Kiss Me Not

As expected the media waited for updates from the palace. They were aware that the cabinet members had an important meeting with the King regarding the vacancy of the Prime Minister's position. The King must appoint someone for that position as soon as possible as it would cause political unrest if he didn't.

As the spokesperson of the Palace, Sean Brown, stepped into the conference hall where the media were waiting. They were eager to know the results of the meeting and find out who was taking over the position of Prime Minister as Greg Philips is unable to perform his duty any longer because of his health. The King must appoint a capable person for the position to replace him as the Prime Minister has a lot of responsibilities.

"Thank you all for patiently waiting. I am honored to inform you that Miss Olivia Philips has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Country B with a final vote of eleven to ten which resulted in her favour by one vote. She would be formally appointed during the coronation ceremony of our new King and Queen," Sean announced.

As soon as he finished his announcement, a lot of the reporters raised their hands to ask questions. Sean picked one reporter and allowed him to ask his question.

"Please tell us why the total votes add up to 21? We only have 19 cabinet members."

Sean smiled as he replied, "Don't you want to count the votes of our Majesty and His Highness Prince Gavin?"

The reporter subconsciously scratched his head.

"King Lucas and Prince Gavin also casted their votes which is why the total is 21 votes," Sean informed before picking up another reporter who wanted to ask a question.

"Could you please tell us if the King and the Prince voted in favour of Miss Olivia for the Prime Minister's position?"

All reporters nodded their heads in agreement to the question. Everyone was eager to find out if the King and the Prince supported Olivia or if they were against her being appointed.

Sean smiled and answered, "Our Majesty King Lucas voted for Miss Olivia as did our Highness Prince Gavin…"

There were murmurs around the room.

"So that means only 9 cabinet members voted for Olivia. She would not have the position if the King and the Prince decided not to vote. She got the position only because of King Lucas and Prince Gavin." The reporters murmured with each other.

"King Lucas and most especially Prince Gavin believe that Miss Olivia Philips is a very capable person who is best suited to replace her father as Prime Minister. Since she worked as her father's assistant, she is already very familiar with the scope of the work and duties of the job" Sean voiced out.

He then picked another reporter who asked, "Can you please tell us when Prince Cedric will arrive? Will he also attend the coronation?"

Sean eyed the reporter before saying, "Sorry but I can only answer questions related to the agenda of today's meeting. I will take one final question before ending this press conference as I need to return to my work gentlemen…"

Sean picked another reporter who asked, "Can you tell us if Miss Olivia and Prince Gavin have a good relationship? Do you think they will be a good team, unlike King Lucas and Mr. Greg Philips who we all know had a lot of disagreements with the King lately? Can we know what Prince Gavin's take on this as the future King of our nation? Does he believe Miss Olivia will follow in the footsteps of her father?"

Sean arched his eyebrows as he answered, "The Prince has clearly shown how much he respects and how highly he thinks of Miss Olivia. As someone who was with him for more than a year, I have witnessed how capable he is. I can guarantee that he is more capable than you expect him to be. Don't judge him yet… At least not until you see him in action as our new King. The Prince is expecting Miss Olivia's assistance in his journey as a King and we hope that all of us will be united and support each other as one team just like the Prince aspires."

Sean sighed and said, "Prince Gavin is someone dedicated and has a heart for his people. I am sure every person in Country D will attest to that. It is sad that his own people at least some of them are doubting his capabilities but I'm sure he will just take it as a challenge and prove those people wrong. I, myself, trust our Prince Gavin and I'm sure he and Miss Olivia will have a harmonious partnership and serve this country for the right cause."

After that, Sean politely bid his farewell and immediately left the room.

Meanwhile, Olivia was greeted by a lot of reporters as soon as she walked to the hallway out of the palace. There were only a few reporters whom the royal security allowed inside after receiving her go signal for a quick interview.

"Miss Olivia, what are your feelings now that you are appointed to be the new Prime Minister?" the reporter she knew asked.

Olivia flashed him a polite smile as she answered, "Can we save that for the coronation day when I will be officially appointed? I will give a quick speech that day before our Prince Gavin."

"Can you tell us about your relationship with Prince Cedric? Are you aware of where he is and when he will come back? Since it is well known that you two are very close, many believe that you two are romantically involved. What are your thoughts on that?" the reporter suddenly asked and Olivia regretted trusting the man in front of her. He had promised to only ask necessary things about the cabinet meeting with the King.

The reporter gave her a sly grin but Olivia had to maintain her composure because the interview was being broadcasted live.

"Well, like I always said, Cedric and I are good friends but we haven't really seen each other for more than a year as I was studying abroad. We became so busy that we lost contact. I am not sure about his whereabouts as of right now so you have to ask his family for more details about it. But I recently heard from Prince Gavin that Prince Cedric is well and will return soon enough… Isn't that enough? I mean we all know how much Prince Cedric wants his privacy right?"

Olivia, at the very end of it all could at least put in some nice words for Cedric who showed her nothing but love and kindness. It was the least she could do before totally ignoring him once he returns.

'When will you return?' She wondered but then cleared her thoughts of Cedric instantly. She felt that she was someone undeserving of a happy romantic life which she took away from her brother Oliver. But deep in her heart, she was very happy to find out that Cedric was alive and well… That he would return safe and sound...

Gavin, who was not far from Olivia, heard everything Olivia said to the reporter. Brione saw him standing blankly and quickly walked towards him.

"What's wrong?" Brione asked.

"Nothing… I just can't help but get worried. I mean I'm worried about how Cedric would react once he finds out about what happened and how mad Olivia is at our family… I just hope things between Olivia and Cedric will not change. I heard from Will that Cedric was waiting for Olivia to finish her Masteral before planning to ask Olivia to be his wife." Gavin said as he and Brione walked to the inner courtyard for some fresh air.

"Is there any news about it? I mean can we at least know the exact date when we can see Cedric and have him back?" Brione asked.

She hooked her arms around his and hugged it before leaning her head on him as they walked. She wondered how her husband and her brother would look once they were together.

"I'm curious how you two will look together. You and Cedric look exactly the same in photos," Brione commented.

Gavin chuckled then asked, "I'm curious too, if you can tell the difference between us. Ah, I can't wait for Cedric to arrive so we can swap places and prank you. Let's see if you will even notice who is who…"

Brione's face twitched. She raised her head and looked at Gavin with arched brows while saying, "Huh? I can surely tell who is who. Even when you were acting as Cedric before I could already tell that you were Gavin. I'm feeling disappointed now. You're clearly underestimating my love for you. I can feel you using only my heart, even if there's many more who look like you, I can definitely tell who Gavin is!"

Gavin laughed and pulled Brione to sit with him on the nearest bench. He pinched her nose and said, "I know. I'm just kidding! So stop sulking sweetheart."

He then pulled Brione into a hug and kissed her forehead while he whispered, "I'm very grateful that you recognized me. I love you, sweetheart."