Kiss Me Not

Kimmy expected something like this would happen, but the problem was that it happened way too soon. Then those pests masquerading as reporters swooped in and made things even worse. They really didn\'t want to miss a scandal like this about the Royal Family. Even if most of the news was about something good, those rotten reporters often preferred something more scandalous for their prints and scoops!

Meanwhile, Cain was quiet, his frown deepening as he thought of the proper words to respond with. His results weren\'t out yet, and it was actually inadvisable for him to roam too far off, especially onto other countries till he was safe to be around other people. Still, he took the risk just to make Kimmy happy.

"Alright. I\'ll check the schedule," he simply commented. "Hopefully, we can travel as soon as possible."

Kimmy beamed, "Ah, I\'m excited…"

"With what? Playing cupid?" Cain teased. He knew full well that Kimmy was looking forward to the arrangements she was about to make for Sean and Leila.

"Well, yeah. I\'m guilty, but believe me when I say that I can feel some tension between those two," Kimmy defended with a pout. "I can tell that Uncle Sean likes my mom just from how loving he always looked at her."

"Well, it\'s still early, Kimberly, and your Mom\'s broken heart will take some time to heal," Cain murmured.

"Time won\'t heal it, Cain," Kimmy snorted. "Trust me, another shot at love coming her way will heal her broken heart faster than just letting it sit and heal on its own."

Cain only chuckled and said, "Alright, Baby. Let\'s see what\'ll happen then. Leila deserves true happiness, and it\'s not too late for her."

"Leila?" Kimmy quickly pointed out. "Didn\'t she tell you to call her \'Mom\' too?"

"Hmm, yeah… It\'s just that I\'m not used to it," Cain confessed. "Our age gap\'s more like a big sister to a younger brother, so I feel kind of weird."

Kimmy laughed and teased, "You\'re such a cradle snatcher, my love!"

"Stop that!" Cain complained with a pout.

Kimmy only giggled as she continued teasing her adorable fiance. "Age is nothing but a number. Even if you become twice my age, I\'ll surely fall head over heels in love with you again," she deliberately cooed with a loving smile, the back of her hand gently caressing his cheek as she smiled. "Look at you blushing… So cute…"

"You\'re making my heart race," Cain hoarsely murmured. "Be thankful that we\'re on the road, or else I would\'ve made you scream my name nonstop for being this loveable already."

****

When Cain and Kimmy arrived at the Palace, they first ate lunch with the Family. It was then that Kimmy decided that it would be best for her Mother to stay with her and her fiance for a good while.

"She\'s gonna come with us to visit Cain\'s mom anyway, so it\'ll be better if she stayed with us," Kimmy reasoned out. "Plus, the reporters won\'t flock to the Lewis Mansion instead since they don\'t even know I\'m staying there."

Everyone agreed to Kimmy\'s idea. Leila especially so since she didn\'t want to burden the Palace with more reporters staying outside.

"It\'s settled then," Lucas grunted. "I\'ve been lenient with Edward\'s mistress since she\'s pregnant, but if I find out that she had something to do with all this bad publicity, then I\'ll make sure she\'ll join that bastard in jail!"

It was simply unfortunate. If not for her sister\'s generosity, then that mistress would already be behind bars like that cheating husband of hers.

"Don\'t stress too much about it, Brother. I\'m fine, really, and I\'m slowly coming to accept the situation now," Leila soothingly stated. "Either way, It\'s not like Edward will come back to me if we punish them severely. For now, I\'ll just enjoy a short vacation with my daughter and son-in-law."

"And Uncle Sean too…" Kimmy smugly snorted. "I begged Uncle Sean to come as Father\'s proxy since Uncle Lucas can\'t travel yet according to Cain."

"I can\'t travel too, Cain?" Lucas asked with a pout.

Cain felt a lump form in his throat. He had just made it all up,  and his dear fiancee could\'ve at least advised him about it beforehand.

"Yes, you see you need to rest more as well," Cain hesitantly answered. "And-"

"Right, Brother. You\'ve been through a lot as well, so it\'s only natural that you rest and recover your health," Leila interrupted. He knew that he had been through a lot because of Duncan\'s evil schemes. Lucas already had a tendency to pass out, so she wouldn\'t want him exerting more physical energy than he needed to.

Meanwhile, Cain found himself looking at Cedric and telepathically demanded, "Why are you so quiet? Help me out here. You\'re the one that insisted that I shouldn\'t travel yet!"

[Relax,] Cedric mentally waved him off. [I just got a call that I\'ll receive your results tomorrow, so you can actually give them a date by now.]

[What if the results aren\'t good?]

[Then you\'ll need to disappear,] Cedric seriously replied. [You know that you can\'t stay with Kimmy.]

Cain gritted his teeth as he kept his silence in response to Cedric\'s remarks. Blinking, he turned to Kimmy who just kept on smiling, all while exchanging conversations with the rest of her family.

[Disappear? I won\'t do that, Cedric! I didn\'t beg you to save me just so I can stay away from her!] Cain declared. [Why don\'t you just end my life for good if that\'s the only choice you got for me? If the results aren\'t good, then you should just put me in with the dead where I belong.]

Cedric sighed and gave Cain a solemn look. He then looked at Kimmy as he suddenly asked, "Kimmy, I heard Cain almost died from that accident. I\'m just wondering… What if Cain did die back then? What\'re you going to do?"

All eyes went on Cedric. He had just asked a sensitive question out of the blue.

Hearing the question, Kimmy turned to Cain with a smile and gently touched his cheek. "Life and death for us is inevitable. We all came from the ashes, so it\'s only natural that we\'ll go back to ashes after some time. It\'ll be devastating for me, and I\'ll probably grieve for a long time, but life must go on," she faintly nodded. "I know it\'ll be hard, but I\'m sure Cain will be happier seeing me moving forward. Likewise, if I die, then he should move on… He\'s been living well enough before I came into his life, so he should live well too once I\'m gone… I want him to be happy, even if it\'s without me…"

"What\'s with that sudden morbid topic?!" Leila complained. "We should be talking more about the wedding than these tragic what-ifs."

"Sorry, Aunty," Cedric chuckled. "Right then, we should change the topic. And you shouldn\'t forget that I\'ll be Cain\'s best man in this wedding!"

[You\'re cruel…] Cain grunted in his head.

[I know… And I\'m sorry…] Cedric replied.