I. CHAPTER 16: DETERMINATION

***Dasmariñas…***

Marcel returned to the empress after speaking with the Duke of Batangas. However, he saw that she was lying on the bed, her face hidden from him. Not wishing to disturb her, even when she was awake, the guardsman took the nearby empty cushion chair. He didn’t plan to sleep; he would just stay there and watch the empress until morning. Musing if he could at least watch TV, Marcel eventually decided against it. He felt it was improper for him to relax while his liege mourned.

Still, as a guardsman, his biggest enemy is boredom. So, he took his phone and tried playing games…

“…”

But of course, it would take his attention off the empress. So, Marcel stopped playing and kept his phone away. By then, after arguing in his mind for long, he noticed that Pauline was sleeping. With nothing else to do, the guardsman went on vigil, checking on any ‘opening’ in the windows of their room, and making sure the door was locked. After satisfying himself with his ‘security procedures,’ Marcel went back to check on the empress…

“…” Her relaxed breaths were a good sign that she was relaxing well. At least a breather from the trauma she witnessed earlier. Nevertheless, the guardsman saw streams of tears on her cheeks, so he got a tissue and gently wiped her face.

Marcel understood her. He suffered a similar trauma in the past as well, seeing his friends blown into bits, or dying in the most painful torture after ending as prisoners-of-war. Pauline was just a civilian; even he as a soldier was affected by such violence that he had to harden his heart to everything.

“Nanay…”

The guardsman’s thoughts were interrupted when the empress moaned in her sleep. Perhaps she was calling for her ‘Nanay Ading,’ after all, the old lady stood as her mother when both of her parents were busy as nobles of Lemery.

As the tears kept falling, Marcel worried that Pauline might end up unable to open her eyes in the morning. So, he continued wiping her face. However…

“!!!”

The empress suddenly grabbed his hand, much to the guardsman’s surprise. He tried to gently pull it back, to no avail. When he realized that she wouldn’t let go of him, Marcel just let Pauline use him for comfort. It was his job, anyway.

-----

***The dela Ramos-Huerta estate, Barony of Lemery, Duchy of Batangas, a decade ago…***

“Lady Pauline!” A maid’s voice pierced the tranquil Sunday afternoon. While everyone in the manor was either taking their siesta, or returning to work, the poor servant searched the entire estate for her charge.

“The little rascal went that way,” a guard told her, pointing towards the direction of the tree lines, which marked the boundaries of the extensive dela Ramos property. In the middle of the area was an artificial pond, meant to beautify the place but ended as a storage for fresh fish from the Taal lake.

“Good lord…” the maid sighed, exasperated. Raising her skirt, she dashed to the tree line, shouting for her lady’s name. However, upon arrival, she found the place deserted; not even a sign that a kid was there.

“Lady Pauline!” Once more, the servant called out. Her voice had a sliver of worry this time. “Lady Pauline, please come out now, or I’ll tell your father you’ve been fooling around again!”

At that moment, she heard something rustle in the bushes. The maid peered towards where the sound came from, and saw the baroness’ white blouse hanging on one of the low branches of the tree. Cold blood immediately rushed to her head as she went pale; if Lady Pauline’s clothes were here, then what happened to her? “O-Oh, my god!” she blurted out, almost falling on her knees as she backed out. “The baroness has been kidnapped! Lady Pauline—”

“I gotchu Sera!”

“Kyaa!!!”

A steady stream of water soaked the maid as Pauline emptied an entire magazine’s worth of ‘water ammunition’ from her water gun, drawn from the pond itself. However, it was Sera’s least concern. The servant couldn’t believe that the baroness stood before her, in the middle of the pond, wearing only her underwear. But Pauline never let her recover; she pulled the poor maid into the water.

“What are you doing?” Sera screamed. “This is my last clean uniform!”

“You got killed by Nardong Putik! You’re too defenseless!” the little baroness proudly declared. “I bet you didn’t expect me emerging from the pond!”

“Of course not, milady,” Sera countered as she wrung her clothes dry. “Any good-mannered nobility of the empire would never play-act like that criminal! And certainly, they would never appear in their underwear!”

“Nardong Putik’s criminal act is just to rob the rich and give to the poor!” Pauline insisted. “You’re not only an idiot in your province’s history, you’re also a boring maid, you know that?”

