"Took you long enough! How much more headache are you going to cost me!?" Lady Cocoa hissed when Choco entered her office. He sat down on the office couch shamelessly, even raising his feet on the handles with his shoes on. "Well, you didn't have to take me back here." He mumbled.
"Did disappearing for months reduced you to this disrespectful delinquent? Choco, when are you ever going to act as a proper young nobleman?" She snapped, "You're part of the Fudge Ducal Family for sweet's sake!" She got up from her seat and yanked him up the couch.
"GET A GRIP, CHOCO!—" Her frustration seething, "—YOU CAN'T KEEP RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS HEIR!"
Choco leaned away, breaking loose from her grip. "THEN WHAT ABOUT YOU!?" He cracked with his eyes squinting.
"And what about me!?" Lady Cocoa threw back, "I raised you Choco... I was there for you ever since you can remember, and all you do is make things hard for me!"
"That's exactly the point!" Choco cried, he got up and stepped back from her.
Lady Cocoa clenched her fist, taking a step towards her brother menacingly. "What do you mean that's the point? Am I the problem, Choco? Am I the problem you keep running away from you ungrateful piece of—"
"No! If you could just LISTEN!" He yelled, "If you could just listen, please... that's all I've been asking for, sister." With his voice breaking, Lady Cocoa's tough front wavered. She sat down on the couch and sighed, "What reason can you possibly have to run away from a great future that awaits for you?... you have it all, Choco. What more do you want?"
Choco sat down beside her and lowered his face, his hands holding his head. "I want nothing of it." He stated, "I never felt like it's mine to begin with..." he glanced at her, giving her a glimpse of the pain he's been feeling deep down.
"Why?" She was completely puzzled, she reaches her hand to his back and her gentle touch made him tear up. "Choco, you're meant to become Duke Fudge. The people of this Kingdom needs you."
"I'm not the person they need, and you know that well yourself!"
"I don't understand, why can't you just do what you're meant to be!?"
"Because I've heard everything, Cocoa! Ever since I was young and I never forgot about it!" Choco pressed, recalling way back when he was a seven year old child. He used to roam around the main Fudge residence, causing a wreck here and there.
"Young master, please settle down!" One of the servants cried as little Choco pushes an expensive vase, shattering it to pieces. "Aw yeah! Tiny daggers!"
"Dear me, that vase costs a fortune!"
"Ohh, maybe I can make a sword out of this." Then little Choco reached for a piece, the servant immediately pulled his hand away in panic. "Young sir! That piece might cut your hand!"
"Grr! Let go of me!!" And he pulls away from the servant, "If you don't want me breakin' stuff, then go get me a real sword! How am I going to be Duke if I can't wield a sword?!"
"It's too dangerous for you young master! You're still too young to handle a sword and it might you."
"Hmph!" Little Choco stubbornly ran away, and the servant couldn't catch up to his speed, "Young master, don't run! You might trip down and fall!"
"Haha, make way for the awesome Duke Choco!" He announced, his high pitched voice echoing throughout the whole place.
Running through the corridors, the young energetic Choco yearned to play and cause more chaos in the household, but he stopped in his tracks as he passed by one of the rooms, it was slightly open and he can clearly hear what was happening inside.
"Huh?... is that sis?" Then as he peeked at the gaping door, he saw Cocoa and his father talking. The little boy contemplated about entering the study, but the serious atmosphere made him eavesdrop.
"Enough Cocoa! It's already been decided, your brother will be the heir to this Dukedom." His father sternly pressed, making Cocoa cry.
"Sis?" Choco felt bad seeing his sister cry, he wanted to enter the room and comfort her but she suddenly yelled the words that carved in his mind for the rest of his life.
"This isn't fair!" She stomped her feet, "You promised that I'll become Duke! Why are you suddenly giving the title to Choco!?"
"Cocoa, don't make me repeat myself! Choco will be Duke whether you like it or not."
"LIAR, LIAR!" She lashed out, punching her father with her small fists, "Your pants... on fire." Then her rage made her broke down into tears. "I wish Choco was never born!"
Choco gasped, hurt by his beloved sister's words. The next thing he saw was his father slapping Cocoa, and he stepped back feeling hurt by what he just heard.
"...I can never forget the day you wished that." Choco said, turning to his sister with tears in his eyes. "All these years, you made me feel like a thief... and I can't bring myself to hate you either. It wasn't your fault." he sighed.
"Oh, C-Choco..." The whole time Cocoa listened, she was trembling, holding back the tears of guilt and regret. She wanted to apologize but something was stuck in her throat, so she grabs Choco instead and hugged him tight.
And in that moment, the two embraced each other after such a long time they've been distant and apart.
