I. CHAPTER 13: SLIVER OF HOPE

The pair arrived at Lemery sometime around the afternoon, after a few stopovers on the way, since the city was of considerable distance from Manila. They parked at one of the canteens by the roadside. First, to eat their delayed lunch, and second, so as not to attract any attention from the locals. While Pauline may had been long gone from the city, Marcel would never risk anyone recognizing her and blowing their cover. Not until they reached their destination.

Nevertheless, because she was away from her hometown for years, the empress was ecstatic. Typical of the Luzon countryside, especially the ones around and to the south of the capital region, slivers of urbanity had already reached the barony enough for it to be classified as a ‘first-class fief’ under the House of dela Ramos. Marcel remained poker-faced; Pauline, however, was jittery, and kept on talking to people that soon, the guardsman had to rein her in.

“It has changed a lot compared to when I last saw it,” she would mutter repeatedly.

“Your father, Lord dela Ramos, did a great job managing this city,” the guardsman answered. “It’s a good thing he is noble enough not to be affected by your disappearance, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Eh, Father is just too focused in government, that’s why,” Pauline countered. “Every time he’ll see me, it’s always to rebuke me for something I did.”

“Looks like a strict parent to me, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Well, to be fair, Father got angry when I played pranks on the servants. Or when I skip my homeschool teacher.”

“Yep, you’re an as—I mean, that is rude, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Then, the conversation suddenly died down. Marcel found it difficult to continue, since he had nothing else to say, aside from nearly calling his liege as ‘asshole.’ Likewise, Pauline was too enamored with the new sights in her fief’s capital. But the silence was not to last. It was the empress who eventually broke the ice.

“Marcel, right? That’s your name Sir Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“I’ll make a deal with you.”

“Yes?”

“Whenever we are alone, or with Ayan, please call me Pauline.”

The guardsman couldn’t believe what he just heard. He shook his head for a little and asked again, “I’m sorry, Ma’m?”

“Look, I know we just met a day before, and not on good terms, too,” the empress began. “But really, Sir Lieutenant, I’m really uncomfortable being the empress. I was a disgraced baroness yesterday, and now, I head an entire country. The change is too fast, it still hasn’t sunk into my head.”

“That’s a request I can’t do, Your Imperial Majesty,” Marcel reiterated. “I have a huge respect for you and the throne you represent.”

“Heh, did I say that is a request, Sir Lieutenant?” Pauline smirked. “I mean that as an order.”

The guardsman stared at her, as if she just told him something unbelievable.

“Make no mistake, Marcel,” she chuckled. “It is only you and Ayan who are allowed to call me by my personal name, and only in the presence of each of us three. Besides, look, we are in this precarious situation where there’s some guy in Manila trying to hog the throne for himself. Don’t you think it’s risky if you keep on referring to me as ‘Your Imperial Majesty’ while we’re out here in the open?”

“W-Well, you make sense, Your—I mean, Pa-Pauline,” Marcel shook his head. “Dear lord, I hope this won’t set a precedent.”

“You’re too rigid!” the empress laughed and slapped his back. “Relax! It’s not like you’re the one who wanted that; it’s a personal order from me!”

-----

The next stop the pair did after the roadside canteen was their destination itself, which was the dela Ramos-Huerta estate just outside the city boundaries. While Pauline was a scion of the ducal house of Santos-Recto, giving her family considerable influence, her father was actually the head of the branch dela Ramos baronial family. Their holdings were the city of Lemery itself, its surrounding villages, and the estate that reflected the wealth, power and prestige of the Baron of Lemery. As the two neared the place, Marcel paused their journey and reminded the empress of their game plan.

“Your Imperial—I-I mean, Pauline, you remember our goal here, right?”

“Of course. It’s to ask my family for help against possible attempts by Duke Aguinaldo to arrest or kill me,” the empress’ hand went to one of her pockets, where she kept the signet ring from her deceased cousin. It was their only hope to convince the Baron and the rest of the dela Ramos and Santos-Recto clans to support her. “And I’m telling you, once my father learned that Arthur passed his ring to me, he’ll immediately oblige. That man’s too ambitious for his good, after all.”

“Well, yes, that’s the gist of it…” the guardsman paused, looking around the deserted road that led to the estate. “The Lord of Lemery is easy to convince to our side, given, we have sufficient forces to claim what is rightfully yours. However, the guardsmen loyal to you was removed by Duke Aguinaldo. Your father will now have to gather enough supporters to enforce your right. I’ve been praying since earlier that all of this will never go for nought.”

“For someone whose life is in the military, you’re a big worrywart,” Pauline laughed. “Playing politics aside, blood is thicker than water, Marcel. Well, if we can’t convince my father to start a rebellion against the Regent, at least, Ayan and I will be much safer here.”

“True.”

