Page 81 of Mermaid on Heels
“I am going to find Cedric, are you coming?”
“No, I am going to lie back for a while if you do not mind.” Ella sat on Liriya’s bed and kicked off her shoes before laying back. “Just call me when it is time for dinner.”
“Me too,” Sessa said and copied Ella, before adding, “You can simply send Cedric to get us.” She stifled her giggle with the back of her hand and threw a wink at Liriya.
“You dare not!” Ella’s head shot up from the pillow as she glared at Sessa and warned Liriya.
“No promises!” Suppressing her laugh, Liriya stepped out of her room.
Cedric had told Liriya that if she needed him, she could ask a guard or a servant to show her to his study. Therefore, she went to the guards stationed at the guest wing entrance and one of them agreed to lead the way.
Liriya knocked at the double-doors of Cedric’s study. Hearing him calling out to enter, Liriya thanked the guard. She pushed the door open and let herself in.
“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite elite herself!” Cedric put down the book he was reading, on the large desk in front of him that obscured most of him, and stood. “How kind of you to grace me with your presence, Liriya. It is rather rare for anyone to pay me a visit—other than my mother, of course, who likes to let herself in without knocking and catch me reading another fantasy so she could lecture me red handed.”
He laughed at his own wit and half-sat on the desk facing her, and motioned to one of the chairs across the table from him. “Sorry for the rant. Take a seat.”
“Thank you, Cedric. But I was wondering how to send this letter to my friend Bianca.” Liriya revealed the letter from her pocket. “I promised her I would write.”
“Good radiance.” Cedric pushed himself off the desk, a look of surprise crossing his face. “I had no idea you knew how to use our writing tools.”
She had expected this astonishment from him and smiled coyly. “I may have had a little practice at Bianca’s house.”
“Wow, that’s good. For a mermaid-turned-human, you and your sisters are doing great at learning our ways and making progress on land.” He ran a hand through his hair, clearly impressed. “My mother once said that, Aunt Atlana was extremely clumsy and that she needed a lot of lessons held in private so that the court wouldn’t get suspicious and find out her secret.”
Liriya chuckled. “She sounds great. I love it when a princess does not have to be perfect and poised, but sadly most are drilled to be, including the three of us.”
“I’m sure she would’ve loved you three if she were here. She would’ve been ecstatic, despite the grief of Uncle’s departure. But then again, Uncle wouldn’t have been gone if she had still been here. It was the grief over her loss that sucked the life slowly out of him.” Cedric sighed deeply, but then a small smile graced his lips. “Then again, if Uncle was still alive, Luke wouldn’t have risen to the throne. Which means, no ball, and no Bridal Selection; because his parents would have never forced him into a marriage but would have preferred him to wait until he found love.”
He paused, and Liriya found herself saying, almost in a trance, “And then we wouldn’t have met.”
“But youdid, because I believe that is what the Creator had planned it to be. I don’t know about you, but my family believes that our fate is designed when we’re conceived. And this is merely it.” Cedric’s eyes softened, and so did his voice. “So, after considering everything that has happened in your life that led you here, in our Lectorian Sea, and how things have worked out as they are now, my conclusion is that you and my brother are meant to be together, Liriya.”
Liriya stared at Cedric, losing her breath for a moment. His words stirred something deep inside her, waves crashing in her mind, and she felt the impact of it all over her body as goosebumps rose on her skin.
“You think so?” she asked him slowly, still feeling like she was in a trance.
Cedric nodded, his small smile blooming wide. “Ibelieveso. My brother is in love with you, Liriya. Have you seen the way he looks at you? It’s in his eyes. I’ve… I’ve seen him interact with girls and women before but, I’ve never seen that look—the way he looks at you—when he’d looked at them. This whole Bridal Selection and the daily courting… it’s all for a show, to satisfy the court; in fact, it allturnedinto a show as soon as you walked in through those doors. My brother couldn’t imagine anyone other than you walking down the aisle to him.”
Liriya’s mind began to swirl with several images displayed in the forefront. Amid them, she tried to make out if hearing these words from Cedric was a part of reality. Her struggle continued until she saw the wetness in his eyes. Her mind steadied at the sight of them; this was real. And he dearly loved his cousin.
“I’m not telling you to sacrifice your duties or whatever is holding you back,forLuke. All I’m saying is, if what your heart desires is right in front of you, don’t lose your time watching it. Dive in, feel it, let it consume you and live in it. We only have one life, after all.”
His words affected her more than anyone’s ever had. It was more like a door she had been trying to open for so long finally opening, with a little push of help from someone other than herself. What she found on the other side of the door, however, consumed her like an ocean wave.
Liriya met Cedric’s eager eyes, her own eyes slightly damp at her discovery. She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you, Cedric. I really appreciate your words.”
“So I didn’t offend you?” He looked relieved and surprised.
“Of course, not.” Liriya shook her head, surprised at his question. “Why should I be offended? I… I needed to hear them, actually. So, thank you very much.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Liriya.” He grinned. “Luke is a great man, the most golden hearted being I have ever known. I can promise you that he would never hurt you. When he cares, he cares so much that he would do anything in his power for you. And when he loves…” Cedric shook his head with a small smile. “You can only imagine, but I’ll tell you this. When he loves you, he would fight for you till his last breath and even lay himself down for you if it meant that you’d get to live—which I pray won’t happen because I need my brother.”
He stifled a chuckle and continued seriously, “And when he loves, he would love you like he’d leave his throne behind for you. That’s Luke, selfless and devoted to the core.”
Liriya couldn’t think of a word to respond. As much as she appreciated him telling her this, a part of her wondered whatmadehim share this with her. It clearly wasn’t planned or scripted; genuineness swam in Cedric’s eyes as they locked with Liriya’s.
As though reading her mind, Cedric continued, “I watched you both at archery and saw how… happy and free my brother looked around you. I had been thinking about it before you came in. Thank you for listening.”