Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 69

“That one?” She asked, seeking validation.

Julia nodded.

Sophia sighed.

“I’ve always despised that rule,” Sophia inwardly groaned.

“What does having a spouse to do with ruling a kingdom?” Sophia asked Julia.

“Being forced to have a spouse won’t make me a better ruler.”

“Is there nothing we can do about it?”

“Nothing at all?”

Julia shook her head exasperatedly.

“Nothing,” she said, clenching her cup of tea so tight it would’ve shattered had she not placed it down.

“It’s unfair, I know,” Julia acknowledged.

“But rules are there for a reason, no matter how unethical and unjust they are,” Julia reasoned.

“Fairness isn’t everyone getting what they want, it’s everyone getting what they need, you should know that,” Julia said.

Sophia managed a smile. This was exactly why Julia made an excellent queen.

Her people loved her.

Hell, everyone loved her, Sophia included.

She knew she’d never amount to be as amazing a queen Julia was.

She wasn’t even half the person Julia was.

Julia was wise, righteous, loving and strong.

Whilst she on the other hand was spontaneous, carefree and struck with all kinds of unwanted and unrecognizable emotions.

She said to Julia, “I’m not ready.”

“I’m not ready to rule, grandmere.”

“I really am not,” she said.

Julia watched her.

“But I can’t allow Emilia to stay queen.”

“I can’t allow her to continue ruling the kingdom, our kingdom.”

Julia kept silent, nodding at what Sophia said.

“What do I do, grandmere, what do I do?” She asked.

Julia knew she couldn’t pressure Sophia into doing something she didn’t desire to in the first place.

She had no right to force her granddaughter into ruling, even if it’d mean Emilia stayed queen. Even if it meant giving up her kingdom to that evil daughter-in-law of hers.

She wouldn’t give up her granddaughter’s happiness for that.

“Darling, you should get some rest, it’s been a tiring day,” she advised.

“Grandmere, I–”

“Rest. Darling,” Julia said sternly.

From two words alone, Julia spoke volumes.

Sophia nodded, “Okay.”

“And go change into some proper sleepwear, alright?” Julia asked.

Sophia agreed, bidding Julia goodnight before she left to return to her quarters.

But, instead of getting some rest, she changed into some casual clothing before heading downstairs, off to visit a certain Sanguisian prince.

On her way to Nicholas’ quarters, she hadn’t realized she was close until Nicholas was across from her. She hadn’t realized she was close to his quarters at all.

She immediately halted.

“Ambrose,” she called, appalled.

“What are you–”

“What are you doing on this floor?”  She asked curiously. It couldn’t possibly be to visit her.

Nicholas blinked.

Why else could he have been here?

“I was about to visit you,” he admitted as if it were so obvious.

Sophia’s eyes widened ever-so-slightly.

“Oh,” was all she managed to say afterwards.

“Well, I was about to visit you… too,” she admitted.

Nicholas and Sophia stood across from each other.

Sophia bit her lip.

“I just wanted to say that… I…”

Nicholas looked at her before his eyes widened and he had a look of panic on his face. Or what looked like one.

Sophia noticed.

“What is it?” She asked.

Nicholas kept glaring at whatever was behind her.

After a couple of minutes, she could no longer take it anymore.

She whipped around to see the most gorgeous woman she’d ever seen her entire life. Aside from Julia, of course.

“You,” the woman recognized her.

“So you must be the duchess he’s been hanging around with these past weeks.”

She extended her arm towards Sophia.

“Ava Anastasia Hahn, a childhood friend of Nicholas’, nice to meet you.”

__

“What are you doing here?” Nicholas demanded.

“What am I doing here?” Ava asked.

“Are you seriously asking me that question?”

“It’s your birthday, of course, I’d be here, silly,” Ava answered.

“But now, of all times?” Nicholas asked.

‘You couldn’t have had worse timing,’ Nicholas mumbled indistinctively.

Ava narrowed her eyes.

“I just came here to wish you a happy birthday,” she blatantly lied.

“Really?” Nicholas asked.

“No exterior motives, at all?”

Ava smirked.

“You’d have to see to find out,” she answered slyly.

Nicholas couldn’t have been more sceptical, that, as well as furious.

“Just stop, Ava.”

“You could’ve done everything by a simple phone call, but you chose to come here,” Nicholas said, his voice filled with bottled rage.

“Go home, Ava.”

“Just return to Sanguis and we both can act as though this never happened,” Nicholas said.

Ava raised her brow.

“As if that’s to work on me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Nicky.”

“Wherever you are is wherever I’ll be,” she said, attempting to be romantic.

Nicholas narrowed his eyes, shaking his head.

“It’s too late for your shenanigans, Ava,” Nicholas said frustratedly.

“Find a nearby resort or… something, there’s no way you’re possibly staying here.”

Ava began, “Nicholas–”

Nicholas stopped her.

“I honestly don’t want to hear it.”

__

Sophia laid awake in the middle of the night, propped up by a couple of pillows.

She couldn’t get any sleep, partly because her head was filled with all kinds of thoughts, mainly Ava.

Her blood pressure had heightened simply thinking about her.

Ava Hahn was what was keeping her awake.

She never realized she was capable of overthinking. Much less about a close friend of Nicholas’.

She despised her at first sight, despite knowing nothing about her.

Nicholas not being too ecstatic to see her was quite… satisfying, but she didn’t feel any less relieved by it.

She’d known him longer than she did.

She knew him ever since he was a child. That fact didn’t seem to sit well with her.

Perhaps she simply didn’t like Ava, or perhaps it was something else.

She wondered what Nicholas actually thought of Ava’s sudden arrival in Beldovia.

It was likely because it was his birthday, and she wanted to surprise him, but Sophia wondered if she had other motives.

It was as though she knew something was up.