3rd Person POV
"I apologize mother. I have seen the error of my ways and wish to repent for my actions." Says Viola with a dull face and lifeless eyes.
A few days have passed since the Duke and Duchess had a "minor" argument over their daughter's actions. In the end, Lady Victoria won said argument... As always, and although Viola received some leniency due to her father's protests... Her punishment was still severe.
As Victoria looks at her daughter with an indifferent look hiding mild anger still bubbling inside her due her daughter's recklessness and her husband's naivety, she begins to grow suspicious. "How incredibly odd, you seemed to be oh, so, passionate to rebel against your dear mother not so long ago. Such drastic change does make me wonder... What caused it?" Asks Lady Victoria in a suspicious tone with an arrogant gaze upon her daughter.
"I have pondered over the consequences of my actions, and I realized that I have made a grave mistake mother. I will accept my punishment and never question you again." Says Viola with a much softer and quieter voice than usual, yet soft as it may be Lady Victoria has always been unsettled at her daughter's lifeless and slightly ominous voice.
"If you truly regret your actions young lady then it would do you well to do away with that disturbing attitude of yours." Says Lady Victoria sternly as she slightly furrows her eyebrows.
"I apologize for my negligence." Says Viola as she straightens her posture and changes her stance as well as putting up a vibrant small smile, her aura radiating refinement.
"*sigh* You are nowhere near the same level of the daughter of an Earl, much less a Duke." Says Lady Victoria as she fixes Viola's already good posture and stance. "And never forget to smile, you look dreadful without it." Says Lady Victoria as she leaves her office. At this Viola's smile widens a bit as she watches her mother leave.
"Your manners are shameful... so we will have to review everything once more... I suppose it is partially my fault for giving you too much freedom... We begin tonight." Says Lady Victoria as she leaves her office. As she closes the door Viola's smile falters. 'have I gone soft...' she thinks as she remembers all the playdates with the other children of the dukes.
Meanwhile with Lady Victoria. "*sigh* How careless can that girl be?" Lady Victoria asks herself as she walks down the halls preparing for Viola's lessons later at night. "We are already behind as is. For her to neglect her teachings is just... *sigh* very well. If that brat insists on being reckless, I'll just have to tighten her leash." Says Lady Victoria as she continues walking while her frustration increases. However, she remembers her daughter's cold gaze, her silent footsteps, her weak yet ominous voice, and her unnoticeable presence. Her frustration dissipates and is replaced with unease and slight melancholy. 'She is exactly like you...' She thinks as she remembers her husband, she then furrows her brows in distaste and hurries down the hallway trying to clear her thoughts.
"Bleeehhh." Says James as he sticks his tongue out at his younger sister Christine Azuree, his sister in turn giggles at his funny faces.
"I am glad everything has gone back to normal." Says Lady Isabelle as she watches her son and daughter play together in the grass outside the manor. "I told you everything would fall into place love." Says Lord Vincent Azuree as he side hugs his wife. "It has been a while since James has seen the other noble children." Says Lady Isabelle, musing to herself with with puppy dog eyes as she glances at her husband. Lord Azuree in turn chuckles as her behavior. "You do not need to do such a thing love, I will gladly invite the other dukes and their children, in fact you do not even have to ask for such a thing. You are the Duchess of the Azuree manor. My precious wife need not ask for permission." Says Vincent as Isabelle hugs him tightly. "Thaaaankyooouuuu." She says as Vincent laughs at her childish behavior.
"In that case I will invite the other Duchesses as well!" Says Lady Isabelle excitedly as she leaves immediately to invite everyone. All the while leaving Vincent standing outside with a blank face as his wife suddenly breaks away from the hug and dashes off. "Y-you didn't have to go nooww." He says faintly as he anime cries.
Time Skip
James' POV
Today is the day!
That I die!
From nervousness...
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What was I thinking??!! I just disappeared from the face of the earth for what? A month? And now I'm just gonna show up outta nowhere with absolutely no explanation?!
WHO THE F*CK IS GONNA BELIEVE THAT?!
I guess I can't really back down now though... everyone's already here...
'W-what was it that Viola taught me before? Sh-shoulders back... no wait it was straight back... but what do I do with my shoulders then? ... and what about my feet... It was firm steps, right?' Thinks James as he is internally panicking and stomping on the ground. 'N-no! that's too firm... wait... WHAT DO I DO WITH MY ARMS?!' At this point James' two brain cells are working in max brain power to think up a solution.
~Inside James' Brain~
Braincell 1: WORK HARDER!!!
Braincell 2: I CAN'T!!! TWO BRAIN CELLS CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THIS MESS!!
Braincell 1: I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANY EXCUSES YOU COWARD!!!
Braincell 2: WE'RE GOING IN THE DANGER ZONE!!!
Braincell 1: OH SH*T!!!!
