Sarah's P.O.V.
The night of Cedrick's birthday celebration would be held tomorrow. Many people would attend his party especially that he was the oh so honorable crown prince. One of those probable guest would be actually me.
I honestly had second thoughts about it especially that we weren't on good terms yet but from what he made me feel when we were at the children's hospital, I could say that my hatred towards him subsided a bit. Besides, I would just cause more trouble for myself if I decided not to go. My royal obligations should always come first.
The thought of his birthday celebration actually gave me quite a hard time. I hadn't have an easy time in searching for the perfect gift for him.
He had everything. He had the fortune, the brains, the looks so it was really hard to think of something that he would appreciate. Despite of our misunderstandings, I still wanted to ensure that I could make him happy even through a simple present.
I went to the mall and tried to visit as many shops as I could. I first came across a bookstore. I suddenly remembered that he already had a huge collection of reading materials at home and I wasn't also sure of what genre he preferred so buying him a book wasn't an option.
I checked a clothing store next but I immediately realized that he didn't need another piece of wear. He had someone to do the shopping for him especially of the meticulosity that the royal elders had in terms of what we should wear.
The cycle continued. I went to one store to another until I finally had nothing to go to anymore. There were a lot of choices to choose from but I couldn't find anything that I could say could match Cedrick's taste.
I decided to go home after hours of going around the mall. One reason was obviously that I was very tired already and quite hopeless especially that I found nothing interesting at all. Another reason was that some people were already suspicious of my identity so I took it as a sign to quit.
It was almost ten in the evening when I got home. My parents were already asleep which I considered as something good because I was saved from being interrogated by them because of being home just then.
I quickly went to my room. I looked through every drawer that I had, searching for anything that I could give to Cedrick. I was pretty desperate so this was one way on how I could tend to my desperation.
I found a mug, a notebook, a pen, and other things that were seemingly bought from the thrift store. Giving him any of those was worse than buying him something from the mall. He would just laugh it off.
I finally lost the remaining ounce of hope that I had in me. I exhaustedly slumped on my chair still devastated about the dilemma I just had. I would just want to find a gift that I could be proud of.
I stared at the ceiling as I thought of another possible gift for Cedrick. I tried to think more deeply than before. This time I considered many factors that would give me a glimpse of the real Cedrick. I suddenly realized one thing, that was the most important thing of all, that made me understand why I had this petty problem of buying him a gift that would fit him perfectly. I still didn't know him quite well.
Since the first time I met him, I only knew him based on his social status. Eventually, I began to unravel the Cedrick beneath that princely persona. He was cold, arrogant, eccentric, and secretive. He was also playful most of the time and always played stupid pranks on me which made me hate him in many ways.
Though despite of that, I still hadn't discovered the real him. I knew deep inside that the true Cedrick was yet to be found. I could only see through him skin-deep thus he was still a mystery to me.
A silly idea suddenly came into my mind after contemplating for a while. I finally knew what to give him.
* * *
"Your highness, you look marvelous today!" Corrine complimented. I smiled at her then I curtsied as a sign of my appreciation.
There was only an hour left before the party. I was fetched by Mr. Sanders and was brought back to the palace earlier this day so that I could already prepare myself for the gathering.
Since I arrived, I still hadn't seen Cedrick. I asked Ms. Lisa and my other friends in the palace yet they didn't know his whereabouts.
I wonder where he is.
I decided to look for Cedrick after I finished getting ready for his party so I wandered around the corridors. The halls are well-lighted for the sake of the guests who would arrive soon.
I kept on walking until an unfamiliar hallway caught my attention. At its end, a huge painting of an angel was hung on the wall. It looked very ordinary but it seemed that there was something more to it than what could be seen through one's bare eyes.
I got curious so I went closely to it and scrutinized it closely. Nothing seemed to be wrong about it aside from the small cork found at the rightmost part of the painting. I tried to pull it out but instead, I was surprised that the painting came with it.
I got scared that it might fall on me so I quickly tucked my head on my knees. I placed my hands above it and I waited for the painful fall. Surprisingly, nothing hit me.
I carefully looked up and I was bemused to see the painting swinging like a door though what surprised me more was the real door found beneath the artwork.
I got curious on what I could find in there so I quickly sneaked inside and immediately saw a flight of stairs. It was my first time knowing that something like this actually existed in the palace so my curiosity finally got the best of me and forced me to climb up.
