29 Asking the One Person She Fantasized About For Help

As Emma bid the nurse and her unconscious bestie goodbye, she headed straight for the assembly hall, where the assembly would start in the next five minutes.

As she sat down on one of the hall's designated seats, someone sat beside her.

Deep in thought, Emma didn't notice his presence, that is, until he cleared his throat.

"Ahem," James said as he tried to grab her attention.

Emma faced him, her eyes widened as she tried to avert his gaze, trying to prevent him from seeing her scarlet cheeks.

Her whole dream flashed in her mind again, and she could feel her body starting to tremble.

When she opened her mouth to say something, she found her words stuck in her throat.

James, who was confused by Emma's particularly weird behaviour tilted his head in confusion.

"Emma, are you alright?" He asked, his dulcet and masculine voice quiet enough for others not to hear, with the exception of Emma.

"Yeah...I'm fine," Emma managed to squeak out.

She tried thinking of ANYTHING else that would distract her, but that dream of hers kept surfacing her mind.

She took a deep breath, finally remembering what she had originally wanted to approach him and ask him about.

"Hey James, would you mind going to the library after classes with me?" Emma asked pleadingly.

James raised his brow.

"To look for evidence on what might've caused Lily to go unconscious?" He asked in return.

Emma nodded. James had read her mind.

Unfortunately for her, James wasn't willing to accompany her.

He smirked.

"And why should I follow you there?" He asked pridefully.

Emma stared at him.

Was he seriously acting like this? Now?

When Emma didn't respond, James laughed softly, not wanting to interrupt the speech Dean Fleur was giving on enforcing the rules of ZALE to its students, right before addressing Lily's situation to the crowd of bored students.

"Well. I'll agree to go with you," James said, watching as Emma smiled at his response.

But that was before he continued.

"On ONE condition," he stated.

"And what's that?" Emma asked curiously.

What was it he wanted? Did he want a favour? Did he want her to do something for him?

Out of all things she thought he wanted in return, what he said shocked her.

"I want to know more about you, Emma Grey," he said as his voice lowered down to a husky whisper.

That same chill went up to her spine as she barely managed to speak.

"W-what are you talking about, James?" She asked as innocently as possible.

"What do you think I'm talking about?" He asked in return.

Emma furrowed her brows.

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" Emma asked, her voice now high-pitched.

What she had in mind and what she said were two completely different things, but she kept quiet, awaiting James' answer.

James' smirk widened.

"I want to know more about you, Emma. Your likes, dislikes, who your parents are, and many other things," he said as he listed the things he wanted to know about her.

Emma's eyes widened at what her classmate had said.

"Oh," she managed.

So that's what he wanted.

Just as she was about to speak, Dean Fleur's speech caught her attention. She was currently addressing Lily's current situation with the gravitas it deserved.

"As some of you already know, Ms Carmichael was found unconscious in the ZALE library. The ZALE committee is investigating this incident with the utmost care, and ANY student found guilty will be punished accordingly and immediately expelled," Dean Fleur stated to the audience of students, professors, and other ZALE staff.

As Emma's attention was focused on Dean Fleur. James looked at her curiously.

For some odd reason, James found Emma's face familiar, as if he had seen a picture of her before.

Of course, her resemblance to the late Princess Madison was uncanny, since she was the reincarnation of her hundreds of years later.

But James was left in the dark. If not for the many restrictions of any book with any information about the late royal families of Zenovia, he would've recognized her in a split second.

His curiosity turned into awe, as he took a double take of her outfit. He looked at her from head-to-toe, noticing how her green wool dress she wore accentuated her curves, and how her blonde hair flowed down to her shoulders.

His gaze left her instantly once she turned around to face him, but the awkward tension caused by the dream Emma had was still in the air, and James could feel it too.

"Emma. Is there something wrong?" He asked worriedly.

He began to overthink.

'Did she feel awkward because of the kiss yesterday?'

'Did I do something to make her feel uncomfortable?'

'Was I too arrogant?'

'Did she happen to have someone else in mind to sit next to?'

He thought to himself, many ideas swirling about why she was behaving like this. Never in his life had he over thought about something, what more a girl. He hadn't noticed, but bit by bit, she was changing him. For better, or for worse, it'd depend.

"No, no, I'm fine," she replied quickly.

"Well, there seems to be something that's bothering you. What is it?" He asked curiously.

Emma resisted the urge to scream and run away in embarrassment, wondering why she wanted to do it.

Since she knew she couldn't possibly tell him what she had dreamed about, so instead, she found a relevant reason to distract herself from it.

"James," she started.

"There's something I need to tell you," Emma said as she placed both her hands on her lap, and fidgeted with them nervously.

"Yeah, go ahead," he encouraged.

"I don't know how to say this to you, but my mother comes from no royal status. I was born out of wedlock, James."

James' eyes widened at the news. His jaw dropped.

Alas, he wasn't the only person who was just as shocked, as he wasn't the only one who heard the news.

Unbeknownst to the two students, out of all people, Courtney Walton, and Winnie Bernadette, were seated right behind the two of them.