Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 83

“Then what happened?” Clarisse asked.

Sophia explained, “Apparently…”

“Apparently, his virtue was injured.”

“His virtue?” Clarisse asked confusedly.

She looked at Sophia.

“Oh,” she said, her voice lowered.

“Oh,” she said once more, this time louder.

“How?” She asked.

“Someone kicked him in the cojones,” Sophia said in one go.

She studied Clarisse’s reaction to her words.

Clarisse began to piece things together, “And by someone…”

She let out a small gasp.

“Wait, you–”

“How’s Nicholas going to feel?” She asked.

Sophia shot her a look of reassurance.

“Oh my goodness.”

“If I’ve never told you how much I love you, I’m telling you now, I love you,” Clarisse said to Sophia.

She wasn’t the slightest bit ready.

She’d tried objecting and protesting the arranged marriage, to no avail.

This gave her a moment to breathe.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

Sophia smiled, “My pleasure.”

Clarisse leaned in, “Seriously, I’ve got to ask a question.”

“Was Nicholas there?” She asked.

Sophia thought back to the moment before she stormed away.

“I don’t think so,” she said.

“Think he’ll tell his parents?” Clarisse asked.

Sophia chuckled.

“What’s he going to tell them? That a mere duchess kicked him in the balls?” She asked.

Clarisse patted her friend’s shoulder.

“You’re right,” she agreed.

“Now, shouldn’t you be with Nicholas? I’m supposed to feign ignorance so they won’t suspect anything, yes?” Clarisse reasoned.

Sophia nodded.

“Later,” she said before she left, off to find Nicholas.

She was surprised to find him right outside Clarisse’s quarters.

“Are you lurking in every corner? Did you follow me?” Sophia asked.

Nicholas shrugged, “Just happened to see you heading for Clarisse’s quarters whilst I was on my way to find you.”

“Right,” Sophia nodded.

“I met your brother,” she said.

“I saw,” Nicholas nodded.

Sophia was taken aback.

“Wait, really?” She blinked.

“So you heard him flirt with me?” She asked.

“What?” Nicholas spat.

“He did?!” He said, rage burning in his eyes.

‘I’m going to kill him.’

Sophia hadn’t expected him to react that way.

“One compliment,” she reasoned.

“It was one compliment.”

“I also have no idea why I’m defending him,” she said.

“Although… with the current circumstances he’s under, he won’t make it to lunch, I assume?” Sophia asked, snickering.

Nicholas grinned, “Of course he won’t.”

“Would you like to join me for lunch?” He offered.

Sophia looped her arm through his.

“That enough of an answer for you?” She asked.

Nicholas kissed her on the forehead, “It is.”

“Let’s go,” Nicholas said to her.

They sat across from each other in the dining room; lunch already prepared for the both of them.

“What do you think of arranged marriages?” Sophia asked Nicholas out of the blue. She wanted his opinion on the subject.

“Are you referring to Clarisse’s arrangement?” Nicholas asked.

Sophia didn’t reply.

“Your answer?” Sophia instead asked in return.

“I don’t support the idea of arranged marriages,” Nicholas admitted.

“I will never support the idea of arranged marriages,” he corrected himself.

“Agreed,” she said, smiling.

The premise of putting two royals together to solve war was utterly foolish. The idea of marrying someone you don’t know for your kingdom was selfless, but it’d lead to living a horrible life with a significant other you’re incompatible with.

Love wasn’t magic that’d spontaneously appear out of nowhere. Sophia still believed that.

If she could, she’d forever ban arranged marriage, but she wasn’t in the right place to do so.

“So, what did Oliver say to you?” Nicholas inquired, snapping Sophia out of her thoughts.

Sophia told him exactly what.

Nicholas clenched his fist.

He’d have a word with his brother, as soon as lunch with Sophia was over.

“How’s your brother doing?” Sophia asked.

Nicholas answered, “I don’t know, I haven’t seen him ever since you kicked him.”

Sophia winced.

“Right, I did,” she admitted.

She grumbled something under her breath before taking a bite out of her chicken tetrazzini.

__

“Sophia, I heard what happened,” Julia said.

Sophia sunk into her chair. Julia never called her that unless she did something she disapproved of.

Julia tsked.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said in a condescending manner.

“He’s a guest here,” Julia started.

Sophia made herself comfortable for Julia’s lecture.

“You’ve always closed your eyes whenever I did anything similar to Emilia,” she reasoned.

“You and I both know Emilia’s different,” Julia said.

“So I close my eyes and see black.”

“But what’d happen if the public gets news of this?” She asked realistically.

“We’ll deal with it,” Sophia answered confidently.

“Sophia,” Julia warned.

“You’re a Windsor, act like one.”

