Chapter 13

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Silence. There was not a single share of conversation. Fiorello awkwardly sat across the two royal siblings, sighing inwardly at the tension he knew he could not fix right now.

Cassandra's purple orbs glanced at Marlon's, but he wasn't looking back at her. She looked back down to her gloves, biting her lip at the black marks which made their way up her skin.

"I'm sorry, Marlon..." She lowered her head. "I didnt know the curse would take place at that time..."

"...You tried out for the flying derby?!" His voice was low, but Cassandra knew that tone. It was the same tone he used when speaking with generals and nobles who angered him. Her hands fidgeted and her eyes closed.

"Cassandra, we talked about this." He sighed, obviously not wanting to lash out on anyone. "I don't care if I'm a horrible brother for stopping your fun, but if it puts you in trouble, I won't tolerate it."

His purple eyes were glowing underneath the shadow of his wavy black hair. "Cass, if that boy didn't fly in to save you, you could...you'd be..." He clenched his fist, not saying anything more. He didn't need to.

Cassandra didn't bother with it anymore. Marlon had so much work to be done back at home, and here she was causing trouble. She moved her hand behind the back of her head and untied the ribbon that held her bun together, tears forming in her eyes as her heart ached.

After a few more seconds of silence, Marlon spoke once again. "I'm sorry, Cass..." He ran a hand through his hair, the slight dark bags under his eyes showing under the slight light from the window.

Cassandra just nodded and forced a smile, holding a strand of hair between her gloved fingers and twirled it. She sniffled. Then she sniffled again. She brought a hand up to her mouth, tears beginning to roll down her eyes.

Fiorello's eyes widened in shock, then softened in sadness. Still, he could not interfere. Or rather, he knew he shouldn't. He glanced at Marlon, who then realized the situation.

"Hey, Cass..." He smiled, swiping some of his hair away as to not look intimidating with the dark shadow. "...You looked a lot like mom with your hair up." For that moment, it seemed all the negative emotions Marlon showed earlier was gone.

Cassandra sighed, wiping the tears off of her cheeks. "...Are we even going to see her again?" She no longer cried, yet her eyes were still sad, looking down at her gloved hands.

"...She's coming back for my coronation."

Cassandra gasped quietly, her eyes twinkling with hope and excitement.

"R-Really...?"

Marlon nodded and her heart began to beat faster. How long has it been since she's last seen her mother?

Cassandra pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, a small smile creeping up her lips. Marlon smiled as well. "But that's not all..." Cassandra looked back at him, tiltering her head and rasing her eyebrow ever so slightly.

Fiorello pulled something out of the pocket of his vest; it was a bunch of letters with the Acanthus seal used to seal them closed. Marlon sighed before stretching his arm out to her, the letters in hand.

"You can invite your friends too."

---------

The next day was almost the same as the last. Marlon was off busy to prepare for his coronation, and Cass had to eat breakfast alone. It didn't bother her, though. She smiled the entire time and didn't falter even after Fior's teasing.

She arrived to Highland Academy with the same smile, her bangs swept to the side to show both of her hopeful eyes clearly.

Cass stood at the hallway, the letters in her hand. She hummed a soft melody to keep her company despite the lonliness she had right now. She slowly peeked into the room, seeing James speaking to Desmond and Zandar.

"Hey, Cassy."

She jumped, turning backwards to see the ever smiling face of Prince Hugo. He leaned on the wall next to her, being just a bit too close. Cassandra stepped back to put space between them before sighing.

"Good morning, Hugo." She caught him glimpsing at the letters she held, eventually handing one out to him. After all, he was the one who saved her, and they were friends, at least to her they were.

"As informal as this might be, my brother said I can invite you guys to his coronation." She smiled. Hugo took the letter and ran over its words before laughing in light amusement.

"My parents were already invited." He folded the letter back to its original state before pocketing it. "My brother is pretty close to your brother, too."

Cass blinked before frowning slightly. "Oh...s-sorry for wasting your time..." She turned to leave, but Hugo grabbed her wrist gently, his expression being a little shocked.

"Hey, don't take it personally." He said and let go of her. "I'm still going to attend." Hugo gave her a warm smile, and Cass smiled back.

"S-sorry...it's just..." She looked back inside the room. "A habit of mine." Hugo sighed, but ended it with a shrug. "I'll see you there, then?"

Cassandra nodded, relaxing her smile into a genuine one before walking off to speak to James.

The moment she got there, all three boys fell silent and turned their heads to the raven haired princess. She felt her heart stop. Did she disturb them? Maybe they were having an important coversation? Maybe this wasn't the right time--

"Cassy!"

James jumped up from his seat and embraced her in his arms. He was definitely taller than her, so Cass found herself leaning into the prince's shoulder. Her face immediately turned red; she could feel his arms around her waist, she could smell the sweet perfume he had on, and she could feel the warmth that radiated from the hug.

James pulled away, holding her shoulders as his green eyes stared into her purple ones, no longer blocked by the messy bangs she once had.

"You're alright, right? I mean, of course you are, but you're...feeling alright?" Cassandra nodded quickly, the sudden situation rendering her speechless.

"I was so worried!"

He pulled her in for another hug, and out of shock, Cassandra hugged back, the two of them locking the position for more than they probably needed.

Zandar had already been whispering to Desmond and Khalid at this point, and so were the other royals in the room. Cassandra pushed James away when she noticed, and simply slapped the letter onto his chest out of embarrassment.

"YOU'RE INVITED TO MY BROTHER'S CORONATION PLEASE COME"

She blurted out, then turning around and speed walking out of the room once she realizes what she's just done.

Nothing Comes Between Us (Prince James X Oc) |Sofia The First|Where stories live. Discover now