Anthony was silent for a moment, and I wondered if I had said too much or if I had made him suddenly uncomfortable. Just when I had started to regret my words, Anthony smiled at me and nodded his head slightly a couple of times as if in agreement. “Dahlia is indeed a beautiful name,” he commented casually. “Really? Sometimes I think that it sounds quite outdated,” I replied as I tried to sound natural. “If that's the case, have you asked your parents for a nickname?” Anthony asked with a hint of suggestion in his tone. “I'm not so sure…” I replied hesitantly because I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea at all. The idea of asking my parents for a nickname never occurred to me before, and I didn't think that they would give me one simply because I demanded it. On top of that, I had always thought that the concept of a nickname was to show adoration to the owner of the name. “Dahlia, what about Leya? It's like saying the second syllable of your name very slowly. Leya,” Anthony sug
“I guess it does make sense. So, do you have a name in mind?” Diana asked with a slightly teasing look on her face. I wondered at that moment if she had already caught on to what I was about to say. “Well, Anthony suggested that the name ‘Leya’ might be a good choice,”I confessed as if I was telling her the secret that was meant to be taken all the way to my grave. “Leya? I think it suits you perfectly. If you like it, then let's use it,” Diana said before beaming me a smile. We both burst out laughing at the same time and I was reminded of the very precious bond that we shared. It felt like the name that Anthony had given me was another precious birthday gift on top of the Dahlia flowers. I couldn't have foreseen back then that just a few days later I would end up breaking the promise that I had made to Anthony....I should have known that something was off when I returned to my bedroom to find that the flower that Anthony had given me was not where it was supposed to be. It wa
Most probably, there wasn't any explanation that I could give to her that she would find satisfactory besides from the truth, and that was something that I could not offer. Suddenly, the flowerpot in her hand made its fast descent onto the ground in between our feet. Had this been a dramatic scene in a movie, the flowerpot would have landed and shattered into countless pieces with a loud sound that would echo all around us. Perhaps it would all happen in slow motion just to add to the climax of the moment; however, the truth was the flower pot simply landed on the grass ground with a muffled thudding sound. “I don't want something like this…” she said after letting the flowerpot fall to the ground. “I thought that you might like it, but if you don't, you can just take it as a bad joke of some sort. You're also right, I got this idea from a story that Anthony told me about how happy you were to receive this flower from him as a gift a long time ago,” I said while trying to keep my vo
“Master! Master Bradon!” We both turned around at the same time to see Jenna sprinting towards us. If I had to describe the look on her face, then I would say that it looked like she had just come face to face with a ghost. “What is it?” I called out to her to save her the effort of running all the way. “The king!” She yelled before she stopped and panted. I could tell right away what sort of news she was about to deliver about the king and Dahlia's reaction told me that she also knew. “What about the king?” I asked Jenna while at the same time I managed to pull a very shocked Dahlia up to her feet. “The palace had just announced the King's passing on television. It is all over the news,” Jenna said in a shaky voice and I could tell that she was utterly upset and on the verge of tears. “The king is dead…” Dahlia mumbled in the breathless whisper. She was indeed very correct, the king is dead....**Dahlia's point of view**The king is dead. Ironically, the king died right on
The golden light from the candles bathed his face in a warm light that made his blond hair look like rays from the sunset. My chest felt heavy and warm at the same time, and that made me have to admit that I was touched. I closed my eyes and made a wish that I would have the inner strength to deal with all upcoming obstacles so that I would be victorious at the end of the day. When I open my eyes, the swaying warm golden light of the lit candles looks like a work of art filled with hope. I took in a deep breath and blew out all the candles while everyone applauded from all around us. Strangely, that moment reminded me of one of my very younger days. “Alright, now turn the lights back on and open the curtains,” I heard Jenna's voice instruct. Light flooded back into the room again and I could see clearly the people who had gathered to celebrate my birthday. Jenna, Zain, Bella, and many other maids and bodyguards were there with a bright smile on their faces. For a moment, it felt li
In an effort to express our endless loyalty, although there wasn't a rule stipulating that everyone wear black, there was an unspoken understanding and agreement that everyone would wear black for an entire month until the day that marked the 30th day after the king's passing. Luckily, I had an endless supply of appropriate black dresses and shoes in my closet. Without any surprise, Anthony and Diana were invited to attend the innermost circle of the funeral held on the palace grounds. That meant that Bradon and I had to appear as a couple in front of the public once again for such a formal event. Everything in the country was indeed put on hold and the election was no exception. As far as I was aware, the election had been postponed until further notice. I was looking forward to seeing my father's reaction at the palace now that he must have found out that the election had been postponed.The atmosphere at the palace was even more solemn than anywhere else by the time they arrived.
I couldn't focus on praying for the entire session as my attention was divided between Desmond and Bradon. Although I didn't want to admit it even to myself, the role that I had to play in Desmond's plan weighed heavily on my heart. I wasn't sure how I was going to succeed in going about acting as both myself and my sister at the same time. Somehow, I knew that I had to manage because I didn't have any other choice, but whenever I thought of that, I couldn't help but feel very conscious of Bradon's presence close to me.Ever since the little celebration that I had for my birthday party, we haven't had the chance to discuss anything solid. Of course, preparation for the king's funeral kept us busy, but it also felt like we were both carefully trying to avoid that sensitive topic between us. Sooner or later, I knew that I would have to take up my new position as Desmond's girlfriend. As to how that was supposed to happen, I was quite clueless at the time.When the prayer session came to
“Dahlia…” Bradon I murmured his name softly while I felt myself being sucked into the depths of his blue eyes. It was already too late by the time that I realized that I shouldn't have teased him, the look in his eyes told me that I had to pay the price and deal with the consequences of my provocative actions. I didn't have time to brace myself when his lips captured mine in an aggressive kiss. His lips felt soft and warm as they began moving against mine. His arms moved to circle my waist before he pulled me roughly against him. I could feel the hard lines of his body against mine along with his body heat. His familiar scent surrounded me as his taste filled my lips when he suddenly thrusted his tongue inside my mouth. I could feel the heat of his kiss and the intensity of his desire as his tongue moved fervently against mine in a passionate dance. I made small whimpering sounds in my throat as his hands began stroking the small of my back. I could no longer hold back and began moa