“Well, sorry for being boring and an idiot, but my job is to watch over the female Nardong Putik, not to play stupid games with her!”

At that moment, Pauline stuck out a tongue to Sera, as the latter brought the former’s clothes. Of course, the act infuriated the maid, but before she could do anything, an old lady appeared to the baroness’ rescue.

“Ah, let Pauline be a child, Sera.”

“Nanay Ading! You told her about that criminal’s story again!”

“Nothing wrong with learning about the history of people around you,” Nanay Ading countered, pulling out a towel to dry Pauline. “Besides, you’re too serious about work. You should relax, child. Too much stress will get you lots of wrinkles on your face, like me. You’ll end up a spinster at this rate!”

Sera saw the baroness grin, but Pauline quickly suppressed her desire to laugh.

“I agree with you, ‘nay, but once the Lord Marco enters the picture, I’d rather pick the wrinkles than suffer his wrath.”

“Pshaw, loosen up!” The old lady grabbed Pauline’s clothes and dressed her. “The Lord Marco is just feeling the burdens of running his fief. When he was of the same age, he was more obnoxious than his daughter!”

“Yeah, figures…” the maid threw a glare at the baroness. “Genetics is really a thing, huh?”

“Hush now, Sera! Leave the baroness to me, go back to your quarters and change your uniform.”

“This is my last one, and this brat ruined it.”

“There’s a spare in my drawer. Use that,” Nanay Ading gave her a key. “Now hurry up, before the Lord Marco sees you and cuts off your salary for being not in proper uniform.

-----

“Pauline, what did I tell you about playing pranks on the servants?”

“I shouldn’t have done that, ‘nay,” was the baroness’ sheepish response.

“Then why did you do it to Sera?”

Pauline said nothing, yet the redness of her face told Nanay Ading that she was embarrassed of her actions. However, instead of more chiding, the old lady gave her a head pat. “Not everyone is willing to play pranks with you,” she gently squeezed the child’s hand. “While it may be okay to some, there are others—especially the working commoners like us—who prefer to be left alone.”

“Sera is boring!”

“Even so, my child,” the old lady chuckled. “We commoners already have lots of worries in our heads, see? The last thing we want is to someone disturbing us while we work.”

“I see…are commoners really having it hard, nanay?”

“Well, there are poor commoners, rich commoners, and those who belong to the middle class. Not everyone is living in difficult times, but just like what happened in the days of the old republic, there exists a system of discrimination towards certain people.”

“I thought the emperor said there will be no more discrimination!”

Nanay Ading smiled. “Hmm…easier said than done, Pauline. For example, we all know the rich—even commoners—have lots of money to buy not only their needs, but also their wants. Then, you’ll see on TV the poor has nothing to buy for themselves, which is quite true, really. Without work, or money, the poor can’t really buy anything.”

“And the emperor helps them, right?”

“Yes, through government agencies, or social programs. You know about those; your mother is a former social worker. But this is where the discrimination happens.”

“How?”

“The middle class. People who are not that rich, or not that poor, like me. We work, we get taxed. But when the time comes, and we need the help of public services, they will turn us away in favor of the poor. Hospitals. Social services. That’s why, we—Sera and I—have to work hard.”

“Eh, that’s unfair!” the baroness blurted out. “What happens when your money runs out?”

“We’ll make do as always, milady,” Nanay Ading replied, gesturing as if she was tightening her belt. “Some would borrow money from their friends. Others would just endure; whatever it is they are feeling. There’s no other way.”

“When I inherit the barony from my father, I’ll make sure you will be okay!” Pauline declared.

But the old lady shook her head. “Pauline, I am already old. When you become the baroness, I’d like you to spend your time and effort to uplift everyone. Not just the rich, not just the poor, and certainly, not just the middle class. After all, we are Orientals…we belong to this land.”

-----

***A few years later…***

Pauline burst into the study of her father the moment she arrived from school. “Father!” she screamed, not even bothering to greet him. “Why did you do this? Why did you send Nanay Ading away?!”

“Is this how you were taught by that old lady?” he replied, his eyes never moving away from what he was reading. “Where are your manners, Paulina?”

“Nanay Ading is important to me! Please bring her back!”

“What I have decreed, I have decreed,” the baron of Lemery countered with steel-cold determination. “Go to your room. This matter is done.”

