Chapter 6: Getting Along

The dinner in the Villan Manor was exquisite and nothing luxurious as he promised. After the meal that night, they said their goodnight with each other and went on to their separate bedrooms

Her room was situated just a walking distance away from Zeronis and Maria thought that Juana's plan of playing cupid became apparent. She chuckled at the thought of the rowdy family serving the Villan manor.

The bed came inviting her after she went out from washing. in the bathroom. She dropped down to it, glad that she finished drying her hair after half an hour of doing so. If her grandmother didn't frighten her, she would have cut her hair short. It just kept on her way most especially during her operations.

Her hair became a source of humor among her peers after countless disentanglements on protruding objects. She felt like always carrying a hero's cape with the highest possibility of getting caught up in an aircraft's FanWings.

The scent of citrus on the pillows relaxed her senses a bit. She never expected to fly Aberdeen with somebody in a private jet and had a night stay over into one of the large estates.

"There's no harm in it...I think." She muttered to herself, hugging the pillow now and curling up over the purple thick duvet. Closing her eyes, she let herself be lost on her tiredness and didn't bother locking the door or even checking her room for any camera bugs.

At the Villan manor, there might be no threat to her life there. She could tell that she could afford a peaceful sleep since she felt oddly safe for the first time in her career as an agent.

The peaceful night lulled her to succumb to her drowsiness and finally drifted off to a night of deep sleep. While she laid there in bed, she had no idea that at the door, there stood a man, training his eyes on her unmoving frame.

There was no humor on his eyes nor any sign of frivolousness on his lips as he studied her in a distance.

Moments passed when her breathing became deep and her face relaxed in a peaceful state, Zeronis strode towards the bed, reached over to fix the hair that escaped to her cheek He lost himself into her face and her subtle sigh for an apparent good dream. He smiled at that and decided to leave the girl be, locking the door as he left the room.

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On the next day, Maria woke up refreshed. She stretched idly on her bed, turning her head to the slightly drawn curtains. The light from outside streamed through it. The sun's light came gentle but vitalizing.

She sit up on her bed, stared momentarily at herself reflected in the mirror. She looked tiny on the pajama she was lent in. Juana said those belonged to Zeronis' sister. The room had also paintings she can assure to be of high value too.

Maybe the room belonged to Zeronis' sister too. Piecing one puzzle to another. Maria had an idea why it felt like a taboo to mention Zeronis' sister. Of course, curiosity hovered behind her mind and she wanted to ask.

However, she was reminded not to make any unnecessary deep connection to people she wouldn't meet again in the future. She shouldn't be intrusive on a personal matter that appeared to be yet unresolved.

"Mija, I thought you're already up."

Maria turned towards the door and found Juana in there with her welcoming wide smile.

"Good morning, Juana." she greeted.

"How would you like to have your breakfast, mija?"

Maria stood up from her bed and went to join Juana by the door. "I can join you over breakfast."

"No, I shall prepare the food at the balcony. The overlooking there is sublime. Alejandro just trimmed the garden yesterday." Juana said.

"I don't doubt it." Maria said.

"Now you wash up first while I'll have the food ready. I'll wake up that little sleepy head first and have him join you." Juana said and disappeared to where she guessed will be Zeronis' room.

There was a fondness across her face whenever she looked at Juana. She seemed like a mother she never had. Shaking her melancholic thoughts away, she went over to the bathroom to wash first. The moment she got out of the shower, a blue dress was laid down to her bed neatly which only implied that she'll be wearing those today.

The dress fit her well thankfully and Maria only glanced briefly at the mirror to check herself out. Well, it'd been too long since she wore a dress again. Mostly, she was always on her jeans and shirts as one who valued comfort and easement of movement.

But having dress herself up wasn't a bad idea either after seeing what reflected on the mirror. Her long hair even looked strangely attractive along with it.

"Okay enough," Maria muttered to herself and traced her way out the door.

