It had been a week since Halle had returned home from Dres Van, and although Prince Joshua was kind enough to provide her with a new cell phone, that did not prevent her from getting behind on her cases while she was gone. Halle had returned to her law firm's office Garrison & Harper almost instantly after her plane had landed, and she had been swamped with cases ever since. And now, she was about to tackle another one.
"Ugh, this is impossible...!" Halle stressfully ran a hand through her hair as she combed over her client's file yet again, frustrated that she couldn't think of a way to win this case that she was going to court for in less than two hours.
Halle sat back in her desk chair and sighed, tossing the case file she snapped shut onto her desk as she looked around her office, trying to get some sort of idea for what to do next.
Halle's office was huge; one of the biggest in Garrison & Harper's building, thanks to her reputation as one of the firm's best lawyers. Not to mention that she was on track to become a partner at her firm soon. The entire back wall of her office was covered by bookshelves that reached the ceiling, each filled with books of laws and court cases history. To the far left was a tall rolling ladder, and Halle instantly walked over and climbed up it, beginning to gather a few books she wanted to look at for the case she was going to court today for. She was preparing to brush up on her knowledge of wrongful termination in order to help her better develop a strategy for her case today, which honestly was one of her hardest ones yet.
The sudden clicking noise of her office's door opening caught Halle's attention, and she slowly turned her head to look and see who it was as she climbed down the ladder.
And as soon as the person walked into her office, Halle instantly narrowed her eyes at them. "You have got to be kidding me."
One hour earlier...
Prince Roberto was in his office back home in Villa Altaria, changed into casual attire that would mask his princely identity. He was searching various desk drawers for a pair of sunglasses and a hat, trying to finish putting his disguise together before his butler Alberto returned in twenty minutes, who would undoubtedly stop him from trying to sneak out. Again.
"Agh, where did I put that...ah!" Prince Roberto found his hidden sunglasses and hat, and he pumped the air with his fist victoriously. "Yes! Now I just need..." The Prince's words were cut off by his phone suddenly ringing, and he abruptly paused before answering it, completely stunned by the Caller-ID. "No way..." Prince Roberto looked at his phone's screen dubiously as a smile found its way to his lips, and he quickly picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear. "Josh?"
"Prince Roberto." Prince Joshua's ever-stern and brusque voice rang out from the other end of the line, which instantly amused Prince Roberto.
Prince Roberto stifled a laugh before responding. "Well, well... To what do I owe the pleasure of receiving the ice Prince's call?"
"Humph." Prince Joshua sighed at the silly nickname before continuing. "Have you seen Halle recently?"
"Halle?" Prince Roberto drew his head back in shock, trying his best not to let out the laugh he was holding back. "Why are you asking about Halle?"
"I...er... Just... Wanted to follow up on how she is doing."
Prince Roberto didn't even bother to stifle his laugh after hearing that, which instantly enraged Prince Joshua.
"What's so funny!?" Prince Joshua rose his reprimanding voice.
Prince Roberto chuckled as he pushed back his hair with one of his hands. "It's only been a week since she came home and you miss her already?"
"...I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth."
Prince Roberto snickered at Prince Joshua's grumpy attitude before sighing happily and smirking a little as he pitched his idea to the bitter Prince. "Well, I'm just about to go visit Halle at work today if you would like to come with me."
Prince Joshua paused awkwardly before responding. "I...don't think I have anything demanding on my schedule today. I suppose I could spare a few hours, if you really needed the company..."
Prince Roberto snorted at Prince Joshua's stubbornness and constant denial due to his pride. "But no butlers allowed. You'll have to ditch Jan for today. And don't forget to wear casual clothes that a commoner would wear, too."
Prince Joshua almost seemed completely disgusted by the idea. "What!? Now why on earth would I dress like a commoner..."
"Because we have to blend in, Josh." Prince Roberto rolled his eyes, expecting this kind of reaction. "We can't exactly just walk around the city streets of Altaria dressed as Princes with our butlers flanking us."
"Hm. I see. But is it really necessary to..."
"Do you want to see Halle or not?" Prince Roberto shook his head as Prince Joshua didn't answer that question and remained silent, and Prince Roberto just laughed before moving onto the next subject. "I'll meet you outside of Halle's law firm in half an hour. Don't be late!"
Prince Joshua impatiently stamped his foot on the sidewalk in front of Garrison & Harper's building, regrettably dressed so casual that he was mistaken for a commoner by anyone who passed by him on the street. He had cancelled all of his appointments that Jan had scheduled for him today and told him that he needed a vacation day, and he insisted that Jan couldn't come with him, which alarmed the butler no less than it should have. It took him longer than anticipated to get out of Dres Van Manor and over to Altaria, but he did come through, and now he was just waiting for Prince Roberto to show.
"Josh! Hey, Josh! Hi!"
...which apparently didn't take long at all.
Prince Joshua slowly turned around just in time to see Prince Roberto running over and excitedly waving to him, clad in his commoner disguise. Prince Joshua just heaved a heavy sigh, already annoyed by the friendly Prince's nature.
Why was he bothering to go through all of this again? Oh yeah... Halle.
"Hey, Josh!" Prince Roberto clapped Prince Joshua on the shoulder with one hand, holding an extravagant bouquet of flowers in the other.
Prince Joshua cringed at the nickname before locking his eyes on the flowers. "Don't call me that. And what on earth are those for?"
Prince Roberto just rolled his eyes. "Well, I kinda have to call you that while we're in public, and you should call me Robbie. That's the name everyone here knows me by." He pointed up to the law firm's building they were standing in front of. "Oh, and these are for when we break in." He smiled mischievously as he held the bouquet up for Prince Joshua to see.
Prince Joshua just widened his eyes in shock. "Wait, what? We're breaking in?"
Prince Roberto just scoffed. "Duh. As if Halle would let me bother her at work while she's working a case." He took a few steps towards the door before noticing Prince Joshua wasn't following behind him, and he quickly grabbed the Prince's arm and began dragging him inside. "Come on, Josh!"
Prince Joshua glared at Prince Roberto's back as he dragged him into the building. "Pr...Robbie." He quickly corrected himself, noticing that the ground floor receptionist was staring at them oddly. "If we shouldn't be here right now, then let's just go."
Prince Roberto scoffed a little as he just looked at Prince Joshua. "What, are you kidding? It's fine! Come on!"
Prince Roberto dragged the grumbling Prince Joshua over to the elevator and took it up to the fourteenth floor, who kept complaining the whole way up about breaking the rules. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they looked around them only to notice that they had walked into utter chaos.
The whole floor was divided up into several offices with each lawyer's assistant at their desk stationed right outside each office, and several lawyers and assistants were running back and forth with stacks of papers and files in their hands. Something must be going on today, and Prince Roberto figured there were some major cases being worked or something.
"What on earth...?" Prince Joshua looked around in horror at the people running back and forth, shrinking back a little from the chaos out of instinct.
