Sofia's debutante ball was coming up more quickly than she anticipated; although she had been considered a member of the Royal Family and addressed as, 'princess,' since she was a little girl, this was somehow different. Amber's debutante ball had been the previous year and Sofia was still in awe of how grand it was. There were so many choices to make, before invitations were officially extended, that were seemingly tedious but thankfully Amber would be coming home from her studies tomorrow and would be able to revel in the details that Sofia clearly didn't care about. She was, however, looking forward to choosing her suitor for the evening; many young men had asked Sofia who she would choose and offered their services but she only had one person on her mind – Cedric, always Cedric.
Throughout her childhood Sofia had always been friendly with Cedric, adding him to her arsenal of friends, and their friendship was pure and innocent. Over time Sofia had come to respect him as a person, not just as an authority figure, and in more recent years she had discovered that her feelings for Cedric ran deeper than she cared to admit. They had always relied on each other, confided in each other, and helped one another through difficult times – how could she not develop deeper feelings for him?
The choice of her suitor was entirely up to Sofia but her mind wandered and could almost hear the future whispers start to take form. Normally the suitor that accompanies the debutante is one that has intentions to court them. In this case, Sofia would like nothing more than to be courted by Cedric, even if he had appeared to be asexual all these years. Her biggest concern was what her father would say; Roland was never a fan of Cedric and always made it a point to belittle him, or mention that the Royal Family was 'stuck' with him, every chance that was given. Sofia wasn't even considering the difference in their age; nearly 20 years did seem a bit on the extreme side and she knew it would make some people uncomfortable.
The previous year, Amber's debutante ball was the first of its kind that Sofia had witnessed – traditionally held on or shortly after the 19th birthday, after graduation from Royal Preparatory, it was a royal's official introduction into high society. Before Amber's ball, no common villager had ever seen such an event. It was beautiful and overwhelming for Sofia; even after spending over a decade as a royal she still felt like an outsider at these types of things. This was also the first debutante ball that was open to non-royal families. Although Ruby and Jade attended the ball, they spent most of their time gawking at the princes from far-away lands and since Sofia had no interest in princes, she chose looming over the punch bowl with Cedric as her preferred activity of the night. It was that night that Sofia realized how smitten she had become with her sorcerer friend and mentor.
In the weeks after the ball Sofia found herself staring at Cedric greedily, daydreaming about him; whatever subject was at hand was lost to her and instead thoughts of the night of Amber's ball, and remembering how lovely it felt to dance with him, filled her mind. More often than not Cedric would catch her and make some snarky comment about her inability to focus. Sofia would always blush deeply but could swear that there was always a slight smile hidden behind his dry remarks.
Sofia had never really had a crush on anyone before; since this was her first time anyone really made her heart flutter she did what any young adult woman would in her position – fumbled over herself and said nothing. Now that her own ball was coming up, all she could think about was Cedric and how marvelous it would feel to have him by her side. She had made up her mind and knew she had to ask him. When she finally ascended his tower stairs to ask him, her stomach was in knots; when he said he would be honored she felt light-headed. She wasn't sure if Cedric felt obligated to honor her request or if he was genuinely happy, and she was so dazed by the experience of asking him in the first place that she failed to notice his reaction or subsequent expressions that may have given her any insight into the matter.
Before she realized it Sofia was back in her room without any real recollection of how she arrived there, which wasn't of any real surprise considering she was still floating aloft on images of Cedric bowing gracefully upon his acceptance of her request. The ball was still a few months away but she couldn't wait for that evening to unveil itself. All those tedious choices she had to make no longer seemed like a burden; she couldn't wait for her sister to arrive and join her in the planning.
As she lay in bed Sofia's mind raced from thoughts of flowers to music and then, of course, back to Cedric. She never felt more anxious and when she drifted off to sleep she couldn't help but imagine Cedric next to her as she hugged her pillow a little tighter.