Nefarious

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Painting

Kinabukasan ay tinanghali ulit ako ng gising dahil madaling-araw na ulit nakauwi. Hinatid ako ni Konstantine pero tumangging mamalagi sa bahay para maglipas ng gabi nang alukin ko. Habang inaayos ang bakuran ay may nakitang isang palumpon ng mga pulang rosas. Napanguso ako dahil hindi pwedeng galing iyan sa aking mga tanim dahil wala pa ngang tumutubo. Naligo ako at nagbihis bago nagpasyang pumunta ulit sa kapit-bahay.

"Aba ginoong Maria, napupuno ka ng grasya..."

Ang mga madreng ay umabot na malapit sa aking bahay sa kakadasal. Si Mayor Ben at ang ilang mga pari ay patuloy na nagbabasbas sa mga talahiban. Dinuro nito ang natatanaw na kastilyo. Humarap doon ang mga pari at nagsimula nang magbasbas.

Naglakad na lang ako papasok sa gubat.

Ang ilang minutong paglalakad sa katanghaliang-tapat ay hindi maalinsangan. Hindi masakit sa balat ang mga sinag ng araw dahil bukod sa makulimlim ay hile-hilera ang nagtataasang mga puno. Naghahalo ang luntiang mga d**o at asul na himpapawid nang makalabas na ako. Naroon ang kastilyo, nakaupo sa dulo ng isang bangin na hindi makita ang dulo kung sakaling malalaglag man ako ng bato.

"Ikaw na naman, magandang binibini! Magandang tanghali!" bungad ni Alejandro.

"Hello!" kaway ako rito.

Nilahad niya ang kamay sa akin at bahagyang yumuko katulad ng laging ginagawa. Gusto ko na itong patiligin at kahit ang pagtawag sa akin ng binibini.

"Pinakinggan ko ang pag-uusap niyo kagabi sa loob ng silid-aklatan. Gustong-gusto ka ni Konstantine! At gustong-gusto mo rin siya!"

Napanguso ako habang naglalakad. Ang pagpigil ko sa kunot-noo ay napunta naman sa pag-iinit ng mga pisngi.

"Shhh, Alejandro! H-Hindi ko naman siya gusto..." Sumimangot ako.

Nangunang maglakad si Alejandro at patalikod na humakbang. Ang kaniyang inosenteng pagmumukha ay ngising-ngisi na ngayon.

"Kung hindi mo siya gusto ay ano? Ito ba ang tinatawag na 'crush' sa modernong pag-iibigan ngayon?"

Kahit umaasim ang mukha ay natawa ako. Ang tunog ay bumanda kaagad sa mga matataas na pader ng kastilyo.

"Alam mo, ang daldal mo! Ikaw nga, iba ang tingin mo kay Therese e!"

Nang pumula ang napakaputi nitong mukha ay ebidenteng-ebidente. Mas lalo akong natawa. Sabi ko na nga ba! Nahalata ko kaagad ang kakaibang tingin niya kay Therese!

"H-Hindi ko ninanais maging nobya ang kagalang-galang na si Therese. Hindi maaari. Hindi pwede. Marami akong responsibilidad para sa kamahalan."

"Yiiiee! Ikaw ha!"

"Hindi pa ako handing umibig! Tumigil ka, binibini!"

Tawa ako nang tawa hanggang sa makarating kami sa itaas. Naabutan ko kaagad si Therese na naglilinis ng mga nakasabit na palamuti. Yumukod ito bago nagpatuloy sa ginagawa. Mas lalo tuloy akong natawa.

Habang naglalakad ay napapatingin ako sa mga bintana. Hindi ko alam na ganito na pala kataas ang aming naabot. Sobrang tayog ng kastilyo sa malayuan pero ngayong ako na mismo ang nasa loob ay nakakalula.

Tumagilid ang ulo ko nang makita ang malaking aso ni Konstantine na si Cerberus, nakikipaghabulan sa baba. Labas ang dila at winawagwag ang mahabang buntot. Para bang may kalaro itong siya lang ang nakakakita.

"Celeste Ambrosia. Paparating!" Alejandro announced in his loud, booming voice.

I slightly flinched. I made a mental note to add that as well to the things that I wanted to discuss with him.

The large double doors of the library opened on its own, revealing the unending bookshelves vacating the majority of the space. Konstantine was already there, holding a glass of red wine.

"My lady," he angled his head.

Nagbigay ako ng isang maliit na ngiti na tinaasan niya lamang ng kilay. Kumikislap ang mga mata nito na pilit sinusundan ang akin. I remembered my promise to him and how delusional I must have sounded. Like he said, change would become the town's destruction but it wasn't about that. Just the way I reacted when I realized I tolerated the town's crude behavior to me but couldn't when it was about him and his castle.

Konstantine's eyes followed all the steps I took when I came up to him.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He asked knowingly.

Tumango ako, hindi makatingin.

"Ikaw? Nakatulog ka?" mahina kong tanong.

Lumipas ang katahimikan sa pagitan naming dalawa. Tanging ginawa ko lang ay tingnan ang aking mga sandalyas sa kaniyang makintab na sahig. Hindi bagay. Maputik at walang maibubuga. Nang sinubukan kong harapin ang kaniyang mga mata ay masuyong naghihintay ang mga ito, ang maliit na kurba sa gilid ng labi ay umuukit.

"I don't sleep...." He shook his head playfully.

"Nahuli nga kita kagabi noong kadarating ko..." I whispered, involuntarily twirling my body.

"Nakapikit lang ako at hinihintay kang makarating, Celeste," he chuckled.

