Well this chapter is kinda longer... its my way of making up for maybe disappearing for two weeks.
LOL but anyways... here is Chapter 9~! I have to thank Shiori-chan again for re-reading this for me and helping me find a song...
Oh yea! theres going to be a part where you should listen to the song... its optionaly but i kind of recommend it... it helps in kind of showing the scene...
lol but enjoy~!
In Love With Royalty Chapter 9
Rena just stared at the young prince as her face steadily became red. Rena was shocked that Jurina would say something like that so quick… but she knew that she liked the young girl too.
"Um… W-well I—"
"Oh! Uh… uh… I meant like… you know… stay here… in the castle… with me… like… you know… yea…"
Rena stared as the girl stumbled over her words and became even redder, if that was possible. Rena couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment at the not-a-confession confession. But she played it off and smiled.
"I understand… and I will stay by Jurina-chan's side… because she asked me to."
Jurina stared at Rena in surprise before smiling and nodding. They both finished eating before going back to the study where they spent the rest of their afternoon. Rena sat in there, helping Jurina read over some of the papers while Jurina signed and made decisions. Night time rolled around and a soft knock was heard. They both looked up and finally noticed it was dark and only a few rays of sun was left.
"Ah… come in please."
"Excuse me…"
Anna peeked her head in and gave them a tired smile. She then slowly walked all the way in and shut the door behind her before leaning against it.
"It's time for dinner…"
"Ah… well if that's the case… let's go. Rena-chan?"
"Mmm!"
Jurina stood up and held out her arm for Rena and Rena took it happily. They walked out of the study and after they closed the door, Jurina offered her other arm to Anna.
"I know I'm not Kumi… but I'll take her place for now."
Anna gave Jurina a grateful smile and took her arm. All three of them walked down to the dining area where everyone was already seated. Shi-chan and Mari both snickered when she saw Jurina with the two girls on her arms and Yuki and Mayu just smiled. Mayu's tummy had become noticeably bigger and Yuki was constantly alternating between rubbing it or looking at Mayu with such adoration and love, it was hard not to feel it. Yuko and Haruna sat at the farthest end of the table next to Yuki and, as usual, Yuko was trying to do something perverted. Mari sudden went from snickering to laughing and Shi-chan only shook her head.
"Being popular with the ladies eh Jurina-chan?"
"Shut up Mari. You're crazy."
"Crazy in bed, I know."
"No you're not!"
"Ask Shi-chan! Right Shi-channnnn?"
"I don't know what you're saying you dork. Leave me be… trying to enjoy dinner PEACEFULLY."
Everyone laughed and they all took their seats. Jurina at the head with Rena to her right, next to Shi-chan and Anna to her left, next to Mayu. Once they were all settled, the food was brought out.
"Ne… Shiori-chan has yet to come back?"
"I heard she was close by… she should be back so—"
Suddenly the doors were pushed open and Shiori strutted in, her silver, white and blue armor glinting slightly in the candle light. Her neck-length black hair was barely ruffled and her skin showed no signs of a fight. But all the fighters there knew the sign of a fight when it came to her. It's the condition of her sword that showed. She flashed them all a smile before stepping aside and allowing two of her bigger guards drag in two unconscious bandits, including a large leader-like one…
"Sorry to interrupt you girls' dinner but… I caught some bandits. What would you like me to do with them your highness?"
"Very good work! Put them in the dungeons first. We'll deal with them later. For now, come join us… the food's getting cold."
Shiori laughed lightly and took her seat besides Haruna at the other end of the table but not before dismissing the guards. As they sat and ate, everyone remained silent until Shiori looked up at Anna.
"How is Kumi? I do hope she is getting better."
Anna looked up for a second before looking back down and shaking her head. Shiori's face dropped as she placed her fork down. She looked at Yuko who also shook her head. She rested her chin on her hand before sighing and looking up.
"Don't worry Anna-chan. Knowing Kumi, she'd be up and about in no time… so don't worry your pretty little self. Alright?"
She flashed Anna one of her charming smiles before going back to eating. She was notorious for her smiles which seemed to be able to charm anyone into liking her. But this time, it seemed strained, as if she had to force it. After that moment, everyone ate a silent dinner, hardly making a sound. Once done, Jurina stood up and looked at everyone.
"Does everyone have some time? I need to have a meeting… as soon as possible."
Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. They all stared at the young prince who just stared back blankly for a few seconds. Awkward silence takes over. Getting enough of this, Shi-chan stands up and sticks her hand into the pockets of her pants. She looks at everyone, the bored expression never leaving her face.
