HEY GUYS OMG I'M BACK! And I am so sorry for the unannounced hiatus ;A; I literally stopped writing once more in a middle of a chapter and left it hanging. I had to watch the stupid skating rink episode with Hugo in it so that I could write the rest of the chapter. Hugo was the key. (wut)

Anyway! Hope you enjoy this chapter~

Amber knocked at her twin's door. It was early in the morning, and James had promised that he would agree to come for his outfit's sizing. Though the tailor is visiting in the afternoon, she was a bit worried that James and Sofia haven't returned yet. Amber knew that James was going to go out with Sofia for the night. She also promised to not tell a single soul in the castle. After a few more seconds of waiting, she sighed and halted her knocking.

"Are they even home yet?" she asked herself. As she was about to turn her heel and leave, the door opened, revealing James inside.

"Amber?" he called out, his hair a bit messy and his clothes wrinkled. Amber's eyes widened upon seeing the blond prince's look, wondering where the two went to.

"Why do you look so... bedraggled?" she asked. James' cheeks turned into a slight shade of crimson as he leaned on the doorway with a hand on his mouth. Amber waited for her twin brother to speak up, as James composed himself in front of her.

"We got caught by the rain last night. So we sheltered in a cave for the whole night." He said. Amber raised an eyebrow at him, still waiting for her brother to finish. James sighed as he walked back inside his room, gesturing his sister to come in as well. Amber entered his room and glanced around. She was a bit surprised that Sofia wasn't inside. James sat on the couch with his back slumped. Amber sat beside him as well.

"Where's Sofia?" she asked.

"Back in her room. We just got home." He replied.

Amber nodded, her grip on her fan tightened a bit.

"Did something happen?" she asked again.

"No, nothi—"

"Last night?" Amber added, adding more stress to her question. James stiffened with his gaze casted down. His twin sister's gaze was getting intense, not taking her eyes off him. He clenched his fists on his lap as he slowly nodded to his sister's question. Amber gasped slightly, and then placed a hand on his back. James glanced at her with a small smile on his lips.

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything's going to work out just fine." He said. Despite his words, Amber could feel that James is pretty unsure himself.

Back in Sofia's room, the brunette princess was changing her clothes since the one she wore last night was still a bit soaked. After dressing up, she brushed her hair. Looking in the mirror, she remembered every detail of what happened last night. And just by thinking about it still makes her as flustered as ever. Yesterday night felt like forever, she thought.

She placed her brush down and stood up, feeling a bit sad. Today, she won't be seeing James that much since he was preparing for his fiancé's visit. Though she already told herself that this kind of thing inevitable, it still hurts that she can't be with the person she loves. But James did promise that everything would be alright. And she knows that James wouldn't break his promise. It's all according to destiny, she told herself. All of a sudden, she heard a faint knock on her door. Hastily, she walked towards it and opened to reveal her half-sister. Amber smiled at Sofia slightly and grabbed her wrist gently.

"Breakfast is served and you are being summoned by dad. Let's go?" Amber said. Sofia returned her smile and gave her a small nod.

"Okay."

The two princesses walked down the hallway in silence, wherein usually they would chat until they reach the dining area. Sofia had her gaze down when Amber glanced at her. She gave out a small sigh and then stopped walking. This made Sofia stop as well as she turned back to face her step-sister. With a concerned expression on her face, Sofia walked towards Amber.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Amber glanced at her and held both of her hands.

"Sofia, James told me what happened yesterday." She said, her voice sincere and her eyes staring at Sofia's. The brunette princess loosened her grip on Amber's hands as she casted her head down.

"Is it bad?" Sofia asked meekly. Amber shook her head and smiled at her sister.

"No it's not. But... with James' fiancé just around the corner, don't you think that... it'll be hard for you both?"

Sofia kept her gaze on the carpeted floor, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. She let go of her sister's wrist and let out a sigh. She felt all the hope inside her drained in a shot. Amber placed her hand on Sofia's back and patted her reassuringly. As they were about to continue walking, James suddenly came out from one of the corridors, catching both princesses in surprise. James looked from Amber to Sofia, his gaze staying on her. Sofia glanced up at James as well, her face burning with crimson.

