"May I come in?"
Cedric's mouth curved into a sour smile at the Queen's superior tone.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Honestly, it surprised him every time he saw her knock on his door. She could just call Bayleiwick or send another servant to fetch him. Amber hated him enough to bother climbing his tower. But she did.
The queen stepped into the workshop, haughty as an empress, but inside she had lost all the aplomb she had brought along the way. To be honest, she didn´t know what she was doing there. Or maybe she did but didn't want to admit it. One way or another, the sorcerer looked at her strangely and she did not know what excuse she could come up with to explain her presence in the tower.
Finally, Cedric was the one who broke the silence.
"What do you need, Your Majesty?"
Amber didn't look at him, she stood in the middle of the workshop, unsure of what to do next.
"Sofia left."
The confusion on his face was noticeable, not even Amber knew why she had said that.
"Yes," Cedric answered, surprised. "She came this morning to say goodbye. She is going to be quite missed, that girl is the soul of the castle, right?"
He meant it sincerely, there was no malice, Amber knew that Cedric had a special friendship with her sister, but she felt something churn in her stomach anyway.
"Yes."
The silence that followed began to get awkward and Cedric didn't know how to proceed.
"Is that all?"
"I am going to miss her..."
Cedric softened his face for the first time since the Queen entered the room, and he sighed.
"Would you like to sit down?"
Amber felt a heat run through her body at that little phrase, but she did not let him notice.
She needed someone to show that kind of concern for her, she needed to feel loved, and now with Sofia, her sister and best friend, out of the kingdom, the anxiety was taking over her.
She had never gotten along too much with Cedric. In fact, they got along pretty bad. But he was the only person who treated her transparently, showing her exactly what he thought about her, no matter if that meant to be rude to the Queen of Encantia herself.
And that treatment between them was what made her feel… Adrenaline? She didn't know what she was feeling. What she did know is that she had an urge to be arrogant and rude to him. If it got him out of his mind, even better.
Because of that, she couldn't help the answer that came from her lips. He was trying to help her, he was being compassionate, and she could only say to him:
"Isn't this too much confidence with the Queen, Cedric?"
He snorted back in annoyance. Exactly how she wanted.
"Oh please Amber, what are you really doing here?"
That tone, that face, that he called her by name so naturally ... What was she feeling? The question he was asking was quite important. What was she really doing there?
Amber turned her face and locked her eyes with his. Cedric was surprised to see her eyes dark with passion. The Queen, without thinking twice, took two steps, grabbed Cedric by his yellow bow and, drawing him to her, she kissed him fiercely.
'Ah, so it was this.' She thought in a corner of her mind. The rest was clouded with desire, lust, and confusion.
Cedric didn't separate her, but he didn't reciprocate either. He was just as surprised as she was.
When Amber pulled away, flushed and breathing hard, she could only say:
"Good afternoon."
And with the same haughtiness with which she had entered, she withdrew without waiting for a word about it.
Once she closed the door behind her, Cedric stood rigidly in the same spot for a few minutes. He didn't know which reacted first, his mind or his body, but he walked over to his work chair and collapsed into it. Something told him that he would be up all night trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Whatever it was, he was sure it wouldn't be the last time, and worst of all and what worried him most, he was more than willing to have it happen again.
Note: Yesterday we were talking about this ship on the cedfia discord and I got inspired! I think I love this crack ship now.
Please leave a review if you liked it!