It's been three days since Cecilia arrived in the Philippines and it was eventful. After she stayed in Manila for one night (where she saw the secret surveillance His Majesty deployed to watch over her, so she secretly left Manila), she proceeded to Tagaytay since the place is on her number one list, and boy, it was really amazing.
She didn't expect the people around her to be so hospitable and they even find her amazing how she could communicate with them in Tagalog fluently. Talk about taking Filipino language lessons for three years. Her hard work finally paid off.
Not just that, they didn't even lwt her feel left out. They treated her like one of them and she belongs with them, not just a foreigner that just came in the Philippines for the first time. (and also, she didn't even feel like she's a goddamn Crown Princess from another country).
Until now, Cecilia couldn't figure out how she managed to convince her dad to give her a month of freedom. She even thought that he wouldn't agree on her proposal and he would just restrict her or even ground her. But the moment she said she wouldn't back out of the engagement or even the wedding with Duke Rowan, he agreed just like that.
She shrugged. He really wants me to marry that duke, huh?
She couldn't help but sigh as she read a certain Tagalog romance pocketbook that she bought from the bookstore the other day. The story is all about a rich heiress who fell in love with a poor farmer. It was cliché in her opinion, but she didn't know why she was so fascinated by the rich girl-poor man troupe like this. Although she was still struggling a little while reading the Filipino novel, she still loved to read it.
Maybe because she could relate herself to the female main character.
"Here's your order po," a waiter spoke to her as he put a bowl on her table.
"Oh, thank you—" Cecilia stared at the bowl in front of her. It was a light colored soup that has a bone of some sort and has a fat attached to it. It has a cabbage, corn on the cob, scallions, onions, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce of some sort. She had no idea what's the food in front of her. "A-ah, ano… can I ask what is this?"
The waiter looked confused the moment she asked him but he still managed to answer her. "Bulalo po iyan, Ma'am. That'swhat you ordered from Leslie's Espesyal menu. That's one of the best-selling food of Leslie's. Your Tagaytay vacation will never be complete without trying our Bulalo."
"Oh, that's good to hear! Let me have a taste." Cecilia managed to have a scoop on the Bulalo's soup and tasted it. Her eyes sparkled the moment she tasted the soup. "Wow, it was so good! Masarap!"
"Mabuti naman po at nagustuhan po ninyo," the waiter told her as he put a plate on her table. "This is also one of the best-selling desserts of Leslie's. This is the Turon De Leslie."
"Woah, by the looks of it, this looks delicious." Cecilia flaunted a grin towards the waiter. "Salamat." Thank you.
"Enjoy your food po," he said and left ger to eat.
Cecilia indeed enjoyed her food a lot, up until the last scoop.
The princess, disguising as an ordinary person, spent her day by going to the tourist spots in Tagaytay. From the first tourist spot in her bucket list which is the Picnic Grove where she first tried the cable car riding. Then she went to the Sky Ranch Tagaytay where she first tried to ride the Ferris Wheel, much for her astonishment.
It was ridiculous that at the age of twenty-two, it's her first time riding on one. Hindi rin s'ya masisisi ng kahit sino. She came from the royal family where they have a tight security measures and their movements are monitored all the time for their security. She couldn't get out that easily even though she usually sneaks out of the palace. When she was a kid, she couldn't experience going to amusement parks like normal kids, one thing that she envy the most when she usually listened to the palace maids that they usually had outings with their lovers, families, friends, or even children.
Cecilia couldn't help but slightly get teary eyed, recalling her experiences being a kid who couldn't experience a proper childhood because of her status as the Crown Princess of Eshasea, the heir to the throne, the future queen.
This is the freedom she's been craving all her life, and now, she's finally enjoying and savoring it.
Lastly, she went to one of famous tourist spots of Tagaytay, the Taal Volcano and Lake. The first time she saw the said place was she felt captivated by the beauty of the place that she couldn't help but take lots and lots of pictures. She even took a selfie herself yet she wasn't satisfied about it.
She looked around, trying to find something or someone perhaps. I badly need someone to freaking take a photo of me in this scenery!
A man caught her attention, just standing a few meters away from her. The mab was wearing a white polo tucked properly in his slacks and his jet-black hair was slightly messed because of the wind. He was silently looking at the Taal volcano.
Cecilia didn't know how to approach the man because she felt like she was intimidated by his aura. But, he's the only person near her and the only person she could ask a favor to.