"Hmm. It's usually more calm around here." Prince Roberto looked back and forth before shrugging his shoulders and marching straight ahead. "Oh well. Time to go see Carrie!"
Prince Joshua hesitated before jogging to catch up to Prince Roberto with a clueless look on his face. "Who's Carrie?"
Before Prince Roberto could respond, he stopped in front of an assistant's desk with the bouquet of flowers hidden behind his back, and he smiled excitedly down at the woman sitting before him.
A gorgeous young woman who looked to be about twenty-five with grey eyes and natural burnt-orange hair cut into a short bob slowly looked up to meet Prince Roberto's gaze, and she sharply gasped and stood straight up from her chair.
"Robbie! You can't be here!" Carrie widened her eyes in shock as she looked at him completely bewildered, and she crossed her arms and quickly hardened her expression into a glare. "Ms. Mitchell isn't taking any visitors today. She's very busy with a case."
Prince Roberto slyly strode behind her desk and stood right next to her, looking deeply into her eyes as he pulled out the bouquet of flowers from behind his back. "But darling, I came to see you. A delicate flower as beautiful as yourself deserves to be gifted with flowers on occasion, don't you think?"
Carrie had stars for eyes as she swooned at that line, accepting the flowers graciously as her face-splitting grin took over her glaring expression from before. "Oooh, these are lovely!"
Prince Joshua just groaned and slapped his forehead a he watched Prince Roberto lean in to Carrie even closer. "So... Do you think I could pop in and just talk to Halle for a minute? It's really important, Carrie..." He pouted a little and flashed her the puppy dog eyes.
Carrie's lip quivered as she tried to have a stare-down with Prince Roberto, but she quickly caved at that adorable look on his face. "Oh, fine! You win!" She turned around and placed the flowers in a vase that was sitting on her desk, and she plopped back down in her chair with a huff. "But if I get fired for this, I'm coming after you, mister!"
Prince Roberto just laughed as he walked past Carrie and approached Halle's office door. "Alright, alright. I get it. Come on, Josh!" He looked back over his shoulder at the purple-haired Prince, waving him over.
Prince Joshua just shook his head back and forth slowly as he stared at Prince Roberto in disbelief. "I cannot believe that actually worked."
Prince Roberto twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open before stepping inside. He saw Halle up on her ladder slowly turn her head too look at him as she climbed down, and as soon as she spotted him, she frowned and shot him a glare.
"You have got to be kidding me." Halle glared at Prince Roberto as she plopped her stack of books on her desk. "Robbie, what are you doing here? I specifically told Carrie I was too busy for visitors today!"
"Well, I came to visit you anyways!" Prince Roberto threw his arms open wide to Halle with a spectacular grin on his face. "And look, I brought a friend!" He quickly stepped to the side, revealing the wary Prince Joshua, who had been standing behind him.
Any trace of anger that had previously been occupying Halle's face suddenly melted away as she locked eyes with the equally stunned Prince Joshua, and she dropped her jaw in surprise. "Prince Joshua..."
"Halle..." Prince Joshua widened his eyes instinctively at the sight of her, feeling a huge wave of relief suddenly wash over him just from being able to see her again.
The two exchanged a long, silent glance with one another, neither of them saying anything to interrupt the intensity of the moment.
So Prince Roberto crudely interrupted it instead.
"What!?" Prince Roberto looked completely hurt and offended as he pointed from Prince Joshua to himself. "Why does he get a nice and civil greeting and I don't!?"
Halle crossed her arms as she rose one eyebrow, flashing Prince Roberto a look of deviousness. "You annoy me. He doesn't."
"What!?" Prince Roberto paled at that jab to the heart, and he dramatically fell to his knees and stared up at Halle with a look of anguish on his face. "Oh come on, Halle!"
Prince Joshua tilted his chin up with a smug look on his face, enjoying Halle's subtle compliment towards him.
"No butlers today?" Halle changed the subject, taking a seat on the edge of her desk. "I would expect as much from Robbie, but you, Prince Joshua, are a different story." She smirked a little in his direction, letting her curiosity get the best of her.
"Well..." Prince Joshua opened his mouth to give an excuse, but someone else beat him to it.
"I told Josh that it was a requirement to come alone, so he did!" Prince Roberto stood up from the ground and casually swung an arm around Prince Joshua's shoulders as he grinned at Halle. "Is it really that shocking?"
Halle paused to think that scenario over for a moment before losing interest and shrugging her shoulders dismissively. "I guess not. Anyways, Robbie, I have to ask..." She crossed her arms and looked up at the slacker Prince. "What royal duty are you skipping out on today to come and see me?"
Prince Roberto looked almost a little offended as he drew his head back in shock. "What? What makes you think I'm skipping out on anything?"
Halle just smirked and held up her phone for him to see. "Because Albie is calling me right now."
All of the blood from Prince Roberto's face quickly drained away as he began to panic. "Ack! Halle, don't answer that!" Prince Roberto frantically tried to snatch the phone from Halle, who effortlessly eluded him every time.
"Hello?" Halle took the call with a devious smirk on her face, sitting up on the edge of her desk with her legs crossed.
"Ah, Ms. Mitchell." Alberto's voice could clearly be heard by everyone from the other end of the line, and the royal butler sounded more stern and annoyed than usual. "I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen Prince Roberto today?"
"Have I seen Robbie today?" Halle repeated the question as she smirked in Prince Roberto's direction.
Prince Roberto never looked more panicked as he frantically waved his hands back and forth. "Halle, don't...!"
"No, sorry. I have not. What ever is the matter?" Halle listened carefully to what Alberto was saying, and her calm and gentle face quickly melted into an intense glare. "...he what." Prince Roberto laughed nervously at Halle's sudden tone drop. "Skipped out on a banquet with the visiting royal family, you say?" Halle redirected her glare to focus on Prince Roberto as she drew in a sharp breath. "Huh. Well, if I do see him, you'll be the first to know."
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Ms. Mitchell."
"No problem." Halle smiled bitterly as she hung up the phone, then looked at Prince Roberto. "Seriously?"
Prince Roberto just stared at her awkwardly as a nervous bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "...what? I didn't want to go!"
"For the love of..." Halle reached up to cover her face with her hands, then slowly dragged them down her face. "God, Robbie, you're giving me grey hairs at twenty-three. You are the crowned Prince of Altaria! You cannot be this irresponsible!"
"Eheh...heh..." Prince Roberto flashed her a nervous, sheepish grin. "Sorry, Halle..."
"Geez..." Halle sighed and set her phone down on her desk with the lock screen facing up, and Prince Joshua caught a glimpse of the photo set for it of her and Jan smiling together.
"When did you take that?" Prince Joshua pointed accusingly at Halle's phone with a slightly jealous look on his face.
"Huh? Oh, my lock screen?" Halle quirked an eyebrow at the question as she held up her phone. "About... Thirty seconds after Jan gave me my new phone. Why?"