Daylight seeped through the openings of the heavy curtain in the hallway which allowed Maria to see the oil paintings hanging on the wallings. She can't help but admire those. She once had a duty in transporting paintings from the art gallery when war was about to break out in a certain city in the middle east.

A young enthusiastic exhibition curator worked alongside her in the transport. That lady was also a well-known gallerist in the UK and had come along away herself in the country which had a possibility to be at war. But she didn't care much because she desired to save, in her own words, 'the human souls' conveyed through art. And that they were valuable treasures to keep.

Maria's feet halted before a four by seven meters painting. Its hugeness covered astounded her for a minute or two before she realized her mouth was agape. She carefully made a step towards it, feeling honored to see this one painting she only beheld from the books.

Her eyes trained at the bottom right corner to see the name of the name painter in there. Dated from the 1880s, there was no doubt that it was Juan Luna's work. The style of mixed realistic and representational art truly belonged to him. And like her history teacher said, the painting depicted an event during the Roman empire where two dying gladiators were stripped off of their weapons and garments. The painting also played a vital role in the Philippines' history. It was called nationalistic symbolism which rouse the patriotism of the Filipinos against the invaders.

"This is one of my favorite."

Maria's concentration was cut off when Zeronis suddenly appeared behind her. Her head slightly turned to him. "Good morning too."

Zeronis chuckled at that. "Where's my manners. Good morning."

"It's alright." Maria appeased.

"I wonder if you're lost around the house, that's why I came to fetch you."

"I was just here and this big boy caught my attention," Maria commented and raised her head to the painting again.

"Spoliarium. It means Gladiator." He said. "It was purchased from Barcelona."

"Hmm." Maria only nodded, noting on herself that the one in the main gallery of the National Museum of Fine Arts might really be just a replica. It was rumored that it was missing during the civil resistance in 1986. In fact, there were a lot of Filipino paintings that were still nowhere to be found.

When another president was seated in the power, there was a massive audit of the property in the palace and the intelligence confirmed that there were missing national properties during the inciting of chaos. In the hope to lead in peace, replicas of missing paintings were created. These replicas were treated like the originals for a very long time in the Nation's Art Gallery.

"Magnificent work," Maria commented.

Zeronis turned to her. "You know this one? This wasn't put on display since it was purchased. It's practically hidden. "

"Not hidden around here obviously," Maria remarked and met his eyes. "I may not look like it but arts fascinate me. Somehow, painting like this, bring us into the world we only wish to witness. A canvass can be filled with unspoken thousand of words with mere sketches."

"Tell me then what this one conveyed." he challenged.

Maria returned her eyes to the Spoliarium. "This rouse patriotic sentiment. The one that moved novelists to write, made the people brave their fears and sent the enemy trembling."

"No wonder this was strangely compelling," Zeronis remarked on.

"Ayayay! I've been waiting for ages on the balcony! There you are standing before this horrifying view!" Juana suddenly came, frowning at both of them.

"That's not a nice thing to say," Zeronis said to Juana.

"I can't help it, muchacho! Two dying men dragged to somewhere! Now tell me if that isn't dark! Sometimes, when I walk pass this area, I kept hearing cries!" Juana made a sign of the cross. Maria only laughed, half agreeing to Juana. Few people who saw the replica in the Philippines would also say their discomfort over it.

"Well, everyone's entitled to have their opinions." She only said.

"Let's go then. We'll visit a few wineries around the area later." Zeronis said. "Isn't that what we came here for?"

"Right." Maria almost forgot about her goal in coming to Aberdeen. She found herself enjoying Zeronis' company a lot. But she won't let him know about it. She felt that she would regret their incoming farewell after their escapade in Aberdeen.

She'll turn to another persona that was very far from the current Arya Montes she was playing at the moment. But she couldn't help but think if it was her real self who was actually smiling in front of this strange guy. She wondered...