Ah, nevermind his aura! I should definitely ask him! It's just one photo!
"U-umm, e-excuse me?" The moment she approached the man, Cecilia gasped in utter astonishment. She would admit, the man looks good with his side profile but the moment she saw him up close and the moment he looks at her, he is insanely handsome. Even though the man is looking at her blankly, his eyes is just telling her something she couldn't fathom. He has a sharp nose that matches his face, and his slightly plump lips. Kissable lips, per se.
He was even shining under the sunlight, like a Greek God.
It seemed like the guy was waiting for her to say something by how his brows were slightly creased. Immediately, she cleared her throat and asked. "Ca-Can I take a picture of you—No! I-I mean, can you take a picture of me with the Taal Volcano scenery?"
The man stared at her n silence, as if he was reading her that she couldn't help but feel a bit conscious about it. It took a second or two for him to outstretch his hand to hold her phone, much for her to feel excited. "Oh my gosh, thank you!"
The man moved away from her just to face her and aimed the phone at her. She immediately posed in front of the camera and the former took her pictures.
Click!
"Wait! Uh, can you take another photo po kung okay lang?" she immediately asked the man when he was about to return the phone. The man was silently staring at her but she still begged for him. "Please? Isa na lang po talaga. Just one."
The guy looked down at her phone before positioning it again. She widened her smile and heard her phone camera's shutter click. She, then, walked towards the guy who had just given her phone silently and left.
She looked at the pictures that the man took for her and she felt so enthralled about the results. The photos were totally gorgeous and on point. He applied the rules of third in photography to her photos even though he was just using her phone.
Is he a professional photographer?
Before the man could even leave, she immediately ran after him and held his arm. "Sir, wait lang po!"
The man turned his head at her, staring at her in silence. Cecilia didn't wait for him to say something and she fished out the souvenir that she both earlier from Sky Ranch from her bag. It was a ferris wheel keychain with the name "Ceci" attached to it.
"The pictures that you took for me, those are really beautiful. I don't know how to thank you but... I hope you'll accept the keychain. Err, you can just remove my name if you want to. It's personalized from the shop and detachable. Hahaha!"
The man looked at her again. She could see how the side of his lips curled up.
"Thank you, Ceci."
Cecilia was stunned on her spot as she looked at the man's back. She stayed there until she couldn't see him anymore and that's the time she realized that she was staring at her the whole time until he left her.
Holy mother of cheesecake, I could feel my ears melting because of his voice. Is it possible for someone to have such a deep voice or is it just deep because he was whispering? On top of that, he's so handsome and mysterious.
Oh my gosh, snap out of it, Cecilia! You're here for a vacation, not to simp on someone's face and voice, you know?! You're so embarrassing.
She sighed as she looked at the photos that the man took for her on her phone. "Such a shame…"
I couldn't even manage to ask his name.
It's already evening when Cecilia from Mahogany Beef Market. The place was her last stop for that night since she was craving for Bulalo and decided to go there. Compared to Leslie's, Mahogany Beef Market was much closer to her hotel so she decided to eat bulalo there. Before she went home, she decided to eat street food since she passed by a street food stall. It was the very first time she ate fishball, tempura, gulaman, and kwek-kwek to which she earlier called it as "egg waffles".
There were so many people walking so she decided not to hail a cab and just walk with the people. She was deeply atonished with the things around her at that moment. She remembered when she was in Eshasea, in times like this, she was accompanied with the royal knights and her childhood friend slash personal bodyguard, Childe. She couldn't enjoy watching the things around her when they usually get out of the palace for official monitoring of the establishments and lands or just make appearances of some sort. Her moves were well calculated and monitored and it was really suffocating for her. It felt like she was inside a golden cage.
But now, she was walking with the people around her that even though these people didn't know her or they didn't know each other, they're just giving their smiles at her and even greeting her, much for her to feel so much happiness. She could hear the chatters of people and even the music around them as they walk.
It felt like a breath of fresh air for her. She felt so free roaming around with the city lights embracing her and with the moon shining in the night sky.
Wait, where am I?
Cecilia noticed that the path she was taking went silent. She could barely see people around her, it even felt like there were no people around the place. She remembered that she didn't even passed the said path.
She facepalmed and immediately hit her. Confirmed, she got lost.
