Warren was playing the part of the king!
I could hardly believe what I was seeing, and I was certain I was gawking at him.
“Ah, I’m glad you’re here,” he said as he turned and walked toward . His hands were folded behind his back, and he looked quite regal and important, much like he did in real life, but with an air of arrogance about him I’d never seen with Warren before.
“I brought you your favorite dessert,” I purred, trying to sound, um, seductive, I guess? That was hard for .
“Put it down,” he said. “That’s kind of you, but I’m afraid I’m not in the mood for dessert.”
I set the cake down on a side table, along with the two plates and two forks I’d managed to bring along with . I could tell by his expression that whatever it was he was going to say to , I wasn’t going to like it. “What’s wrong?” I asked him.
I hadn’t talked to him about the other woman yet, but as he walked toward , the graveness of his expression told he was going to reveal his decision to . I was so nervous, my hands were shaking.
It was strange. I could tell that those emotions were not mine, yet, I was still controlled by them. On one hand, I knew this was all just an illusion that the Moonlit Crystal created, on the other hand, it was so real that I almost thought I was her, the king’s mistress.
I bet without knowing their own identities, Brook, Jake and even Warren would truly think they were the people from this world.
He didn’t answer , so with my nerves getting the best of , I continued to speak. “I took a lot of ti making this cake for you, Your Majesty.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t need to go to any trouble for . I’ve appreciated how well you’ve treated these past three years, how you’ve always been there for , but that ti has ended now.”
“What?” My voice trembled with emotion as I spoke. “You can’t be serious?”
“I’m afraid so. It seems... I don’t love you after all. I am in love with soone else, and I plan to marry her. Again, I thank you for your service, but that’s in the past now, and I will move forward with my fiancée, the love of my life.”
“That’s okay,” I said quickly, trying my best to think of a way to salvage the situation. “Even if you love soone more, I can still be of service to you. I can still accompany you. The people in the castle know and respect . They will continue to do so. I am willing to be your silent partner.”
He shook his head. “No, no. That won’t be necessary. My partner will be here with every step of the way. In fact, the only reason I ever chose for you to accompany to begin with is because you remind so much of her.”
With that, he gestured to the open door behind , and when I saw who was walking inside, with a triumphant smirk on her face, my first thought was to grab the cake and shove it in her face.
Sophia!
Boy, whoever set this world up sure had an interesting sense of humor.
She pranced over to him, her high heels clacking on the stone floor, and I did my best not to glare at her. I wouldn’t be able to convince the king that I was the right woman for him if I’d made him mad then by disrespecting her.
I watched as she approached him, moving gracefully but seductively. She paused beside him, placing her hand on his chest and leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek, leaving a faint sar of red lipstick in her wake. “Hello, my handso King,” she said, her voice just as annoying now as it had been before we got sucked into this place. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Warren—the king—wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, and I tasted bile in the back of my throat.
If the king had been soone else, I would have been fine, but... why Warren? This entire situation was making sick.
Warren lifted his other hand to brush her hair back away from her face, and when he did so, his sleeve moved back, exposing to the light the bracelet I had gifted him.
Sophia saw it, and I noticed her eyes going wide. “Ooh, what’s this?” she asked, running her fingertip over it lightly.
“Soone special gave this to ...” Warren sounded confused when he answered, like he wasn’t quite sure why he was saying that, but then he gave a look that I couldn’t quite read. I assud it was part of our true history mingling in with what was going on in this magical place. But Warren certainly didn’t rember who he was or he wouldn’t be treating this way while he was being so nice to Sophia.
“I absolutely love it!” Sophia gushed. “Oh! May I have it, pretty please?” She made so sort of pouty duck face and blinked her eyelashes at him again and again.
“Oh... no, I think not,” he said. “I’m sorry, precious, but this bracelet is extrely important to . I can’t just give it to you.”
“Why is it so important?”
“I...” But Warren couldn’t co up with the answer. He pressed his temples as if sothing was bothering him.
“Your Majesty, you told that I’m the most important one to you,” Sophia begged. “And you said you loved ! If you love , you’ll give it to !”