The wooden stairs creaked as I passed from one step to another. I was afraid that it might suddenly collapse but I tried to ignore my fear and continued to go up.
When I finally reached the top, I noticed that it was only an attic filled with old stuffs. Boxes and antiques were scattered around. Old photographs were also hung on the walls filling the place with nostalgia.
I scanned each of them with amusement and disbelief. I saw each of the members of the royal family and they were actually quite young in those pictures but I couldn't understand why Cedrick wasn't included in any of those photographs.
I wandered around the place until I accidentally stepped on something unknown. I picked it up, out of curiosity, and looked at it.
It was a photograph of a little boy wearing a baseball cap and behind him was a beautiful woman hugging him. Their smiles were that of an angel and their eyes were as blue as the sea. They were both beautiful.
I continued staring at the picture in my hand when someone suddenly held me in the shoulders tightly. I was frightened and astonished so I lost my grip on the frame which caused me to drop it on the ground.
I was abruptly turned towards the person behind me. I was really scared that I might get in danger because of what I did though to my relief it was only Cedrick who held me in captive.
"Hey, I've been looking for you everywhere! I'm glad that I finally found you but what are you-" Before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted me with his eyes that were burning with anger. His forehead was creased and everything about him told me that he was definitely furious.
I whimpered in pain when Cedrick tightened his grip on me. He was already glaring at me. I was scared and that was only an understatement.
"Why are you here?" He asked through gritted teeth.
I felt myself trembling a bit so I tried to find my composure first before supplying him with an answer. I also gathered all the courage that I had at the moment before taking his hands off of me and pushing him away. I deeply knew that he didn't like what I just did.
"Just like what I told you before, I was looking for you but I instead ended in this place." I explained calmly.
"I don't believe you! Just leave before I do something terrible." He threatened.
Cedrick was different now. He was very hostile. I knew that he tended to act impudently sometimes but now was far from what I used to see. He seemed to be a different person.
I decided to obey him and leave the room but realization hit me first. I suddenly got furious on why he was acting that way. I couldn't see his point.
"Can I ask you something first? Why are you angry at me? I didn't do anything wrong that gives you the right to hurt me physically and emotionally. You should be ashamed of yourself." I exclaimed as I punched him on the chest really hard.
I noticed that he got hurt but I wasn't guilty at all. He was the reason why acted this way.
His menacingly angry eyes softened a bit after he received my blow. He looked down and he saw the broken picture frame. He was suddenly filled with longing and remorse.
He took the photo out and kept it in his pocket then he returned his attention back to me.
"Just leave. I don't need you right now." He said quietly.
He walked away and made his way to the other side of the room which was separated by a bookshelf. I didn't leave immediately even if he told me to.
My eyes were teary as soon as he disappeared from my sight. Not because I was scared or sad on what happened but because I was annoyed, very irritated as matter a fact. I didn't understand his constant change of mood and attitude. There were times when he was thoughtful and kind towards me but there were also occurrences when he suddenly became angry and ill-tempered, just like what happened a while ago.
He was already getting on my nerves.
I stomped my way towards him. I didn't care about what he might say or do to me. I just wanted to clear things up.
"Can we talk first before I leave?" I asked Cedrick who was currently sitting in an old couch whilst reading a book.
And his bipolarity finally showed through.
"No" He uttered dismissively.
I was about to insist him again to talk to me but we were interrupted by a creaking sound coming from downstairs. Cedrick's eyes were glazed with confusion until they suddenly widened as if realization hit them.
"Did you perhaps forget to place the painting back to the wall?" He queried.
I furrowed my brows in confusion until I realized that he was right. I did forget to return the painting back.
"What the hell, Sarah! You messed up big time!" Cedrick exclaimed as he ran his hand through his hair.
He began to walk away quite fast and I chose to follow him behind. I figured out that he was approaching the entrance of the attic.
He looked down the stairs and I noticed that he sighed in relief. I also glanced at the object of his attention and I figured out that it was only a little child who discovered his mystery place. Maybe he was a child of one of the guests.
"I think it's best if we both leave this room now." Cedrick suggested.
We went down the stairs until we reached the small lad who was already wearing his tux. He was quiet for a while. It was obvious that he was scared.
"Hi sweetie, what are you doing here?" I asked as I caressed his chubby cheeks. I wanted him to loosen up a bit so that he would feel less intimidated by us.
