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Maria was looking at her sister's sleeping figure while thinking, 'how could I solve this? Is a true love's kiss really the only way? Wouldn't just a kiss from someone who loved her be enough?'
Following the a similar train of thought, Lorena suddenly remembered something, "Wait! Don't you remember that guy who painted that beautiful portrait of Gwen?"
Maria's face lit up, "You're right! We have to try all the options to wake her, and maybe he can help in some way!"
While both sisters weighed the pros and cons, the youngest brother had remained in shock. In his daze, he couldn't help but mention,
"But it must be mutual," both his sisters stopped and looked at him, "I've seen them interact, and even..." he hated how a knot formed in his stomach as he said these words, "even if he still loves her, she certainly doesn't do it back."
A somber atmosphere fell over the four siblings as another hope faded away.
Suddenly, Lorena slammed her fist against the wall, "I hate this, and I hate as much as you do that this is the only way. But this is... agh, it's the only way, and surely anything is better than that horrible monster of Frederick, therefore..."
Jamie's stomach sank.
'... we have to ask Lord Leopold, at least try. Before father finds out, of course.'
But besides the great enigma of whether it would work or not, there was an extra problem.
Leopold was in the plaid castle.
***
Due to the... political tensions, Jamie was sent as the envoy for the mission.
"The less commotion you cause, the better, Jamie," Lorena warned.
"Besides," Maria added calmly, "After organizing that collaboration together, you two are very good friends, right?"
"Ahaha... yeah sure I'll bring him..."
Jamie was aware that he not only had to go and knock on the door, who knows what would happen in that case. Therefore, his great idea was to sneak into the palace. And as Leopold himself had pointed out to him hundreds of times since he had saved him from being locked in the dungeons minutes ago, it hadn't worked.
However, there was no time for reprimands now. He had, in some way, his sister's life in his hands.
And therefore, there was no time for his personal nonsense.
"Leopold, listen," at the serious tone, Leopold quickly stopped his rant and looked at him in silence, "It's Gwen... something terrible has happened to her."
"Your sister Gwendolyn?" his demeanor fell, showing concern behind it. Part of Jamie was relieved, knowing that perhaps they had more of a chance than he thought. The other part... well, it's better not to mention it. "What happened? You know you can tell me," slowly, he took a seat beside him.
Feeling the strong presence beside him, Jamie felt a little more secure, a little more supported to continue speaking.
"She... she's been cursed," the slight horror reflected on Leopold's face, "She ate a poisoned apple, and as it is well known, there is only one thing capable of awaken her..."
Leopold stood up abruptly, taking Jamie's hand ready to drag him.
"So what are we waiting for, Jamie? We have to go get Fred-" but the words died as he saw Jamie's intense expression looking only at him. "...Ah."
***
"I understood that true love is reciprocal," Leopold said, finally breaking the long silence they had been in.
"Uh... yeah well, that's kind of ambiguous," said Jamie, remembering his situation with food. "Anyway, my family is running out of options, so we're willing to exhaust... even the slightest possibility."
Again, a tense silence fell between them. It would have lasted for a longer time, if Leopold hadn't let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Do you... understand why I'm asking you this?" Jamie asked.
"Yes, I'm aware that I made my thoughts on Gwendolyn's beauty very public."
"So that means-"
"However," he interrupted, "I'm not sure if my appreciation of her beauty will be enough to-"
"Wait, are you telling me you don't believe my sister is beautiful on the inside too?"
"NO, NOT AT ALL!" Leopold quickly defended himself, trying to reassure Jamie.
"Then where's the 'I'm not shallow like society' part?" Jamie demanded, getting closer to him, forcing him to step back. Jamie might have all these confusing feelings for the man in front of him, but he won't allow anyone to ever insinuate that his sister isn't absolutely the most gorgeous princess on the land.
"Listen to me first," Leopold said, pushing Jamie back by the shoulders, "What I'm trying to say is- yes -I genuinely believe she's splendid, but I... I don't think I love her in that way."
Jamie lowered his head as he watched another chance for his sister extinguish. However, feeling a slight, warm squeeze on his shoulders, he lifted his face to meet his friend's firm gaze.
"Wipe that expression off, please, you know all is not lost," Leopold assured him, as a compassionate and calming smile appeared on his face, "don't feel like this is the end at all because it's not. This is for your sisters, and we both know you'd never give up on them."
In this moment, to Jamie, Leopold shines as brightly as he did at the gala.
"That's the face of a lover," he recalls what the witch told him.
And maybe, she was right. What else, if not, this intense feeling that his heart will burst out of his chest? That everything will eventually work out if he stays by his side?
For a moment, he forgets the whole situation, the anxiety and the worry, and just gets lost in his gaze. He could stay there forever, but he knows he shouldn't. And he doesn't want to, at least not now.
With renewed conviction, Jamie gives him a big smile as he nods.
"You're right," he says, stepping away from him as he heads to the door, to Leopold's absolute horror, "After all, you were really just my plan B, but my sisters had a lot of confidence in you."
The tension that had left Leopold when he could hold Jamie returned suddenly, because sneaking out from the palace without being seen with Frederick and Jamie would be, certainly, something.