Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 79

“Do you take thou to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part, and thereto pledge thee your faith?” The marriage officiant asked.

“I do,” Sophia answered, smiling.

“And do you take her to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part, and thereto pledge thee your faith?” The marriage officiant asked as all eyes were on the groom.

He only got silence as an answer.

Sophia looked his way to see his wide eyes.

“Darling?” She asked.

Nicholas didn’t say a word.

“What’s wrong?” She asked worriedly, wondering if he had any doubts.

“WATCH OUT!” Nicholas shouted as he jumped in front of her, only to be pierced by an extremely sharp sword that was meant for her.

He fell to the carpet, bleeding out.

Guests gasped, the wedding officiant fainted out of fright.

Sophia hadn’t realized what was happening.

“NICHOLAS!” She shrieked.

She rushed to his side.

She couldn’t form coherent sentences.

She panicked.

“Someone get help!” She cried to the distraught guests.

She scanned the room, looking for the culprit of this heinous crime.

Her eyes were laid on a man.

“You!” She exclaimed.

“Me,” he said evilly.

For some strange reason, she couldn’t get a look at his face. It was blurry and extremely unclear.

She proceeded to call him names, not focusing on what was most important here.

She snapped out of it once she felt Nicholas call her.

“Sophia…”

Sophia’s gaze returned to him.

Nicholas, seconds away from death.

“No,” she refused, starting to sob hysterically once she realized the gravity of the situation.

“No.”

“You’re not leaving,” she shook her head, in complete denial.

“Help’s on their way,” she assumed.

Nicholas managed to shoot his fiancee a smile, reassuring her.

Right before the light left his eyes, he managed to whisper to her, “I love you.”

“NICHOLAS!”

Sophia shot up. She looked around, making sure she was in her quarters.

She sighed, relieved.

It was all a nightmare.

Everything was a nightmare.

‘None of it was real,’ she reassured herself.

She fell back to her bed.

“It was all a dream,” she said aloud.

A voice in her mind questioned it.

‘Or is it?’

Sophia furrowed her brows.

She checked her wall clock.

Nicholas was usually awake during these hours.

She got off her bed, slipped on her slippers before she made a quick stop to Nicholas’ quarters.

She barged in his room. It could be excused, it was of utmost importance.

She had a hand on her chest.

“Oh thank goodness you’re not dead,” she accidentally said aloud.

Nicholas looked up from his tablet, his eyebrow raised.

“Why hello Windsor.”

“Randomly decided to barge in my quarters to just tell me I’m not dead?” He asked.

Sophia realized how odd she seemed without context.

“What I meant to say was, like to join me for breakfast?” Sophia asked.

‘Nice save,’ a voice in her head commented.

‘Oh shut up,’ Sophia’s inner voice replied.

“So, would you?” She asked.

She realized she was still dressed in her robe, and that her hair must’ve looked pretty dishevelled.

She tidied her hair.

“After a much-needed change of clothing, right,” she said.

Nicholas shot her a grin.

“Right,” he said, quite relieved that the events of yesterday’s reception hadn’t affected him and Sophia at all.

__

Once Sophia and Nicholas finished breakfast, Nicholas was pleading his case..

“Three dates.”

“One date.”

“Two dates.”

“One date.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Windsor,” Nicholas said.

“Nicholas,” Sophia said in return.

He shot her a pleading look and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine, but I’ll be the one deciding on whether or not we’ll be having a second date,” Sophia huffed.

Nicholas smirked.

“Alright,” he said, satiated.

__

“I had this dream,” Sophia said to Clarisse.

“A fantasy? I didn’t know you had it in you, Soph.”

Sophia shook her head.

“Not that,” she answered dryly.

“It’s…”

“It’s about…”

“It’s about Nicholas.”

“And are we on great terms with Nicholas or are we still hurt he used you?” Clarisse asked.

“The former,” Sophia answered.

“So, if it wasn’t a fantasy with Nicholas, but still about Nicholas, then…?”

“It’s off Nicholas.”

She prepared herself to tell Clarisse.

“Dying.”

“Well, that quickly turned dark,” Clarisse mumbled.

“How?” She asked Sophia.

Sophia reminisced on the nightmare. Of Nicholas dying with a sword in his abdomen.

She stumbled with her words.

“So, h-he, well, err–”

Clarisse realized it must’ve been horrible.

“A stab to the chest,” Sophia answered bitterly.

“He died from a stab to the chest.”

Clarisse’s eyes widened.

She patted her friend’s back.

“You alright?” She asked her.