I waited for a reply but he just ignored my query. I was about to ask him again when Cedrick suddenly lifted him in his arms.
"Wanna find your mommy?" Cedrick inquired. His tone was cheery and sweet. Far from how he sounded before.
"Yeah. Could you do that for me?" The child requested. Cedrick nodded in agreement. He smiled at him warmly then he went out of the room.
I also did the same then he locked the room and returned the painting back to its original location as if it wasn't moved at all.
We began to saunter down the hall. I was behind Cedrick and the child. We never talked even once during the walk but I was glad that he was being kind to the little boy.
They were discussing a lot of things including things that I couldn't relate to. They were laughing, the kind of laugh that was real and infectious.
When we were almost near the main hall, the child asked us to stop in our tracks. It was then we realized that he already found his mother.
Cedrick bent down as he carefully placed him on the ground. He happily ran towards his mother, as if he never saw her in a while.
I smiled at the reunion of the mother and her child but I noticed that Cedrick wasn't that happy at all. He seemed to be thinking about something.
"Are you alright?" I asked. He abruptly looked at me. He looked quite baffled. He was definitely not aware of his surroundings until now. He was then again trapped in this own little world of his.
"Why wouldn't I be?" He rebuked.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance but deep inside, I was amazed on how he could easily adapt to his environment. Maybe it was a side effect of his bipolarity.
* * *
The party began a couple of hours ago. As expected, a lot of people were present. Most of which were socialites that came from rich and prominent families.
Most of the guests had already formed their own cliques. They were interacting with one another as they talked about anything that would gain them popularity and honor.
I even had the chance to listen to one group's conversation when I accidentally overheard them as I passed by them. They were impressing one another through showing off their fame and fortune. I never really understood rich people. They were very petty.
The celebration seemed to be interesting for most people but it wasn't for me. I was already bored actually.
I was currently standing next to an English businessman who was, in my opinion, trying to do some business with me. He kept on discussing his plans and other business related stuffs that I had no interest in.
Unfortunately, I couldn't leave him behind because I was the only person chattering with him. The king and the queen were having a wonderful and spontaneous conversation with the other guests whilst Cedrick was doing the same with another group of people. I wouldn't want to offend him just because I was uninterested.
The party continued and it was far from what I'd imagined. I thought that it would be filled with dancing, birthday speeches, and other forms of entertainment that would bring joy to the celebrant and the people around him. Sadly, it wasn't like that.
It turned out that this supposedly glorious occasion was actually a business convention. Everyone was acting hypocritical and quite proud just to earn themselves new companions that would surely bring their respective companies and most especially themselves development and power respectively.
I suddenly felt sympathy for Cedrick. He should supposedly enjoyed this night but he was currently being used as a pawn by others who were willing to do anything just to achieve their own selfish dreams.
"So what property do you want to purchase?" The English man asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"What?" I queried as I furrowed my brows in confusion.
I was so deep in my thoughts that I never realized until now that I was staring at Cedrick's direction. He was still conversing with the same group he was in before.
He seemed to be happy. He was laughing but his eyes were undoubtedly clouded with all kinds of emotion but gladness. I knew that he wasn't having the time of his life now.
"I'm sorry, I might need to discuss this first with the prince." I told the English man.
I couldn't bare to have a conversation with him anymore so I finally excused myself from him. The atmosphere in the hall wasn't that great and relaxing so I inconspicuously left the room.
I went to the garden behind the palace and sat down on a bench. I glanced around and observed my surroundings.
There was a huge lawn in front of me that was being watered continuously through a sprinkler. Beyond that was a forest that seemed to be the place where Cedrick and his older brother went to when he was still alive. I wanted to go through it but I felt that I wouldn't appreciate much of it especially in the dark.
I gazed at the sky which was embedded with many stars. There were hundreds or maybe thousands of them present right now which made me quite amazed and awed. This phenomenon wouldn't happen all the time.
I was astonished when a shooting star suddenly appeared from the sky. I took the chance to wish from it so I closed my eyes and thought of what I wanted to wish for.
I hope Cedrick and I would be okay already despite of everything that happened.
"You believe in that?" A very familiar voice asked.
I fluttered my eyes open and saw Cedrick sitting next to me. He was smirking so I assumed that he was already mocking me in his thoughts.
"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it." I rebutted. He just shook his head in reply.