I am such an idiot. I didn't even notice that I got lost. Should I go back? She asked herself as she looked around. Yes, I definitely should. I couldn't find any taxis here.
"Sino ka?!"
Cecilia stopped abruptly the moment she heard a shout from one of the alleys just a few meters away from where she's standing. She could hear people fighting in one of the alleys and she knew it's dangerous for her to listen or even watch but curiosity just hit her hard at that moment and before she could even stop herself, she went to one of the alleys and peeked.
"Who are you?!"
Her eyes immediately widened when she saw two men—the first man she saw was kneeling with both his hands handcuffed and he was also put n a blind fold. The other guy had his whole face covered like a mask with an eerie happy face on it and he was pointing the gun at the former. Cecilia immediately covered her mouth to avoid herself from gasping and screaming.
"You don't need to know who I am, Montemayor."
The sound of the gunshot was ringing on Cecilia's ears. She saw how the man with a blindfold fell to the ground and she could see that the man is bathing in his own blood and dead. She could feel herself tremblimg and terrified that she backed away and decided to get out of the place. She was about to run when she accidentally stepped on an empty soft drink can and she immediately caught the criminal'sa attention. He turned his head at her and at that moment, she felt mych terrified than ever.
"Who are you?!"
Cecilia hastily stormed out of the place, running as fast as she could. She could even see and hear the killer running after her. In such panic, she fished her phone out of her bag and immediately speed dialed Childe's number, absentmindedly throwing her bag as she ran.
"Childe, please pick up! Please save me! C'mon, pick up the goddamn phone—ah!" Cecilia tripped herself that she accidentally threw her phone off her hand. She could see the killer still chasing her and even fired a gunshot much for her to flinch and scream. She was left no choice but to abandon her belonging and run as fast as she could to escape the killer.
Fuck it, Cecilia! Because of your fucking curiosity, you'll really get yourself killed!
Someone threatening her life is no new to her. Whether it's from the people who didn't like the monarch or the royal family, or just other nobles who wanted her and her father, the King dead—this is not new to her. Her father escaped few of his assassination attempts and so did she, thanks to their skilled royal guards and Childe, being the sergeant major and her personal bodyguard, she's still safe and alive.
Now, it's different. There're no royal guards around her nor Childe beside her. There's someone trying to kill her not because she's a threat to the throne by those opportunistic nobles… but because she's an innocent passerby who witnessed a freaking murder!
Bang!
"Ah!" she screamed as she ducked, dodging the bullet from the killer as she kept running as fast as she could.
The only thing she could think about at that moment is to escape the place that she even took off and threw away her shoes so she could even run faster. She screamed once again when the killer made a gunshot once again and luckily, she managed to dodge it once again.
Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut as she kept on panting, running faster as the man kept chasing her. She could feel her whole body trembling in fear and in exhaustion but she didn't surrender and forced herself to the limit of running away just to escape the killer. She bear all the bruises and wounds she got from fallingz tripping, and tumbling down while running just to get away from the insane killer who was chasing her.
She needs to get herself out alive. She needs to escape!
Out of nowhere, she saw a man leaning on a black car, smoking a cigarette and stared at somewhere she didn't know. Thanks to the moon's light and the weak street light, she could see the man a bit. She didn't know the man but that's the only help and hope she could ask to escape the killer who kept chasing her.
She looked behind her and she hissed in utter panic when she saw the man kept chasing her, aiming his gun at her once again. Without thinking twice, she ran as fast as she could towards the car that she saw.
"Help! Somebody help me! Please help me!" she shouted between her cries and pants.
It seemed like the heavens listened to her that she finally caught the man's attention. He creased his brows in confusion as he stood away from his car. Cecilia could feel herself falling to the ground but the man immediately caught her, scooping her in the process. She couldn't see the man's face anymore because of how thick and blurry her tears were. She could feel herself trembling nonstop as she hold onto the man, as if her life depended on it.
"Please, help me! Someone—someone killed a person in the alley—I saw it! He's trying to kill me too! Help—please, help me, I'm begging you! I-I don't want to die! Please help me—" She gasped, she could feel her chest tightning aa she tried herself to breath and gasp for air.
She couldn't hear anything around her and the only ones she could hear were the distant gunshots and the inaudible noises around her.
Breathe, Cecilia. Breathe! You must not die, you must not die!
"Go to that place, Ryan." That's the only thing Cecilia heard and everything went black.