I quickly left the stage and chased after the woman at the exit.
“MOMMY!” I shouted, tears welling up in my eyes as I scanned the area, but she had disappeared.
“Bessy!” Joy wrapped her arms around me in a comforting embrace.
“Bessy! That was mommy!” I sobbed, desperately searching the surroundings again, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Bessy, your mommy is dead. How could you see her here?” Joy asked, puzzled.
After class, I didn’t wait for Joy to finish packing her things; I left immediately. I had to go to the secret dorm; I needed to tell the former empress that I had seen my mother.
“What brings you here, Rhajie?” Former Empress Yanxi— or should I say, Mami La—asked, her brow furrowed.
“I-I saw mommy at school. If you don’t believe me, I’ll investigate it myself,” I said seriously.
“R-Really? Maybe you’re just imagining it?” she replied, looking confused.
I knew what I saw was real, I felt it in my bones; I couldn’t be wrong. The determination to find mom surged within me.
“Yes, Mami La,” I responded curtly.
“If you intend to, then go ahead. That will be your mission. If you fail, you won’t be the empress after 12 years,” Mami La said seriously. I felt a chill run down my spine at her words; I knew deep down that this mission wouldn't be easy for me.
I then said goodbye to Mami La and headed straight to the training room. I turned on the lights and stepped into the minor training room. I just wanted to release the stress that was burning inside me.
I quickly changed into my boxing attire and hopped into the boxing ring. There were three punching bags in the room, weighing 20 kilos, 60 kilos, and 100 kilos.
“YAHHHH!” I yelled as I charged the punching bag, throwing punch after punch.
I wound up for a flying kick, and as I landed on the ground, I delivered an uppercut to the punching bag. I jumped out of the ring and took off my boxing gloves, then turned on the 'waves of sword' training mode, quickly drawing my samurai sword. I hurled one of the samurai swords into the hole created by the waves of swords while I fought against them.
*RED ALERT.*
I was startled when the waves of sword training suddenly stopped. My brow furrowed when I spotted Venn leaning against the wall by the switch.
“Nah, you can’t strike me,” he coolly replied as I threw a samurai sword at him.
“Tsk!” I hissed in annoyance.
“Are you hiding from me because of what I said earlier?” he said, laughing.
What was he talking about? I felt like peeling his skin off alive! Aissshh! Ah, yes, I remember—if we lost or received a low score, he said he would kill me.
“Why would I hide if I can end your life?” I retorted, stepping closer to him.
“You can threaten me, but you can’t beat me,” I whispered to him seriously as I exited the training room.
I didn’t mind joking around, but when I’m in this serious mood, it’s better not to test me; you might lose your breath without even realizing it.
“Why are you so grumpy?” he asked as he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Why do you care?” I snapped irritably, freeing myself from his grip and turning my back on him.
“I’m your husband, so I have the right to know what your problem is,” he said seriously, causing me to pause.
“Wow! Husband? Yeah, husband with a loving mistress,” I retorted sarcastically, turning to leave.
Husband, huh? He calls himself a husband? He’s a jerk! Why is he still in a relationship with that b*tch when he’s already married?
But the real question is, why was I crying? Was it because of my mother or because of my situation with my jerky husband?
“Mami La, I’m leaving. Take care here,” I said as I encountered her in the living room.
“Your husband is here; have you met?” she asked, surprised.
“Yeah, but I want to be alone,” I answered sadly with a forced smile before walking away.
I looked up as I felt something drop; is it raining? Sheesh! It’s still 30 minutes until I reach Venn’s house.
I was still traversing the road without a raincoat. I revved up my motorcycle and braved the heavy rain. By the time I arrived at Venn’s house, I was completely soaked. I parked and hurried inside, greeted by a maid who handed me a towel.
“Oh dear! You’re going to catch a cold like that; you should have a raincoat in your bike’s compartment,” she said worriedly.
“Thanks, Manang. Don’t worry; I won’t get sick,” I replied with a smile as I headed upstairs to take a shower.
After my shower, I only did my assignments before heading to sleep.
The next day, as soon as I opened my eyes, I felt a throbbing headache. I massaged my temples but realized I was burning up. I quickly touched my forehead—it was hot. Even my neck felt warm. I struggled to reach the side table and grope around the cabinet to find my medicine kit. I checked my temperature—it was 38.5°. Why now?! We had an exam today!
Slowly, I forced myself to get up and wearily descended the stairs. I grabbed some bread and hastily munched on it so I could take my medicine.
“Ma’am? Why are you crying?” the maid asked, noticing my distress.
“I’m not crying; my eyes are just watery because I have a fever,” I explained, drinking some water.
“Oh no! Ma’am, why don’t you just stay home? You might get worse. T-This moment, let me get you your medicine,” she hurriedly dashed to the drawer.
“I’m going to school. Just pack me a lunch so that I can stay in my room,” I replied curtly.
She seemed like she wanted to argue, but I shook my head, so she complied and prepared my lunch.
I took a taxi to school because I couldn’t drive in my current state. When I stepped out, a bunch of students stared at me.
“What’s her deal? Why is she in a hoodie and a scarf? Is it that cold?” a snappy girl remarked, and her friend laughed along.
“Is she nerding out? Looking for a prince to rescue her? HAHAHA, yeah right!”
I ignored them and hurried to my classroom.
“Oh? What’s with the outfit?” Kythe asked with a laugh as she and Vanicris sat down in front of me.
“Where’s Joy?” I queried.
“She said she’s running late because of some mission or something, like she’s a ninja,” Vanicris chuckled.
“Hmmm,” I replied, giving them a sad smile as I turned away.
“BESSSYY!” I heard Joy’s voice ring through the classroom.
But I didn’t get up; I felt utterly miserable.
“What happened?” a deep voice resonated in my ears.
“She has a fever,” Joy replied, surprised as she touched my neck.
“WHAT?!” the two voices exclaimed in unison; it was probably Jeremiah and Venn.
“I’ll take her to the hospital,” Jeremiah announced.
“No, I’ll take her home,” Venn shot back, his tone serious.
“What?! You’re taking that b*tch home?” Cheska shouted in anger.
“I’m the President, so she’s my responsibility,” Venn stated firmly.