Princess Vivianne & Juniper the Guard

Chapter 18: The Orchid & Dandelion (1)

When Juno came to, it wasn't beneath the low wooden ceiling of the orphanage nor the decorated and sleek interior of Vivianne's former playroom; it was a bright room smelling like herbs, linen, and cleaning products.

It was the room that Vivianne had been treated in for her migraine. For a split second, he thought that the ambush must have been a dream and that he had fallen asleep waiting on Vivianne's bath.

The sharp pain in his head and stomach erased all doubt. The bandages around his torso were tightly tucked under his ribs. Tracing his fingers over his face felt painful; his lip busted and his forehead stitched.

"Ugh..." Nausea overwhelmed him when he heaved himself up with difficulty. Outside the room, voices could be heard of men groaning.

"Nice to see you finally decided to wake up, you punk," Mio said when he swung open the door, carrying tea and oatmeal on a simple tray. Behind him, Peony peeked in, covering her eyes in case he was indecent.

"Can I look?" she asked, almost walking into Mio. When she finally removed her hands from her face, she winced upon seeing Juno's battered body.

"Geez, did you fight a titan?" Juno only grumbled at her question, not in the mood for jokes. A Nurse had arrived and handed him a serum for the headache. After eating, nausea would vanish, she had explained and left.

The window Juno had peered out of the previous night opened, letting in a lukewarm breeze. Peony and Mio sat on the chairs near the bedside, letting silence envelop them.

Juno ate small spoonfuls of oatmeal, not yet trusting his stomach to keep it down. The tea warmed and energized him enough to lift the veil of fog slightly off his mind.

"The Princess..." He looked at Mio with a worried expression, expecting the worst, but he only got a smirk in return. The last thing he remembered was the wind whipping him in the face and the horse's quick galloping.

"You did amazing. She's unharmed," Peony confirmed finally. He sunk back into his pillow, not interested in eating anymore, mainly irritated at Mio for not taking his worry seriously but relieved that all of them had come out of the situation unharmed.

"I'm glad you guys are well," Juno smiled contently, but Mio groaned at his sappiness, waving his sincere remark away. Peony had insisted that he was just being bashful, to which Mio snarled that he wasn't.

After the royals, Dukes, and their advisors had been safely evacuated, Captain Tungsten turned his men toward the forest and captured the remaining enemy troops. Juno smiled and hummed in satisfaction upon hearing the good news, thankful the court decided to host some of the kingdom's best fighters so close by.

Peony told him about the key stamp she had acquired on her mould. She delivered it to the maintenance workers quickly after the conflict had settled. The replica was scheduled for pick up this afternoon when the locksmith finished it.

As Mio and Peony filled him in on their day, Juno suddenly felt drowsy from his warm meal. He yawned, leaning back further as he tried to stay awake.

He was about to let sleep engulf him again when an image of dead and hollow eyes emerged in his mind. Vivianne's pale dress and body were drenched from the vein he had punctured. The moonlight reflected off his soaked blade and the warmth of the blood on his palms and face.

Vivianne's horrified expression was filled with fear and terror and directed at him.

"Juno?" Peony was staring at his pale and unmoving face. She waved her hand before him, but his didn't budge. She looked at Mio with a concerned expression; where had his mind wandered so suddenly?

"Hey, what has gotten into you?" Mio shook his shoulder, but Juno slapped it away. They all recoiled at the unexpected move, staring at each other in shock.

"I'm sorry," Juno mumbled, avoiding Mio's searching eyes. They decided to give him some time to clear his mind, gently closing the door behind them.

They had stepped out to the hallway with injured knights and servants. On one of the many strollers laid the head maid, with a thick bandage covering her head.

"I still can't believe you knocked that old hag out," Mio said, impressed. "You're not the sapling I had envisioned."

"I'm older than you, you brat", Peony had scoffed, but she had a pleased grin on her face. The concubine, whose name Peony had learned was Coco, was in a bed several rows down the hall, still asleep with bandages wrapped around her legs and forehead. She would be sent to the harem again as soon as she was well.

"I better get back to work," Mio had said. The number of scrolls he needed to read had increased in his mind, thanks to the attack. The fact that the ambush had happened when all the dukes were gathered at the royal court was no coincidence. An emergency meeting had been called for tomorrow, and of course, he needed as much information as he could gather.

Peony had also left, her thoughts returning to Juno's eccentric behaviour. She hoped it was just fatigue and nothing serious. 

Amid the chaos, the three attendants of Vivianne had returned after the attack. Peony wondered what type of people they were. They must be kind and dutiful people if they had stuck to Vivianne despite knowing how unfavoured she was.