Beauty and Betrayal

Chapter 9 conflicts and conflictins

**Jude**

"Jules, we need to talk." Jude's voice was serious, the weight behind it unmistakable. Juliette glanced up from the book she had been absorbed in, a heavy tome on magical artifacts, her finger still holding her place on the page. Her expression was already guarded, as if she had been anticipating this.

"Yes, J?" she responded with an eye roll, her voice dripping with impatience.

Jude stepped further into the shared inn room, where they had been staying for a few days before moving on again. The air between them felt thick with tension, and something about this moment seemed to carry more significance than their usual disagreements.

"You know I love you," Jude began carefully, her brow furrowing as she searched for the right words. "And I trust you, but..." She hesitated, the unspoken thoughts hanging heavy in the air.

Juliette sighed deeply, a mixture of annoyance and resignation. "But what?" she prompted, setting her book aside as if preparing herself for a battle she didn't want to fight.

"I think you need to keep your distance from Rowan," Jude finally said, her tone soft but firm, as though she was trying not to stir a storm.

That was all it took.

Juliette's eyes flared with sudden anger, and she cut Jude off before she could continue. "No! When did you get to decide who I'm allowed to be around? Why would you even say that? Because I'm finally happy, Jude—happy with someone other than you. I see how you and Cassian look at each other, the way you're always together. Why can't I have that? What's *so* wrong about me wanting something for myself for once?"

Her words hit Jude like a slap, leaving her momentarily stunned into silence. They'd had arguments before—plenty, in fact—but this felt different, deeper somehow. There was something in Juliette's voice, a sharpness, a sense of betrayal that Jude hadn't heard before. It cut straight through her, and for a moment, she felt the pang of regret settle in her chest.

"You just don't see him the way I do," Jude finally said, her voice quiet but steady. "You need to trust me give me a chance a chance—please. We've always had trust between us, so why don't you trust me now?"

Juliette's expression hardened. She stood up, her posture tense, as if she were holding something back. Shutting the book with a deliberate snap, she walked toward the door, her movements graceful yet brimming with frustration.

At the threshold, she paused, glancing back over her shoulder. Her voice was cool, devoid of the warmth Jude had grown so accustomed to. "I thought we had trust, Jude. I guess I was wrong."

With that, Juliette left the room, the door closing with a quiet but decisive thud behind her. Jude stood there for a long moment, staring at the closed door, her mind swirling with everything left unsaid. She knew she had struck a nerve, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this was no ordinary argument—something between them had shifted, perhaps irreparably.

**Cassian**

I could hear Jude and Juliette's voices echoing down the corridor, sharp and clipped, though the exact words were muffled by the distance. Whatever they were discussing, it was heated—too heated to be casual. I considered stepping closer, just to get a better sense of what was happening, but my instinct held me back. When Jude and Juliette were like this, it was best not to interfere. I wasn't a fool, after all.

"Sounds heated," Rowan's voice drawled from his chair, his eyes not leaving the worn pages of the book he was lazily flipping through. He sounded almost amused, as if he found the tension between them a source of quiet entertainment.