwarto nito at pumanaw na. Grandma told us that when the girl died, the stock market values called in for recessions and the economic values decreases drastically and that every country was not prepared for that dilemma to happen. Every people experience great financial crisis.
People suffered from poverty and lack of food to eat, war broke out because other countries want to invade countries rich with natural resources.
Noong una ay hindi namin maintindihan ang mga sinasabi niya pero nang nagkaedad na kaming magkakapatid ngayon ay mas naiintindihan namin lahat ng kwento niya.
I remember her vividly saying that girl she was talking about was her dead twin sister, Violet Eunice. I remember her handling me a book and a letter that I haven't read since she gave it to me.
Sabi niya ibigay ko ito sa lalaking nakakakilala sa kakambal niya. At hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko kilala kong sino man ang tinutukoy nito.
Our family got hunted for a prophecy that we don't know if it's true or not..
..or just a mere coincidence.
Things got badly when the people outside knows our secret and that they started their quest in finding every De Blois and put end to their lives mas lalo itong lumala ng suportahan ito ng mga Rothschild.
But like how Elena said, we are De Blois and that means something.
I became the head of the family at a young age. They took orders from me but the thing that I can't control are those people who wanted us dead.
Hanggang sa binitawan ko lahat ng tao sa Maze Palace, I gave Cynthia Ann the freedom she wants.
I gave Wheesus his new identity to let him live his life happily.
And me? I wanted to live in behalf of my twin sister Victoria De Blois.
Maze Palace was once a place that is full of life and happiness but as years goes by it feels stuffy and lonely. I made it my own version of prison and looking at every walls makes me sad and anxious that's why I decided to go down like my sister and brother.
Maybe by going out I can find answers to my questions.
I met different kinds of people. Both good and bad but still I like it. I even found love and happiness that I thought I wouldn't feel anymore.
Every experience that I have was engraved to my heart. Too bad my flordeline was not here to see it.
People might know me as Victoria McCurly but actually...
I am Victorique Harper De Blois the 15th Primrose of the De Blois' Clan.
TBC.
Now listening: Butterfly - BTS
HYYH is still my fave era ever.