AQR1: A Peerless Genius from Two Cities [COMPLETED]

42: Futile Attempt

Diana clenched her fist.

Her situation now is too hard. Her family is angry at her for giving them shame to the whole Grey City. Ayos lang sana if her father was able to contain the news but it spreads so much to point na ultimanong sa bayan ay nakaabot ang balita.

People are now talking behind her. Kesyo daw she is a seductress, na sinadya niya ang nangyari dahil hindi niya gusto na minamatchmake ng Emperor sila Prince Vio at Emy.

Maaatim pa sana niya ang ibang balita tungkol sa kanya eh. But not those that are attached with Emy's name.

Hindi rin siya pinapansin ni Prince Vio. Ang dami dami pa niyang plano. Ni hindi pa nga siya naaannounce as Crown Prince. Paano na lamang kung makaapekto ito sa kanya?

And he was trying his best to please their father. But now, it was Sebastian who has the most favor at the moment.

Matapos itong ipadala ng Papa niya sa isang mission, madalas na silang nag-uusap ng sila lang. Sebastian, the Emperor, the Prime Minister and the Minister of War. All the trusted people of the Emperor and he is not one of them.

At mas lalo pang lumala ang sitwasyon dahil sa scandal na ito.

Diana wants to rectify the situation but she can't find any.

The only thing she has at the moment was the Black Council and even that was in crumbling. Iilan na lang ang members niya. At umaasa na lang siya kay Prince Vio para magmukhang marami ang mga tao niya.

But now that he is not supporting her anymore, ramdam na ramdam niya kung gaano kalaki ang damage ang nagawa ng White Queen sa kanya.

That White Queen and that bitch Emy...

They are both thorns in her throat. She needs to find a way to remove them out.

***

The past few days, pinag-isipang mabuti ni Diana ang mga dapat niyang gawin. She's recalling everything that happened in the past hanggang sa present.

What could have gone wrong? What could she have done better?

She is not an idiot. If it is just about strategies, she won't be easily taken down.

The most impacting factor na nakikita niya kung bakit ganito ang nangyayari is the fact that she was being complacent. That and the fact that she had focused on wrong things.

Nadala siyang masyado sa White Queen na hindi niya napansin that someone is already moving in the background to throw her out of her to pull her wings one by one.

She also admits that she was too proud then. That she had probably felt it but it just that she couldn't accept the fact that a tiny speck can shake her world and get it out of balance.

But as they say, walang malaki na nakakapuwing.

Napahinga siya ng malalim as she take a look on her table. She had written down the events that had happened these past few days and reenacted it by means of chess.

And the scene on the chessboard right now is very familiar.

Napangiti siya.

So it was her all alone.

Hindi niya alam kung paano niya iyon nagawa. From stealing the White Mask, bombing the headquarters up to putting permanent scars to their perfect relationship of Prince Vio...

But one thing is for sure, Emy had shown her these scenarios before... noong mismong nakalaban niya ito sa Initiation Day. Maaaring napakalaki na ng damage na natamo niya. But it doesn't mean she can retaliate now that she had found out about these.