Chapter 39 – Clueless

One thing was certain: Edwin was clearly hiding something from her. It was frustrating not to know, but she could let go for now. There would be many opportunities to find out, for sure. If not from her father, with whom she would wait patiently to reveal the truth, she would lure Inabelle into telling her, though she was ordered concealment as well.

When Edwin felt that the atmosphere changed and Tiana conceded to his request for time, he took a deep breath and smiled.

“Okay. I’ll wait until you’re ready. By the way, I think I’ll go with this design; do you like it?”

Relief washed over Edwin’s face. He encouraged, “Go ahead with it. It will look really beautiful on you. Just as I expected from the imperial princess, she always knows what looks best on you.”

“Just as you expected?” Tiana couldn’t conceal a wave of curiosity in her voice again.

“Um… What I meant was, she’s very skillful.” Edwin grappled for words.

“Oh, so you’re not saying she knows me well? Her skills are just immaculate?” Tiana helped her father explain himself.

“That—that’s right. She knows… what you like, but, uh, she’s very skillful… Even though you can’t tell, it stands out among the others.”

At her father’s stutter, Tiana burst out a laugh. “Wow, father, you’re such a horrible liar.” She could see how hard her father was trying to hide the backstory of her relationship with the imperial princess, but Edwin just couldn’t do it well enough, so she saw how her father was struggling sheepishly.

He must admit, her daughter’s presence always made him want to indulge in her every whim. Was it because it was his first time in this situation? Tiana’s mind, on the other hand, felt at ease at her father’s soft smile.

***

“I know you’re busy; I apologize.” Tiana did not regret calling on Lucius to discuss the wedding ceremony and their attire. It always delighted her to find an excuse to see him.

“No, it’s alright, Tiana.” Lucius hurried to finish his governmental duties when he learned of Tiana’s intention to meet with him; he knew it had something to do with their coming wedding. “You said that Alexandra designed our clothing?”

“Yes. She designed and sent it herself.” Tiana ushered Lucius into her living room and handed him Alexandra’s design as he sat down.

As he looked closely, he said, “This is amazing, what a great design.”

“I know, right? I really like it too. Since we both like it, can we go ahead and use it at the wedding?”

“Sure, let’s do it. Alexandra will be very happy.”

“Really? I’ve never met her before, so I’m anxious about what type of person she is.”

When Lucius heard her say that, he smiled softly and said, “How about writing her a letter?”

“A letter? To the imperial princess?”

“Yes, I’m sure she’ll like it if you send a handwritten letter for a formal request.”

“So you also know about our relationship in the past…”

Tiana was confident that Lucius knew what kind of relationship she had with the imperial princess. He frequented the imperial palace and seemed to have a close relationship with Alexandra.

“The situation is strange to me since I haven’t heard anything about it.”

Lucius’ face grew dim. Feeling slightly uneasy, he grabbed Tiana’s hand. “About the situation with you and Alexandra… you haven’t heard a thing?”

“Not a word. I do know that a couple of years ago we had a falling out because of something, but I haven’t heard what it was about. My father hasn’t even told me.”

“I see…” Lucius finally understood where the curiosity was coming from.

“Do you know about it too, Lucius? About what happened two years ago?”

She wasn’t sure how long they’d known each other, but if they were lovers, he would know about what happened two years ago. Lucius’ disturbed expression as he stared at her confirmed her suspicion.

“Well if your father didn’t tell you, then I don’t think I’m in the position to.”

Tiana felt a wave of disappointment washing over her. “I knew it…”

“Sorry, Tiana.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s okay.”

Tiana comforted herself. She promised to wait for the truth, so she will. She also didn’t have the heart to bother Lucius over it. For now, preparing for the wedding was their number one priority.

They decided to go with Alexandra’s design. After which, Tiana did what Lucius suggested and wrote a letter to send to the imperial palace.