"Oh..." Prince Joshua let out a quiet, dejected sigh as he looked off to the side. "No, it's nothing."
Halle instantly just crossed her arms over her chest while wearing a wry smile on her face. "What's your phone lock screen, Your Highness?"
Prince Joshua pulled out his phone to show her as he answered matter-of-fact. "The royal family crest of the house of Lieben, of course."
"Oh, now that's just boring." Halle chuckled as she held out her hand and took Prince Joshua's phone from him. "Here, let's fix that." She turned around and smiled brightly as she snapped a photo of the two of them, and she set it as his lock screen and showed it to him with a cheeky grin on her face. "See? Isn't that much better?"
Prince Joshua widened his eyes in shock as he stared at the picture of Halle smiling brightly and him staring at her in bewilderment. "Yes... Yes, it is."
"Ahem." Prince Roberto stared at the two with a devious smirk on his face as he loudly and obnoxiously cleared his throat. "So, Halle... Whatcha working on?"
Halle flashed him an instant glare. "Robbie, you do know that I must obey attorney-client confidentiality, right?"
"Oh come on, Halle!" Prince Roberto sighed in disappointment as he looked at her with a pouty frown. "You've shared your cases with me before...!"
Halle awkwardly shuffled where she stood and protectively crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, that was different..."
Prince Roberto placed his hands on his hips as he smirked over at her. "You know that if I really wanted to, I could get access to this case and its file. You may as well just tell Josh and I while we're here!"
"Fine." Halle glared at him, then rolled her eyes as she heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm currently brushing up on my knowledge of wrongful termination cases before I go to court in an hour, okay?"
"What for?" Prince Joshua looked over at her curiously.
"Well..." Halle trailed off a little as she looked down at the floor.
"Come on, Halle!" Prince Roberto whined impatiently. "What is it?"
"I'm working this case for a fellow attorney who works here, alright?" Halle snapped at Prince Roberto, flashing him a look of annoyance. "She was mugged last week on her way home from work, and my client apprehended the mugger and saved her. He's a bailiff at the Altaria courthouse. Or, rather, he was." She sat up on her desk and crossed her legs. "He was fired for his actions."
"What?" Prince Roberto looked stunned at this revelation. "Why?"
Halle awkwardly looked anywhere but at the two Princes standing before her as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "...because he was dressed in a Superman costume as he fought off and apprehended the mugger."
Prince Joshua just blankly stared at her. "...what."
Halle sighed in annoyance as she got a little irritated with having to repeat herself so much. "I'm taking on the courthouse for the wrongful termination of one of its bailiffs."
"Wow..." Prince Roberto was impressed as he exhaled that response.
"Geez, I've taken on murder cases easier than this..." Halle leaned back and stressfully rubbed at her aching temples. "Do you have any idea just how difficult it is to accuse the courthouse of wrongdoing inside the courthouse itself!?"
Prince Roberto thought about it for a second before shaking his head no. "Not really, no. That's why you're the lawyer, and not me."
"Ugh..." Halle stressfully ran a hand through her long, wavy, caramel-colored hair.
"Come on, Halle! Cheer up!" Prince Roberto instantly flew to her side, and he held onto her shoulders supportively. "I'm sure you'll win this, just like you always do!"
Prince Joshua instantly scrutinized Prince Roberto for that optimistic statement, looking in his direction with a slightly miffed expression. "And how do you know that she will certainly win this case, Prince Roberto?"
Prince Roberto turned and stared at Prince Joshua dubiously with a sly smile. "Because Halle always wins her cases. She's never lost once, Josh."
Prince Joshua was taken aback by this, and he snapped his eyes wide open in surprise. "Really?"
Halle smiled and shook her head as she cut in, patting Prince Roberto on the arm. "Careful, Robbie. If you talk me up too much, you just might jinx my luck. But yes, technically, that is true. I have yet to lose a case." She fixed her gaze into Prince Joshua as she snapped her fingers. "They don't exactly hire me for the little cases, you know."
As Prince Joshua was stunned into silence by Halle's response, Prince Roberto looked over at the young lawyer in surprise. "Wait, how is this guy able to afford you as his lawyer if he's a former bailiff?"
Halle just silently looked over at him as she stated matter of fact, "I'm doing this case pro-bono, Robbie."
Prince Roberto flashed her an awe-struck, warm grin as he patted her on the back. "Aww, how sweet. Halle to the rescue, taking the case for free!"
Halle's cheeks involuntarily flushed the slightest shade of red in embarrassment. "Shut up."
"Well, after your case is over today, the three of us can go grab a late lunch together." Prince Roberto grinned as he clapped Halle and Prince Joshua on the back, subtly pushing them together to stand next to each other. "How does that sound?"
As Halle opened her mouth to speak, her stomach let out a long growl. The young lawyer's cheeks flushed red as she covered them in embarrassment. "...I haven't really eaten much of anything today, so that's probably a good idea."
"What!" Prince Roberto cried out in shock, then quickly dropped his tone down as he began mothering her again. "Halle, don't tell me you forgot to eat something again..."
"Shut up." Halle pouted and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "I'm a very busy working woman, okay?"
"How exactly are you busy?" Prince Joshua rose an eyebrow in her direction, comparing what his daily schedule was like to hers.
Halle instantly picked up on the passive aggressive question he just asked her, and she simply quirked an eyebrow as she placed her hand on top of an enormous stack of folders. "Do you see this stack of folders on my desk?"
Prince Joshua readjusted his posture a little as he looked at them. "Yes. Why?"
"This is my case load." Halle spoke flatly. "Each one is a different case. It got so horribly piled up over the past few weeks because I was stuck in Dres Van with a certain someone." She looked directly into Prince Joshua's eyes at that, smirking a little.
Prince Joshua shrank back a little as he realized it was partially his fault she had so many cases to work. "...ah. I see."
Halle firmly clapped her hands together as she addressed the two Princes in her office, drawing this visit to a close for the day. "Now, I really need to get back to..."
Carrie swung open Halle's office door incredibly fast as she stared at the young lawyer in horror. "Ms. Mitchell, why are you still here!?"
"Carrie?" Halle snapped her eyes wide open in shock. "What are you talking about?"
Carrie dropped her jaw at Halle's obliviousness. "Your trial starts in twenty minutes!"
All of the blood drained from Halle's face as she looked straight ahead at Carrie. "Wait, what...? I thought it was in an hour..."
"Oh no, didn't you get my email last week?" Carrie sighed a little, feeling extraordinarily guilty. "I mistyped the time for today's trial on your calendar. It's in twenty minutes, not an hour."
"Oh. I see." Halle swallowed hard as she kept up a straight face and a calm demeanor. "Thank you, Carrie. You are dismissed."
As Carrie nodded her head and closed to door to head back to her desk, Prince Roberto turned to look at Halle in bewildered shock and amazement. "Wow, Halle... You handled that pretty well. I was fully expecting you to freak ou..."
