29 Unexpected Visit Part 2

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

I resist to believe that all the women who have stepped into my life so far, have been so bold and too expressive about what they wanted, and how they wanted to handle things. Since when did girls, or women, start to be so fearless and liberated? I miss the 19th century; those were the Maria Clara times. Maria Clara is the heroine in Noli Me Tangere, a novel by Jose Rizal, our national hero. She symbolizes purity and innocence of a sheltered native woman during the time of Spanish occupation. As an expression in my country, when we say Maria Clara times, we are referring to the time when women were conservative, wearing a Filipiniana dress, also known as 'traje de mestiza.' Those were the days when Filipina women didn't dare make the first move on men.

For some reason, I didn't mind that Camila and Serena were so liberated, but with Princess Nicolette, I had high hopes that she wouldn't be as daring and spontaneous. I was hoping that she would be different. That she would be conservative, innocent, and someone who would value marriage. When she casually talked about marriage and consummation as if it didn't hold significance to my values, I was highly disappointed. Even if it was the last and only resort to get her power back, she shouldn't have considered it so easily.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Justin asked.

I dragged him to his room after being speechless over Princess Nicolette's so-called absolute plan, or final solution to get her power back. I was too surprised and upset, but I didn't want her to know that. I didn't want to give an impression that I wasn't interested in marrying her, but I also didn't want to give an impression that I wanted to marry her, just so she could get her power back.

With both my hands on top of my head, I sat anxiously with my back pinned against the chair matching Justin's desk. The concern on his face was just as heavy as mine, sitting on his bed across me with his eyebrows almost meeting.

"I have no idea what to do," I said as I slouched and rested my arms on my lap, clasping my hands. I looked at Justin, hoping he would find the answer for me.

"You're in deep shit."

"That's not really helping. I was hoping that you'd know what I ought to do."

"But I don't know what you should do, so you're in deep shit."

"Thanks a lot." My sarcasm increased the burden in his face.

"I think you're forgetting that I'm your guardian. Why won't you ever ask for my help?" Justin and I were surprised to see Procopio by the door. With his tiny figure, he managed to close the door behind him by leaning and pushing it with his back.

"Procopio, don't leave Princess Nicolette alone there. Justin and I just need to think this through."

He walked towards us, and stopped in between me and Justin, facing me. "I would have to agree with Princess Nicolette. It has been an ongoing discussion since you accidentally got crowned and acquired her power. Marrying you, so that she can mate with you, has always been the first and final solution. It just took a while for Princess Nicolette to accept that, which is why she went through some lengths to figure out what other options were there. You have no idea what she had been through after you left. She didn't stop researching and travelling to other parts of the Underworld to consult other clans whose ancestors have worked for the royal family. This is not an easy thing for her to do as well."

"That was not the impression I got when she just casually told me of the absolute plan to marry and consummate with me to get her power back. She made it seem like it wasn't a big deal at all. Like she didn't value marriage, and I didn't expect that at all from her."

"You are wrong. She values marriage. She was just putting a front. A brave front. Although it came out different from how it was supposed to be, she gathered all the courage to say that to you. It may not have been her best acting debut experience because she'd never had to act before, but she had been practicing that line even before you left, and she just couldn't seem to say it. All of us knew from the start that that was the only solution. It took her nearly two weeks to finally accept that if she wants to get her power back, this is the best that she could do. I'm sure she's feeling really scared to be rejected right now. She wanted to be casual about it, so that in case you reject her, she wouldn't feel too foolish."

I let out a big sigh and looked at Justin who seemed like he understood what he was explaining, then I looked back at Procopio. "How can you be so sure of her own feelings?"

"Well, I've seen and heard everything with my own two eyes and ears. Also, I've been her guardian since she was born, so if there's someone who knows her well, it's me. Not her mother, not her father, but me. I was there during the most critical times when she needed her parents. You may think she's spoiled and rude and all that, but that's just a shield she built for herself, so that she'd stop getting hurt by people she love. Please give her a chance. You're all that she's got right now."

My heart connected with Procopio's great concern towards Princess Nicolette. It did feel like she only had her own self to solve this, and I was the only one who could help her. "I appreciate you telling me all this, Procopio."

"What do you think, bro?" I asked Justin.

"Proc's the most reliable advisor you have right now bro, so you'd better listen to him. And I can genuinely understand what Princess Nicolette might be feeling right now. She must already be thinking about how she should react in case you reject her. She must be feeling really worried about your response."

"Yeah, I do understand her too, somehow. If I were in her shoes, I would've been too scared that I'd probably just give up getting back this power and just move on without it. If she was able to find the courage to risk being rejected, then that means this power is highly important to her." I stood up. "Let's go and join her now. She might be feeling lonely and alone in there. She's in a different world, she should never feel left out."

Justin nodded. "Okay, let's go."

When we all got back to our places in the dining room, Princess Nicolette was smiling awkwardly with her arms crossed. And as soon as I sat down, I noticed that she kept wiggling her feet, not out of excitement like when she gulped her first can of Coke, but more of because she was probably nervous and fidgety.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting here. Do you want some water?"

"Yes, please." She said without eye contact, looking at her toes underneath the table.

After fetching a pitcher of cold water from the fridge and pouring some on a glass, I handed it to her. She gulped everything so fast, then continued to wiggle her feet and stare at her toes. I felt bad for thinking negatively of her, and at the same time, glad that she valued marriage just like I do. "Let's do it." I said as I moved my chair closer to her. "Let's get married."

She looked me in the eye and let out a big sigh. When she smiled, I almost forgot that the main reason why we were getting married was to consummate and get her power back. It felt more like fate had brought us together in the name of love.

With that thought in mind, I suddenly felt ridiculous. My eyes got wider as I cringed at my own mawkishly sentimental thought, so I shook my head to shun it. "Are you 100% sure you want to do this?"

She nodded.

"Then, if I may. Can I ask you a favor?"

Again, she responded with a simple nod.

"Can you please forget that you asked me to marry you? I want to re-do the proposal thing and do it the proper way. I want to be the one to propose to you, will that be okay?"

She looked confused.

"I just feel like I've always been robbed of making the first move when it comes to women, so I was wondering if you could give me a chance to be the man that I want to be. I want to be the one to propose to you when the time is right."

She nodded, and kept wiggling her feet.

"You seem so speechless. Is there something wrong?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"I want to pee."

I couldn't help but chuckle. Damn it, she's too cute.