CLEA

I woke up when I heard the loud chiming of the grandfather clock in my room. Bumagon ako upang tingnan kung anong oras na. It was precisely 3:00 AM, the devil's hour. I rose from my bed and stared at myself in front of the mirror. I am only wearing a thin nightgown that exposes my shoulders and collarbone. Dinampot ko ang makapal na coat na nakasabit sa rack at sinuot ito. 

Kasunod kong kinuha sa mesa ko ay ang maliit na lampara. The lamp was shaped like a lotus flower, inside it were a few fireflies that serves as a light. Pagbukas ko ng pinto palabas ng kuwarto ko ay kaagad ako sinalubong ng malakas na hangin. I look around as I closed the door. 

The temple halls were empty and dark. Ang nagsisilbing ilaw sa pasilyo ay ang munting lampara na nakasabit sa pader. There were no temple guards around. It was silent and eerie. It almost felt like a typical scene in a horror movie. Even so, I did not hesitate to walk in the gloomy corridors. 

Carnel is supposedly guarding me outside my quarters, but I insisted on making him rest. Iyon ay dahil kung magbabantay siya sa akin ng ganitong oras ay hindi ako makakalabas upang kitain si Levine. I should be seeing him in the Gigolo House, but the symptoms of the venom started acting up that's why I can't leave. 

I decided to see him in the Holy Cathedral instead. I also gave him access to the secret tunnel to enter the temple undetected. 

Napatigil ako saglit sa paglalakad nang biglang umugong ang alulong ng mga lobo mula sa kalayuan. Sinundan pa ito ng malakas na pag-ihip ng hangin na nanuot sa buong katawan ko. Napasinghap ako sa isipan ko nang may pumasok na random horror scene sa utak ko. 

Did I mention na matatakutin akong tao? Ako yung tipong hindi na mag c-cr mag-isa pagkatapos manood ng palabas. 

Umiling na lang ako. Wala naman sigurong multo rito. "Come on, this is not the original world! Ghost doesn't exist here!" Pangga-gaslight ko pa sa sarili ko habang nilalakihan ang hakbang ko. Maya maya ay nakarinig naman ako ng kaluskos sa paligid at pakiramdam ko may sumusunod sa akin. 

My mind panicked. What should I do? Magdasal ba ako? Ano namang klaseng dasal? Hindi nga ako nagsisimba noong mga panahong buhay pa ako. 

"God gave me you. . . to show me what's real. . ." Napatigil ako sa pagdasal nang maalala kong kanta pala yun. 

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang makitang may malaking bulto ng aninong nakasunod sa akin sa likuran. Pati ata bhoul-bhoul ko nanindig dahil sa nakita ko. Halos patakbo kong tinahak ang daan paakyat ng hagdan. 

"Hail Mary, full of grace, t-the Lord is with you. . .bless us our lord in these thy gifts in which we are about to receive—ano nga kasunod no'n?" Hindi ko alam kung anong klaseng dasal ang pinagsasabi ko. 

Kantahin ko na lang yung ama namin remix? 

Napasapo na lang ako ng noo. Paniguradong pupunta ako ng impyerno kung sakaling gagawin ko yun. If Charm found out she might actually damn me to eternity. Baka bawain niya pa ako ng buhay agad-agad. 

Think of happy thoughts na lang Clea. 

Biglang pumasok sa isip ko ang iba't ibang size ng light saber na nakita ko kaya napasinghal na lang ako sa isipan ko. Is this how my consciousness depicts happy thoughts? 

Ano ba naman 'yan Debina. Papunta ka ng simbahan tapos puro ratbu nasa isip mo. Minus points ka talaga sa langit niyan. Kung bakit ba kasi masyado silang biniyayaan? Bakit hindi nila bigyan yung mga lalaki sa totoong buhay? An additional inch could change their lives! 

I motioned my hands to open the door of the Holy Cathedral when I arrived. Kusa naman itong bumukas kaya pumasok ako sa loob. Inside, the lights were dim. The candelabras on the altar and the torchlights on the side posts of the pillars were lit. 

Inikot ko ang paningin ko upang hanapin si Levine. I squinted my eyes as I tried to find him in the darkness. Ni kaluskos ay wala akong marinig dito sa loob. There's no sign of human activities. Is he late? 

"I thought gigolos are punctual. It looks like it was just a jo—" A man suddenly appeared behind the pillar. 

On my defense, I raised the lamp attempting to whack it in his head. Nanlalaki mata itong umatras upang maiwasan ang paghampas ko. "Woah! Easy, My Lady!" He raised his hands in midair. 

"Atta girl!" Inirapan ko siya. How I wish I was holding a candle lamp para ipatak ko sa mukha niya ang dagta ng kandila. 

