Chapter Twenty four

When Julie finally regained consciousness, it was already morning and there was a sliver of bright sunlight streaming in from the small opening in the curtains. Alex was already inside the room when she came out from the dressing room. However, she simply threw him a glance and refused to look at him after politely thanking him for saving her.

She had donned on a mask of irreproachable serenity and proceeded to inform her husband very formally that she wished to be left alone when the man tried to strike up a conversation with her. Still, he never glared at her neither was he angered by her sudden coldness towards him. But one could see the surly look in his eyes as he stared longingly at his wife.

Even during meals, Julie continued to act indifferent towards Alex. Her gaze never lingered longer than a second and she answered all his questions as curt and as monotonous as possible until Alex stopped talking to her as well. When she told him to leave her alone the third time, her husband never came to their chambers again.

And then, three days went by so fast. That was probably the most torturous days in her life. She had blamed herself and her heart for being so easily and quickly enthralled by him. She had put herself into that nightmarish event and nearly died because of being ridiculously jealous. She believed that it was all her fault for being so stupid. And she even thought that that was probably a warning sign for her that falling for him would only bring about her disaster. She had known that all along. True, legally he was her husband, but at the same time, he was also her enemy. When that day comes and her father would rescue her and attack the Aliens kingdom with his dragons, she and her husband would be forced to go against each other.

She could not imagine what would happen if that day came, and she was already deeply and madly in love with him. Falling for him would earn her nothing but a shattered heart and hell and damnation in the end. Because there would be no way she can ever betray or turn her back on her family and the entire human race for him. So, all she could do now was to shut herself inside her own walls and harden her heart, if that was what it takes – even if it ends up killing her.

"Have a goodnight, milady." Fray and Gina curtsied, and she nodded listlessly at them. She had turned her gaze towards the window and sighed so deeply when they were gone.

Clad in a pure white sleeping gown, Julie rose and was about to walk towards the window to get a better view of the moon when she felt rather than heard the door open. She thought her maids had forgotten something but when she turned around to look, a pair of silvery moon-lit eyes met hers.

She stood frozen, as if just by the sight of him would paralyze her. He was clad in all-black garments and his hair was tussled very attractively. She couldn't help but remember the sight of him when he was standing in the middle of the pile of dead beasts back when they crossed the Green Forest. The only difference this time was that his garments weren't splattered all over with those black and green unidentified liquids and his eyes weren't black. The worse thing for her was that the roughening of his looks made him look even more breathtakingly stunning in her eyes. There was a niggling curiosity at the back of her mind, wondering where he had been for the last three days that she did not see him.

Julie had to clench her fists and inconspicuously press her fingernails into her palms to distract herself from dwelling on useless thoughts when she began to think that he must have had spent his days with his fiancée and was busy with whatever arrangement they had agreed on with the general.

"I'm back," he said. His voice tender and soft compared to his dishevelled, roguish look.

He took a step closer to her, but Julie remained rooted to her spot, unmoving and just following him with her eyes. Taking off his coat, his eyes briefly surveyed her. "Are you alright now, wife?" he asked gently, a glimmer of genuine concern flashed in his eyes.

She clenched her fists even tighter. Why? Why was he so nice to her? How could she even…

Gritting her teeth, Julie frantically thought about what she should do. She could not hold her ground if this continued. His kindness and her traitorous heart would erode her will in standing firm in her decisions of not having feelings for him.

"Yes…Yes, I'm fine. But I still wished to be left alone."

A deafening silence followed as Julie begged him silently in her heart that he would quietly leave the room again. But this time, he didn't. A long and deep sigh escaped his lips.

"Forgive me but I'm not going to listen to you this time, wife. I never believed it was a good idea to leave you alone. Let's talk, Julie." His voice softened as he bent closer to her while she took a step back. However, her reaction no longer stopped Alex in his tracks like before. He stepped forward, maintaining their close distance as he kept speaking in a hoarse but gentle tone. "Tell me what's wrong. Did I do something wrong? Tell me, Julie."

Julie swallowed hard. She could feel the hot sting of tears just behind her eyes, threatening to spill over at the first sign of more care and concern on his part. His scent and the warmth of his breath went through her like the most delicious of wines and it took all she had just to step back and retreat. Warning bells began to ring in her ears, and those walls that she had built around her heart so painstakingly with blood, sweat and tears were already threatening to crumble. She knew it would only take a little more push and her defences would come crumbling down like a deck of cards downed by a puff of air. The fear, the calculations, the promises, the thoughts, and determination were all starting to tremble like dandelion seeds about to be scattered with the wind, threatening to leave nothing but the full brunt that this man had on her senses.

The panic of giving in to him forced Julie to burst. "There is nothing wrong Alex! Just ignore me and go to your fiancée and spend as many days there with her as you wish!"

Alex stilled, obviously shocked with her words. "You think…" he paused. "You think I was with Thea the last three days?"

"Yes! Weren't you? Don't tell me you're that shameful to deny it after being able to do it? Don't even try because I already know she's the one you really want to be your wife!" she sneered as her words tumbled out of her mouth, pouring out the hurt that was kept in her heart for days. She knew she had overstepped her boundaries, but she could not hold anything back once her dam burst.

"What made you even think –" Alex was shocked at the pain that was reflected in Julie's eyes and the obvious distress he heard in her voice that he could not continue his train of thought.

"While I was in the forest all alone – homesick and hurt – what were you doing? You were merrily sitting there with her and the general, talking and planning out your lovely marriage! But it's okay. I don't care! You can go back to her right now and marry her immediately. Since she's the woman you love and need after all! So just leave me alone. I'm sure three days is not enough for you."

The outburst of her fury lingered in the air, like a palpable thing, waiting to be addressed. She had just thought about provoking him so that he'd leave her alone again. That, and also to stop him from moving closer to save her walls from crumbling down. She didn't expect herself to end up revealing all the pain and distress welled up in her heart and uttering it all with real resentment. It had all come out before it even registered in her mind. Julie herself, was surprised at the depths of her own feelings and grudges that she did not expect the things she had said to resonate so profoundly within her.

A heavy silence reigned between them. Julie was silenced at the sight of his eyes and his offended expression. His eyes suddenly looked like they were frozen, and this was the very first time he had let his eyes turned that chilly while looking at her.