"And here comes Princess Sofia!"
The trumpets roared, alongside with the applause from the crowd – as Sofia herself descended from the stairs. She had a nice pink dress on with the lace on the back.
Sofia looked dashingly beautiful indeed
Everyone's eyes were on her, as she slowly made her way down the stairs where everyone gathered. The sight was truly wonderful, like an angel making her way to earth with the cherubic innocence vibe that she has
Upon finally making her way down, she was then stumbled by her family whom was stunned by how beautiful she looked
"Sofia!" Amber cheered
"You look very beautiful tonight!"
"Thanks Amber–" Sofia responded coyly
James gave her a thumbs up in agreement
"Sofia, I am really impressed with you tonight!" Roland added
"You look very beautiful now, Dear" Queen Miranda chided
Sofia beamed them a smile upon hearing the encouraging words. Her gaze then shifts to the crowd, eager to find a certain someone in her mind.
But before she was able to scan the entire surroundings – she was bombarded with the guests whom were watching from afar.
Sofia had no choice but to entertain them wholeheartedly, she didn't want to come out as rude to their visitors
After what seemed like forever, an announcement was made by Baileywick…
"Everyone, the dinner shall now commence!"
And so the usher boards were brought open, revealing the wonderful dishes all lined up on the pristine table shimmering with the lights from the chandelier
Sofia could smell the wonderful aroma, she hasn't been able to eat anything since breakfast and she is crumbling to have a taste of the dishes.
Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted by a certain blonde princess beside her
"Oh, I'm so dancing with the best Prince tonight, Sofia"
Sofia turned with a nervous grin on her face. She never really saw the appeal on the "Prince" thing with the other girls – perhaps she was just different throughout
The servers finally served the dishes, Sofia couldn't be more excited than this. But when they opened the dome – a frown replaced the smile on the Auburn-haired princess
"Behold, the caviar special!"
There presented was a small serving of what seemed like small circles grouped up into a small bowl.
Sofia grimaced upon seeing this. This was certainly not enough for her and she knows it well. She knew about the norms, and the standards of the etiquettes of the princesses on how food should be minimal to say the least – but Sofia was not having any of it.
And so she watched as her family slowly ate their portion of the "Caviar" which was in small amount.
She needed to find a way to eat somehow, and she's not talking about the small little mini eggs on the platters
She then closed her eyes and reminisced something delicious in her mind, something that could fill his entire mouth, simple yet appetizing.
Only one food came to mind.
Sofia wanted to eat as her own will without anyone watching, where she can eat as much as she can.
A certain thought then rushed through her mind as her rosebud lips formed into a menacing smile.
xXx
"Oh how I hated these evenings!"
Cedric snapped, his arms crossed to his chest with a frown on his face
With this much noise, there is no way for the sorcerer to even close his eyes and have a glimpse of dreamland. But instead, he had to put up through the noise and the music from the hall
He then sat down and reached out for a muffin on the table which would serve as his distraction. It was cold, but it still tasted nice
"Oooh, If I can just use my freezing spell to freeze them…"
"But then I'll have to stop you, Mr. Ceedric~"
Cedric dropped his muffin to the ground as the voice echoes through the room. A voice that belongs to a certain someone that should be in a certain party downstairs as of this moment.
He slowly turned around, and the sight of a smiling princess stumbled before him. She was wearing a nice gown that seemed very out of place with his old workshop
"Are you lost, princess?" Cedric scorned
Sofia shook her head with her eyes closed and her lips wide up her cheeks. Somehow, he could still feel her warm gaze despite her eyelids in the way
"Not really" Sofia murmured as she takes her favorite chair and moves it to the table
And carefully – she sat
Cedric watched with an unamused look on his face, and came an abysmal of silence with the two of them seated next to each other.
And so Sofia finally spoke up.
"Is something on my face, Mr. Ceedric?"
"Yeah, the 'I need something very urgent that I had to ditch the party' look" he responded
Sofia couldn't help but giggle upon hearing this
"SO YOU'VE NOTICED!" Sofia giggled
"It's not rocket science, Sofia…" Cedric responded
"What's a rocket?"
"Nevermind." Cedric blurted as he placed the muffin down
The bowl of the muffins on the table somehow caught her curiosity. It didn't seem as lavish as how the caviars were presented in party, but it looked appetizing at the very least
"How's the muffin, Mr. Ceedric?"
"Cold." He responded flatly
"Like cold cold, or tasty cold?"
"MUFFIN cold." He blurted
Cedric took another bite of the muffin with Sofia watching him closely. She was leaning on her hand doing so
It didn't take long before the sorcerer grew uncomfortable about this whole thing
"Can I help you, Princess Sofia?" he finally asked
She didn't respond at first, but her gaze was focused solely on his muffin. This was enough hint to know what her intentions were
"Oh no no" Cedric uttered with his mouth full
"These were specially baked by my mother, exclusive only for me."