"True. There's nothing wrong with wishing something from a small burning asteroid that incidentally passed through earth's atmosphere headed towards the ground." He sarcastically rebuked.
"Woah, would you stop being a nerd right now? It isn't great at all." I pointed out but he just laughed it off.
"I'm sorry for what happened before. It's just that the room you barged in before holds a lot of memories for me. I didn't want anyone to disgrace it in any way they can." He said suddenly changing the topic.
"Barge? Really? And disgrace? What are you even saying? I wouldn't do such things. I was only curious when I saw that there's a room behind the painting that's why I entered." I defended though he wasn't satisfied with my reply.
We were silent for a moment as we both stared at the entirety of the garden. There was a labyrinth at the rightmost of the place. I had seen it before but I never had the chance to explore it.
I gently pulled the hem of Cedrick's black suit to get his attention. I had a crazy idea in my mind right now and I wanted him to do it with me.
"Wanna do something fun?" I inquired. He gave me a confused look but I didn't wait for his response. I pulled him off of the bench and brought him towards the labyrinth.
"So, what do you want now?"
"Have you walked through this crazy maze already?"
"No"
"Great then let's find what's in there"
He was definitely bemused at my childishness right now but I didn't want that to spoil the fun. It was just that I wanted him to enjoy his birthday even if it was already about to end soon. The activity would be simple but it was enough to have a memorable night.
We went inside the labyrinth. I fished my phone out of my purse then I turned on its built-in flashlight to light up the road ahead of us.
There were quite a number of possible of paths that we could take. The problem was that we didn't know which would bring us to the finish line.
After some time, I noticed that we kept on passing through the same path. I knew that I might be wrong about it because everything looked the same inside the labyrinth though it seemed to be the case especially that we still hadn't found the way out.
"You do know that we won't find anything interesting in here don't you?" Cedrick remarked. It was relieving to see that he wasn't angry or annoyed right now. He was more of amused than the latter.
I sighed in dismay as I nodded my head in agreement. I knew that he already understood my intention even before we went inside this maze.
"Yeah, so why did you agree with my craziness?"
"I actually don't know. I just felt like I wanted to do it." He smiled at me and I did the same to him.
We walked side by side as we tried every possible route. I carefully walked down the grassy path especially that the heels of my shoes kept on poking through the loamy soil. I was having a hard time already so I decided to just take them off and walked with my barefoot.
"Aren't you uncomfortable like that." Cedrick queried.
"No, the ground was a bit cold but it wasn't disturbing me at all." I told him honestly.
I was surprised when he suddenly crouched down. He tapped his back as he showed off his signature grin.
"Get on my back."
"No thanks, I'm fine." I quickly responded. I felt blood rushing to my cheeks due to the awkward situation I was currently in. I didn't expect him to do so, honestly.
"I wasn't asking you. I'm commanding you so get on now so we can continue looking for the exit."
I hadn't have any choice but obey his orders. I carefully leaned towards his back and wrapped my arms around his neck. He gently stood up and held the back of my thigh which made me feel very conscious.
"You're heavy!" He mocked.
"It's your fault that you chose to carry me." I rebuked. He didn't mind it at all.
My heart was beating furiously. It kept on pounding fast that I could already hear the sound of it. I was afraid that he might feel it so I tried to move away from him as far as I could.
"Hey, you might fall!" He exclaimed but it was too late.
I almost fell from his back but he caught me beforehand. I was relieved but I became more flustered when I realized how he did it. He caught me through my butt.
I screamed as I tried to get away from him which made Cedrick turn his head towards my direction due to confusion. I noticed that he was about to utter something but his eyes widened when he finally knew what he did.
He accidentally released his grip on me which made me fall on the ground It was a bit painful but it was nothing compared to the embarrassment I was in before.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know. I only found it out when you screamed." He apologized as he rubbed the back of his head.
"How would you not know? You were clutching my butt for crying out loud." I exclaimed. I was not angry at him but I was actually quite offended.
"Honestly, I found no difference between your butt and your thighs." He muttered. Soon after that, he broke into laughter.
I looked at him horrendously. I was quite irritated so I threw my purse at him and it hit his chest. He didn't feel any pain at all.
The purse snapped open so its contents fell on the ground. I stood up and picked everything. Cedrick helped me as well after getting back to his senses.
"What's this?" He suddenly asked while holding a blue envelope in his hands.