"Ahhhh!" Halle let out a high-pitched shriek as she grabbed at her hair, cutting Prince Roberto off mid-second. "Oh my god, my trial starts in twenty minutes! Oh my god oh my god oh my god! I need to call a cab, and pack my bag, and oh god I'm not mentally prepared for this...!" She began running around her office at lightning speed, throwing files and miscellaneous papers into her bag in order to prepare herself to leave for court.
"...aaaaand there it is." Prince Roberto chuckled as he watched Halle freak out and spazz all over the place, more used to this sort of reaction from her rather than the first one.
Prince Joshua watched with widened eyes as Halle girlishly shrieked in terror at the fact that she was running late, completely unprepared for this. She was not acting composed and rational as she usually did; it was quite the opposite. And it was actually...kind of cute.
"Okay guys, time to run!" Halle ran past the two Princes and grabbed them by their wrists, then began dragging them behind her as she took off out the door.
"Whoa!" Prince Joshua yelled out in surprise as he was suddenly jerked out the door.
"Haha, Halle, slow down!" Prince Roberto laughed as he just went along with it.
"No time!" Halle cried out in panic as they raced towards the elevators and took it all the way down to the first floor of the law firm.
Prince Joshua was both amazed and appalled at Halle's ability to run out of the building in less than two minutes, and he watched as the brunette skidded to a halt at the curb outside and bring her fingers to her lips before blowing a sharp, loud, clairvoyant whistle. A taxi cab that was speeding by pulled up and slammed on the brakes, and Halle shoved Prince Roberto inside before getting in herself. Prince Joshua stood there appalled for a moment as he realized he actually had to take a public taxi cab to the courthouse, but before the Prince could protest to the mode of transportation, Halle reached out and jerked him inside. Prince Joshua yelped in surprise as he was crammed into the backseat of the taxi cab with both him and Prince Roberto sitting on the ends, and Halle was in the middle of the two. That ten-minute car ride was the longest ten minutes of their lives, and Halle rode in the taxi overwhelmed with both anxiety and anticipation the whole way. When they pulled up to the courthouse, an old-timey horse-drawn carriage was parked out front, and a bride and groom stepped out and began to head inside for their wedding ceremony.
"Ah, just barely made it!" Halle sighed in relief as she and the two Princes ran into the courthouse, exhausted and panting in attempt to catch their breath.
"Whew!" Prince Roberto wiped the sweat from his brow as he grinned at the brunette. "Way to rush, Halle!"
"...thank God that's over." Prince Joshua took in one deep breath, attempting to recover from the chaos that just ensued.
"Okay, guys." Halle clapped her hands together and turned around to face the two Princes with a serious look on her face. "If you want to observe the trial, then I don't mind if you sit in and watch. Just...please, don't do something stupid and make a scene." She purposefully looked directly at Prince Roberto when she said that, who immediately noticed and grew defensive.
"Why are you looking at me!?" Prince Roberto exasperatedly pointed to himself as he looked questioningly to Halle.
Halle kept a straight face as she simply just rose an eyebrow to the brown-haired Prince. "Because I know perfectly well that Prince Joshua can behave himself just fine. Robbie, you're the one I'm really worried about."
"Hey...!" Prince Roberto cried out in protest, looking offended before he began mumbling under his breath and pouting off to the side. "Why do you always take his side...?"
Prince Joshua's ego only grew bigger, and he proudly tilted his chin up at Halle's praise.
"Okay, I just need to find my client and head on in." Halle nodded her head and began to look around her with a new resolve. "The trial starts in a few minutes, so-oh no." She locked eyes with a man she really did not want to see, and she instinctively dove to hide behind Prince Joshua. "Damn! Do you think he saw me...?"
"What? What is it?" Prince Joshua looked over his shoulder at the petite woman hiding behind him, very confused by her sudden shift in behavior.
"Only the last person on earth I'd like to see right now." Halle grumbled under her breath as she carefully poked her head up past Prince Joshua's shoulder to see if the man she spotted had seen her.
"Halle, who's that?" Prince Roberto didn't recognize him either, which surprised Prince Joshua. The purple-haired Prince thought Prince Roberto knew everyone in Halle's life.
"Toya Reese, a former co-worker who used to work for Garrison & Harper with me." Halle ducked back down behind Prince Joshua as Toya looked in her direction. "He was also on track to be made a partner in the firm, until he got a better job offer from another firm and quit to become a partner there instead. He was my biggest competitor at Garrison & Harper back when he still worked there." She narrowed her eyes at the memory and grumbled. "We never got along."
"I don't see what the problem is." Prince Joshua rose an eyebrow at her, questioning Halle's silly behavior. The man was just a former colleague, after all.
Halle just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He's only the biggest jerk I've ever dealt with in my entire life, who also has virtually no respect for women whatsoever." She paused and looked directly at Prince Joshua. "He's way worse than you when we first met, Prince Joshua."
"Ah, I see." Prince Joshua nodded his head as he seemed to accept her reason, and then what she had said finally sunk in as he turned his head to look back at her in shock. "...wait, was I really that bad?"
Before Halle could respond, it was too late. Toya Reese had seen her, and he approached the young lawyer and her two casually-dressed male associates. "Well, well... I can't believe it! If it isn't little miss Halle Mitchell." A disgustingly smug grin crept up onto his face as he looked down on Halle. "Now, what's a cute little mouse like you doing here? The adults are trying to work."
Halle stepped out from behind Prince Joshua and stood up straight, immediately glaring at Toya as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Call me cute one more time and you'll be facing a sexual harassment lawsuit." Prince Joshua tried not to laugh at Halle's well-worded quip, but Prince Roberto just went ahead and did laugh. "And if you do recall, Mr. Reese, I am a licensed attorney, such as yourself. I'm here to represent my client today in a civil case."
Toya only seemed to take this as his way into the conversation, because his grin only grew more sadistic as he talked down to Halle. "Oh, you wouldn't be talking about Mr. Monoko, now, would you?"
Halle sensed this conversation was about to take a turn for the worse, and she warily drew her head back as she looked at Toya. "...and if I was?"
Toya was enjoying bullying her as his jerky grin only grew wider. "Well, if that's the case, then meet your opposing council." He pointed to himself arrogantly as Halle dropped her jaw.
"You..." Halle stared at him in shock, horrified that this was the lawyer she'd be facing today in court.
"You must really have your head in the clouds if you think you can win this, Ms. Mitchell." Toya scoffed at her, offended that she would even try to win a case like this. "Your client's a lunatic, and I'm going to prove that. Who runs around at night wearing a Superman costume playing hero, anyways?" He laughed ignorantly, which only made Halle's face grow red with anger. "Come on, let's be real here. You can't sue the courthouse itself for the termination of one of their bailiffs."
"You seem awfully sure of yourself." Halle worn a confident smirk of her own as she narrowed her eyes at Toya. "I guess that means it will just hurt that much more when I knock you down from your pedestal."
