"I'm sorry for being late." Naghahabol sa paghinga niyang sabi.

Umiling ako habang nakayakap pa rin sa kanya.

"I'm glad that you're here." Bulong ko.

Ang akala ko ay may nangyari ng hindi maganda sa kanya, o di kaya ay hindi na niya ako sisiputin.

"Milady," Hinawakan niya ang magkabila kong balikat at marahang itinulak palayo sa kanya, pero mas hinigpitan ko pa ang mga yakap ko sa kanya.

"That's not what you said you'd call me." I reminded him.

"A-Abby, I'm sweating." Balisa niyang sabi.

I lift my head and look up at him.

Sweat is running down the side of his face. Agad kong kinuha ang panyo ko para punasan ang pawis niya.

"Marurumihan ang panyo mo." Pinigilan niya ang kamay ko.

"Pati ba naman ang panyo ko, aalalahanin mo pa?" I laughed and wiped the sweat on his face and neck. Para siyang estatwa na bigla nalang nanigas habang pinupunasan ko ang mukha at leeg niya.

"I'm sorry that I'm late." Muli niyang ulit.

Kapansin pansin pa rin na hinahapo siya.

"Wait here." I told him and ran quickly at the nearest food stall.

Bumili ako ng malamig na maiinom at agad na bumalik kay Tyronne. He's sitting at the edge of the fountain, and still wiping his sweat with my handkerchief. Dahil sa sobrang saya ko na makita siya, hindi ko napansin na suot pa rin niya ang Knight uniform na suot niya kaninang umaga.

"Here." Inabot ko sa kanya ang binili ko.

"Thank you, Mi–I mean, Abby." He took the juice and drink it.

"By the way, what took you so long?" I asked.

He drank all the juice at hinahapo pa din.

"I just got off from training." Paliwanag niya.

"Training? At this hour?" Nagtataka kong tanong.

"We've been training since morning." He looked up at me, still catching his breath.

"Since morning?!" Gulat kong ulit.

How is that possible? I'm familiar with the Knights training schedule at the palace because of how often I visit the 3rd Prince.

"I think the 3rd Prince is in a foul mood today. He had us run into the field until night." Dagdag ni Tyronne.

"Prince Marion?" He nodded when I mentioned the Prince's name.

Naalala ko ang tagpo namin kaninang umaga.

Was he mad that I left the palace without having a tea with him?

That brat!

"Should we just head back? You need to rest. Bukas ay maaga ka uling babalik sa palasyo." Kaya pala ganun nalang ang hingal niya ng makarating dito. Hindi biro na simula kaninang umaga pa siya tumatakbo at bukas ay papasok ulit sa trabaho.

"Gusto mo bang mamasyal kahit sandali?" He ran his hand at the back of his neck like he usually does.

"Is it okay?" Mas gusto kong magpahinga nalang muna siya.

"I brought my horse with me." Itinuro niya ang bandang likuran ko.

I followed the direction of his hand and saw a beautiful dark gray horse.

Wait, it looks familiar.

Tumakbo ako papalapit rito.

"Abby, wait! He's quite a moody hor–" Natigilan siya.

"Ham!" Pagtawag ko sa kabayo at agad na hinaplos ang pisngi nito. Slowly I began to rub his neck, just like what Tyronne taught me in our first life.

Ham began to tap his front hoof and gave out a soft neigh sound.

He likes his neck to be rubbed a lot.

"How did you know its name?" He asked.

"Huh? I, umm–" Teka pano ko ipapaliwanag to? Nakilala ko si Ham nung kasal na kami ni Tyronne.

"By any chance, did Milady have me investigated?"

"Kasi, ano..." If I say yes, I'll sound like a stalker. Baka madismaya siya sa akin. Pero pano ko ito ipapaliwanag sa kanya? "Ano, kasi..."

"It's okay if you did. I don't mind."

"What? Really?" Nakahinga ako ng maluwag.

"Shall we go?" Muli niyang pagyaya.

"Yes." Pagpayag ko naman.

He took my breath away when he suddenly held my waist and lifted me up to sat on Ham's back. Seconds later, he followed and sat behind me. We went outside the city walls, and passed through the woods. The path ended with a wide meadow filled with wild flowers blooming all over.

Ham galloped a little more and stopped in the middle of the flower field. Tyronne helped me dismount the horse. I was surprise that he didn't let go of my hand after he helped me down.

"Is it okay to stay here for a little while?" Hindi sigurado niyang tanong.

"Yes. I like it here."

"I promise not to be late tomorrow, so that we could go to a place that you want." Pakiramdam ko ay hindi siya naniniwala na nagustuhan ko ang lugar na ito kaya nya sinabi yun.

"I don't mind if we just spend all our date nights here." I suggested.

Walang ibang taong makakakita sa amin dito. Mas makakasama ko siya ng sarilinan.

"Don't say that. I bet there are places that you wanted to go. This date was your idea after all." He took off his cloak and spread it on the ground. He patted it, offering me to sit.

I obliged and sat comfortably.

He sat on the grass.

"Sit next to me." I offered.

"It's alright." Umiwas siya ng tingin.

"Please?"

Nahihiya ba siya sa akin?

But in bed he is so...

My cheeks heat up when I remember our married life and the things that we shared in bed, especially before he went to the subjugation.

Umiwas din ako ng tingin para kalmahin ang sarili.

I felt him sit beside me, and he's making sure that our bodies don't touch, maging ang tela ng suot kong damit ay tinitiyak niyang hindi madadampi sa suot niya.

Hihimatayin kaya siya kung bigla ko siyang yakapin?

No, let's not do that. Baka hindi na niya ako siputin bukas.

Well what now, Abigail?

