Time Slip Romance - Chapter 3 Capitulo Iii The Commotion Within The Walled City

Aya felt flustered. She just wants to ask him about some things, but before she could speak a word, he began apologizing to her instead.

She can see that the man was anxious and he actually looked scared.

Wha-what? What now?

Why is he suddenly acting like this?

The girl helplessly held the man’s shoulder. She was trying to stop the man but damn, he’s so stubborn. He insisted on saying sorry even though she did not know what his fault is.

Ugh!’ Aya cursed in her mind. Now, everybody’s attention was on them.

She took a deep breath before the man. She said, “Anyway, that’s enough, mister, you do not have to bow!”

“Are you really a sure lady?”

“Yes, mister”

The poor man sighed in relief. It was good and he did not get punished by the foreign lady.

Because the man stopped his apology. It was Aya’s chance to talk. Thus, she began talking to the man.

“Anyway, I just want to ask something. What’s the name of this place?”

“Oh! I’m right, my lady is foreign who came from a foreign country”

“Huh, how do you say that?”

“Because of your unique costume.”

“Oh! Hehehe” Aya awkwardly laugh. Truly, the clothes she’s wearing are truly strange. If she keeps on wearing this, it’ll make her stand-out more and grab a ton of attention from people.

“Ah, Mister just answer my question. What’s the name of this place?”

“Ah pardon me my lady, but this place is the capital city, it’s called Intramuros.” the man said as he stared at the beautiful Hispanic view of the place.

Aya looked all the way around her. So this was what the infamous Intramuros looked like from the past. She just saw the past structure of this place on the internet and to some history books. He does not expect it to be so beautiful as it looks in real life. It was very different from those she had seen on the black in white pictures.

“Wow!” she exclaimed in amazement.

The man heard what the “foreign lady, ” said. He stared at the girl curiously. ‘WA-aw? What kind of word is it? ‘ The man thought.

“What did you say my lady?” No matter the man thought, he could not guess what language the lady had said.

Aya trembled, she immediately took back what she said. Waa! She forgot that she was in the past, all the people knew nothing of the modern words in her time.

She helplessly scratches her nape. “Ah, Wow, it means ‘It’s beautiful!, right! Beautiful!” hehehe~

The man was having a headache. He does not know whether he will believe in what the foreign woman says or not. Not just the man, Aya too. She was contemplating in her mind as to whether the man will believe her or not. ‘What if she will get caught be branded as a weirdo and be dragged to the prison then get executed? Ugh! The era where she was right now is infamous in terms of public execution.

‘What if they come to know I wasn’t from this era? Will they accuse me of being a witch or something?’

‘Will she get executed and burn her body in the middle the public market?, that’s how people kill a guilty person on the books right?’

Luckily, the man nodded and smiled to her. He also said goodbye later on.

Aya sighed in relief. Luckily, I wasn’t caught.

Aya continued to walk. She chose to familiarize this city first. After all, she did not personally know everything here.

Although she knows much about history, after all, she did not personally come here and know everything around here.

On the way, people are still looking at her. But Aya’s ignored all of them and just continued walking. During her long walk in the area, she seemed to be accustomed to their looks.

‘Well, it’s not like it’s the first time’, she said to herself. She already knew the reason for those looks they had drawn to her.

Aya felt an indescribable feeling whenever she looked at those beautiful landscapes. It was still like she was in daze by those things in front of her. She cannot really believe that she is now in the old Intramuros of Manila. When she first came to this place in the future, there was only old stones and broken walls that you could see. Well, there were still houses that’re people are able to preserve. But now, the Intramuros she sees today, was in complete state. On her way, an incident took her attention.

Not far away from the place she stood, she saw a lot of people in that area. It looks like there was some commotion there. In the middle of this crowd, there are three people in there and they look like they are fighting. Among the three, a poor young man is currently being torn by a man wearing a hat.

The man in a black hat could be heard shouting at the poor young man. Next to him is a beautiful woman wearing an elegant Maria Clara gown [1] paired with high quality pearl necklace and earrings. The elegant woman stood at the side. There was a smug expression on her face as she stared at the beaten young man.

They were both dressed and look like they came from some prominent noble families.

The young man who lies on the ground was just the son of a low class Indio [2].

Others who have observed on the side while watching the young man being beaten can’t help but tremble not in fear but in anger. Actually, the two Insulares [3] are known in the town by their family’s cruelty, the Augusto’s. Besides that, they are also proud of themselves. So far, the crowd felt irritable as the man continuously beat the young boy. Especially, most of them are Indios too. Aside from them, there are also a few Mestizos [4] and Cholos [5] among the crowd, all with Indio blood.

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The name Intramuros is from the Spanish word meaning “within the walls.” (that’s why I write the word ‘walled city’ at the title)

[1] The Mara Clara gown, sometimes referred to as traje de mestiza or simply terno, is a traditional dress worn by women in the Philippines. It is a form of the Baro’t saya.

[2] The Malayan, native born inhabitants of the Philippine islands were called “indio” or “indigenta.” This class or group occupied the lowest level in a highly stratified class society.

(Read more at https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2018/07/29/1837622/indio-filipino#DVEfHDdf0m6Mkluj.99)

[3] The insulares or criollos are of European descent but born in the colonies of Spain. A son or daughter of a Spanish couple is an insulare. Eventually, they may have been inter-marrying with Filipinos or other races here in the country, thus producing the mestizos.

[4] 50% Spanish and 50% Indio. A person of mixed Chamorro and Spanish parentage), native Filipinos, and Indios (native Chamorros of the Mariana Islands).

[5] 25% Spanish and 75% Indio