"Just one muffin please~"
"No" Cedric huffed in response
"Aren't there like loads of meals in the party as of the moment"
A surge of silence came after, it didn't take long for Cedric to realize the whole thing
"Oh…" he mumbled
Cedric then pushed the bowl of muffins to Sofia upon having the grasp of the situation
"Make sure to leave one or two…"
Sofia didn't even hesitate as she stuffed a muffin to her mouth with a big smile on her face. Bits of the muffin resided on the corner of her lips which Cedric found very funny
"Yourgh ah beghst, Meghter Cerdrec~" She mumbled with her mouth full
Cedric chuckled upon hearing this. Who would've thought that such a well dressed Princess would have such a side in her. But was farce, Cedric knew all along how Sofia really is behind the dresses and the guise of royalty
Sofia frowned however when she saw the sorcerer laughing feintly
"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" she pouted
"Yeah, especially with your cheeks full. You look more of a hamster than an angel" Cedric jested
Sofia gave him a slight tackle which Cedric almost lost his balance
"I can't help it" Sofia slowly muttered
"I didn't have lunch today"
Cedric's amused face immediately shifted unto a serious one upon hearing this. With all the preparations that they had, he wouldn't even be surprised if the princess didn't have breakfast also
"Poor Sofia…" he thought to himself
Suddenly, a music coming from downstairs echoed can be heard. The music now was slow and steady romantic, the type of music used in dances
"Welp, you better go finish the muffins fast or you'd miss the dance, Princess Sofia…"
Sofia took a big bite of the muffin in her hand as she turns to him
"I'm not coming back.."
Cedric's grew astonished over this
"Excuse me… what?"
"I said, I'm not going."
"but why?"
"Why not?"
"Sofia, they need you down there"
Sofia lets out a groan of displeasure as response
"I'm sure there are other princesses out there, Mr. Ceedric"
"But… you're Sofia the First!"
"Well thank you, Cedric" Sofia smiled in response
"That was kind of you"
"No no… that is not my point!" Cedric whimpered
"You're Sofia the first, the maiden of the hour. The princess whom all the princes wants to dance with"
"And what if I don't want to dance with them?"
"There's gotta be at least one…"
"Nope" Sofia uttered sharply with a confident smile on her lips
Noticing how disgruntled the Sorcerer has gotten over this, Sofia decided to make him a deal
"Alright, Mr. Ceedric" She stated
"How about this, I'll agree to return to the party just like you said so…"
"Yes, thank you so so much for being reasonable…"
"BUT!" Sofia immediately interrupted
"You'll have to come with me and DANCE with me and ONLY me"
Cedric scratched his head upon hearing this
"uhh what?" he spouted in confusion
"Oh no, you heard me pretty well, Mr. Ceedric~"
"I did, but I don't think you meant what you mean"
"Well I do mean what I meant so that means I mean what I just meant"
"but…." Cedric stuttered, trying to make reason out of such deal
"Princess Sofia, you can't possibly be serious about this"
"Well, I am~" Sofia responded in a sing-song tone
Cedric won't be able to handle such crowd and the party itself. And so he had no choice but to drop the topic
"Fine… you can stay here I guess…" Cedric finally gave in
"But we have to inform your parents"
"Oh no need, I told mom I wasn't feeling well…"
"Oh, I see…" he uttered
Returning his attention to her, Cedric noticed how tight the dress looked especially in the waist part.
"I bet it feels very uncomfortable being in that thing"
Sofia turns to him upon hearing this
"Oh… well, I have no choice but to wear it." Sofia sighed
"You don't have to wear it here" Cedric responded
And so he stood up and held his hand out for her to take
"Here I'll help you take it off."
"You know how to?" Sofia beamed
"Of course I do. Cordelia would always seek for my assistance whenever she would wear dresses like this"
"Oh, I didn't know you were such a helpful brother" Sofia jested with a slight giggle
"Of course I am, now turn around"
Sofia faced the other way, with her back facing him this time. Cedric once again, proved himself to be such a wonderful friend to her. He would always be there for her when she needs him the most
The tug of the laces tickled Sofia a little bit, it felt funny to her. Upon releasing the tight hold of her corset, Sofia finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally she was freed of that thing.
The dress then fell to the ground, which revealed Sofia's bare back to the sorcerer which didn't even faze him one bit.
Sofia was shivering however, feeling embarrassed and shaky about the situation that they were in. Despite their close friendship, it was still quite embarrassing to be half naked in front of someone
As she turned around, Cedric was carrying her dress which seemed to weigh a lot
"Urghhh, are these dresses made from the same material as armor?"
Sofia chuckled, her laughter almost resonating all across the empty corners of the tower. This kind of behavior is indeed – not "Princess" like – but it didn't matter to her
"Now you understand my pain, Mr. Ceedric!"
"I'm sure I do…"
The sorcerer then escorted her to his room to lend him a robe that would serve as her clothes for the meantime.