Sophia shrugged dismissively.

“Nicholas is alive, what’s there to be not alright about,” Sophia said with a relieved sigh.

Clarisse smirked.

She’d been surprised by Sophia who’d returned to their table with reddened cheeks yesterday. She had her suspicions, but Sophia never bothered to confirm any of them.

She was flustered and constantly blushing, that was all Clarisse knew.

“So, when are you going to tell me whatever happened yesterday?” She asked curiously.

Sophia fired back, “When are you going to tell me what your family’s making you do?”

“You first,” Clarisse urged.

Sophia pouted. Clarisse would never let her live it down.

“We kissed.”

Clarisse blinked.

“Oh my goodness.”

“You two kissed.”

“Like, on the lips?” She asked.

Sophia nodded shyly.

“Oh my goodness.”

Sophia bit her inner cheeks.

“Yeah,” she confirmed.

“So you and hottie are a thing now?” Clarisse asked curiously.

“Hottie?” Sophia asked.

“It’s just a nickname.”

“Besides, Nicholas is quite attractive.”

“Calm down, I don’t have eyes for him.”

‘Not like you do anyway,’ she mumbled inaudibly.

Sophia wondered, “You knew?”

“Knew what, that you had feelings for Nicholas from the very start?” Clarisse asked.

Sophia’s mouth fell open.

“W-was it that obvious?!”

“Obvious is an understatement,” Clarisse admitted.

“Seriously?” Sophia asked.

“Seriously,” Clarisse answered.

Clarisse scoffed.

“Alistair knew.”

She quoted the one thing that her cousin had told her that she wouldn’t be able to forget.

“Alistair once told me, the two people who don’t know Sophia’s in love with Nicholas and Nicholas is in love with Sophia are Sophia and Nicholas.”

“Alistair told you that?” Sophia asked, her heart beating quicker.

“Sophie,” Clarisse began.

“Let’s get you to another room,” Clarisse told her.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Alright?” She asked softly.

“Alright,” Sophia agreed.

They moved to a nearby living room.

“So…”

“As I said before, there’s something I’ve been needing to tell you.”

“It’s about Alistair,” she said to Sophia.

Sophia’s brows furrowed at her words.

“Did something happen?” She asked worriedly.

“It hasn’t been that long since he’s left, he couldn’t possibly be,” she reasoned.

Clarisse dismissed her suspicions.

“No, he’s perfectly fine.”

“Physically, of course,” she added.

Sophia crossed her legs.

“Alright then, out with it,” she said, the anticipation building up.

Clarisse began, “Know how you’re incredibly oblivious?”

“I don’t like where this is going,” Sophia admitted.

“While you were so busy eyeing Nicholas whilst he was with Ava.”

“You didn’t notice someone.”

“Alistair.”

“Trying so hard to be noticed by you.”

“I don’t blame you, nor does Alistair.”

“But, have you never realized Alistair developing feelings for you over the years?” She asked Sophia, seeking a truthful answer.

Clarisse spelt it out for her, even though Sophia didn’t need explaining.

“Alistair has feelings for me,” she said.

She nodded.

“So you knew?” Clarisse asked.

“You know me, Claire. Either I’m in complete denial or completely oblivious to things. Feelings aren’t my cup of tea, they aren’t my forte,” Sophia shook her head.

Clarisse scoffed.

“You think?” She asked sarcastically.

Sophia laughed softly.

“Now are we going to act as though your parents aren’t making you marry someone you dislike and not talk about it?” She asked, changing the subject so she’d feel less… exposed, among other reasons.

Clarisse went silent.

She’d been hoping Sophia wouldn’t bring it up.

“About that…”

“You should ask Nicholas instead of me,” she said.

Sophia’s mouth fell open.

“It’s a family member of Nicholas’?” She asked.

“Ask him, not me,” Clarisse refused.

Sophia sighed. Clarisse wouldn’t budge.

“Fine,” she gave in.

“I’ll ask Nicholas.”

She grumbled, ‘At least it gives me another reason to talk to him.’

“See! It’s like I’m your wingman,” Clarisse said as she took a seat beside Sophia and wrapped an arm around Sophia’s neck.

Sophia pushed Clarisse’s arm away.

“Yes, you are. Now, I’m going to have to see a certain prince since I can’t get you to speak,” Sophia said as she got up to her feet.

Clarisse watched as Sophia waved her goodbye and swiftly left.

“Don’t mind me.”

“I’ll just be staying here, talking to the air,” Clarisse said as she looked around.

“And now I’m all alone here,” she said with a sigh.