I suddenly remembered the present that I'd prepared for him. It totally drifted off from my mind until now.
I snatched the gift away from him and hid it behind my back. I wanted to give it to him but I felt that he wouldn't appreciate it at all.
"It's nothing." I said as I forced a smile. I quickly kept the envelope inside my purse and slung it back to my shoulder. I wouldn't want him to see it.
I walked away from him but I was taken aback when I felt my purse being pulled away from me. I didn't have the chance to take it back especially that Cedrick was very quick with his actions. Not a moment after that, he already had the envelope back.
"'Happy birthday Cedrick!" He said as he read the caption in the envelope. "So this is for me? Why do you need to hide it away."
It was useless to lie to him just to save my pride so I gave into him and told him my reasons. I was glad that he just listened as I talked.
"Thanks anyway, I appreciate your effort so there's no need for you to be ashamed of it. So can I open it now?" I nodded in approval.
He teared off the top portion of the envelope then he pulled out three small rectangular pieces of pink coupons. Each had a caption of "I wish that you will...".
"What are these?" Cedrick inquired amusedly.
"Those are no ordinary coupons. You can use them up by telling me what you want and I'll try my best to grant your every command. You only have three of those so use them wisely." I explained.
He laughed at me again. I reddened in embarrassment. I should've just left it at home so he wouldn't find it.
"You don't like it?" I asked quite disappointed. I expected him to nod but he didn't at all. He just gave me a bemused stare.
"Are you crazy? This is wonderful actually. I can do whatever I want to do to you." He winked at me jokingly.
"Oh, I forgot to mention one important rule. Unethical wishes wouldn't be granted at all." I added. He pouted at me but he gave me a warm smile afterwards.
He was staring intensely at me. It wasn't intimidating but it was kind of comforting actually. He suddenly took two coupons from the envelope and handed them to me.
"You're using two at the same time? Make sure that you would use them wisely." I reminded him again.
"I will." He replied, his tone was a mixture of seriousness and affection.
"Okay then, what's your wish?"
He walked closer to me. His eyes were now darted at mine. They were very soothing and they made me feel safe He smiled at me warmly which sent butterflies to my stomach and he suddenly held my back with both of his hands.
"This is my first wish."
I was caught off guard when he pulled me towards him. He hugged me tightly then he gently placed his chin on top of my shoulder.
"My second wish is for you not to react in anyway you can. Just let me use my coupons wisely."
I was about to pull myself away from him but I didn't want to mess up my gift for him. I also didn't have the right to do so because this wasn't unethical in any way possible.
My arms were loosely swinging at my sides. He told me not to react but one reason why I was unable to do anything was my inability to comprehend every single thing going on at this moment. I didn't know what to do.
Cedrick pulled away from me for a second. He held my hands and he placed them on his back then he embraced me again.
"Can I tell you something?" He inquired.
I didn't reply but I assumed that he took my silence as a signal for him to continue.
"I think that I am falling for you already. I don't know when, how, or why did it started but one thing's clear; I like you."
My eyes widened in shock. Cedrick held my arms as he slowly leaned back, away from me. I looked at him and his eyes were glinting with warmth and affection.
"I like you." He repeated.
I was about to reply but I was unable to do so for Cedrick gently placed his lips on top of mine. His lips were soft and plump. He slowly kissed me and that kiss made me void of all the feelings in this world except for love.
My legs wobbled a bit making me loose my balance but Cedrick prevented me to fall by wrapping his arms around my waist. I tiptoed and reached for his neck to stabilize my stance.
I kissed him back and our lips were now moving in sync. I didn't know how did that happen but I wouldn't bother to find out why.
Like in some stories that I had read, it was true that kissing someone you love would make you feel fireworks in your stomach. I was also ecstatic to the point that I couldn't see my surroundings. The only thing or person, for that matter, that registered in my mind was Cedrick. I was definitely floating on cloud nine.
He pulled me closer to him as he deepened the kiss though he didn't make it feel very intense or rough. He maintained the sweetness and gentleness of our kiss.
After a short while, we parted away from each other for both of us were breathless. We smiled at each other and that was enough to express how we felt. Words were nothing compared to it.
Cedrick was wrong when he said that shooting stars didn't grant wishes. They surely had the power to make anything true.
A/N
Sorry again for my very long absence. I hope that this chapter will make up for it.
Please vote and share your opinions!
Thanks once again.