Ang totoo ay wala akong kaideideya kung ano ang gagawin. I haven't dated anyone before. Tyronne and I never dated. We got married two days after he asked for my hand. Consummated our marriage, and we mostly live like strangers after that because I kept on avoiding him all the time.

Pasimple akong tumingin sa kanya.

He is resting his head on his knee.

I knew it. He's tired. Dapat ay umuwi nalang kami kanina. Mas gusto ko pa iyon kaysa makita siyang pagod.

"Would you like to lay on my lap?" Those words came out of my mouth without thinking.

"W-What?" His eyes almost popped out because of shock.

"W-Well y-you s-seems tired." Maging ako ay nataranta at hindi alam ang isasagot.

"Abby, please..." Lumayo siya ng kaunti. "I am a man, and you're an unmarried woman. Us being alone together is already bad enough, if someone sees us while I do that, you'll ruin your reputation."

Ako nanaman ang iniisip niya.

"I don't care about my reputation. Ang mahalaga sa akin ay ikaw." The worse my reputation becomes, the better for me. Walang magkakainteres sa akin, at ang kailangan ko nalang gawin ay hintaying makabalik si Tyronne para alukin ako ng kasal.

All I need to do is let everything happen as it is. At saka na ako kikilos para baguhin ko ito kapag kasal na kami. I'll definitely save him.

"Don't say that. You'll gain nothing from me." Here he goes again with that crap.

Nagsalubong ang kilay ko sa sinabi niya. I crawled closer to him and grabbed his uniform.

"I said I don't care! Wala akong paki alam sa estado mo. I don't care if you're a commoner! Basta mahal kita, and you can't change my mind!" Seeing his reaction, I was taken aback.

Oh no!

I'm being forceful again. Pano kung madismaya siya sa asal na pinapakita ko?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be pushy!" Agad kong pagbawi at binitiwan ang uniporme niya.

Hindi siya sumagot.

I immediately chastised myself. Masyado akong nagpapadala sa emosyon, baka lalo lang hindi mangyari ang lahat ayon sa inaasahan ko. Why Am I acting like a child? If I lose him this time too, hindi ko talaga kakayanin.

I gasped when he suddenly grabbed my hands and pushed me down,  pinning it above my head. The cover on my head fell off and my hair was all over the place.

"I warned you not to say those words recklessly." He sounded irked. "Now that it's just the two of us, be honest. Are you just toying with me? If you are, please stop."

"I-I'm not!" I tried to pull my hands, but to no avail.

"Ang sabi mo ay wala kang paki alam sa reputasyon mo. If I do something indecent to you right now, you'll regret that you said that." Inilapit niya ang mukha sa akin.

"No, I won't regret anything." I looked straight into his eyes.

Bumuntong hininga siya.

I felt bad making him feel distressed.

"What should I do to make you stop?" He asked.

"There is nothing that you can do to make me." Sagot ko naman.

"Fine." He gritted his teeth. "Let's say you're indeed attracted to me,"

"I'm not attracted to you." Pagpigil ko sa pagsasalita niya. "What I said was, I love you. I am in love with you." Pagtatama ko sa kanya.

"F-Fine. Let's say you're in love with me." Pagsuko niya. "But for how long?" He added.

"What?" Nagtataka kong tanong.

"You are young, Abby. You're just sixteen. Marami ka pang makikilalang iba na mas nakahihigit sa akin." He let go of my hands.

Well technically I'm older than you, because I have already lived twice your age, bumalik lang ako sa nakaraan, and yes, it's a bit annoying that I'm indeed acting like a child, but that's not important right now.

"Wala ng makahihigit pa sayo. Mamahalin kita habang nabubuhay ako." I sat down.

"That's enough for today. Let's get you home." He got up, ignoring my words.

"You'll still meet me tomorrow night, right?" Tumayo rin ako.

"I already gave my word that I'll date you for a week. All I need to do is endure it. Remember your promise?" Pagpapaalala niya sa sinabi ko kaninang umaga. He picked up his cloak and walked towards Ham.

I fixed my hair and followed him. Hindi siya kumibo habang pabalik kami. I told him to just drop me near the Count's mansion. Ayaw ko ring makita niya ako na aakyat sa pader. Baka mas lalo siyang madismaya sa akin.

"Are you sure? It's a bit late. Ihahatid  kita kahit hanggang sa malapit lang sa gate." Pagpiprisinta niya habang tinutulungan akong bumaba sa kabayo.

"It's fine. I'll just walk from here." Ngumiti ako sa kanya. "See you again tomorrow. Good night." Sinadya kong lambingan lalo ang boses ko, baka sakaling mabawasan ang inis niya sa akin.

Nakakailang hakbang na rin ako ng bigla nalang niyang hawakan ulit ang kamay ko.

"Abby," He called.

"Y-Yes?" I looked back at him.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier." Yumuko siya.

"I-It's okay. I was at fault." Naiintindihan ko na masyado kang nagugulantang sa mga sinasabi at kinikilos ko. "At alam ko namang wala kang gagawing masama sa akin eh." I added.

I smiled seeing his half opened mouth. His surprised face are my current favorite.

I hurried home after that. Umakyat ako sa isang puno para makatawid sa pader. The ladder I used earlier was still at the other side kaya maayos akong nakababa.

"Tina?" Mahinang pagtawag ko.

Where did she go?

"M-Milady," A quivering voice called me, kaya agad akong napalingon sa direksyong pinanggalingan nito.

"Ti-" My words were held back when I saw someone grabbing her arm.

"Milady." A middle aged man in a Knight uniform called me.

"S-Ser H-Hector." My heart races when I see the Commander of the Campbelle Knights standing beside my maid.

He is also my Father's personal Knight.

Nanlambot ang mga tuhod ko, and my whole body was overwhelmed with fear.

____________

Tawag jan Abby, masaya now, parusa later. (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

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