Love Amidst Wars

ten

Juliette stared at Jake's unconscious face, thinking about the moment he called her name before falling into a deep slumber over and over again. She sighed and glanced at his wound, the blood coming through the bandage around his waist.

"What happened that caused you to be shot?" She asked and expected no answer. He breathed calmly and did not move an inch. She stood up and headed out of the tent.

"Juliette!" A male voice called her. She turned and saw Jay hurrying towards her. He suddenly hugged her, earning gasps from the other soldiers.

"Your Highness!" Her eyes widened in surprise. He pulled away before holding both of her shoulders, "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did the enemies hurt you in some way?"

"I'm fine. But the Duke got shot in the waist so I think you should go see him," she said before standing to the side to let him enter the tent. He gave her a firm nod before entering to see his friend.

She looked around and saw the other soldiers whispering to each other, wondering why the crown prince pulled her into his embrace out of the blue.

She stood outside, waiting for the prince to finish checking out Jake's condition. A young Private approached her before giving her a clean shirt.

She smiled softly, "It's alright. I'm heading straight home after this. You can keep the shirt."

"Oh," he chuckled nervously, "It's just that, your white dress is full of Major Shim's blood. I thought you might want to change."

"It's alright. Thank you, sir."

He bowed out of respect before leaving her. She took a deep breath of the night breeze before hearing a woman's voice yelling in panic. She squinted to see who it was and saw Clarissa running towards her.

"Is Jake in there?" She asked, breathing heavily. Juliette nodded and got pushed away. She held her shoulder in pain as she watched the noble lady barging into the tent.

After a while, Jay finally got out and flashed her a soft smile. He put out a hand, expecting her to take it. She arched an eyebrow, "What?"

"Shall we take a walk?"

"What about the–"

"Clarissa's in there to take care of him. I'm sure we can stroll for a few minutes."

She gave in and took his hand, walking around the site. He glanced at her before saying, "I have something to ask of you."

"What is it, Your Highness?"

He stood in front of her and his eyes intensely gazed into hers. She chuckled nervously, "What is it, Your Highness?" She asked again as she fiddled with her fingers behind her.

"Allow me to court you."

It felt as if everything had stopped working. The world was suddenly silent, only filled with their breathing.

She took a few steps back before asking, "Why? Why me?"

He stepped closer to her, "Because you caught my attention from the first moment I saw you."

"I am unworthy of being someone you court, Your Highness."

"I don't care. It's your pure heart that earned my attention and how you care for others even with animals and how you don't mind the person's behaviour towards you and still help them, whether they are nice or horrible to you. That is what makes me admire you and adore you."

"I don't know how to answer, Your Highness. I don't know how to feel. I don't feel anything for you. And I'm afraid if I agree to it, it will just hurt the both of us."

"I don't care," he smiled tenderly at her, "Allow me to court you, to win your heart. And you can take your time as long as you want even if it takes twenty years. I will still stand here and ask for your affection."

"I am unfit to become your consort, Your Highness."

"It doesn't matter. You are perfect just the way you are, Juliette. And that is why my heart is yours."

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Clarissa held her fiancé's hand, nervously caressing it as she prayed to God for him to wake up. She frowned, "You said you were good at your job. Why do you let yourself get shot?"

She smacked his arm gently before resting her head on his bed. She felt Jake's hand tightening around hers and flinched in surprise.

"Jake? Are you awake?" She asked in a worried tone. The man opened his eyes slowly as he felt his eyelids still heavy. She stood up and leaned towards him to see if he was alright.

He took her off guard when he grabbed her by her neck and pulled her into a sudden kiss. They both pulled away as the awkward tension filled the atmosphere.

"Jake..." she called and looked at him with shocked eyes.

"Juliette..." he cooed before falling back into his deep slumber.

Her heart dropped as she released his hand. Clarissa's face turned into a frown as she felt humiliated when her fiancé called for that useless girl's name.

She sighed before leaving the tent.