"Yowch! Kitty's got claws!" Toya laughed at Halle's harsh retort, and he flashed her a sinister smirk. "See you inside, sweetheart. And..." He leaned in close to Halle with an evil look on his face, causing her to wrench her head backwards away from him. "It's best to know when you have been beaten."
As Halle watched Toya walk away, a heavy weight seemed to be lifted from her shoulders as she exhaled all of her anger. "...I am seriously going to punch him in the face one of these days."
"That guy pisses me off just as much as he does you, but don't do anything reckless..." Prince Roberto flashed Halle a warning look, only to be met with her rolling her eyes.
"Relax, I'm not going to do anything." Halle blew her bangs out of her face in frustration and crossed her arms. "I have no desire to spend the night in jail for battery and assault charges..."
"Why the hell did you just let that idiot speak to you like that?" Prince Joshua suddenly turned to glare at Halle, catching the young woman completely off guard.
"What...?" Halle's eyes widened in surprise at Prince Joshua's tone drop, not expecting him to be so angry with her all of a sudden.
Prince Joshua stubbornly crossed his arms as he looked off to the side of the room. "He should be punished for undermining you so. What a complete moron..." He shook his head, then looked directly into Halle's brown eyes. "He must be a genuine idiot if he honestly believes you are incapable of winning this case and beating him with ease, when it's obvious that you will."
Halle blinked over and over again at Prince Joshua as a small smile crept up onto her lips. "Thank you, Prince Joshua..."
Prince Joshua seemed to get a little embarrassed by her response as he quickly turned his head away to hide his facial expression from her. "...I was only speaking the truth."
"Hate to interrupt, but, uh, Halle..." Prince Roberto stepped in-between the two, then pointed over at a nervous-looking guy standing in front of the courtroom the trial was to be held in. "Isn't that your client? Shouldn't you be getting inside?"
"Oh, shit...!" Halle cried out as she realized she had lost track of the time, and she scurried over to her very tall and built client, who truly had the body type of Superman himself. "Mr. Monoko!"
Prince Roberto just shook his head and laughed as he watched the young lawyer lead her client into the courtroom. "She's really something, huh, Josh?"
"That she is..." Prince Joshua watched her go in awe, falling completely silent as the woman who had his interest piqued from the moment he first met her leave the room.
Prince Roberto looked over at Prince Joshua, paused for a moment as he studied the love-struck look on the woman-hating Prince's face, then laughed. "Man, you've really got it bad if you're willing to spend the whole day with me just so you can see her."
"Got what bad?" Prince Joshua failed to understand the brunette Prince's commentary as he shot him a quizzical look. "Are you implying that the only way I could possibly stand to be around you is if I were ill?"
Prince Roberto slapped his forehead and slowly dragged his hand down his face as Prince Joshua completely missed his point. "...forget it, it's nothing. Come on, Josh. Let's get inside."
Princes Roberto and Joshua quietly filed into the courtroom alongside the other patrons with the intention of sitting in on the hearing, making sure to inconspicuously find seats towards the back of the room.
"This is perhaps the most ridiculous court case I've sat in on by far." A blonde woman sitting in the row in front of the disguised Princes commented to her red-haired friend, very disinterested in the hearing she had sat in on.
"I know, right?" The red-haired woman agreed, a little miffed herself. "The guy's crazy, pretending to be a superhero when he's off the clock. Who even does that...? The courthouse had every right to fire him."
"I know, but what's more shocking is who his lawyer is." The blonde was stunned as she crossed her legs, trying to make sense out of the lawyer she just saw walk in.
"Hmm? Who is it?" The red-head curiously looked to her friend for answers, wondering just what was so impressive about Superman's lawyer.
The blonde was almost disgusted with this news as she let the prestigious lawyer's name roll off her tongue. "Halle Mitchell."
"W-what!?" The red-head couldn't be more shocked as she covered her mouth with her hand. "As in the Halle Mitchell? Why is the kingdom's most famous criminal prosecutor and defense lawyer wasting her time with this civil case?"
"Beats me." The blonde shrugged her shoulders, not really caring either way. "Maybe she knows the guy personally?"
...
Princes Joshua and Roberto had involuntarily been listening in on the two women's conversation, and although Prince Roberto wasn't all that surprised to hear his sister be praised for her career, Prince Joshua was nonetheless impressed with the young woman.
Prince Joshua leaned over to Prince Roberto, quietly whispering his thoughts to him in attempt to not draw attention. "I did not realize Halle was so well-known as a lawyer here in your kingdom, Prince Roberto..."
"Huh?" Prince Roberto looked over at Prince Joshua with a surprised look on his face. "Oh, yeah! Halle's the best!" He grinned boyishly, proud of his little sister and her achievements in her field. "Just last month, she was featured on the front cover of the Altaria Times magazine for convicting a serial killer in three weeks when the first prosecutor who was put on the case couldn't do it in three months..."
"What...?" Prince Joshua's eyes snapped wide open in shock, and he looked over at the bench where Halle was standing, staring at her confident figure in admiration for the woman as he listened to Prince Roberto tell him about her. "Is she really that impressive of a lawyer?"
"Mmhmm!" Prince Roberto nodded his head, happy to brag about her. Not like he ever got the chance to very often, anyways. "Halle's really something, whether you know her personally or professionally. She's a lot smarter than you think." He scoffed a little and held his hand out palm-up for emphasis. "I mean, come on. She became a full-fledged lawyer when she was twenty years old."
"She did?" Prince Joshua's focus was broken as he looked away from her and stared at Prince Roberto once again.
"Yeah." Prince Roberto looked at his friend strangely, finding it odd that he was just hearing about this for the first time. "Didn't you think it was strange that she's only twenty-three and she's a famous lawyer here in Altaria?"
Prince Joshua looked slightly miffed that Prince Roberto knew something he didn't, and he stubbornly crossed his arms as he narrowed his eyebrows in the brunette Prince's direction. "Well, yes, but I didn't really think anything of it at the time."
"Geez, Josh..." Prince Roberto sighed sharply, slapping his forehead and slowly dragging his hand down his face. "Do you know anything about Halle?"
Prince Joshua widened his eyes in shock. "I..."
"So that's a no." Prince Roberto cut him off, laughing a little under his breath as he did so.
Prince Joshua looked annoyed as he defended himself and his knowledge of Halle. "No, no. That's not true."
"Oh yeah?" Prince Roberto smirked a little as he got an idea. "Then name one thing you know about her."
Prince Joshua seemed to stop and think really hard deep within his thoughts for a moment, and when he didn't say anything to break the silence, Prince Roberto chimed in.
"Give up?" Prince Roberto laughed a little at how hard Prince Joshua was trying to think of something, finding it utterly hilarious that the always-stoic, devoid-of-emotions, woman-hating Prince Joshua took enough interest in his sister to want to actually get to know her in the first place.
"Well, she hates parties, and she enjoys red wine." Prince Joshua flashed Prince Roberto a pompous smirk, proud of himself for thinking of something about the brunette lawyer.