‘I rather not be one, frankly,’ Sophia muttered sharply.

“Sophia!” Julia exclaimed.

Sophia exhaled sharply.

“I won’t do that again, grandmere,” she promised.

“But, in my defence, he deserved it,” she reasoned.

“And what’s worse is that Clarisse is in an arrangement with that… jerk,” she said irritatedly.

“Can you believe it?” She asked.

“Sophia,” Julia began.

“I’m merely telling the truth, grandmere,” Sophia reasoned.

“I know you are, darling. I do.”

“But, arranged marriages are a means of establishing alliances.”

“As you know, Samar and Sanguis have been at war.”

Sophia nodded.

“We’re at no place to interfere or intervene,” she said.

“So you are not to interfere between that friend of yours and Nicholas’ brother,” she said classily.

Sophia sighed.

She promised she wouldn’t.

Julia elucidated, “But to make things clear, I’d never condone such means to establish alliances, no matter what circumstances my kingdom’s in.”

“What I did with you and Nicholas is completely different.”

“I gave you both a slight push to the right direction. I didn’t require you to marry him for the kingdom.”

“Besides, look how that went,” Julia said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Sophia remembered how Julia had made Nicholas promise her he’d have her back by midnight.

Julia did know everything, what was the point in hiding anything?

“I know the two of you kissed,” she added unhelpfully.

Sophia flushed.

“Grandmere, that’s–”

“Wear protection,” she reminded.

“Grandmere!” Sophia protested.

“We’re not–”

“I don’t–”

She covered her face with her hands.

“Grandmere, no,” she denied.

“I was just reminding you,” Julia said.

“You’re both consenting adults anyway,” she reasoned.

Sophia couldn’t believe her ears.

“What? There was a time I was your age,” Julia said nonchalantly.

“But, that was many, many decades ago,” she added.

“I’m just saying, it’s alright to have some fun,” Julia reasoned afterwards.

Sophia wished to be anywhere but here. This was horrible. Simply horrible.

__

“I’m so glad you’re back,” she said to her brother a couple of days later.

“So am I,” Louis agreed wholeheartedly. It was great to be back.

“How’ve you been, Soph?” He asked his sister.

“Peachy.”

“Heard what happened yet?” She asked her brother, wondering if he’d heard.

“No,” he answered.

“Why, should I?” He asked curiously.

Sophia shrugged.

“Kicked Oliver – no, Jaxson – in the balls.”

“Who’s Oliver?”

“Nicholas’ brother.”

“You what?!” Louis exclaimed.

“Oh save the lecture,” Sophia said.

“Grandmere already did it for you,” she elucidated.

“Told me to ‘wear protection’ as well,” she said miserably.

Louis grimaced.

“Really now?”

Sophia nodded.

“Had to sit through all of it,” she said weakly.

“Wow,” Louis said in amazement.

“You really kicked Oliver? What did Nicholas have to say about it?” He asked.

“Nicholas despises his brother, I’m off the hook.”

“And also, Oliver’s the royal Clarisse has been arranged with,” Sophia added.

“You don’t say.”

“How’s Clarisse faring?” He asked.

“Well, when lunch was abruptly cancelled, she was relieved.”

“And how’s Oliver faring?” He asked next.

“Ask Nicholas, he’d know.”

“Speak of the devil,” he uttered.

Sophia scanned the room.

Nicholas was heading towards her.

“Oh,” she answered.

“I’ve got to freshen up anyway, meet you at dinner?” He asked his sister.

“Sure.”

Louis waved Nicholas hello before leaving.

“Hey you,” Sophia greeted.

Nicholas smiled.

“So, the meeting dinner’s happening today,” Nicholas informed Sophia.

“So I’ve heard,” Sophia retorted.

“How’s Oliver been faring?” She asked.

Nicholas shrugged.

“It was a minor injury, the pain subsided less than an hour after. He’s fine.”

“Unless you deem his bruised ego a problem,” Nicholas added.

Sophia laughed.

She’d still be joining Clarisse for dinner, but what she hadn’t expected was surprise guests joining.

“Apparently there’ll be surprise guests there, supervisors to overlook dinner,” Nicholas said.

“Wonder who they’ll be,” Sophia said aloud.

She had a few guesses, but she was as clueless as Nicholas.

Of course, Emilia wouldn’t be supervising, neither would Julia, so she’d find out who during lunch itself.

“In the meanwhile, since both you and I are free, what do you say we continue with the plans on our first date we never got to finish.”

Nicholas smirked, “What’d you have in mind?”

“You’ll see.”

“I just need to get a couple of things in order before we can do that.”

“So, let’s meet up at… say, an hour?”

Nicholas agreed, “Sure.”

“Alright then.”

“I need to get going.”

“Dates aren’t going to plan themselves.”