"A son?" Rose's eyes brightened when she realized who looked like the woman.

"Yes a son. My son is a highschool student," Leah replied naturally.

"His name most be Eric," Rose said almost a hundred percent sure that she was correct.

"Yeah. My son's name is Eric."

"Eric and I are best friends. I can't believe you are Eric's mum. Eric looks so much like you but you look too young to be his mother. No wonder Eric looks so handsome," Rose commented truthfully.

Eric looked so much like his mother. He also had her confidence and intelligence. "My troublesome son has almost nothing to talk about when I call him or when we meet. He stays with his dad in B city. I thought he only spoke about his pretty friend so I won't feel worried about him and I concluded that he was lying but you are real," Leah said happily. It was a good thing that he son was not too lonely.

Eric hardly spoke about his family and she thought he did not come from a very happy family but seeing his mum, she wondered why he never boasted about his mother to her.

"I left him in B city because he did not want to leave. He said you were very talented and you are the only person better than him. He called you a competition at first but when he kept on talking about you, his perspective changed every time until he told me you were his best friend and you were really pretty," Leah narrated.

She remembered how happy Eric sounded when talking about Rose. He spoke so much about Rose that they barely had time afterwards to talk about anything else.

"He told me about your eyes and I did not believe him. He refused to tell me your name or show me your picture that was why I thought he was lying. Your hair is just as he said it was; uniquely multicolored and beautiful."

"Eric must have exaggerated a lot," Rose said feeling shy hearing all the compliments. She knew all those things about her pulchritude but hearing it from Dr. Leah made her blush visibly.

"No he didn't. Eric is a very straightforward child and he hardly lies. Those were one of the few things I know about my son," Leah said sadly.

"You must have been too busy to spend time with him because of work."

"Yeah. His father is less busy and since I work in Star city, it makes me unable to spend enough time with him now."

"Eric helps me a lot. We do must of our projects together and since I am not very good at designing male attires, he helps me out while I help with female designs. He has very good fashion sense. I admire the way he dresses up," Rose tried to praise Eric a lot to make his mother proud.

"The way he dresses? My husband and I have told him to stop dressing the way he does but he never listens," Leah complained helplessly.

"No, he dresses perfectly."historical

"He always looks too beautiful."

"No, he looks good. He wears what matches his appearance. He looks hot in what he wears and it fits him perfectly. A lot of girls like Eric in school although he doesn't care. He is one of the hottest guys in school. He knows what looks good on him and exudes the right amount of muscularity for his face," Rose tried to persuade Eric's mum sincerely.

"I wish he got his father's face. Do you know they thought he was a girl when he was younger? Most people will be like, 'oh my God what a beautiful girl'. After a while of telling them he was a boy, I got tired and stopped correcting them. That made his dad unhappy and he took over the job till he also got tired," Leah narrated laughing softly.

"I am definitely going to use this to make fun of him when I get home. I know one of his secrets now," Rose told Leah as they both laughed. "He has the perfect face to become a celebrity girls will be crazy about. My sister told him to consider joining the entertainment industry over and over but he have always rejected her."

"He won't or his father might simply disown him. His father wanted him to study mathematics or anything related to that but he chose to focus on fashion. I had to intervene or his father would have disowned. He loves fashion and I hope you will keep helping him."

"Sure, I also need his help after all. When we come here finally for college, he will be closer to you and I will drag him over for dinner frequently."

"I will be grateful if you so that," Leah appreciated sincerely.

Eric must miss her a lot but because she left him and she knew very well that he was angry with her for doing so but he always covered it up with a happy smile.

"You don't have any other feelings for him, right?" Leah had to ask.

"Eric and I are best friends. I admire his talent," Rose replied simply without further thinking about the question. "My sister thinks he has feelings for me. She disturbs him about that everytime she gets the chance to."

"Hmm," Leah hummed unwilling to go on. It was obvious to everyone who saw the way Liam treats Rose that Liam was interested in her. Even if she suspects Eric has feelings for Rose, she won't tell Rose and she will stop her son from telling Rose if he ever wants to.

"I will disturb you a lot when I come finally to Star city. I think you should get prepared," Rose informed her excitedly. It was weird that she was happy to be able to spend time with the stranger she met an hour ago.

"Sure if Mr. Hale gives me the permission," Leah replied truthfully.

Rose sighed heavily with an unhappy pout of her lower lip at the mention of that man's name. She looked down at her hands held in Leah's.

"Mr. Hale is willing to help you to death but that is only if you let him help you. I know that you are the princess and your rightful place is the palace. Your mother was killed unjustly. The Queen who loved her people more than herself was killed. It is only right that her daughter brings back her former glory and wears the crown," Leah explained to Rose as she also expressed her opinion.

"Isn't the kingdom peaceful enough? If I take over the kingdom, don't you think you will have more people coming into the hospital during a war?" Rose asked watching Leah closely. She was not offended by what Leah told her.

"No, if you take over the throne, it will be the only guarantee that there won't be a war," Leah replied shaking her head as she released Rose's hands and stood up with a sigh.

"What war? There can't be a war. Do you know our kingdom is the most peaceful country in the world? We have no reason to protest. We have no reason to fight a civil war. Everyone is happy," Rose continued. She really began considering avenging her mother's death and forgetting about the kingdom while she continues her work as a fashion designer.

"Do you really think so? Ask Liam to show you what is really happening underneath. You would have died like many other girls and boys who have died without anyone knowing the reason. You are also a victim.

"Yet you call this kingdom peaceful? Yes it is peaceful outwardly but it's only a matter of time before it moves to the surface. When it does, more people would have died without realizing why they died and who killed them."

Rose felt guilty and sad. "Almost getting killed was so scary. I am too scared to go on. Perhaps I am only a pathetic coward who can't protect those who needs her protection. I should protect myself first. My mother was a selfless Queen but what did she get in return? She got a ruined reputation and death. If all the good people ends up dying, then why should I be a good person?"

"I know what you mean but you are definitely not short of the power you need to get the throne. You have someone who is willing to help you selflessly," Leah reminded her. "Running can not be an option. If you run away now, you only get killed some other time. Mr. Hale is willing to shield you with his life but he won't get involved until you let him."

Rose shook her head as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I am confused. So many people want me dead. I can't trust anyone. He is not a nice person from what I know so he is most definitely not helping me because he wants to save the kingdom. Without a tangible reason from him, I won't accept his help," she told Leah.

Rose was so confused. The fact that Liam went into a burning building to save her made her want to trust him but she was also scared. She needed an assurance.