"Are you describing Halle or yourself?" Prince Roberto cracked up laughing, and Prince Joshua's face flared up in anger.
Prince Joshua drew in a sharp breath as he composed himself, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at the laughing Prince Roberto. "Of course I'm describing Halle, although I will admit that we do share those two things in common."
"Sigh..." Prince Roberto calmed down and ran a hand through his hair. "Josh, you need to ask her about herself. Halle's not the type of person to just come right out and give you her life's story."
Prince Joshua's eyes snapped wide open in surprise. "Is that so?"
Prince Joshua found that to be rather strange. He thought all women enjoyed talking about themselves. All of the women he had met previously throughout his life just couldn't seem to stop talking about themselves, so to hear that Halle was actually rather closed-off about herself was more than just a little surprising.
Prince Roberto leaned back in his seat comfortably as he knowingly helped Prince Joshua get into the mind of his sister. "Yeah. What do you already know about her?"
Prince Joshua drew into his thoughts as he pressed a finger to his lips. "Well, if I do recall, she mentioned that she met you five years ago when her mother died, and that she was a lawyer. I believe that's all she's said about herself."
"Ah." Prince Roberto had a brief flashback to meeting Halle for the first time, which wasn't too...happy. "Well... I probably shouldn't be telling you this, since it's not really my place, but I know she won't tell you unless you pry it out of her."
"What?" Prince Joshua looked at Prince Roberto strangely, kind of worried about what he had to say. When Prince Roberto paused and didn't say anything, Prince Joshua just grew more and more anxious. "What is it?"
"It's about Halle..." Prince Roberto turned to face the purple-haired Prince with a grim look on his face.
The trial had already begun as the Princes quietly whispered with one another in the back, and the tension between the two lawyers as they questioned witnesses only grew more and more apparent to those watching the trial.
"Ms. Shibusa, how long have you known Riyutaru Monoko?" Halle Mitchell stood tall as she faced the lawyer at her firm sitting in the witness stand, beginning her line of questioning.
Ms. Shibusa, the mugging victim who was saved by Halle's client, calmly answered the question. "Since I started litigating at this courthouse, so...eight years."
Halle held herself with straight posture as she paced back and forth with her strong figure. "And would you say Mr. Monoko's actions on the night you were mugged reflect poorly on him, or bailiffs in general?"
"On the contrary." Ms. Shibusa shook her head no, smiling brightly. "Mr. Monoko's actions that night only improved my opinion of bailiffs, and the bailiff program."
"Thank you." Halle smiled at the woman and nodded her head, ending her line of questioning. She turned to her opposing council, Toya Reese, and flashed him a quick glare as she passed the witness off to him to question. "Your witness."
Toya stood up and nodded to the judge before sitting right back down. "I have no questions."
"Oh-kay...?" Halle flashed Toya a look of confusion, but quickly shook her head to snap out of it as she faced the judge. She knew he was up to something, she just didn't know what. "At this point, your honor, I would like to call Riyutaru Monoko to the stand."
"Your honor," Toya quickly stood up as he addressed the judge with a confident smirk on his face. "We request that Mr. Monoko testify in his Superman costume, so the jury can see how his, 'alter ego,' makes him unfit for service."
Riyutaru's eyes snapped wide open in horror as he quickly looked to his lawyer for help. "I can't wear the costume! Not in court!"
Halle met her client's worried eyes and quickly changed her expression to an angry one as she faced the judge. "Objection!"
"On what grounds?" The judge sighed and leaned forwards, looking right at Halle.
"On the grounds that it's intended to denigrate my client!" Halle angrily spoke on her client's behalf, opposing Toya's request. "And frankly, it's ludicrous!"
"Well, let's see." The judge folded her hands in her lap with an annoyed look on her face. "I have a twenty-three-year-old lawyer defending a former bailiff against the courthouse in one of their own courts." The judge rose a single eyebrow at Halle, who shrank back a little at the criticism she bestowed upon the young lawyer. "I think we're well past ludicrous." The judge picked up her gavel and quickly slammed it down. "Request granted."
"Your honor..." Halle tried to speak up, but was quickly cut off by the judge.
"Thirty minute recess for the plaintiff to change." The judge granted Halle some time for her to think of something last-minute to save her client, dismissing this session of the trial until it would resume in half an hour.
"Damn..." Halle cursed under her breath, stressfully running her hand through her curly brown hair.
Riyutaru Monoko worriedly left the courtroom with every intention to go home and grab his costume to change into, hoping to God that his lawyer would think of something to win this case. Prince Joshua and Prince Roberto in the audience looked a little worried about how the trial was going, and as Halle stormed down the aisle of the courtroom, she grabbed both of them and dragged them outside with her.
"Halle, are you alright?" Prince Roberto flashed her a look of concern, instantly picking up on the rage she was bottling up at the moment.
"Damn it...!" Halle cried out in frustration, startling the two Princes with her sudden burst of anger. "I knew that wasn't going to go well, but I couldn't have guessed this was going to happen..." She ran her fingers through her bangs, trying to soothe herself from all the stress this case was plaguing her with.
Prince Roberto placed his hands on her shoulders and looked directly into his sister's eyes. "Halle, calm down. Focus."
Halle listened and drew in one long, deep breath in order to calm herself. "You're right... I'm sorry."
Prince Joshua warily looked at Halle as he spoke. "So... What are you going to do?"
Halle opened her mouth to speak, but no ideas of how to save her client came to mind. "I... Have no idea."
"Okay, Halle. Time to focus!" Prince Roberto clapped his hands together as he tried to motivate the young lawyer into coming up with an idea. "I'm sure you can think of something."
Halle exhaled sharply and she gripped her hair with her fists out of frustration. "I know I can, I just have only thirty minutes to do it..."
"Man, this whole thing is ridiculous..." Prince Roberto rolled his eyes and let out the breath he was holding, running a hand through his hair.
"What is?" Prince Joshua looked at him with a confused expression.
"The case, Josh." Prince Roberto answered his question. "I mean, come on. So what if the guy wears a Superman costume at night and saves people from muggers? Is that really such a bad thing?" He looked at Prince Joshua as he spoke on behalf of Halle's client, sympathizing with the guy. "What he does in his free time should be none of the court's business..."
"I completely agree." Halle nodded her head with a satisfied look on her face.
"I do not." Prince Joshua cut in with a stone-faced expression, sharing his personal opinion on the matter.
"What makes you say that?" Halle looked at the purple-haired Prince in confusion, tilting her head to the side as she tried to understand his reasoning.
"Pretending to be a Superhero is just ludicrous." Prince Joshua firmly crossed his arms, staring directly at the petite woman beside him. He almost forgot about Prince Roberto being there too as he kept his eyes only on her. "I can see why the courthouse felt it was necessary to fire the man, for it would reflect poorly on his place of employment."