"We have to discuss this James." Amber's stern voice broke the silence. "And the only sane thing to do here is to tell Dad everything. It's the only-"

"Do you really think he'd understand? In his eyes, Sofia is our sister. There is no way he would agree. And what about the villagers? Don't you think that they'll-" James stopped talking as he heard a soft sniffle come from Sofia. He scratched the back of his head lamely, realizing that he said too much. He placed his hand on her arm comfortingly. Sofia stared at him, wiping her tears with her hands.

"I'm sorry." He muttered.

"No, it's okay. You only spoke of the truth." She replied. Nonetheless, James walked a step closer towards her and wiped her tears with his hands, cupping her face. He then gave her a wry smile. Remembering the events from what happened last night, James realized he shouldn't get mad, at least for now.

"Hey. Everything's going to be okay, no matter what the situation is. What we feel is real, I don't think there's anything wrong with that." James said, his smile getting wider. This made Sofia smile as well.

"Ahem."

Both of them, startled, instantly turned their heads to look at Amber, a hand on her waist while her fan on the other.

"Right. Breakfast." Sofia said, stepping away from James. Amber heaved a sigh and walked beside Sofia.

"Today is going to be a long day." she muttered.

After their usual breakfast at the dining hall, James was instantly dragged to the tailoring room by their mother. With a deep sigh, he no longer protested. James walked behind Queen Miranda, who was unaware of the boy's reluctance for the day's activity. Once more, James unconsciously sighed, making the queen of Enchancia transfer her full attention behind her.

"Love problems, James?"

As if broken from a trance, James's head perked up in an instant, his expression mixed with confusion and fluster.

"P-pardon?" he stuttered. On the other hand, Queen Miranda only chuckled in response.

"I know that kind of sigh, James. Is this about your arranged meeting with your fiancé?" she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder gently, making James smile a bit.

"Well, kind of." he said as he scratched the back of his neck shyly. He wasn't used to talking about his feelings with Queen Miranda. He doesn't even talk about this kind of thing with his father. It made him feel a bit bashful as he talked about his love problems.

"I know. You must feel horrible for not being able to marry for love." The queen said, her lips forming into a small frown.

"You love someone, don't you? And you can't marry her because she isn't of royalty?" Queen Miranda then asked, leaving James speechless. He doesn't exactly know how to answer his stepmother's question, since he is in love with her daughter. Nonetheless, she took James' silence as a 'yes'.

"Is she a villager?" she asked once more. Upon hearing the question, James smiled. And by complete instinct, he answered.

"She was." James said softly, barely a whisper.

"Come again?"

"Uh… I mean… I didn't quite hear you, mother. What was that again?" James said, looking a bit flustered. Queen Miranda blinked at her stepson.

"Never mind. Let's get going then." She said with a smile, as if she already knows what was going on inside James' mind. Unbeknownst to him, the queen of Enchancia heard what he said. And that alone made her happy.

"Yes, mother."

"And I'm pretty sure that the girl you love is so lucky to have you love her. I can feel how much you love her." Queen Miranda added, her back in front of James as she continued walking towards their destination. "I hope Sofia finds that kind of love someday." she added, making James flush in deep crimson.

"I do hope she does." James muttered, his head casted down as he walked behind.

Sofia sat on their garden's pad of grass near a bush of red roses, reading a book. It was about 3 in the afternoon as she finished reading her book. She decided to go out of the castle for a while, perhaps a stroll in the village, she thought as she closed her book and stood up, dusting her dress afterwards. Walking outside the garden, she remembered having her tea parties with Amber with the assistance of their butler, Baileywick. Remembering those memories brought a smile in her face.

Walking towards the gate of their castle, a figure riding a derby horse can be seen just a few meters away from their gate. Curious, she stopped by the gate and waited for the figure to stop. Much to her surprise, it was Prince Hugo.

"Hugo…?" Sofia muttered as she clutched the book closer to her chest.

"Sofia? Man, it's been a while since I last saw you." the dark-haired prince said as he went down his horse and held it by its bridle and let it to the stables.

"What brings you here?" Sofia asked as they both walked side by side.