“Well, it might take my father a few convincing words to allow Ayan, because…see, he’s…kind of disgusted with the commoners. But to hell with his arrogance! I’m the empress; my words are laws itself.”

“I got no issues with how you view yourself as our ruler, Your Imperial—I mean, Pauline. I just hope you’ll have same level of confidence when you talk to the Lord of Lemery.”

“Pfft!”

“I’m being serious. If you fail, we’ll die.” Marcel parked his motorcycle at one side of the gilded fences, and they walked the little distance to the entrance of the estate itself. The empress had been gone for too long; notwithstanding the shabby clothing they wore, the security guards of the Baron may need some convincing to let them in. Pauline’s confidence brimmed, however. She kept on insisting that her father’s men would know it was her, and she went ahead of him.

However, as they neared the gates, the guardsman paused, and quickly pulled the empress back to his side.

“What—?”

Marcel brought out his service revolver, and he pushed his companion to the bushes near the walls. “Don’t you think it’s way too quiet?”

“Well, this is a provincia—”

“Shh!” the guardsman looked inside the estate as he gestured for the empress to remain hidden. After a few minutes of uncertainty, he told her, “We might have to go back.”

“What?” Pauline blurted out.

“Something’s wrong with the guardhouses on the other side. I think I can see some bodies lying on the ground.”

“H-Ha—”

“Hey!” Marcel pushed the empress’ head back to the bushes. “Keep your head low!”

“Marcel!” Though she spoke in whispers, Pauline was furious. “I can’t understand; what’s going on? Why are we heading back? We drove a long way to this place!”

“Your Imperial Maj—no, Pauline, listen to me. It’s not safe for you here, we’d rather cancel this reunion with your father.”

“Marcel, I demand answers!”

The guardsman couldn’t keep his surprise at the sudden rise of Pauline’s voice. However, before he could do anything, the empress broke through her cover and rushed towards the gate. Marcel followed her, and both of them were shocked to see the carnage at the estate’s entrance.

“…”

The automated gates of the dela Ramos-Huerta estate were ajar. Bodies of the security guards wallowed in their pools of blood; everyone had bullet holes in their head. Marcel surmised it was a work of a professional assassin, or a summary execution done by a rival ‘military force.’ Yet, for all the horrible scenes before her, Pauline rushed to the mansion…fearful of what she would witness there. The guardsman had no choice but to run after her; he was unsure if the area was safe for his liege.

-----

The empress may not have noticed it, but as they neared the mansion itself, Marcel saw other signs of the household’s vain struggle against their assailants. The maidservants’ corpses littered the courtyard, and there were trails of blood on the pathways. Some of the security guards also tried to defend their lord while they retreated; the spots where they fell resembled a gruesome ‘guide’ that led to the residence itself.

“Mama!” Pauline kicked the doors of the mansion, revealing the grisly display at the hallway. The empress fell silent, nearly catatonic, as she fell on her knees. The guardsman, finally catching up to her, was also speechless. No one prepared him to the sight he came upon, though he was a veteran of numerous battles. He had to retreat a few steps outside because he nearly threw up.

The bodies of the baron and baroness of Lemery were nailed on a makeshift cross that was installed just above the first set of stairs. Their insides were drawn, but never cut, which were wrapped around them like a macabre set of jewelry. Above their heads was a signboard that said ‘This is the fate of traitors to the Empire.’ It faced the main doors, so Pauline immediately saw it.

When Marcel regained his composure, he grabbed the empress, and pulled her away. Pauline said nothing, yet she clung to the guardsman like her whole life depended on him. There were no tears. Yet, a sinking feeling was within the empress’ chest. Years of disappearance had taken its toll; she was never close to her parents. Yet even then, she respected them. There was a small hope in her heart now that she was an empress, somehow, they would look her way. And above all else, they were her hope for their safety.

“It’ll be alright, Your Imperial Majesty,” the guardsman whispered. Pauline never let go of him, though he was careful of how he touched her. Still, Marcel knew he was needed, and as her servant, he would stay by her side. “It’ll be alright. I’ll protect you with my life; your step-sister too. Let’s head to the Duke of Batangas himself, but for now, please take a rest.”

Author's Announcement:  Ah, yeah, so I'm back.

I'm not really dropping this one, though a lot of things happening around me that requires my immediate attention. First, we're about to end our school year, and I'm one of the teachers assigned to take care of the graduation of our students. Second, I just went through discouragement, and if not for my good friend SailusGebel, I would've totally dropped writing and drawing altogether.

Still, I apologize for the delay. I apologize for the drama I caused (if ever). And yeah, I apologize for the erratic updates. This work is already done, really. Just that, I'm trying to find time to fix my release dates.

Nevertheless, good news is, we're given 60-days mandatory vacation by our agency (the Philippine Department of Education) so I can focus on this one.

Thanks for dropping by!