Hugfia: The One That Got Away

Chapter 9

Present day

The crowd stared curiously at the entrance. A carpet rolled out and a tall, reedy man stepped out onto it. He had the same jet black hair as Hildegard, but the resemblance ended there. While Hildegard had a golden tan, this man had a chalky pallor. His hair was greased to the side and he had a pencil-thin moustache gracing his upper lip. He had an upturned nose, not because of his nose structure, but because his head was turned upward as if he couldn't bear to look at the lowly servants rolling out the carpet before him.

He stepped into the room and his beady black eyes scanned around. His eyes caught onto Sofia and then he started walking toward her. The crowd parted to make way for him, watching his every move. Friedrich was now a meter away from her. 

Sofia dipped into a curtsy. "Prince Friedrich."

"It's a good thing you have a pretty face, or else I wouldn't have accepted a marriage proposal to commoner filth." He had a wheezing, nasally voice.

Sofia felt her heart plummet into her stomach. "Pardon me?"

"Don't play coy, miss. I researched your background before agreeing to this. Daughter of a shoemaker and a sailor," he sneered. "You're lucky your mother married into royalty. Now you're here to cement your place by marrying the crown prince of Freezenburg."

Sofia was so caught off guard she didn't know how to respond. Friedrich looked around at the people around him who were staring at the both of them. "They're expecting us to dance. Let's give them a show, shall we?"

Dancing with Friedrich was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had to fulfill her royal duty. She gingerly placed her hand on his shoulder and he placed his hand on her waist and it took Sofia all her willpower not to squirm. They took off into a mechanical waltz, his back was stiff as a board and Sofia matched his demeanor. 

Prince Friedrich would occasionally step on her foot, and not by accident. "You're an awful dancer... but what was I supposed to expect of a village girl?"

Sofia stayed dead silent. The rest of the dance continued like this, with Prince Friedrich giving unsolicited comments and Sofia not deigning to respond. The waltz ended and Sofia excused herself to the refreshments table. She needed to get as far away from him as possible. His presence was suffocating. 

As she was enjoying a glass of lemonade she saw movement behind the curtain. She stepped forward and pulled back the curtain. There was a man, green eyes wide with terror. He had a frazzled demeanor, although his dark brown hair was nicely coiffed and his suit was freshly pressed. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes, and his cheeks looked hollow. Sofia initially thought the expression of terror was due to him being discovered, but the weariness in his facial expression suggested he had been living in fear for a long time. 

Could it really be...? 

The man darted out from the curtain and dashed deeper into the ballroom.

"Hugo!" Sofia chased after him. He veered onto the balcony to try to get away but he was trapped. Sofia cornered him. What happened? Where have you been all these years? What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you came back? 

But all that came out of her mouth was, "I miss you."