Halle squirmed uncomfortably where she stood, knowing that he made a good point, but she still didn't agree with him on this. "Yeah, I understand that, but..."
"But it's just a costume." Prince Roberto butted in, sharing what Halle was thinking for her.
"Exactly!" Halle let out a burst of frustration as she pointed to Prince Roberto with her hand. "I just wish the judge could understand that..." She paused mid-sentence as her eyes widened, getting an idea. "Wait."
Prince Roberto tried not to laugh as he worriedly shot his sister a look. "Uh oh. I know that face."
"Oh my god...!" Halle suddenly cried out in joy as a bright smile encompassed her whole face, and she placed her hands on top of her head as she spoke. "I know how I'm going to win this case!"
"Really?" Prince Joshua was confused about where she just suddenly got an idea from, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit curious. "How?"
A face-splitting grin took over Halle as she confidently smirked in Prince Roberto's direction, poking him in the chest as she spoke. "I'm taking a page out of your book, Robbie."
"What are you going to do?" Prince Roberto looked at her in shock, wondering how the heck he had just managed to inspire her to win her court case.
"Something so incredibly stupid that it might just work...!" Halle grinned brightly as she turned on her heel and begin to quickly walk away from the two Princes.
"Awesome!" Prince Roberto clapped his hands together in excitement before the last part of what she said finally sunk in. "Wait... HEY."
"Thank you so much, guys!" Halle waved back at them as she dispersed into the crowd of lawyers.
"Halle, where are you..." Prince Joshua watched her go with a look of confusion on his face.
"I'll be back before the recess, I promise!" Halle called back to them one last time before disappearing outside, leaving the two very confused Princes behind to now wait in anticipation for what the young lawyer had up her sleeve.
"Did I make it in time?" Carrie, Halle's assistant, came rushing into the courtroom and slid into the seat next to Prince Roberto, looking at the two Princes in disguise expectantly.
Prince Roberto clapped Carrie on the back with a smile on his face. "You're here on time, Carrie! Good job!" He then looked a little wary as he glanced back at the closed doors behind Carrie. "Halle, though..."
"She's late." Prince Joshua cut in, a little annoyed. Anyone who really knew him though understood that his annoyance was just a cover for how worried he was. Why was she late? Did she get into some sort of trouble after she left them...?
Carrie frowned a little as she looked at the numerous amount of reporters who had flooded into the courtroom for this second half of the trial. "I have no idea what's going on. All I know is Ms. Mitchell asked me to do whatever it took to get the press here, so I can only assume she's about to pull something big that she wants widely reported in order to get the people on her client's side."
Prince Joshua kept his head low so as to not be spotted by the reporters as he looked at Halle's assistant. "What do you think she's planning to do...?"
Carrie flashed him a stressed smile. "I honestly have no idea..."
"Any idea where your council is, Mr. Monoko?" The judge sighed bitterly as she leaned over to look at Riyutaru Monoko in the witness stand.
Riyutaru, who was dressed in his full Superman costume, looked around the courtroom nervously in search for his lawyer. He felt the judgmental eyes on him from everywhere in the courtroom, putting him on edge. "She should be here... I don't..."
The doors of the the courtroom were suddenly swung open with great force, and wearing a confident smirk on her face all the while, the young lawyer in question strutted right in.
"I'm right here, your honor!" Halle Mitchell smirked confidently and stopped where she stood at the door with her hands on her hips, proudly sporting a full-on Wonder Woman costume that was accurate down to the last detail, starting with the golden headband pushing her brown hair back all the way down to her red and white striped boots.
Prince Joshua abruptly choked on nothing but air at the sight of Halle in that rather...revealing leotard. "What the... Hell...? What is she doing?"
Prince Roberto's whole face slowly turned up into a huge grin, and he tried his absolute hardest to keep himself from laughing as he pulled out his phone. "...I have no idea, but I'm so getting a picture of this!"
"Oh my god..." Carrie slapped her hand over her eyes and slowly sank down into her seat. "I'm now starting to see why she wanted me to call the press and get them here..."
The judge looked absolutely appalled at the young woman's attire as Riyutaru's whole face erupted into a bright grin at the sight of his lawyer. "...what's going on, Miss Mitchell?" The judge's patience was wearing thin, and she narrowed her eyes at Halle.
Toya was absolutely floored by Halle's guts to march into the courtroom wearing that ridiculous Wonder Woman costume, and it took all he had not to laugh mockingly at Halle as she marched down the walkway.
"Actually, I would prefer it if you would call me Wonder Woman, your honor!" Halle radiated nothing but confidence as everyone in the courtroom started to chuckle under their breath, and her client couldn't be happier that his lawyer went this far just to help him.
"The plaintiff's council is making a mockery of these proceedings!" Toya scoffed as he gestured to Halle, looking at the judge incredulously.
"You're the one that requested that the defendant wear a costume." Halle darted her eyes over to Toya, smirking all the while. "If he can wear one, then so can I." She marched right up next to the bench on her side of the courtroom, standing right next to Toya as she faced off against the judge shamelessly in full costume. "In fact, everyone in this courtroom is wearing some sort of costume. Your judge's robe, your honor. The bailiff's uniform." Halle paused and turned to look at Toya with a sarcastic look on her face as she looked him up and down. "Your poly-blend suit that apparently came with extra pants."
Prince Roberto and Riyutaru both choked at the young lawyer's quip, unable to believe she was really doing this. Prince Joshua laughed under his breath, never feeling more proud in his life as he watched Halle completely destroy Toya in court and fight for her client.
Halle looked at the judge with a pleading look in her eyes, ignoring the intensely shocked look on Toya's face. "I have simply just swapped one costume for another." She looked across the walkway at Toya, meeting his gaze for a moment as she smirked. "It's best to know when you have been beaten. Don't you agree?"
"Tch." Toya just scoffed and looked away from Halle, refusing to meet her eyes.
Prince Joshua couldn't help but grin at the sight of Halle standing up for herself against Toya. That horrible man just made him so angry, thinking about he crudely spoke to Halle before the trial started... He was just glad that she won that battle.
The judge looked at Halle with her impossible to read gaze for a moment longer as her eyes seemed to soften, and her lips slowly turned up into a small smile. "I see your point, councilor. I think I've seen enough to make a decision here."
Toya quickly jumped forward, trying to salvage what was left of his claim. "B-but, Your Honor, the Defense hasn't rested yet...!"
The judge just looked at Toya with a raised eyebrow, completely disinterested in what he had to say. "Did I not make myself clear, councilor? Because if I didn't, I apologize for having mislead you to believe that making a closing argument was necessary."
"Urk..." Toya took a step back as he was shot down, and everyone in the courtroom sat on the edges of their seats as the judge cleared her throat.
"I find in favor of the plaintiff, Mr. Monoko, and he is to be reinstated in his position as a court bailiff." The judge glared at Toya directly as she picked up her gavel and slammed it down comprehensively. "Effective immediately."