Braincell 2: *dies from overexertion*
Braincell 1: RAPHAEL NOOOO!!!! I CAN'T LOSE ANOTHER ONE!!!
Braincell 1 looks at the graves of braincell 3 and braincell 4.
Braincell 1: Donatello, Michelangelo. They were so young. *cries*
Braincell 1 slaps Braincell 2's corpse.
Braincell 1: WAKE UP DAMNIT!!!
~Back to James~
"James!" Yells Lady Isabelle as James snaps out of his mental hurricane. "Are you alright?" She asks worried. "O-oh, ah, yeah I'm totally fine!" Says James with a forced smile as Lady Isabelle frowns. "You don't have to force yourself; I can cancel you know. Make up an excuse." Says Lady Isabelle as James thinks back to Viola's words.
["You may have the whole 'Son of a Nobleman' act down. However, you are far from looking like the heir to an Earl, much less a Duke."]
James looks at Lady Isabelle with a determined gaze. "You don't have to cancel." He says as he walks past Lady Isabelle with a confident aura as he enters the room where the other children are.
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Edmund, Albert, Raymond and Viola all turn to look at James who had accidentally slammed the door open due to his blind determination. As they stare at him James's, confident demeanor crumbles into pieces while he nervously smiles and fidgets in embarrassment.
"Pft... hehe... hahaha, ahahaha!" A gentle and slightly loud childish laugh echoes in the room making everyone now turn to look at the origin of said laughter.
James' face turns into a tomato from blushing, this caused by his own mortifying embarrassment.
As Albert tries to compose himself once more from his small laughing fit, he unknowingly broke the slight tension in the room, his laughter being contagious making Raymond cover up his own giggling with his hand to at least try to seem polite, while Edmund just outright chuckles silently. "I-I pft hahaha... apologies, that was rude of me." Says Albert as small blush is seen while he keeps a smile trying to contain his laughter. "N-no! It's fine... I like your laugh." say James shyly as he stares at the floor, his own embarrassment making his head cloudy enough to not think straight. Viola, who had been quietly witnessing everyone's reactions almost chokes on air at James' statement but tries her best play it off.
Suddenly James realizes what he said and panics "A-ah! Uuuhhh... w-what I meant is I'm glad that I made you laugh... L-like, I'm uh happy that you're happy? Umm..." Says James nervously.
Albert in turn gives James an eye smile and chuckles. "I was quite worried about you since I heard the rumors that you had not been seen for many days... I am glad you are doing well as of now." Says Albert with a cheerful smile as James' heart flutters after hearing the prince says such kind words.
"R-r-r-right! I'm... I'm sorry for worrying you guys..." Says James with mild frustration at his own actions as he bows 90 degrees. Raymond now laughs a bit at James' actions but immediately covers his mouth with a blush. This makes James look up at everyone and immediately straighten his posture once more. "James... As a Duke's first child... You should only bow to the royal family." Asks Viola curiously as James flinches. 'SH*T I FORGOT ABOUT THE SOCIAL CLASSES' Thinks James as he curses himself for not breaking his habits from his past life. "R-right... Sorr- I mean, uh, I'll keep that in mind." Says James as Viola hums in curiosity.
"Very well then, since our host has now arrived, I suppose I shall put my impeccable social skills to good use now." Says Viola nonchalantly as she gazes upon all the other children while Raymond and James sweat-drop.
"Hmph, such unbacked arrogance. Although it makes sense seeing as the apple does not fall far from the tree." Says Edmund, he himself looking at Viola arrogantly. Viola in turn only gazes at Edmund with a wavering yet slightly unsettling look between neutral and a small glare which quickly fades and turns into a slight smile with a blank stare, her eyes seeming to dull slightly. She doesn't respond.
'... Wait... why isn't she answering?' Thinks James with slight worry as he looks at Viola who only stays silent with a small smile on her face. "Viola?" Asks James as his worry grows.
"I suppose you are right, Young Lord Digne." Says Viola as she turns back to her teacup. Meanwhile everyone is taken aback, but Edmund most of all, seeing as Viola had never called him by title and surname. "V-Viola-" Starts James but is interrupted by Viola herself.
"Very well now, I suggest we go outside to play today, we should not let such a lovely day go to waste after all." She says as she begins to stand up and turn to everyone. "A-Ah, sure... We can play in the open field at the back of the manor!" Says James as he tries to brush off Viola's odd attitude. "That is an excellent idea." Says Albert as he also stands up and Raymond follows.
The noble children all follow James to the back of the manor to play. Edmund quietly trailing behind the whole time with a mildly unsettled look.
As the children and their parents began to leave after a day of having fun, James saw all of his friends out.