"I was supposed to surprise your holiness, you look so tense while I was following you earlier." I crossed my arms and gave him my poker face. 

So siya yung hudyong sumusunod sa akin kanina? 

"What have you been thinking roaming around the temple in an open space? What if somebody else saw you?" He shrugged his shoulders and waved his left hand, holding a black cloth with golden intricate designs. 

"I'm wearing an invisibility cloak. No one could see me." I turned my gaze away from him and walked down the aisle. The small amount of light from the moon was reflected in the cathedral's large glass windows. 

"What favor do I owe the young lord?" Tanong ko tungkol sa kagustuhan nitong makipagkita sa akin. 

"Why make such haste?" I snickered at his question. 

"Why should I not get to the point? Do you expect us to date here?" I saw in the corner of my eyes he was smirking.

"Good suggestion." I faced him and gave him a side-eye. Napakamot naman siya ng batok. I heard him sigh in defeat. 

"I have a proposal to offer you." Umakyat ako ng platform sabay upo sa upuan na naroon. He remained standing below the platform. 

"Are you here as Eclipse or as Levine Orestilla?" I crossed my legs under the table and spread my arms on the marbled table, holding its edges as I looked at him straight in the eye. 

"On what grounds do you think I would even want to hear your proposal when your father has harmed me?" He smiled at me, a knowing smile. 

"I admire you, truly." He paused and laughed softly before walking up the stairs to reach the platform. 

"With such face that every man would fall into their knees and worship, an appearance that screams kindness and innocence—" His tall figure towered me who was standing in front me. Yumuko ito sabay pagdipa ng kamay niya upang hawakan ang kabilang dulo ng lamesa.  

"—was a woman with deceitful lips and scheming antics." He leaned closer to reach the level of my face. A wide smirk was spread across his supple lips. 

"Meeting me in a Gigolo House was no ordinary coincidence. You just want to get my attention by rejecting the most expensive gigolo in the empire," he mused as he carefully watched my reaction with every word he said. 

"And you succeeded. I was thinking of you the whole night," pag-aamin niya. He paused for a while and then tilted his head sideways. 

"What I did not expect is to see you the next day, full of blood and bruises, in my own house." He chuckled and brushed his dark auburn hair. 

"I panicked, it drove me insane." Umiling-iling ito na para bang hindi makapaniwala sa naging reaksyon niya noong mismong araw na iyon. 

"My hatred towards my father went deeper that I almost wanted him dead." His piercing eyes were looking through me as if he was judging me. I did not back down. I stared at him with the same intensity. 

"But then I realized, although the saintess was known for her remarkable healing abilities, she was no ordinary being. She was a gift from God. She is powerful. There's no way she would just let any human harm her without fighting back." I responded by retracting my hands from the edge of the table. I leaned my left elbow on the table and rested the left side of my cheek on my palm. 

"Seeing my father traumatized was even more fascinating." Amusement was evident in his eyes. Pakiramdam ko'y pumapalakpak pa ang mga mata niya sa saya. 

"The great Count Landon Orestilla, who never even felt an ounce of fear when stripping off local farmers of their lands, the man who was never guilty of prostituting women—what have you done to make him utterly horrified like that?" Napapantastikuhan nitong tanong. 

I inhaled a soft breath. The author of this novel created a very twisted characters. Tingnan mo 'tong kaharap ko, tuwang-tuwa pa kasi na-traumatized tatay niya. May saltik din siya sa utak. 

"If my guesses were right, although it may seem out of the box, my father did not harm you in any way, but he tried to assault you. I won't deny that, knowing he's into some deep shit with women long ago." He didn't even hesitate to talk badly about his father.

"So, you were the one who hurt yourself." He concluded. I did not react even though he was correct. 

"You did every scar in your body. As to what your intention was, I don't know. But I'm pretty sure my mother will not let this slide. She will probably file a case against you." My eyebrows furrowed on his last statement. 

"So what proposal would you like to make?" Diretso kong tanong rito. 

"So you are not denying anything?" He mumbled. Lumayo ito sa akin sabay nambulsa sa harapan ko. He looks unsatisfied about something. 

"I expected you to deny it or use your beauty to bait me. You're just going to admit it like that?" Tiningnan ko siya na para bang may sampu siyang ulo. 

"The sun is almost rising. We're not here for some casual talk, Lord Levine." His soft laugh resounded in the empty cathedral. 

"Alright then, I'll be straight to the point." He opened his left hand. Three scrolls appeared in his palm. They look like sealed documents. 

