To Marry The Prince

Chapter 7: Online

"Bye guys! Thank you so much for visiting!" sa wakas, pinanood na rin ni Aliyah ang pag alis nila Dan at Emily sa unit niya. Finally, she can breathe again. The poor girl can finally do things that she want to do. And of course, the first thing that came in her mind is to cry.

Napupuno na talaga siya ngayon ng napakaraming emosyon. Nalilito na siya kung ano ba talaga ang gusto niyang gawin.

Nakatingin siya sa harapan ng salamin para kwestunin ang kan' yang sarili.

"Bakit?" She asked. "Bakit ko gagawin ang lahat para sa kan'ya? Bakit kahit na anong kapalit pa ang naroon para sa akin, bakit kahit na mahaba na ang listahan ng mga masamang mangyayari sa akin, nandito pa rin ako at pinipili na sumuong? Anong mali sa utak ko?" hindi niya na naiintindihan ang sarili niyang pag- iisip.

Ganoon na ba talaga kasama ang mundo para paglaruan siya nang ganito? Bakit siya pa ang sinusubok? "Hay, Aliyah, ano ba? Pumili ka naman ng para talaga sa'yo. Huwag kang masyadong magpadala sa pangangailangan ng iba! Unahin mo ang sarili mo," pinagsabihan niya ang sarili sa harapan ng salamin habang dinuduro- duro ito.

"Ang daling isipin, pero kahit na ilang ulit ko pa na subukan, hindi ko naman magagawa. Kailan pa ba ako tatanggi sa lahat? Ayaw kong sirain ang kinabukasan ng buong kaharian," her eyes widened as the excuse came right out of her mouth.

"Tama! 'Yon nalang ang iisipin ko. Hindi ko puwedeng tanggihan si Queen Olivia, at para ito sa buong Aztariya. How dare you Aliyah, this is not even about you. It's for the whole kingdom, you have no right to be selfish!"

She faked my own smile to convince herself. It miserably failed. Rather, it made her feel the emptiness inside of her intensify. She always does this, pick to help out others while hurting her own

"That's right Aliyah, you got this. Hindi ito tungkol sa nakaraan na gusto mong makalimutan 'to, 'wag kang mag alala. Hindi ito konektado sa hinanakit mo sa kan'ya. This is about helping the palace, move on and do what you need to do!"

Pinilit niya na kumbinsihin ang sarili niyang pag iisip para sa susunod ay hindi na siya mahirapan muli sa pag dedesisyon. Wala naman na siyang ibang kailangan pa na problemahin kung 'yan ang iisipin niya, dahil simple lang ang rason, hindi dahil sa kung ano ang nasa pagitan nilang dalawa ni Prince Kairo. Tama, hindi niya na 'yon kailangan na bigyan ng pansin. 'Yan ang pinili niyang paniwalaan kaysa tanggapin na kahit na gusto niyang tulungan si Prince Kairo, naroon pa rin ang kakarampot na pag asa sa loob niya. Pag- asa na mas pipiliin niyang patayin kaysa pagtuunan ng pansin.

"Why would you feel hurt Aliyah? You just met him, you know nothing about him," as if she's internalizing for a role she's about to play, she's conditioning herself in front of the mirror. She always does this when she wants to be in the place of the character that she's about to play. Now she's trying to do it in real life.

Pumasok sa isipan niya ang masayang mukha ng lalaki. He looked younger on those thoughts, his smile looked different from what she saw last night. They were more carefree and genuine, he looked really, really at peace before.

Unintentionally, Aliyah closed her eyes to cherish the moments. Malinaw niyang nakikita ang napakaguwapong lalaki na naroon sa harapan niya. He opened up a can of soda for her. He even checked the temperature of it, hindi kasi puwede sa vocal chords ni Aliyah ang sobrang malamig, mabilis siyang mapaos. Nang tignan ni Aliyah ang suot niyang jersey jacket, lubog ang mga palad niya rito, suot niya ang damit ng lalaki para hindi siya ginawin habang nasa may wishing well sila ng napakalaki at napakagandang university.

She forced her eyes open once she realized that she's day dreaming, going back to the moment when everything felt right. When she's in the best place she could think of, when everything was perfect. When there was the man right beside her, watching her smile, listening to her dumbest stories.

Hindi niya na namalayan na tumutulo ang mga luha niya.

"That's not him," she convinced herself. "That one in my memory, that's Hiro. He's not Prince Kairo," she remembered the name that the Prince used to use to conceal his real identity. "Aliyah, he's not the same person. He's not the one you knew- oh," she forced the saddest chuckle in the world. "Nakilala ko ba siya? His whole identity with me was a lie... oh sh*t, how stupid can I be?"

Ramdam na ramdam niya ang bawat kirot ng puso niya. Niyakap niya ang mga tuhod habang siya ay umupo sa sahig at ibinaon sa mga braso niya ang kan'yang mukha habang nakatungo sa kan'yang tuhod.

Her loud sobs filled the entire room. Ganitong- ganito ang nangyari sa kan'ya noon. Sa unang beses na mapanood niya sa balita kung sino ang ipinakilalang Prinsipe ng bansa niya.

