The Reincarnated Royalty

Chapter - 48

A few days passed since that incident and all of them planned out an extreme war strategy. "Do you think this plan is good enough?" Ray asked Claire. "The best we can do is directly confront Lucy and get to know about her intentions." Claire replied to him.

Jake was roaming outside the castle checking the troop formations as per their strategy when he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. He saw Julia standing there with an apple in her hand. "You haven't eaten anything since morning, it's not good for your health." She said and tossed that apple in his hands. Jake grabbed her hand and dragged her away where no one else was present.

"What are you doing?" Julia asked him with confusion in her voice. "Why are you doing this princess? Why are you caring for a mere peasant like me who isn't even a royal or any higher class person?" He asked her with a sad yet angry look on his face. "Jake--" "No! I don't want to hear any excuses! Please don't make me do a crime! Please don't me do something which I am not allowed to!" He said to her with anger. "What crime are you talking about?" Julia asked him.

"The crime to...make me fall in love with you!"

 He yelled making Julia's eyes go wide. "You what?" She was shocked to hear those words. "Yes...I do...I do love you princess Julia because you are the first person to ever notice my loneliness, the first person to give me comfort without even asking for it. That day when you came to me with that tiara, I felt special, for the first time." He said and looked down. 

"I know it's wrong because you and I are both of different social class and you wouldn't want a low class person to spend his life with you." He said in a gloomy voice. "If you think that social class is a boundary between us then you are wrong!" She said making him look at her. "Even if it was a problem, I would have still spent my life with you happily!" She said with tears streaming down her face.

"I love you too...Jake."

 She said making his eyes go wide as well. She came closer to him and held his hand. She leaned in closer to his face and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you because I do not need to have any reason to love you. I love for who you are." She whispered in his ear and hugged him making that apple fall from his hand. His eyes were still wide open and he felt a different feeling rushing all over his body.

"I never told you this but...I am just a royal by class not by my blood. I am also a commoner, a peasant just like you." She said to him making him more shocked. "What do you mean? Jake asked her. "I'll tell you later someday...right now...let's just...enjoy this moment." She said and hugged him even more tightly. Jake also wrapped his hands around her waist and hugged her tightly.

In the evening, Claire and Ray, as per their plan were getting ready to go in the forest to launch a hidden attack on Sophiesia borders. Claire came to Sky who was reading that strategy plan all over again. "Please protect Julia and Theron. I am trusting you once again...don't break it this time please." She said to him making his heart break on her words. "I swear on my life that this time I'll not let you down." He said to her while grabbing her hands. "I hope so." Claire said with tears in her eyes remembering her late sister.

Sky noticed it and hugged her, gently stroking her hair. "It will be fine...we will make it fine." He said to her and placed a kiss on her head. "I'll be going now." She said to him and he nodded at her. She was about to leave the hall when he called her once again. "Please make it back...alive!" He said to her and she gently smiled at him and went from there.

Ray was standing in the balcony with his armor on, his sword in one hand and looking at the ring in his other hand. "I hope you are doing good over there, Melanie...I promise that I won't let your sacrifice go waste...I'll make sure that you died for a cause." He said and closed his eyes while placing a gentle kiss on that ring and turned around to leave when he heard Claire. 

They both got on their horses and rode off deep inside the forest. Jake and James were both following them from behind but they both went to the other way to the borders of Philaria as per their plan. "Ray...let's race once again." Claire said to him and he looked at her with confusion.

"Wanna race?"
"Get ready to lose then, prince Ray."
"We will see to that." 
"Challenge accepted."

"Race? Right now? Are you even serious, Claire?" He asked her. "We don't know if we will make it out alive...so let's just live that moment once again for the last time..." She said to him in a low voice. Ray went quiet for a while.

"Let's see who will win this time...I am sure it will be me!" He said and smiled at her increasing his pace. "I might let you win this time but I am still faster than you!" Claire yelled as he got far and increased her pace as well to catch up to him. They both were laughing like those old days once again. They felt as if they were living that moment once again.

Claire saw that they were about to reach their spot so she slowed down her horse a bit and let Ray win. Ray noticed it too and stopped his horse once he reached their planned spot. "Why did you do that?" He asked her. "I wanted you to feel how winning feels." She said while smiling but tears were clearly visible in her eyes. "Are you crying?" He asked her with worry. "No, I'm not." She wiped away her tears even before they could even fall from her eyes. "I am just feeling overwhelmed as we just laughed once again...like we did back then." She said and looked down.

Ray was about to say something but they heard their troop already fighting so they also took their positions and began attacking the enemy. Ray and Claire went separate ways while slashing down the enemy. 

They both met one again near the river which was in the middle of the forest. Their main goal was to attack the soldiers on Sophiesia borders and get inside the castle to confront Lucy. All of it was going smoothly but as time passed by they realized that they are going to lose.

More than half of Andria'a troop was wiped out and yet Sophiesia's troop suffered only a few causalities. "This plan has failed!" Claire said as she got trapped by many soldiers at once. She swung her sword to fight them but more of them came there making it hard for her too keep her guard up. 

Ray saw that and immediately went to her and killed all those soldiers with a swift blow protecting Claire. "Are you ok?" He asked her and she nodded while panting heavily. They both then saw more soldiers coming towards them. "Claire...this plan hasn't failed...yet." Ray said to her and looked at her directly in the eyes.

"Run...go away from here and reach to Lucy...this is our only chance." He said to her. "But Ray--" "It's not about us anymore. It's about all those people who lost their lives by fighting for us! Think about them not about us!" Ray said to her. A lump formed in her throat and she was not able to utter a single word. "PLEASE GO!" Ray yelled at her and she unwillingly got on her horse and rode off in the other direction with tears streaming down her face.

She looked back one last time and saw that Ray was looking at her too. They both smiled widely at each other knowing very well that it's the last time they are seeing those smiles.