"Yes!" Halle balled her hand into a fist and brought her arm down in victory as the courtroom erupted into a huge round of applause and cheers.
Riyutaru has an irreplaceable grin on his face as the cameras began to flash, and he looked over at his lawyer in shock. "Oh my god... Ms. Mitchell! You did it!"
Prince Joshua was just floored and had no idea what to say to this whole display, Toya was sulking and completely dejected as reporters berated him with insensitive questions about his heavy loss, Carrie and Prince Roberto grabbed onto each other excitedly as they jumped up and down and cheered, and Riyutaru jumped down from the stand only to scoop up the small Halle dressed as Wonder Woman in his arms and spin her around, only to gain the attention of all of the reporters, who instantly began snapping pictures.
Halle yelped in surprise as her ridiculously muscular client lifted her up into his shoulder, and she appeared to be grinning out at the sea of reporters snapping photos as she made a peace sign with her fingers.
But really, the young woman was looking directly into the eyes of a certain purple-haired Prince out in the crowd who had a small, impressed grin on his face.
As Halle came out of the woman's restroom now changed back into her usual work clothes, Prince Roberto ran up to her excitedly.
"Holy crap... Halle, I can't believe you did that!" Prince Roberto squeezed Halle tightly in a big hug, amazingly impressed with his little sister's bravado.
"Ahah hah... Neither can I..." Halle laughed embarrassingly as she grabbed the back of her neck, blushing a little as she felt Prince Joshua's eyes on her.
"I see you've changed back into your...normal clothes." Prince Joshua awkwardly averted eye contact, running a hand through his hair.
A nervous bead of sweat rolled down Halle's forehead as she looked to Prince Joshua apologetically. "That is by far the most ridiculous thing I've ever done to win a case. I'm sorry that was the first one you got to see, Prince Joshua..." Her cheeks flushed red ever so slightly in embarrassment, and she nervously flashed him an apologetic look. "I promise I'm actually a more serious lawyer when it comes to my clients...!"
"It's fine." Prince Joshua dismissed her concerns, responding in a way that Halle did not expect at all as he turned and began walking to the front doors.
"What?" Halle was rendered speechless by his response as she followed both him and Prince Roberto out the courthouse's front doors, stepping outside and into the sunlight with a look of shock on her face.
"I said it's fine." Prince Joshua stopped walking down the steps and turned around to face the young lawyer who was racing to catch up to him, standing on two steps in front of him and looking down at the smiling Prince. "In fact... I enjoyed getting to see a new side of you, and just how far you're willing to go to help someone."
"Prince Joshua..." Halle found her look of shock turning up into a hesitant smile as she looked into his eyes, and she couldn't help but feel giddy at the sound of his praise. It just made her feel so...warm. Happy, even.
"...you guys are so adorable." Prince Roberto looked back and forth between Halle and Prince Joshua with a bright grin on his face, seemingly appearing out of no where.
"Eh!?" Halle turned to face her brother in dumbstruck awe, having no idea how to respond to that.
"W-what!?" Prince Joshua had a similar reaction to Halle's, tripping over his own words.
"Oh, nothing~! Just making an observation." Prince Roberto laughed as he walked down the rest of the steps and stopped in front of that horse-drawn carriage that bride and groom drove up to the courthouse in from before.
Halle stepped down next to Prince Roberto with an angry glare on her face, having enough of this already. "Well, your observation is ridiculous." She felt someone nudge her shoulder, and she kept her eyes on Prince Roberto as she held her hand out to whoever it was trying to get her attention to pause them. "Wait just a second."
"Um, Halle..." Prince Roberto bit down on his lip as he shot her a nervous look.
"One second." Halle held out her hand to the person tapping on her shoulder again as she leveled her glare with the brunette Prince. "Robbie, you can't just go around saying things like that! Especially not about someone like me and a Prince, for God's sake..."
"Halle, uh..." Prince Roberto cut her off again, warily looking between her and the person standing next to her who had been trying to gain her attention.
"What? I said wait just a second..." Halle angrily turned to face whoever was trying to gain her attention, only to find herself face-to-face with one of the horses from the carriage she had apparently been standing next to this whole time. "AHH! Oh my god, please get the horse away from me...!" Halle let out one large shriek as she instantly threw herself backwards against the concrete wall of the courthouse, inadvertently smacking her head against it rather hard as she slid down the wall and protectively held her hands in front of her face as the horse continued to inch closer to her harmlessly out of curiosity.
"Halle...!" Prince Joshua snapped his eyes wide open in shock at Halle's complete one-eighty in behavior, instantly worried about that hit she just took to the back of her head.
Prince Roberto grabbed the horse's reigns and pulled back on them as he looked to Prince Joshua worriedly. "I've got the horse, Josh, you help Halle!"
Prince Roberto didn't have to tell him twice. Prince Joshua had already thrown himself forward between Halle and the horse and knelt down on the ground beside her, placing his hand behind her neck in attempt to support Halle's head as she had a dizzy look on her face. "Halle! Halle!"
"W-wh... I... Uh..." Halle felt her vision get a little spotty as the back of her head started to throb painfully, and she could barely make out what was happening, let alone what Prince Joshua was trying to say to her.
"Halle, are you alright...?" Prince Joshua had never looked more worried in his life as he cupped her cheek with his other hand and looked at her stunned face, taking notice of a tear that just now rolled down her cheek. "Wha... Are you...crying?"
Halle held her breath in attempt to keep herself from letting the tears pricking at her eyes from pouring over, but all she could do was stammer as more and more tears seemed to uncontrollably roll down her face. "I-I... I'm sorry!"
"What are you apologizing for...?" Prince Joshua didn't care as he pulled her forwards and wrapped his arms protectively around her, holding onto her tight as Halle tried to hold back her sobs as she cried into his chest. She was horribly shaken up, and it pained Prince Joshua to see her that way...
Prince Roberto just stood there shaking his head as the two completely forgot about him once again, and he just looked at the horse whose reigns he was holding onto. "...Halle's deathly afraid of horses, and Josh is afraid of cats." He laughed a little, then looked down at Prince Joshua cradling the injured, crying Halle. "You guys were practically made for each other."
"ROBBIE, I SWEAR TO GOD...!"
"I AM NOT AFRAID OF CATS! I JUST HATE THEM!"
Lololololol this chapter was so long. Funny, too XD although it kinda seemed like a filler, this was actually relevant to the plot.
Sorry this took me so long, guys! This chapter is 11,000 words, so it took me longer than usual to throw together, and I suffered from writer's block off and on;; Again, I apologize.
Anyways... Whoa. Prince Joshua x Halle is getting closer to reality. Roberto is equally a shipping fangirl and a cock block at the same time XDDDD
Also, Halle's TERRIFIED of horses. Poor baby :( it hurt my soul to write that, since I love horses so much. Prince Joshua can keep horses away from Halle, and she can keep cats away from him I guess? XD
Anyways... Read, review, and enjoy!