"I never get tired of wearing these, Mr. Ceedric"
Cedric casted her a side eye-glance as he went out of the room for her to change
"Make sure to not make a mess out of my stuff!" He yelled to the door
"I sure will!" Sofia yelled back in a playful tone
Cedric huffed a sigh of annoyance as he made his way to the stairs. A sudden series of knocks coming from the door then was heard which took his attention
Upon answering it, there revealed Baileywick with a worried expression in his face and Prince Hugo in a very sophisticated outfit
"Excuse me Cedric, but have you seen Princess Sofia by any chance?" Baileywick chanted
"She is needed back at the dance"
"Yeah, I wanna dance with her" Hugo added
"I uhh…"
This is Cedric's chance, now he can just tell on Sofia and she would be forced to be back on that noisy party downstairs – and he could have his peaceful evening back
But somehow… something was urging him not to
"What do you expect me for – a royal abductor? Why would Sofia come in this wretched place with all that fun party going on down there"
"Okay Cedric, do inform me if she comes here" Baileywick responded
"I sure will, now scram" Cedric uttered before slowly closing the door
Cedric turned around, and noticed Sofia was hiding behind the bookcase.
"You can come out now…" he uttered flatly
And so the little girl came out with his loose robe. She had a concerned expression on her face as she slowly looked into him
"Don't worry – I didn't tell them…"
And just like that, Sofia's face lit up as she crashed into his arms
"You're the best, Cedric!"
"I know, I know…" Cedric muttered slowly
Sofia held him tighter, and she seemed heavier than usual. Cedric turned to her and noticed that she was leaning on him solely
"Princess Sofia?"
"I'm sorry Mr. Ceedric…" Sofia huffed
"My vision was blurry there for a second"
This is bad, very bad. Cedric had to do something or Sofia might fall at any second. Exhaustion was getting the best of the little girl
And so without hesitation, he carried her on his back as he ran to a secret opening of the tower. He flicked his wand up, which lit up the whole place.
Sofia opened her eyes and noticed the room she has never been here before
"Wow Mr. Ceedric, I didn't know you had a kitchen in the tower…"
"Save your energy, Sofia. You're not gonna pass out on me." Cedric responded as he slowly laid her on a chair
"Not until you've had something proper to eat"
Sofia watched closely as Cedric went to work, her eyes wandered all over the place. The kitchen seemed different, it had machineries and pots that are awfully different from what they have in the castle
First, there was a big rectangle vault of some sort that had food stored in it. It let out what seemed like cold air when Cedric took out ingredients from inside
Then, he operated what seemed like a board with certain ceramics on top, it was different from what they had in the castle
Cedric started cooking, he was thoroughly dedicated on whatever he was making. Sofia was fighting the drowsiness like what Cedric had told her, not until she had something to eat
And after a few seconds, Cedric held a bowl containing a hot soup in his hand. Sofia could smell the aroma and it immediately brought a smile to her face
"Here, say ahh…"
Cedric uttered as he held out a spoonful of soup to her lips. Sofia then parted her lips without hesitation, accepting the hot soup wholeheartedly
Sofia slowly munched the hot soup with her mouth, it tasted different, like a distinct flavor – she's never tasted anything like it before
But she liked it, especially with how Cedric is tending to her. It was worth all the things that he had to go throughout the day
"Here eat this too…"
Cedric slowly presented a vegetable sandwich which she immediately bit and ate
"Thank you, Mr. Ceedric…" Sofia muttered
"Next time, don't force yourself" he responded
She beamed out a quick smile as she uttered
"I need to, it's my responsibility as a princess"
Cedric heaved out a sigh
"Well then next time, if you ever need something of any sort, don't hesitate to turn to me…"
"I will…" Sofia whispered slowly
"Thank you, Cedric…"
And just like that, Sofia finally fell into a deep sleep with her exhaustion finally getting to her. Cedric then carried the sleeping princess on his back to her room, but as he turned around, he noticed someone inside the workshop with them
"I hope you don't mind… the door was open"
"It's alright, my Queen" Cedric responded as he slowly carried Sofia to her
"Again, thank you for taking care of my daughter, Cedric" Queen Miranda uttered as she held Sofia to her arms
"It was my pleasure, your highness…" he responded
"But next time, please do limit the burden on the little girl. Sofia may be a quintessential princess but she is still a child"
Queen Miranda stared at him for a few seconds
"I-I'm sorry, your highness. It was rude of me to tell on the queen herself…"
"No, it's just that…" Queen Miranda stuttered
"You're right, I should've noticed but I got too focused on planning the party with Rollie.
"It's a good thing she has a friend like you, Cedric"
Cedric slowly nodded
"Well, I'll take her to her room now. Do have a peaceful evening, Cedric"
Queen Miranda then stepped out of the workshop with Sofia in her arms. Cedric watched as they descended from the stairs with a smile on his face
Finally, he's got what he wanted – a peaceful evening
But not just for him, but also to a certain princess
Finally, she's relieved of all the responsibilities for the hectic day. Hopefully, tomorrow would be a more fun and carefree day for Sofia – she's earned it after all.
~The End~
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.
.
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Cedric returns inside the workshop, and a certain gown on the ground came to his sight. It was the gown that she wore earlier
"What am I supposed to do with this?"