The One & Only

Sophia was comfortably laying on her bed, wearing a chic beige silk satin robe, propped up by a substantial amount of pillows. She had a pitcher of water at her bedside, her favourite sunglasses perched on the top of her head, and was currently reading the latest news on the tabloids. 

She sighed. 

"Will nothing aid me through this horrid hangover?" 

"I am never getting drunk again." 

Someone chuckled. 

"Words of a person who drank one too many." 

Sophia glanced at the threshold to find Louis. 

"Why hello sister, how have you been?" he greeted. 

"Lou," Sophia greeted, now using her sunglasses to cover her puffy eyes. She couldn't allow him to see her like this. It was unfortunate that she hadn't remembered that he already had. 

"Puffy eyes from the hangover?" Louis asked, noticing her sunglasses as he closed the door and walked on over to the ottoman at her bed end. 

Sophia winced. 

"Stop shouting," she told her brother. 

Sophia asked curiously, "Hold on, how did you know I was experiencing a hangover?"

Louis made a decent impersonation of her, "Heeeeeeeey, you look like someone I know." 

Sophia winced once more.

"You witnessed me whilst I was drunk, huh," she realized, feeling uneasy. 

Louis nodded, grinning; right before he decided to question her and grill her for details. 

"So, sis," he said with mischievous intentions. 

"I didn't see you in your quarters last night." 

Sophia's heart dropped. 

"Where were you?" He questioned, intrigued. 

Sophia asked in return, "How am I to recollect everything that happened last night? I barely remember as it is." 

She added, "Besides, I have no inkling as to how I made it to the palace without making an embarrassment of myself that made it to the tabloids." 

Her headache worsened as soon as she said that. 

She shut her eyes. 

Louis nearly smiled.

"Well, I requested Nicholas to keep an eye on you whilst I was chatting with a couple other royals, but once I returned, the two of you had disappeared from sight," Louis said, before adding, "And today, I was told the most interesting piece of news I've heard in quite a while."

"Staff scuttlebutt has it that you exited Nicholas' room wearing his clothes from the previous night," Louis said, acting astonished. 

Sophia remained silent. 

'I'll have the head of whoever told you that,' she mumbled inaudibly. 

"And also, your clothes were found ripped apart," Louis added, much to Sophia's dismay. 

Sophia furrowed her brows.

"How'd you find out?" She asked curiously, seething inside. How could he have possibly found out?

Being secretive, Louis told her, "I have my confidential sources." 

Sophia asked dryly, "Your sources as in?"

Louis smirked, "If I told you, it wouldn't be confidential now would it." 

Sophia pouted. So much for finding this mysterious source of his. 

Louis then asked the question, "Sources aside, what exactly did you in his quarters'?" 

Sophia sighed, averting his gaze. 

"I'm aware of what it seems like, brother," she told him dryly. 

Louis nodded, "And?" 

Sophia answered, "We didn't." 

'And frankly, I thought so too,' she mumbled under her breath.

"According to Nicholas' words, we didn't," Sophia admitted truthfully. 

"So you did spend the night in his quarter's?" Louis asked. 

"Would you rather me lie or tell the blatant truth?" Sophia asked rhetorically. 

Louis raised his brow. 

"Fine, I did," Sophia admitted, leaving out the part where she woke up partially dressed.

"And the explanation for your tattered dress?" Louis questioned, hitting a sore spot of Sophia's. 

Sophia shifted uncomfortably. At that moment, the urge to melt into a puddle of any kind of alcohol, although champagne and or whiskey was preferable.

"Care to explain?" Louis asked teasingly.

Sophia remained still and silent. Louis had his own assumptions. No matter what she'd say, Louis wouldn't be convinced by her words.

"Does being drunk suffice?" Sophia asked desperately.

Louis stared at her blankly, as if he expected a far more detailed answer. 

"And you're certain you and him weren't up to anything?" He asked, being terribly straightforward.

Sophia glared at Louis. 

"LOUIS!" She exclaimed, glaring daggers at him. 

"That did not happen!" She cried. 

Louis chuckled.

"You could come clean, I wouldn't be too vexed," Louis assured.

A soft tint of red crept up her cheeks. 

"Louis," she warned. 

Louis shrugged. 

"We're both adults here," he reassured, although it didn't manage to cease Sophia's anxiousness.

Sophia hadn't paid him heed, feeling slightly light-headed. Her body also ached, and she had an extremely tempting urge to retch. 

She asked, "Quick question, Louis, do you know where the aspirin's stored?"

"If not, mind leaving, I'm experiencing a terrible hangover from last night right now and don't take it personally, I'd rather be alone," Sophia said harshly. 

"If it's any consolation, I'd say the same to anyone who walks past that door," she added. 

Louis laughed. 

"It's alright, Soph, I've got to get going anyways," Louis reassured. 

He waved his sister goodbye before heading towards the threshold, the door shutting as he left. He'd come to realize he left at the perfect time. For what, we're to find out.

He passed by a certain someone making their way to his sister's room. 

He headed her way and told her, "You should talk to her." 

The mysterious figure whispered back, "Whatever do you think I'm coming to her room for?" 

Louis nodded, a look of understanding on his charming face. 

It wasn't too long before someone knocked on the door, causing Sophia to tell her or him, thinking it was a maid or butler who'd come. 

"Leave me be, I'm to be left alone."

"Even without your best friend?" Clarisse asked from the other side of the door. 

Sophia shot up. Had she heard right. Or was this hangover affecting her and making her go insane? 

"Clarisse?" She managed to stutter. She had not expected her to visit. 

"The one and only," Clarisse answered, crossing her arms. She was still outside, waiting to be given permission to enter.