“I do love you, but—” Warren began. “But that doesn’t an I can just hand it over to you.”
Then, she began to cry. Actual tears began to roll down her cheeks! She had always been a beauty, even when she was crying, but the entire scene was so ridiculous, I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
She certainly acted the sa as she did back where we ca from. Spoiled. Entitled. Bratty. That was the true Sophia.
“Fine, fine, darling,” Warren finally said, taking the bracelet off of his wrist and sliding it onto hers. Imdiately, her tears dried up, and she began to smile as bright as the sun. “I’m so sorry that I made you cry, my dear.”
“It’s all right, Your Majesty. I love you so much! I’ll forgive you!” She leaned over and rubbed her nose against him, giving him a butterfly kiss, and I couldn’t watch any more.
I couldn’t believe he’d just handed over the bracelet so easily. That bracelet wasn’t just important to him, it was important to ! Yet, he’d just slid it off and given it to her.
It was as if my heart was pulled out from my chest, thrown on the ground by the person I longed for years, and shuttered in thousands of pieces.
It wasn’t his fault, I understood, he didn’t know who he was... but that didn’t make it hurt less.
Depressed and defeated, I backed up to the side table where I’d placed the cake and hoisted myself up to sit next to my creation. The two of them continued to make lovey dovey faces at one another, and with every exchange, I felt more and more sick to my stomach.
What better way to keep from throwing up the contents of my stomach than to put more in it? “Well, if no one else wants to eat this cake, I guess I’ll eat it myself,” I said. I picked up a fork and dug into the cake without even bothering to use a plate.
Theo was right; it was pretty good. It wasn’t the tastiest thing I’d ever eaten, but considering I’d made it, I couldn’t complain.
I continued to shovel it into my mouth while the two of them gazed into each other’s eyes. Really, the entire situation was ridiculous. Even though it was an illusion, it was unsettling and a bit revolting to .
Without even chewing up all of the cake I had in my mouth, I blurted out, “I don’t get it.”
Both of them turned to look at with arched eyebrows.
“What’s that now? Why is she here?” Sophia whispered to the king, but he put out a hand to quiet her.
“What are you talking about?” he asked .
I cleared my throat, wishing I’d thought to bring a drink along for our dessert party. “For being so elegant, you certainly are being heartless, Your Majesty. I was just thinking about what you said earlier. Rember? You said that you were with because I reminded you of her, right?” I asked him.
“Ah! That’s so sweet!” Sophia gushed. She started in with the baby talk again, so I had to speak up to be heard over her.
“If you like her so much, why even bother with to begin with? She was your true love, so you cherish her, love her, honor her, and since you found her again, you’ll want to be with her.”
Sophia was extrely pleased to hear what I said and hugged Warren even tighter.
I took a sip of water and continued, “If she was so important to you, and no one would replace her in your heart and you’re so faithful to your love for her, why did you even co to to begin with?” I stabbed my fork so hard into the cake that the plate shook a little.
Warren’s eyes widened and he was stunned. Sophia wanted to say sothing, but Warren gave her a glance and made her stay silent.
“I just don’t get it!” I concluded.
“Well, I...uh...” Warren said, placing his free hand on his hip in a fist. “I’ve never heard you speak like that before in all of the years that I’ve known you.” He shook his head slightly, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d seen. “Maybe I don’t know you that well...”
I felt called out a bit, and for a mont, I thought perhaps I’d ruined everything. I replied, “Sa here, Your Majesty. After all, I didn’t know you that well either, or else... maybe I wouldn’t have chosen to be with you!”
His mouth opened and closed, but he didn’t say anything.
“Sorry if my attitude is surprising you, Your Majesty,” I said, not really caring anymore. “But this is just how I am, my true nature. I’m not acting for you anymore, and if you don’t like it, then maybe it’s best you’re with her now.” I glared at Sophia. “And... if you don’t like my cake, that’s also all right.” I took another giant bite, and with cake falling out of my mouth said, “That just ans more for !”
Both of them stared at , and all I could do was laugh. Maybe it was all of the sugar, or maybe it was the absurdity of the situation, but sothing about it struck as funny—and sotis it’s easier to laugh than to cry.
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