"It's been very stressful lately, but I had a lot of fun James, thank you." Says Albert while bidding James goodbye. "Ah, right. As the crown prince you're always busy..." Says James while Albert sighs and nods. "But I must give it my all to be a good king in the future." Says Albert determinedly. "Right, I'm confident that you're gonna be an amazing king. But take it easy too... your health is above all else." Says James while smiling at Albert and grabs his hand gently to prove his point. Albert in turn stares at James' kind gaze with starry eyes and smiles happily. "Thank you!" Says Albert, unable to contain his joy from James' compliment and concern. 'He believes in me.' Thinks Albert proudly.
Meanwhile James just realized what he did and began to curse himself for being so casual with the prince. But his panic is cut short after he sees Albert's cheerful expression. "I must go now. And again, I am glad you are doing well." Says Albert with a smile as he gives James' hand a small squeeze before letting go and walking away to his carriage.
James can only melt at his words with a blush making, his heart feeling warm and fuzzy 'I- ... There it is again... This warmth...' Thinks James with mixed feelings. "He... Was worried..." He says weakly, his blush deepening.
"We all were James." Says Viola from behind him making him squeak in surprise. Viola raises an eyebrow at his squeak but choses to ignore it for now. "Why would I disobey my mother's wishes if I had not been worried to death?" Says Viola condescendingly. James smiles at her nervously. "ahaha... Right sorry..." He says making Viola sighs.
"James." Says Viola with a serious voice, catching James' full attention now. "I must tell you something important." She says, walking closer to James while pulling out her fan, she covers her mouth and nose with the fan as she leans in close to James and whispers "My mother and I are not on good terms at the moment, and that is a problem." She says while James's eyes widen but then narrow, already suspecting this might bring complications.
"My mother has taught me everything I know and if she is unwilling to continue teaching me, it will be both of our downfalls. I am trying to win my mother's good graces again but for that I must follow her every request in extreme detail. Do you understand what I am implying?" Asks Viola as she side glances at James, James in turn is filled with unease and dread.
"You and I can't be on good terms..." Says James bitterly. "Not precisely." Says Viola carefully. "You and I must not be in good terms... In public. Although our private lives are not exactly as private as we would like either..." Explains Viola as James lowers his gaze and grits his teeth. "But rest assured." Begins Viola as her eyes soften. "You and will be friends... forever. I do not plan on changing that nor betraying you either. We just need to act the part. At least until I can make a solid plan." Says Viola as James sighs and takes a deep breath. "Alright. I'll do it." He says, looking at Viola with a determined gaze. Viola in turn lowers her fan and gives James a slight genuine smile. Viola's smile soon disappears as if it was never there in the first place, she curtsies and bids James farewell.
James waves at Viola while yet another person sneaks up from behind him, however this person places a hand on James' shoulder comfortingly as James turns to the person behind him, spooked by the sudden contact, but then stares at him questioningly. "I-I'm glad you are alright James... I-I hope nothing bad happened to cause your disappearance..." Says Raymond shyly, looking down a bit at James due to the height difference. 'Haha, Raymond has always been such a cutie gentle giant.' Thinks James while kindly smiling at Raymond in reassurance. "No, it's nothing like that. Sorry for worrying you." Says James, turning towards Raymond with an apologetic look. "N-no it's fine... Just take care of yourself, ok?" Says Raymond as he gives James an awkward eye-smile, a slight blush dusting his cheeks as James nods.
"But seriously! Loosen up! You're such a big guy, but you're always so shy." Says James in a teasing manor with a toothy smirk. Raymond in turn blushes and averts his gaze with an awkward smile. "Next time we'll hang out at your manor. It's super cool over there and the forest is perfect for hide and seek. How 'bout it?" Says James cheerfully, making Raymond smile and nod while James playfully punches his arm. Raymond then bids James farewell and walks to his carriage.
As James turns around to his manor, he comes face to face with Edmund. "Jeez! Can't any of you at least breathe loud enough so I know you're there!" Says James, sighing tiredly at getting a heart attack on every turn. Edmund only stares at James blankly. "You and Lady Viola are close friends, right?" Asks Edmund, James now being taken aback by this question. "Uh, yeah? Why?" Asks James making Edmund sigh.
"Has Viola... did something... happen to her? ... she has been acting, quite... weird and... has she... mentioned anything about m- ... anything... bothering- ..." Says Edmund while he avoids James' gaze and tries to act as nonchalant as possible.
James looks at Edmund with widened eyes, now understanding what Edmund is trying to ask.
James remembers Viola's odd behavior towards Edmund and her dull eyes.
"Are you... worried?" Asks James a bit surprised that the arrogant Lord of salt is actually worried for someone, much less Viola of all people.
"No! I-I mean... I could care less about Viola... Her attitude is just a nuisance! And it annoys me. So tell her to fix it." Says Edmund with a barely noticeable blush while he hurriedly bids James goodbye and quickly walks to his carriage with an angry look on his face.
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"Did he... stutter... just now...?" Asks James to no one in particular as he tries to make sense of Edmund's odd behavior.