Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 82

“Then what is she?” Oliver raised his brow.

“A very good friend?” He asked.

Nicholas pursed his lips.

“So… when are you meeting her?” He asked his brother.

“Dodging my question?”

“What question?” Nicholas asked, feigning ignorance.

“Been a while since we’ve chatted last, brother,” Oliver shot his brother a look of contempt.

“Didn’t know you regarded me as a brother,” Nicholas said.

“Well, it’s time we forget our pasts and move forward,” Oliver decided.

Nicholas eyed his brother.

“Really?” He asked.

“Mm,” Oliver answered.

“What’s she like?” Oliver grilled Nicholas for details.

“Why would I tell you?” Nicholas quipped, furrowing his brows.

“Because I’m your brother,” Oliver said in hopes Nicholas would.

“You’ve never regarded me as a brother till… right now,” Nicholas said.

“Now’s different,” Oliver said.

Meanwhile, in Beldovia, with Sophia…

“I’m undertaking royal duties and engagements,” Sophia reminded herself as she worked.

Now that she settled in the palace, she had to work for her keep.

Louis wasn’t any less busy than her, but that didn’t help matters. Didn’t help matters at all.

She spent hours and hours working, learning, doing everything she was told to do perfectly. She was a perfectionist.

And yet, she never thought she was satisfactory enough. Even after all her achievements and successes, even after all her ups and downs.

She occasionally glanced at the clock, waiting till when she’d finally be free of her duties for the day.

__

“Tiring day?” Nicholas asked her.

Sophia shook her head.

“I’m perfectly fine,” she said, lying blatantly to Nicholas’ face.

Nicholas frowned.

He knew she wasn’t okay.

“So how’d you spend today?” Sophia asked Nicholas casually.

“Met a… ah, special guest,” he said to Sophia.

“A special guest? Who?” Sophia asked.

“For Clarisse’s sake, I should keep it top secret,” Nicholas decided.

Sophia made a facial expression that was halfway between a grin and a frown, whilst glaring at Nicholas.

“You’re keeping things from me now?” She asked.

“You aren’t?” Nicholas fired back in return.

Sophia didn’t fathom what was afoot.

She shook her head.

“I’ll just retire for the night,” she said, too exhausted to spare another thought. She was completely used up.

Nicholas looked at her longingly. He didn’t want her to retire for the night. He’d just returned from his errands.

“Don’t–”

“Yes?” Sophia asked.

“Never mind,” Nicholas dismissed.

Sophia frowned, her mood ruined. She returned to her quarters.

__

“So you’ve never got the chance to tell me how your date with Nicholas went,” Clarisse said.

“Since you’ve got most the day free, mind starting?” She pleaded.

Sophia stared at Clarisse.

She ignored her questions.

“How are you faring?”

“You’re meeting Nicholas’ brother for the first time, you must be feeling something,” she said.

Clarisse growled.

“He’s from Sanguis, what am I expect?” She asked.

Sophia furrowed her brows.

“Nicholas is from Sanguis, he’s fine,” she insisted.

Clarisse insisted, “Nicholas is different.”

“Mm,” Sophia agreed.

“So, where are you meeting him? Here?” Sophia asked.

“Yup,” Clarisse confirmed.

“Wow, did not expect that,” Sophia said.

“Be there with me when he arrives?” Clarisse asked.

“Of course,” Sophia answered, still half-awake, as though she’d put her body on autopilot.

“Now, leave me be, I’d like to finish my mocktail in peace,” Sophia said.

She closed her eyes for a few minutes.

‘Meanwhile, I’ll just take… a short… nap,’ Sophia mumbled indistinctively.

“Your grace,” a maid called hours later. Clarisse had left without waking her.

“What time is it?” Sophia asked once she awoke.

“It’s five minutes past 11:00 AM, your grace,” the maid curtsied.

Sophia straightened her suit.

“Right,” she said.

She remembered she had to accompany Clarisse whilst she met up with Nicholas’ brother.

‘I’m right on track,’ Sophia thought.

She decided to freshen up so she wouldn’t seem… not put together.

She yawned.

She brushed her hair, she made sure she looked proper and elegant.

She left her quarters.

As she was making her way to Clarisse’s quarters to check on her and make sure she was prepared for the meeting, she heard someone clear their throat.

‘Nicholas?’ She hoped.

“Why hello beautiful,” a man praised.

He was handsome, familiar even.

He had a defined jawline, stormy grey piercing eyes, and dark black hair. He was muscular, and broad in the shoulders.