Napayuko na lang ulit ako, inaabala ang sarili sa mga eleganteng disenyo ng sahig. Parang mga ugat na nag-uunahan pero hindi alam kung saan naman ang umpisa at dulo. Sinubukan ko ulit sumilip sa kaharap. Mababa ang bukas ng mga talukap nito, ang malalantik at mahahabang mga pilik-mata ay humahalik sa pisngi. Kumukurba na naman ang gilid ng kaniyang mga labi.

"Celeste..." Konstantine called, his voice light and amused.

I sighed and looked up at his dark, intimidating yet seductive eyes. The mysterious glint was there in its two onyx orbs. Its sharp corners changes at the very little push - when he was angry, annoyed, and sleepy, when he was amused and looking down at me like what he was doing right now.

Mailap man ay hindi ko na kailangang hanapin pa ang kaniyang mga matang nanlalambing at nanunuyo.

"Ehem! Oh! Ehem!" maingay na ubo ni Alejandro sa gilid.

In a second, Konstantine's eyes looked murderous, its lines hardening. I took a step to go behind him, slightly touching his cape and fighting back a giggle.

"What is it, Alejandro?" his annoyed voice.

"A-Ah! Nais kong itanong kung ano ang nais na kainin ng magandang binibini para sa tanghalian. At para sa'yo, aking mahal, ay alam kong paborito mo ang pulang---"

"Alejandro..." Konstantine lazily held his hand up, stopping the poor servant.

He took a few steps near Alejandro. They began to exchange words that I was far enough to be able to decipher so I busied myself looking around. Aside from the insane number of books and its bookshelves, the library also boasted the different portraits hanging on its every wall. They varied in sizes and shapes but the classic vintage palette was always present.

When I looked back at the two, both were staring at me like I was some kind of apparition. They must have been doing that for quite some time when I was busying myself with these portraits.

"Kamukhang-kamukha, kamahalan. Nakakapagtaka..." bulong ni Alejandro.

Kunot na kunot ang noo ni Konstantine, tensyunado ang mga balikat at bukas-sara ang mga kamao. Nanatili akong nakatayo. Dinuro ako ni Alejandro ngunit napag-alaman kong hindi ako kung hindi ang nasa itaas ko.

The largest portrait one yet hanged on the wall. Its intricate frame was polished golden, glinting mercilessly in the air. It had the same old and dirty color palette but the woman smiling in the painting made it seem like it was the brightest of them all.

She sported a loose braid, a pink ribbon, and a flower securing its ties. She wore a red corset but I couldn't tell if it was a dress because the painting ended just below her chest. It wasn't a full-blown smile that she carried neither it was a tempting one but it was what I seemed to be missing these days. Contentment.

Aside from being the largest portrait, it was also the nearest one at the fireplace and the only one that dared to hang above it. I looked at the large chair where Konstantine almost slept last night. The book that he didn't or couldn't finish sat on it. It was all positioned under the big, lovely painting – the image of his wife, frozen in time and living in eternity.

The beautiful, smiling woman in the painting was his wife. There's no doubt in it.

"Celeste," Konstantine called.

Alejandro has already left, leaving us both in the lonely library.

"She's very pretty." I forced out a smile.

Konstantine didn't say anything. He only watched me.

"I like her hair..." Which was a strawberry blond. It looked so soft. It must've been soft.

I could hear his breaths that were spiking a little. The hollowness it left on my chest was too raw. It felt like someone was taking out my heart and ripping it in two. Only someone as strong as Konstantine could do that, ripping out my heart and split it in half.

"She must've been a lovely wife..." I muttered.

"Enough, Celeste."

Silence passed between us once more.

"Let's go to the courtyard," he declared with finality but when I looked up, it was the same gentle eyes that were begging mine.

I remained quiet, not being able to process how someone like him begs for someone like me.

"Please..." he pressed.

Dahan-dahan ay tumango rin ako. Ito na ang naunang naglakad. Tanging ang kaniyang itim at mahabang kapa lang ang aking tinitingnan habang sumusunod. May nagsasabi sa aking kahit hindi niya ako lingunin ay malalaman at malalaman niya kung tatakbo ba ako paalis o hihinto na lang bigla.

In my perspective, the courtyard might be bigger than the whole town of Legada itself. Green patches of land were trimmed short and tidy, some spots looking like little hills with their soft bumps. The shrubbery surrounding the castle walls had different sizes and colors, looking like bright green clouds that were molded into spiraling shapes.

Only one kind of flower had the luck of a lifetime to live in its fertile soil. Bloody red roses. They were everywhere. On the flowerbeds, on the shrubs, and on the small man-made pond.

"Ang ganda..." Nilibot ko ang tingin sa paligid bago huminto sa mga mata ni Konstantine na sa akin lang nakatingin.

"Sobra," bulong niya.

Napanguso ako. Nakikita ko na sina Therese na hinahanda ang pagkain sa isang tabi.

"Let's now discuss how we'll start proving the town wrong. I was thinking of having a ball in your great hall. Imagine having a masquerade ball in it---"

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that."

Napangisi ako.

"But an idea as grand as that will have to wait. We need to start small and take baby steps."

Tumaas lang ang kilay ni Konstantine, hindi nagugustuhan ang naririnig. Hindi ko nakakalimutan ang sidhi ng damdamin sa kaniyang mga mata noong gabing ipinangako ko ang natitira kong buhay para ipagtanggol siya at ang kaniyang kastilyo laban sa bayang ito.

"First, you need to go out. Not in this shadowy courtyard that you call 'outside'. You really need to go out like...out..." Tinuro ko ang natatanaw na sentro ng Legada sa malayo.

"Then I would need an umbrella," he grumbled.