40 Mine & Mine Only

Now knowing the information that she intended to use to bring Emma down, Courtney smirked widely as she made her way to her dorm, her plan already solidified in her mind.

If only Emma knew what was in store for her.

"Winnie! Follow me. I'm going to my dorm. I need my favourite drink and a warm soak. Now," she ordered as she strode to her room.

Winnie took one last look at both Emma and James before she obediently followed Courtney, not one fibre of straying away from her orders in her body.

Moving on to Emma and James, James had seemed to have fallen out of his trance and had accepted what had happened, while Emma had one theory that she knew couldn't possibly be possible.

"So…" Emma started as she awkwardly looked at James.

"You look like Princess Madison," he replied.

She nodded.

"I look like Princess Madison," she replied back.

'What if you were her in your past life? Wouldn't it be cool?' A voice in her head asked.

A second voice replied, 'No. That can't be possible.'

The first voice spoke again.

'It could always be…'

Emma pushed the thought to the back of her head. She had to be realistic.

She told herself that she couldn't possibly be someone as important as the late Princess Madison, yet a small part of her still believed it, even though it didn't make sense since she was born as a maid's daughter instead of a high-rank royal.

She looked at James.

"So what was that assignment Professor Alexandria gave us to do?" Emma asked, changing the subject.

James was about to answer when he was rudely interrupted by one of their classmates. A royal from James' kingdom, but of lower rank.

She had long jet-black hair, chocolate brown eyes and dark skin. She wore a black sleeveless dress that covered her knees and a navy coat that covered her shoulders.

"Emma!" She exclaimed, as if she knew her personally, even though the two had never conversed before.

"Uh, do I know you?" Emma asked innocently.

"I'm Penelope. Penelope Cruz," she said, introducing herself, she extended her hand, which Emma shook as she curtly nodded awkwardly.

"Well, I'm Emma. Emma Grey," she said as she smiled warmly at the girl she had just met.

"Wow. So the rumours are true, you do look a lot like Princess Madison," Penelope blurted aloud.

It was until she realized Emma was staring at her blankly that she went straight to the point.

It took Emma most of her willpower to not glare at the girl and ask her, 'Excuse me?'

"Point is, I wanted to ask. Would you like to be my partner for our arithmetic assignment?" Penelope asked sweetly.

It was as if she had completely ignored the much higher ranking royal who stood behind her. It was not because she hadn't noticed him, but they were old childhood friends. He despised her, and she despised him. Simple.

As James thought of what to say, he glared daggers at Penelope.

If looks could kill, Penelope would've been six-feet underground by now.

Emma, noticing the many glares James was giving Penelope, spoke up. When…

"Penelope. She's already my partner. She's mine, so back off," he said coldly.

He didn't mean to say the last part, but it had already been said, and the words that had been spouted out couldn't be taken back any longer.

The calm and collected James had disappeared, and he now exuded an aura that would've scared any commoner or other royal, but this was Penelope he was dealing with.

Emma was startled at his sudden change of tone, though Penelope didn't seem fazed. She acted as if she had been through this before, rolling her eyes as she turned to face him.

"James. Long time no see," she said all too calmly. She raised her brow, asking callously, "And why exactly can't she be my partner for this assignment? So what if you're paired with her?"  .

His tone remained unchanged as he replied, "Because I don't trust my girlfriend with the likes of you."

Emma had to stop herself from dropping her jaw.

What did he just say? Girlfriend?

'How could he possibly say that so calmly?' A voice in her head asked.

'Shut up and celebrate. He called you his girlfriend. He also called you his,' another voice reasoned.

The unfazed Penelope was no longer. Her eyes bulged out as if she had seen her worst fear, and her voice came out in a stammer.

"G-girlfriend?" She nearly shouted.

Was he serious? Hadn't he just met her yesterday? How could they possibly be dating?

All these thoughts clouded in her head, and the funny thing was, Emma was thinking similar thoughts.

James furrowed his brows.

"Did I stutter?" He asked.

Penelope now understood why he was so willing to want to be the girl's partner. It was then she realized he had feelings for her, even when it had been crystal clear. There was no doubt in her mind that he had found someone with as much intelligence as him. She got herself together, as she knew what to say.

"Well. Looks like I'll be having something to tell your parents then," she said coolly.

James' eyes darkened. Emma could tell Penelope had hit a nerve.  He balled his fists.

Emma, watching all of this, didn't do anything. She knew it was best to watch, before intervening if things got out of hand.  She was one to observe the situation and act. She always learnt to strategize before deciding to do something.  Although, she couldn't deny a part of her wanted to see what happened next.

"Go ahead and do so, Penny," he spat back.

Penny, or Penelope, smirked, even though she knew she had been vanquished.

She raised her hands in the air. 

"Fine. You can have her. Too bad I can't be partners with the smart girl. Well, I must take my leave, Jemmy," she said as she strutted away.

Emma was first to speak once she left.

"So...I...uh," she stuttered, not being able to form a sentence.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Let's go somewhere else. I'll explain the assignment later," he said as he left Emma at the hallway, slightly muddled and dumbfounded.