He oddly reminded her of Nicholas, but she wondered if it was merely a figment of imagination. He was a tad bit shorter than Nicholas, but the resemblance was… uncanny. It was her lack of sleep that night that was affecting her.

His brother? No, he wasn’t supposed to be here this early.

“You’re not real,” she convinced herself as she turned on her heel, seconds away from walking away when he stopped her.

“I am.”

“I’m real alright,” he confirmed.

Sophia closed her eyes.

She inhaled sharply.

“You’re Nicholas’ brother aren’t you,” she said as a look of understanding crossed her face. She hadn’t turned to face him.

Oliver nodded behind her back.

Sophia turned around.

“And you must be the duchess my brother’s been courting,” he said with a crooked smile.

“And you the man my friend’s going to… wed,” Sophia said.

She reminded herself, the man in front of her was Nicholas’ brother and not the man Clarisse was meant to marry to solve an ongoing war.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Sophia,” Sophia introduced herself. She extended her hand.

“Oliver, but you can call me Jaxson,” he said.

Instead of shaking her hand, he hugged her tightly.

He saw Nicholas approaching the two of them. He must’ve been informed of his arrival.

He smirked when he saw Nicholas’ facial expressions changed the minute he gave her a hug.

A mere hug could set him off.

Oliver, or Jaxson – as he asked Sophia to call him – winked at him.

Nicholas looked as though he was about to punch Jaxson in the face.

Sophia squirmed.

She pushed him away and glared at him.

“Seriously? What was that for?!” She demanded.

“Fiesty,” Oliver noticed.

Sophia glared at him. She couldn’t care less if he was Nicholas’ brother at the moment.

No one spoke to her that way and got away with it. She dealt with her stepmother, she’d deal with him.

Nicholas began, “Soph–”

Sophia didn’t seem to notice his presence.

“I’ll show you fiesty, you pushy cretin,” Sophia said threateningly.

“I’m always up to experience new things,” Jaxson shrugged, finding himself amused at what Sophia was about to do.

“Oh?” She asked, batting her eyelashes.

“Really?” She asked next.

Jaxson shot her a charming grin, “Yes, of course, I–”

It was then Sophia kicked him in the cojones with her heel.

He screamed before he fell to the carpeted floors, whimpering in pain as he clutched his manhood.

Nicholas’ eyes widened.

He hadn’t any time to react as he heard Sophia utter, “All Ambrose men are weird. Someone change my mind,” before she stomped away, probably off to Clarisse’s quarters.

Nicholas was left to stare at her in complete and utter amazement.

What’d just happened? Did he just watch his brother get kicked in the cojones by Sophia?

He was pulled out of his train of thought when he heard his brother call out to him.

“What are you doing there? HELP ME ALREADY!” He wailed, still in pain.

Nicholas smiled, “No thanks, I’ll just stay here.”

“Need anything? Water? For me to call Sophia back for another kick?” Nicholas joked.

“Are you kidding me?” Oliver asked him.

He couldn’t make himself look his brother in the eye.

He laughed.

“Stop laughing! This is serious!” Oliver exclaimed.

“Yes, it’s serious.”

‘Seriously hilarious,’ he thought to himself.

‘I’ll get going, you take care,’ he told his brother before he slowly walked away, savouring the moment.

“HEY!”

“YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!”

“THIS IS NO JOKE!”

“NICHOLAS!”

“NICKY!” Oliver shouted, his voice echoing off the palace halls.

Nicholas didn’t look back, he was more focused on finding Sophia at the moment.

Speaking of Sophia, she had made it to Clarisse’s quarters with great news for her to hear.

She didn’t knock, she just barged in Clarisse’s quarters.

“Clarisse!” She called.

“There’s something I’ve got to tell you!” She exclaimed.

She heard Clarisse reply from the closet, “What is it?”

“It’s regarding lunch,” Sophia said.

Clarisse didn’t seem too surprised.

“Let me guess, he bailed at the last minute for some unknown but extremely urgent reason?” Clarisse assumed.

Sophia laughed.

“No,” she shook her head.

Clarisse walked out of the closet.

She was confused.

“Then… what…”

“What happened?” Clarisse asked, her voice worried.

Sophia hid her smugness.

“Unfortunately, he likely won’t be joining us for lunch,” she said, attempting to sound gloomy.

‘He definitely wouldn’t be joining them for lunch,’ was what she meant.

With a hint of scorn in her voice, she announced, “He’s still recovering from an injury.”

“An injury?” Clarisse asked, baffled.

“What, did he get into some car accident?” Clarisse asked.

Sophia was taken aback. She blinked. She blinked once more.

“Err… well… that’s not the case, Clarisse.”