“Father! Don’t do this; she is one of our family! Nanay has been with us since you are a child—” Pauline’s pleas were interrupted when the Lord Marco threw the glass paper weight on the floor, breaking it into shards. At that moment, the young baroness had never seen her father so angry, it actually terrified her.

“I will only say this once more; go to your room,” the baron’s voice was calm, yet she could feel the tension between them. It was like the baroness hit a thick concrete; she couldn’t do a thing to move him. “Pauline, listen to me,” the Lord Marco continued, this time, he was looking straight at his daughter. “Starting today, forget that old lady.”

“How…could you do this?”

The baron said nothing. Pauline might have missed it, but he had melancholic expression in his eyes.

Out of options, the young baroness stormed off the study and rushed to her room, ignoring the maids that greeted her along the way. In her mind, only one thing remained: she had enough of this stupid nobility. She would find Nanay Ading and live with her…

-----

***Dasmariñas, present year, the next day…***

Marcel’s sleep was interrupted when he felt something brush against his arm. It took him a few seconds before realizing he shouldn’t fall asleep, but was horrified he did on the chair opposite where the empress was supposed to be sleeping. Glancing at his watch, which said it was already 7:15 in the morning, the guardsman took out his revolver and looked for Pauline.

“Oh…you’re already awake?”

“!!!” He found her in the motel room’s pantry, with the latter greeting him with a smile before offering, “Want some coffee?”

Marcel refused, holstered his gun, and took a mug for himself. “I won’t you allow you to serve, Your Imperial Majesty. Any case, are you alright now?”

Pauline got her mug, and sat on a nearby chair. “It’s no use crying over spilled milk. My parents will remain dead, no matter how much I mourn for them—not having seen their daughter even for the last time. Well, perhaps it won’t be this way, had I remained with them for the past years, but…I guess it is what it is. Besides, I am the empress of this nation now. If I have to serve my people, then I must be brave, like Arthur.”

The guardsman said nothing, yet deep inside, he was amazed at her resilience.

“Haa…what did I even do for the people around me to deserve this? I didn’t find Nanay Ading, and my family was murdered. Lola Alma is also dead…the only family I have is Ayan.”

“I’ll make sure to protect you both, my liege. Please rest assured that I—”

Pauline gestured for him to stop. “Marcel, there are many who are willing to—and are—sacrificing their lives just to see me sit on the throne. I’ve thought about it the whole night; compared to the Lord Aguinaldo, I have no experience in leadership. I haven’t even finished my studies because I ran away from my noble heritage. I didn’t even experienced military command. But…Arthur…he entrusted the country to me. And I know my cousin; he loves this empire, that’s why he deposed the emperor before him. Maybe the Orientals are tired of the same treacherous, and deadly, politics we have, the same one that led to the fall of the Fifth Republic.”

There was a pause between them, as the empress sort out her feelings. Marcel, however, remained all ears.

“Marcel, including you, I will not betray the expectations of people on me. I can’t afford to mourn when many of our people are crying out for change!”

At that moment, the guardsman bowed before her. “Thank you, Your Imperial Maj—”

“Ahem.”

“I-I mean, Pa-Pauline, thank you!”

The empress then gestured for him to take the other empty chair, and sit before her. Then, after that, she asked, “We can’t delay. Tell me, Marcel, what’s our next plan?”

The guardsman flinched a little. He weighed if he should continue with the Duke of Batangas’ suggestions. Nevertheless, Pauline noticed him, and offered, “We should go and ask the Cardinal.”

“B-But you…”

“A small sacrifice for Ayan,” she replied with a smile. “Besides, if Cardinal Jose requested for something I won’t like, I can always have him removed from the leadership of the church. I doubt the Papal Nuncio will refuse a monarch’s plea.”

Marcel’s feelings towards the empress’ sudden change of attitude were mixed. But, he reminded himself that this was all for the benefit of everyone, including himself, so he should support her until the end. 

Author's Note:

Nardong Putik - is a notorious criminal from 1950s-1960s Cavite.  His full name is Leonardo Malihan Manicio, and the moniker 'Nardong Putik' (Nardo of the Mud) came from his supposed ability to 'disappear' in mud during police manhunts.  This was accomplished using improvised 'breathing tubes' made of bamboo and other plant material.  He was killed in 1971, but his 'Robin Hood' personality (robbing the rich to give to the poor) ensured that his deeds endured.