Kiss Me Not

At Derhan Palace.

Will felt tired after having done an overtime meeting with Gavin and the rest of his constituents. He looked at his wristwatch and sighed.

"Dinner?" Gavin asked.

Will shook his head as he politely refused, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I need to go home."

Gavin gave him a teasing grin, "Looks like you're really taking it seriously… Hmm, I haven't  seen you this dedicated ever since I knew you, Will."

Will frowned as he looked around. Upon making sure that everyone in the room had already left except for him and Gavin, he mumbled, "This is Brione's fault. Why are you teasing me about it? How many times do I have to say that I'm only doing Olivia a favor?"

Gavin chuckled, "And why are you so defensive? I just said that you're too dedicated to honoring that favor. I honestly admire and salute you for that…"

Will pouted. He was sure that Gavin was teasing him like Brione, even though he wasn't the one who started it.

"Anyway, you should go now. You're gonna starve already!"

Will immediately took that as his signal and left the palace.

His place was only a fifteen minutes ride away from the palace. As soon as he arrived, Paula greeted him with her usual warm smile as she said, "Dinner is ready. You're probably pretty hungry by now."

It had become his routine for almost a week now to be home as early as he could. Paula, who wanted to show gratitude towards him, took good care of his place, as well as himself too. Without realizing it, he had become accustomed to having Paula around the house.

"By the way, I was about to call you… Olivia is here. She visited me earlier so I asked her to stay and have dinner with us," Paula informed as she helped Will remove his suit. At first, he felt awkward at the attention. But Paula insisted on assisting him even with the simplest of things. She said that she was at ease just staying in his house, knowing that she could do something for him in return. So in the end, Will just let her do as she pleased as long as she wouldn't do anything that would be too hard and endanger her pregnancy.

Will and Paula walked into the dining room where Olivia was already seated. Olivia smiled at him and greeted, "Will."

Will gave him a half-smile, "It's nice that you can join us for dinner, Olivia."

Olivia chuckled, "Yeah, it's been a while."

Will let out a long sigh as he sat on his chair. Olivia had changed a lot. Her eyes were no longer as lively as before. They were soulless now despite the smiles she often wore for the people.

"You're working too hard. You should take things slow," Will commented.

Olivia chuckled. In jest, she firmly stated, "Nothing's changed, Will. I only have one goal. I'm working hard, and you know that. I want a democracy."

"And Gavin, our King, is willing to do that. You don't actually need to pressure him. You know the law… Gavin's not the only one who can decide that… You'll require Cedric's approval about that matter," Will reminded her.

Olivia scoffed, "Cedric… Cedric… Is he really even alive? You all keep saying that he'll return soon, but we can't even see his shadow until now!"

Paula let out a loud sigh, "Can you guys stop this discussion, please? These political affairs… Please… Don't bring it up during dinner like this. Can we all just please enjoy what I prepared for dinner?"

"I'm sorry, Paula," Olivia apologized, and Will did the same.

"Okay, so let's eat and talk about something else, alright? How about you guys give me a suggestion for good names?" Paula changed the subject. "We don't know the gender yet, but it's still better to think up of good names now, both for a boy and a girl. If it's a boy, it's automatically Oliver, but I want a second name…"

Paula put some dishes on Olivia's plate, "Try these…" She then did the same for Will.

Olivia smiled as she watched Paula. She couldn't help but recall how Oliver would brag about how thoughtful and caring Paula was to him. She had never seen her oldest brother be this head over heels over a woman like that.

Oliver had kept his relationship with Paula hidden from their father, but not with her and their mother. Unfortunately, their father was the kind of person who gave more importance to background heritage, and Paula was merely an orphan. Oliver planned to first marry Paula in secret, before and then later introducing her to their father so that he could no longer get in between them.

Then it hit her…

Olivia was eating dinner when a sudden idea sneaked into her thoughts. She subtly glanced at Will and Paula.

'Oliver… Do you think what I'm thinking about right now is a good idea? Would you agree to it?' she thought as if talking to her dead brother wherever he was right now.

They finished dinner as Olivia said, "Will, can I talk to you regarding some important matters?"

Paula understood the context, "You two can talk privately in Will's study. I'll prepare some tea for you guys."

With a nod, Will led Olivia to his study. Once they were both seated, he began the conversation, "What is it, Olivia?

"Will, what do you think of Paula?" Olivia asked directly.

Furrowing his brows, Will asked back, "What do you mean?"

Olivia bit her lower lip, letting out a small breath before she straightforwardly suggested, "Do you think you can take care of Paula for the rest of your life? I want you to marry her, as well as take care of her and Oliver's child. I'm sure this isn't just a simple request, but please think about it and consider the situation… I only want what's best for the woman that Oliver loved for all his life and their unborn baby. You're the best person I could think of… Will, can you please do this for Oliver?"

Will froze in his seat. He didn't know what to say. What kind of situation could be worse than having the woman he had long loved for all his life asking him to marry another woman?