Kiss Me Not

In Derhan Palace, Brione was having a good talk with her father-in-law and the team he introduced to assist and guide her in all aspects in preparing for her role and duty as the coming Queen of country B. She would be crowned together with her husband, Gavin.

"This is a good sign. Though there are many doubts about His Highness Prince Gavin taking the throne, Her Highness Princess Brione, is receiving good feedback because she has an excellent image worldwide, not just like a famous celebrity. Still, as someone who has a heart for people in need…" one of the royal council members named Raiza commented.

Raiza was the youngest member of the royal council of advisers and administrators that Brione's father-in-law, King Lucas, introduced. 

"It is only natural that they will doubt our Prince Gavin.. But I'm sure they will be impressed once they get to find out how great our Prince was during his stay in country D. He too was supporting a lot of foundations and charity movements, not to mention his good reputation as a news anchor in a world-recognized TV channel and a creative writer," another member of the council commented.

"Yeah, it's still early, and we have plenty of time to prove those bashers wrong," Raiza seconded.

Brione mostly listened to the discussion and took on some important notes she should remember. She would only answer if someone addressed her and asked her questions. She was new to all these royal things, but her advantage was that she was famous and well-loved by many people worldwide because of her talents and achievements.

Raiza looked at King Lucas and said, "Your Majesty, we need to address the issue about Prince Cedric quickly. There's a lot of speculation since the details you gave in the press conference are very vague. Many people are asking where Prince Cedric is. They are speculating that he might be missing or…"

Raiza was unable to continue and even scolded herself for talking too much. She was carried away, but you couldn't blame her, after all, who wouldn't want to know what happened to Prince Cedric? She, too, was shocked out of her wits when she found out that the King had twins and that the man they thought was Prince Cedric was Prince Gavin instead…

"Dead?" Lucas continued what Raiza could not utter. He liked Raiza because, among all his advisers, she was the only one who was straightforward enough to suggest and question things that she believed needed to be addressed.

"My sincere apologies, Your Majesty…" Raiza said, bowing her head respectfully to the King.

"It's alright Raiza. Cedric is not dead. He is alive and will be with us soon. I just can't disclose when it will be for now. Let us all exercise some patience and wait for now, but I assure you that he is alive," Lucas commented.

He looked at his assistant Sean and instructed, "Make sure that the people know about it."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will take care of it," Sean answered, followed by a slight bow of respect.

Lucas soon dismissed the council members while Brione walked them to the palace entrance. She was about to return to her father-in-law when her mobile phone rang.

It was Gavin.

"Sweetheart, I will be late, so I won't be able to join you and father for dinner," Gavin immediately said from the other end of the line.

"Alright. I will take care of father, so you don't need to worry. I will just wait for you later in our bedroom," Brione whispered.

"Ah, I miss you. If only I can always bring you wherever I go…" Gavin complained, followed by a long sigh. Brione was his joy. Whenever he was stressed, he would just stare at her face and immediately feel strength surge into him. 

Brione chuckled and said, "Don't be such a possessive or clingy husband okay. What is important is that you come home and we cuddle each other when we sleep. Finish what you need to finish and make sure you do not skip dinner."

"Haha, Will is with me. That man is a foodie so I will not skip dinner, sweetheart."

"By the way, how did it go in the meeting with Olivia at the hospital?" Brione almost forgot to ask.

There was only another deep sigh from the other end of the line, so Brione could already tell that his meeting with Olivia did not turn out positive.

"I am not sure sweetheart, but Olivia… seems determined to cut ties… even with Cedric," Gavin muttered with a downcasted tone.

"She will come around. Let's just wait and give her the space she wanted for now, Darling. Once your brother Cedric comes back, then maybe he can make Olivia change her mind since the two of them are very close," Brione encouraged.

"Sweetheart, you will be very busy starting tomorrow. I heard there's a lot of requests for interviews… Just tell me if you are exhausted alright?" Gavin addressed. He did not want Brione to get involved in too much since he wanted her to still do the things that she loved the most.

"Don't worry too much about me. I am Brione, remember? Things like that won't wear me out easily. Besides, I will surely enjoy these moments of being the wife of Gavin Wilhelm. Ah, I claimed the future King of country B! I claimed you and I'm so proud of it that I want to flaunt it to the whole world, so doing those simple duties is nothing. I'm even excited…"

Gavin laughed and said, "Ah! Sweetheart. There's only one person in this world who knows you well and that's me. And I'm sure you're only saying that so I will feel at ease, but I bet deep inside you are very nervous since you don't want to make a mistake. Trust me… It's alright to make mistakes. Just be yourself sweetheart since you're a great person already."

Brione sighed this time. It was true… No one knew her better than Gavin. Her mind was honestly too occupied, thinking about how she could do things ideally starting tomorrow. Many people did not support Gavin, and she wanted to help her husband change the people's weak impression of him.

She scoffed and with a pit, mumbled, "I'm not nervous okay. Anyway, I will hang up now. It's almost dinner so I will pull father to the dining area. I love you darling and come home as soon as you can. I will help you relieve your stress just like before." She giggled at her words and quickly ended the call before he got a chance to tease her. 

Gavin finally managed to smile despite the exhaustion. Things were not that easy, but he was lucky to have people around him, giving him enough strength to move on and continue pushing forward.