Torn Between Twin Brothers

From the tone of their voices, Ava knew who they were. Prince Edmund, Ashton, and James. 

She was dumbfounded, unable to utter a word. If they could only see her face under the mask, the boys would laugh at her because her jaw dropped when all three of them approached her at the same time.

She had thought that neither James nor Ashton would ask her for dance since they ignored her these past couple of days. However, Prince Edmund might if he knew that it was her for sure, which she thinks he does from the way he had asked her without hesitation.

She was now bewildered as to who she should choose. She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it seemed like she was going to have to. The dance contest was about to begin, and she needed to give them a chance to find another partner, or it would be too late.

When she hadn't moved nor said anything, the boys were about to ask once again. However, Ava beat them to it. She decided to approach the matter the best way she could at a young age.

"Guys, I'm so sorry! To be honest, I'm not feeling well at the moment. I don't think I can do a dance contest right now. Maybe a little later on, come back and check on me again. Who knows. So, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the ladies' room." Ava said. It was only an excuse but was as good as any. 

She hastened to leave to look for the restroom so that her fake excuse would not look conspicuous.

Ashton and James looked at each other with understanding before turning around to go back to the corner to watch the contest.

Prince Edmund was disappointed but relieved at the same time. Ava didn't pick either of the twins, which meant she had a soft spot for him. He could tell right away that it was James and Ashton due to their similar features in almost everything.

He, too, turned and walked towards Princess Rose and Arria, who were busy with their live streaming of the dance contest. He would bid his time and wait until Ava was feeling well rested enough, then before the night was over, he would make sure he gets to dance with her before their faces are revealed.

===

Although the ballroom A/C was in full blast, with so many hundreds of children roaming around, the whole place started to feel like an inferno. When Ava came back from the restroom, she felt suffocated and needed a breath of fresh air. So she retreated slowly to go out to the garden. 

The night was beautiful, a half-moon was shining in the sky. With the gentle breeze brushing her skin, Ava let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Ahhh, this feels good..." She murmured, feeling relaxed as she strolled around the garden without a care in the world.

Unknown to her that someone was following her around, inconspicuous as not to attract her attention and scare her off. He wanted to approach her but was afraid that she would bolt and run back inside. So, he was content just to trail her as she strolled around the garden.

While Ava was walking and daydreaming about what her future would someday be like, she suddenly felt a chill when the wind was nice and cool; she felt as if someone was watching her. So she stopped momentarily and turned her head around to check her surroundings.

There was no one around but her, but she could feel it. She just couldn't put her finger on why she felt that way when no one was around the area. She thought that maybe she just imagined it, so she shrugged it off.

She decided that it would be better for her to head back to the ballroom in case someone was in the garden prowling in the dark and had a motive. But, as she was walking as fast as she could, she tripped on the hem of her ballgown and was about to fall when...

"You should be careful! What are you doing out here all alone anyway?!" A sweet soft voice said from behind her while enveloping her waist and holding her arms.

Ava jerked her body out from his hold, and he gently released her. Once they were standing face to face, she was trying to figure out who he was. Was he James, or was he, Ashton? She hated that she couldn't see his face; it was the only way she would be able to distinguish the twins, now it was hard because they even had the same tone of voice.

Since she couldn't tell whether it was James or Ashton, she decided to just ask directly.

"Who are you? And why are you here lurking in the shadows? Why didn't you just approach me instead of pretending to be a hero-saving damsel in distress as I was about to fall on my face." She said irritably. "I'm sure you know who I am, so I don't need to introduce myself." She added.

"Hahaha! It surprised me that you couldn't tell it was me, Ashton! I guess it's hard to tell between James and I because we have the same tone of voice, and you can't see our faces. This is unbelievable. I should keep this in mind for the future, in case I need him to pose as me or vice versa." He proudly bantered while staring intensely into her eyes.

So, it was Ashton and not James that was in front of her. A little disappointed, but not really at the same time. She also felt comfortable with Ashton's outgoing personality and James's cold one for some odd reason. It would be nice if he were also studying at the Royal Academy; she's sure they could become good friends.

Ashton saw how she was gazing at him and decided to invite her to find a place to sit down so they could talk.

"If you're not in a hurry, can I talk to you for a moment? Please?" He pleaded with his two palms together like he was praying.

Ava was unsure if she should stay and chat with him or not. What if....