"I heard about Amber's engagement ball. And… well, my father asked me to bring a gift for her since I wasn't able to attend the party the other night." Hugo answered, no more no less. Sofia could only nod. The two walked in humble silence towards the stable. In contrast when they were kids, Hugo would usually brag about his derby and ice dancing skills when he's with Sofia but as they grew older, they matured.

Upon reaching the horse's stables, Hugo went to his horse's side and opened its bag to get a medium-sized box. With a small smile, he presented the gift in front of Sofia.

"Guess what my dad got for Amber."

"Uh… jewelry?"

"Even better. Ten, different variety of hand fans. All made with the finest silk… and some things." the prince said with a huge grin on his face. The brunette princess couldn't help but laugh at his gift.

"I'm pretty sure Amber will love it." Sofia said.

Another set of silence dawned upon them and only this time, the air felt slightly awkward.

"Hey Sof, since your sister is about to get married and all, have you ever thought about it yourself?" he asked out of nowhere, surprising the princess.

"Well, at times I do." she replied as she looked at the ground, clutching her book even more close to her.

"Who do you see… in that kind of future?" Hugo asked once more, making Sofia blush. The moment she heard her question, she instantly thought of a person. 'James. Of course it's him.' she thought sadly.

"None, as of the moment." She lied.

"Then… would it be okay… if I stepped in your future?" the raven-haired prince said. It didn't fully register on Sofia's mind as she stared at the prince blankly, not knowing how to respond. He was asking for marriage, in a way. Hugo, who looked out of his character and as red as a beet walked towards Sofia and pulled her for a hug.

"I… I kinda… l-like you." he stuttered as he whispered in her ear. Sofia remained speechless.

"B-but… I didn't know… you had… those kind of feelings… I'm—"

"Sofia…? Hugo?" a familiar voice overpowered Sofia's meek one. Instantly, the two pulled away from each other, the dark-haired prince still as red as he was before.

"Nice seeing you, James. I'm just here to drop off your twin's present." Hugo said, showing James the box he was holding. On the other hand, James was staring at the other prince as if he was a deceitful enemy.

"There must be something wrong with your eyesight, then. The princess in your arms a few seconds ago happened to be Sofia, not my twin." he said, not taking his eyes off Hugo. With a small frown, the other prince scoffed at James.

"It's not like she's yours for you to get so worked up like that." he muttered before walking past James and outside the stable. "Where's Amber by the way?"

"Lobby. At the entrance." James replied, not looking back at him. The other prince nodded and walked away. As Hugo walked farther away, Sofia could feel that James was mad. As in really mad. As silence dawned upon them, she didn't know what to do. Then, the blond prince walked towards her abruptly. Preparing herself for James' anger, she closed her eyes. And instead of harsh words, she felt James' arms wrap around her tightly. His embrace was so tight, as if he was so afraid of losing her.

"J-James?" she muttered softly. James didn't respond. He only hugged her tighter.

"O-ow…" Sofia instinctively blurted out, making him pull away slightly. She looked up at him so that she can the expression on his face. Somehow, James looked flushed.

"Did Hugo say something to you?" he asked.

"Well… he said confessed his feelings for me and asked who I want to spend my future with." she replied.

"Who is it then?"

"I told him that I wasn't thinking of anyone. But the truth is… I thought of you." Sofia said with a small smile, her cheeks glowing red. James, too was looking quite red as he heard what the princess just said. Brushing off his awkwardness, he pulled Sofia once more in to a tight hug. This time, Sofia let go of her book, the said item falling on the ground as she wrapped her arms around his torso.

"I love you, Sof." he whispered ever so gently at her ear.

"I love you too, James." she replied.

Cupping her cheek with his hand, James leaned closer towards Sofia and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Shyly, she kissed him back and placed a hand on top of James'.

Unbeknownst to them, a certain prince hid by the wall of the castle just a few meters away from the stables. His clenched fists shivered as he held a box in his hands.

oh no Hugo enters the party and decided to form some sort of triangle. le gasp. so much wow.

And that oh, so cheesy and fluffy moment at dem stables. Huehue.

I'll be back. (Arnold S. reference hihi)