Rekindling their relationship for the rest of the afternoon, the siblings recalls the silly little moments they had in the past—mostly Choco's shenanigans. Putting smiles on their faces with nostalgia. "And, and! Do you remember the time when Marquis Lemondrop said his milktea tasted funny?"
"Yeah?"
"That's because I springkled some spicy peppermint in his drink, HAH! I thought I was a chef."
"Oh my..." Cocoa was intrigue yet concerned of the mischievous schemes his brother pulled off which she never know of. "You know this can ruin our relationship with the Marquis, right?"
"Oh don't let it get to you, sis. He never got suspicious, plus I never liked the way that guy scooches up to Father like a leech—oh, and another plus! That guy's son is the worst!" He exaggerated.
"What!? Did that boy do something to you?"
"Nope, not me—it's my good buddy, Marsh! Lemondrop jr. ruined his life, he picked on him the worst way possible until Marsh just bursted in rage." As Choco casually tells Cocoa all about his friend's past, she begin to feel nervous as she kept listening, "Marsh stabbed the guy, but the jerk survived. If I were Marsh, I would've go for the neck. The world could've been a better place with one big jerk gone, am I right?"
"You knew he was a fugitive?!"
"Yep! But he's a really nice guy, I practically owe him my life. Marsh has been there for me ever since we met in the Cotton Candy Woods, and that guy never left my side when I was dying sick!" Cocoa flinched hearing that line, "He dragged me all the way to Peppermint Hills to find a cure for me, then we met this ant—oh right! Sis, we met ant! I can't remember her name though, she was huge and..." Now that Choco began to talk about his experience travelling through the layers of the Kingdom, Cocoa felt a surge of guilt panging inside her although she smiled, feeling uneased, the whole time she listened.
"Speaking of Marsh, I gotta go talk with my buddy for a moment. Let's all have dinner together!" When Choco walked out the office, Cocoa was already having second thoughts telling him the truth when they just made peace with each other.
Then as Choco went to Marsh's room, he didn't even knock and entered without a warning, "Dude! We should go and... Marsh?" But he froze when he found the room empty.
He went out the room and asked the first servant he saw, "Hey! Where did Marsh go!?"
"O-Oh, young master. I don't know where that boy went."
"But I told him to wait for me!" Choco continue to run and search for Marsh within the villa. He grew concern that his friend got lost, but the longer he looked, the more he was sure about his new growing fear. As he checks the last empty room, he kneeled to the ground feeling devastated.
"Marsh escaped without me..." it pained him to know that he's best friend left without letting him know, he suddenly remembered the way Marsh said goodbye that morning. "But why!? Why did he leave without me!?" He gritted.
And appearing behind him, Cocoa confessed. "I'm sorry Choco, but I'm the reason why your friend left."
"Cocoa!!" He calls out her name, "HOW COULD YOU!?"
"It was for the best, Choco..." Cocoa uttered, looking down. "Or that's what I thought."
They may have mended their relationship but Choco made it clear that she crossed a line, "I have to go."
"Choco, don't go!"
"You can't stop me this time." Choco started marching out of the villa, and Cocoa followed him all the way, convincing him to stay.
"Choco! You can't go, don't run away again! Please, you have to stay here!" She begged him, stopping him from getting mounting a Licorstride.
"Sister—" before Choco can say his parting words, another riot has come roaring their way. "CHOCO VON FUDGE JR.!!"
Both the Fudge siblings were shaken by this commanding voice, from afar they see their father riding a Licorstride. "YOU LITTLE SPOILED BRAT, HOW DARE YOU DISAPPEAR FOR SO LONG!"
"Argh! Why did you call for that old fart!?" Choco questioned, but he sees his sister was just as bewildered as he is. "No I didn't!!"
The two had no idea it was the servants doing to have the Duke making all his way to the Lemon Villa. And so, Choco shakes his head and laughed it all off. "I guess I sometimes do miss seeing father's face." Then he looks to his sister with a genuine smile.
"Choco... I can't lose you, not again." Cocoa tugged on his edge of his shirt, pleading for him to stay with them. But he holds her hand and pulled it away, "No can do, sister. We've got our own destinies to fulfill. Now you go tell father that you'll be Duke no matter what!—Hiyah!" And Choco whipped the leash on his Licorstride, heading towards the place where Marsh is most likely headed.
"Just you wait Marsh, I'm coming!"
And as he made it into a fair distance, he can hear his father's loud voice, "FROM THIS DAY ONWARDS, YOU ARE OFFICIALLY DISOWNED BY THE FUDGE FAMILY!" Despite his father's claim, that only put a grin on his face.