Kiss Me Not

During lunch, Cedric had a visitor. It was his father's sister, her Royal Highness Leila.

"Oh, it's nice to know you're back, dear," Leila burst and hugged Cedric the instant she saw him.

"It's nice to see you too, Aunt Leila. You're looking as young as ever," Cedric said with a sweet smile. Though he did not remember the woman, he could feel a strong bond of blood with her and she was one of the nicest persons he had met since his accident. She was bubbly and so lively that there could never be a single dull moment around her. 

"Your cousin, that brat! Ah, Cedric, my dear, can you convince her to return home now? It's been a year already since she ran away!" His Aunt Leila pleaded with her exaggerated pitiful eyes staring at him.

Cedric laughed and said, "She won't tell me where she is. She just calls me Auntie every once in a while to talk a little and confirm that she's doing great wherever she is. I have tried to trace the call but she's really good at hiding herself. Everything is very clean and she's untraceable."

He probably had a good relationship with his cousin as he was the only one she was calling to chat and update about her whereabouts and asking him about her parents. He could not remember what exactly happened, but Will had said that his cousin was a runaway bride. She had run away and gone missing a day before her wedding. She had it perfectly planned all along and no one could track her down now.

"In case she calls again, can you tell her that her mom will not push her into an arranged marriage again. So she should come back soon," Aunt Leila almost begged and Cedric assured her that he would do his best.

They shared a wonderful lunch together as they continued to engage in a productive conversation pertaining to important state matters.

"Leila, how come I rarely see Edward with you? Are you two having problems?" Lucas asked with a creased forehead.

Leila coughed at the mention of her husband's name.

"We are good, big brother. He's just busy with work lately," Leila gasped.

Lucas arched his brow and said, "Busy with work or women? Just make sure he gets his dirt cleaned up, Leila, or I will personally take care of it."

Cedric sighed and smiled at his aunt as he spoke, "Aunt, by the way, I have a girlfriend."

Leila smiled too. She knew that her wonderful nephew was trying to save her from her brother's scolding by changing the topic.

"Oh, that's nice! Who is she? Ah, I must meet her!" Leila blurted out excitedly.

"She's a celebrity, Aunty, but I'm sure you know of her because you like watching those international movies and dramas. Her name is Brione Yu," Cedric proudly stated, while his father remained quiet and continued eating his food.

"Oh my! I know her! She's famous and I love her acting! I personally subscribe to the international channel that plays her works exclusively. Oh, I've been dying to meet her in person. Gosh! I'm so excited now. When will you bring her?" Aunt Leila enthusiastically asked.

"Don't exaggerate, Leila. You are acting like a die-hard fan," Lucas scoffed.

Leila snickered at him and mumbled, "I'm a die-hard fan, so what? We are humans, aren't we? Don't tell me Royals can't be diehard fans now. Hmp!"

Cedric chuckled. Unlike his father who was too strict and lived by the book, Aunt Leila was more open and quirky. She was a really fun and enjoyable person to be with.

"Cedric dear, let's have some tea in the garden later, without your father. Let's talk about things other than politics. Geez, whenever I'm here, he talks either about politics or my life," his Aunty whispered to him.

"Sure, Aunty," he answered with a smile because he too had something to ask her regarding his mother's death. He could feel that there were details that his father was uncomfortable sharing with him.

The lunch ended and as promised Cedric took his Aunty to the garden to have tea.

"Something is bothering you, son," Leila commented when she noticed that Cedric had a conflicted expression on his face like he wanted to ask something but was hesitating.

Cedric exhaled loudly and asked, "Aunty, do you know how my mother died? I know father wanted to tell me about it but whenever he tries to, he ends up not telling anything and dismisses me instead, saying he will share it some other time."

Leila sighed and replied, "Because it's hard for him. He still feels guilty after all these years. Your father believes that he was responsible for your mother's death. You see, after the incident, he really wanted to abdicate the throne. He felt he was incapable as he could not even protect his own wife, how could he be relied upon to protect the whole country."

"What really happened? I thought my mother died giving birth to me," Cedric whispered.

"Yeah, your mother died giving birth to you while running for her life. It was a miracle that you were safe after what she experienced." Leila remarked, as she recalled the frightful incident.

"Tell me, Aunty. I deserve to know about it," Cedric pleaded.

"I believe you deserve to know too, but you see your father did not want you to be consumed with anger when you found out about it. Especially as those responsible have robbed you of the opportunity to feel the love and care of a mother who, even while you were still in her womb, loved you dearly." Leila commented sympathetically.

"Please Aunty, I beg you. I want to know the truth."

Leila heaved another long deep sigh and said, "Your mother was abducted and it took us a week to locate her. She was pregnant at that time… You see, the one responsible was someone we never expected to do it. He was your mother's bodyguard, the one person whom your father trusted the most."