"These documents hold the illegal mining sites he obtained by falsification of documents, the land title he stole from the farmers, and the tax certificate he failed to pay by bribing the Ministry of Income and Taxes for fifteen years." Umayos ako ng upo upang isandal ang likod ko sa upuan. I clasped my hands to my chest while I was looking at him. 

"Are you aware your family name will be sullied once this issue will reach the ears of the emperor?" Minuwestra niya ang kamay niya't nagpatianod ang tatlong scroll na hawak niya. Lumutang ito patungo sa akin hanggang sa kusa itong lumapag sa mesa. 

"The emperor is kind and righteous. Unless it was treason, he will only condemn my father for what he did." I agreed. 

His case differed from Marquess Briargiss'; the whole family would be executed for treason. That's why Carnel secretly removed his name from the family registry to save himself. In Count Orestilla's case, he will most probably be punished by being imprisoned for twenty years or so. But seeing he was a sexual offender, if his victims would testify for what he did, he would be executed. 

"I don't know what beef you had with my father, but I had enough of his corruption. I hate to see my mother suffering and turning a blind eye to his illegal activities just because she loves him."  I saw sincerity in his eyes. He must've loved his mother and was willing to ruin his family name so she could be free from the burden. 

"What do you want in return?" I asked as I picked up one of the scrolls to check its authenticity. 

"As for the thing that I want, I will tell you the next time you visit the Gigolo House." Napatango na lang ako. Saka ko na iisipin kung ano ang kapalit na gusto niya. Ang importante hawak ko na ang makakapagbagsak sa konde. 

"Consider it done, Lord Levine." Tiniklop ko pabalik ang scroll na hawak ko. I motioned my hands to keep the scrolls. 

"Then our meeting is done." Akmang tatayo na ako nang biglang lumitaw sa gilid ng upuan ko si Levine. Kanina lang nasa harapan ko siya ngayon nandito na sa tabi ko. Kabute ba siya? 

"That is not how it should be done. Negotiations must be marked by a blood contract, Your Holiness." Iginulong ko ang mga mata ko. Kinuha ko ang maliit na hair pin sa ulo ko upang sugatan ang hintuturong daliri ko. 

Tinapat ko ang daliri kong may konting dugo sa mukha niya. His eyes landed on the tip of my finger. Like a robot programmed what to do, his mouth swallowed my finger. Pakiramdam ko nanayo ang balahibo ko sa batok nang dumampi ang labi niya sa balat ko. 

Nagtagpo ang tingin naming dalawa. With his lips pressed on my finger, I felt his tongue moved to lick the remaining blood. I tried to remove my finger from his mouth, pero hinabol niya ang daliri ko. This time, he sucked my blood as if his life depended on it. 

"Lamok ka ba?" Mahina itong natawa bago bitawan ang daliri ko. A mark appeared in my finger and his neck. 

"There you go." He beamed at me and waved his hand. "See you around, Your Holiness!" I rolled my eyes and went back to my room after that. 

Hindi na rin ako natulog at napagpasyahan na lang basahin lahat ng dokumentong binigay niya sa akin kanina. Count Orestilla is sick in the head. He molested more than fifty women in the capital, especially those from poor families. He stole thousands of hectares from farmers who could not afford to have their land titled because it cost hundreds of gold. 

I stretched my arms in the air. Tumatanda na 'ata ako masyado. Ilang oras na akong nakaupo sa kuwarto ko at nangangalay na leeg ko pati likod ko. This is not the type of back pain I'm expecting. 

"Your Holiness?" I heard a knock on the door. It was Fifteen. 

"Come in." Pagpasok niya ay nabanaad ko kaagad ang pag-aalala sa mukha niya. 

"What happened?" She handed me a navy blue envelope. When I saw the mark on the seal, I smiled. 

It arrived sooner than expected. 

𝘛𝘰: 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢 𝘝𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘢
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮: 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦
𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵: 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒/𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑
YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO APPEAR ON THE FOLLOWING DATE AND TIME

TIME: 1:00 PM 
DATE: FRIDAY NEXT WEEK
PLACE: CAPITAL COURT OF JUSTICE (#ROOM 23)

𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘. 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓.

Dumampot ako ng butter cookie sa maliit na jar at kalmado itong kinain habang nakatingin sa envelope na hawak ko. I glanced at Fifteen who was hyperventilating. Nakita ko ang pamumutla niya. I gave her an assuring smile. 

"Everything will be fine, Fifteen." Binalik ko sa pagtiklop ang envelope nang may ngisi sa labi. 

I received the summon just as planned. That will be my final step. All I need to do is to set up a coincidental meeting with the judge. 

Judex Caelus Lamborne, I need you to obey me, your honor. 

G O L U C K Y C H A R M