Parang gumuho ang buong mundo niya nang malaman niya na ang lalaking bigla nalang siyang iniwanan at nakipaghiwalay sa kan'ya sa text ang naroon at kumakaway sa tabi ng Reyna. Doon niya lang napaintindi sa sa sarili niya na sa buong relayson nila, isa lang ilusyon lahat.

Pero ngayon kailangan niyang lunukin ang lahat ng sakit para masunod niya ang kailangan niyang gawin.

But right now she knows that she has a role that she has to fill. She can forget everything, she can even forget her own. And that's just because she's Aliyah Grace. She is really that selfless.

"I can act," she stated. "Right?"

But you wont be happy.

She shake that thought out of her head, "That's not the point," she whispered. "I can make that sacrifice, hindi mas importante ang sarili kong emosyon kaysa sa kinabukasan ng buong nation."

Talagang pinipilit niya na palakasin ang loob niya para maibigay na niya ang opisyal niyang desisyon.

"A Princess! That's a dream, right?" tumango- tango pa siya. "I'll be a princess! That's what every girls dreamed of, that's not bad...It's fun... right?"

Buntong hininga lang ang isinagot niya sa repleksyon ng babaeng puno ng luha. Tumayo nalang siya at nagtungo pabalik sa kan' yang kama.

When she chose to grab her tablet to open up her private social media account, the first thing that popped up on her feed is a photo of the current Prince.

"He does look good," she answered the caption that states, "He's so handsome, right?" she traced the jaw of the man on the photo. Looks like this was taken from when the Prince is outside, eating at a restaurant with his friends. Tinignan niya ang dami ng mga likes at comments. Kaya lang napasimangot siya ng makita na puro lang tungkol sa itsura niya ang magagandang komento. At triple ng mga 'yon ang lahat ng masasamang sinasabi nila tungkol sa lalaki.

"He will be so sad if he read these-" she cut of herself. "No Aliyah, you wouldn't know what the Prince would think," she said and dried out the tears that are forming in her eyes again.

"Walang kuwentang anak! Sisirain lang niya ang linya ng mga Raven!"

"Sana hindi nalang siiya ipinanganak kung ganito na ibabagsak lang niya ang Aztariya."

"Dapat si Prince Tyler nalang ang susunod na maging hari. Masyadong masama itong isang ito, baka siya pa ang pumatay sa Reyna."

"Prince Kairo is good looking. 'Yon lang ang mayroon siya. Kaya nga imbis na pagtuunan niya ng pansin ang sambayanan, pinipili niyang bumuntis ng napakaraming babae at takbuhan nalang lahat. Nakakasuka!"

Nararamdaman niyang sumasakit ang dibdib dahil sa nababasa niya. This is a level of hate that she never experienced before. Ngayon palang niya naisipan na basahin kung ano ang tingin ng mga tao kay Prince Kairo at hindi na niya maatim na ipagpatuloy ang binabasa. She felt so hurt and sad for him.

"He can't be like this, he loves his mother so much," nagbabago na ang boses niya dahil sa sipon. Pati ang masasamang itinapon nila kay Prince Kairo ay dinamdam niya. "Why are they so mean? Ako nga na personally sinaktan at ginawan niya ng masama hindi ko magawang murahin man lang siya. Ano ang karapatan nin'yong lahat na sabihan si Hiro ng gan'yan?" sinampal niya ang sarili niyang mga labi. "He's not Hiro, he's Prince Kairo."

She scrolled over to the next post. And she saw a photo of somebody hugging two women at the same time right outside a motel. This is the newly released alleged photo of the Prince and her two girls.

Binabasa ni Aliyah ang bawat masasakit na komento na gusto ng mamatay ang Prinsipe, pati na rin mga masasamang salita kung papaano siya bilang isang tao. Naroon pa nga at tinatawag siyang salot sa kaharian, mas mainam pa raw kung ialay nalang siya at katayin sa isang orasyon. Ganoon raw ang ginagawa sa mga demonyo na nabuhay.

She opened up the picture to carefully look at it once more, "This man doesn't even have shoulder's like Prince Kairo. Ang lapad kaya ng mga balikat no'n. Paano nila sasabihin na siya itong patpatin na 'to? Tsaka hello, a motel like this? He doesn't do that."

Ngayon ay imbis na malungkot, nagagalit na siya sa mga nakikita niya. This is not what she expects to see. She expected something bad, yes, but to see massive amount of people telling him online that in order to save the citizens, he should just hang himself or take his own life... that's too much. Alam niya na may accounts ang mga royalties ngunit hindi sila mismo ang may hawak ng mga 'yon. Pero alam niya rin na isa sa mga hilig ng lalaking minsan ay kilalang- kilala niya ang pag tambay online.

"She must have seen all of these," she sadly said to herself. Pinindot ni Aliyah ang isang button sa sulok ng screen niya. It showed all the people that she blocked with her private account. And the only profile listed on there was the account that belongs to someone who put up the username Liyah's Hiro.

She have always blocked the same account on any profile she makes. Just to stop herself from checking it once she gets too delusional or too drunk. But today she chose to unblock him on this account that he wouldn't recognize.

As soon as she unblocked him, the posts of on this account popped up.

She still recognizes the cute drawing of a sunflower as his profile picture, she did that one, years ago.

Seeing that made her think that he have never used this account again. But she saw a post written a week ago.

"Oh my God," she trembled and sobbed as she read the post.

"Yeah, why was I born? Can someone save me? Please?"