Chapter 38 – Curious Past

Tiana came face to face with her father, Edwin, as the door opened from outside right before she even touched the doorknob. It’s as if her father knew she was looking for her and came right away. Edwin shifted his gaze from Tiana’s eyes to the design drawing she had in hand. About to speak, he suddenly became aware of his daughter’s companions.

“Alfred, could you please go get us some tea?”

“Your Highness…”

“Did you hear what I said? Just leave.”

“Understood.” Alfred nodded, sent Inabelle out the door, and followed suit to prepare the tea. Edwin and Tiana, left on their own in the living room, shared a long silence.

“Let’s sit down and let’s talk.” Edwin spoke first. He sat down in front of the table where Tiana’s stacks of garment designs were scattered. Tiana, after giving her father a short nod, sat on the opposite side, facing him. Edwin eyed the piles of papers, both those organized neatly and those who are about to be sorted. “I see you’ve been organizing these quite diligently. I had a chance of seeing some of them. Is it hard to choose the good ones?”

“I only selected the few that suited my fancy. There isn’t much, so it was easy.”

“I see. This is the… design you chose?” Edwin pointed out to the one Tiana was still holding, the design of the Royal Empress.

“I’m thinking about it. But…”

“I’ll say, if it’s me, I’ll choose that one for you too. I can’t wait to see you in that dress.”

“You think it looks alright? It’s…”

There was none more perfect than the design sent by the imperial princess. Though Edwin felt that the design alone was not enough for him to do what he could not. Nonetheless, the relationship between the two women should not bear any significance in the way the public’s attention should be more focused on Tiana during the wedding. To do this, she must choose the design by the princess.

No matter how close she said she is to Lucius, princess Alexandra wasn’t his blood sister. She was the reincarnation of the former empress who died with Rael. Because of that, there was room for misunderstanding that her behavior could be misunderstood as empowering Lucius, not Rael.

Edwin didn’t know exactly what her intentions were, but it was obvious that there was a hidden meaning to her actions. He wondered, though, if it would be acceptable to Tiana and Lucius. In his heart, he wanted to disregard what happened to Tiana and Alexandra’s relationship in the past with respect to choosing the dress for Tiana. Alexandra’s design was the best, the most obvious choice.

Edwin was still contemplating what thoughts lingered in Tiana’s mind. He watched in anticipation as Tiana took a sip of the tea that Alfred set before them, watching him carefully.

“Do you know why the princess and I lost contact over the last two years? Can’t you tell me… what happened two years ago?” Finally, Tiana asked after the tea made her feel better. No more headaches at bay, for now.

Edwin grew silent.

“Father.”

Tiana’s patience was running out. She hated it when people hid something from her, especially the truth. On the other hand, Edwin agonized over how to best speak with her daughter. He slowly set his teacup down and finally said in a low voice: “Now… I think it’ll still be a sensitive subject to bring up with you,” he paused. “Just give it a little bit more time; when you become more stable, then I’ll tell you everything. So I’m appealing with you to just wait for a while.”

“Why can’t you tell me now?” Tiana couldn’t contain her curiosity the more things were being hidden from her.

“You haven’t fully recovered yet, you might not be able to handle the shock for it can be too much. I just don’t want to put you under more stress. And…” Edwin stressed, genuinely concerned. As he was unable to finish his sentence, Edwin placed his clasped hands on his knees, and looked deeply in his daughter’s questioning eyes. But soon he retreated from her gaze. As he dropped his eyes and turned his head slightly, he spoke in a trembling voice. “It has to do with me also, so… it may disappoint you. I still don’t feel confident in telling you…”

“Father.”

Tiana watched as her father’s twisted face couldn’t hide the anguish she could feel from within him. With faintly trembling fingertips, it was obvious that her father struggled to speak. Tiana wondered what in the world could make him feel defeated this way, but she couldn’t ask him anymore in such reaction.

Oh well. There will be lots more opportunities to find out, Tiana thought.