"So… are we going to have this meeting? If not, I want to go back and finish reading."
Everyone was struck out of their stupor and agreed. They all stood up and proceeded to the meeting room. Jurina took Rena's hand and led her there while Shiori held out her arm for Anna. As they all entered the room, everyone sat down and looked expectantly at Jurina. She stood in front of a huge map that had x marks on some of the places.
"These x marks are the villages which has been utterly destroyed. The yellow ones are the ones that have been taken over. And the blue ones are still fine. But they won't stay that way if we don't do anything. We NEED to do something to prevent losing these small villages."
Everyone looked around, thinking of ways to maybe protect and keep those villages from the bandits. Everyone looked unsure until Mari spoke up.
"What about just sending a few guards out? Won't that make it easier?"
"It would but the bandits attack in larger forces. A few soldiers won't help much. It would only get more people killed. And plus, we need them here in case a full out war breaks out."
"Well… we can move all the people closer to here… there's enough land around the larger cities for them to live and it's close enough for soldiers to reach them quickly…"
Everyone looked to the person who spoke. The stares made Anna shrink back in her seat and turn a light shade of pink. Jurina smiled at her and nodded.
"That sounds sane… I hope they don't mind moving… I'll send out the notices first thing tomorrow."
"Well… just tell them that they can move back… tell them to bring all their precious items and make sure that your guards can provide wagons to help them with their belongings."
"Anna-chan… you should become my advisor…"
Everyone smiled and agreed to the plan. As Jurina dismissed the meeting, everyone went back to whatever they wanted to do. Anna went back to Kumi's side while Mari ran out to probably harass the cooks for more food. Shi-chan most likely went back to the library while Shiori went back to her room for a well deserved rest. Mayu and Yuki went back to their room so they can do who knows what while Yuko and Haruna went off to finish their duties. All that's left was Rena and Jurina. Rena walked up and placed a hand on Jurina's shoulder as Jurina stared at the map and all the lost villages.
"It's not your fault…"
"I know… but I still think it is… because I am the leader… I should be protecting these people… not letting them be slaughtered like swine!"
"But you are only one person… and one person can only do so much…"
Jurina sighed and turned to Rena. A grateful smile graced her lips but her eyes held sadness. Rena gave her a sad smile and hugged the young prince who hugged her back tightly.
"Please… don't leave me Rena-chan… I need you…
I love you…"
"I won't leave you Jurina-chan… I won't…
I love you too much to do that…"
They parted and Jurina smiled at her before taking Rena's hand and leading them back to where their room was. Jurina looked down and shuffled her feet while Rena squealed inwardly about how cute it looked. Jurina looked up with a pink tinge to her cheek before looking to the side and scratching the back of her head.
"Well… I… uh…. Guess this is good night…?"
She seemed reluctant to go to sleep… or more like to let a certain someone to leave her side. Rena only smiled at her before taking her hand in her.
"Well… if you want, we can take a stroll in the garden!"
Jurina quickly looked up happily and nodded. They began to walk to the doors leading out before Jurina stopped and looked at Rena.
"Are you sure you're not too tired?"
"I'm sure… don't worry about it Jurina-chan!"
(Background song: )Jurina smiled and took Rena's hand and led her outside. The crescent moon provided just enough light for them to see the path. They strolled through the garden, hand in hand. They didn't say a single word to each other but only enjoyed each other's presence. As they reached the place where they had their first dance, they stared at the area, remembering that day where everyone was laughing and smiling. Where Kumi was being her silly self and Mayu and Yuki were still so happy and excited. Now that the inevitable war seemed to be drawing nearer and because of Kumi's condition, everyone's mood seemed to be dampened slightly. Even the expecting couple's mood seemed to have gone down a bit. Jurina looked up at the moon and sighed. She knew there would be a war… and it would be soon. And she knew she loved Rena… deep down, she knew it. She also knew that if she didn't say anything now, she could end up like Anna and Kumi… where it would be too late… too late to tell the one she loved what she felt. So she decided, then and there, she would tell her princess how she felt. Whether she would be rejected or accepted, she didn't care. She knew that she loved the girl and she knew that it was now, or never. She took Rena's hand lightly and led her out to the clearing. She turned to Rena and bowed down while holding out her hand. An invitation to dance. Rena smiled and took the hand, feeling confident. She had taken lessons on dancing… among other things too. They began a slow waltz, the water and rustling of the trees being their music. They danced and danced, the dance getting more complicated but to them, it seemed to flow naturally. Twisting and turning, their bodies would flush together then part in a millisecond. They would be so close they would almost kiss but so far, it was like trying to reach for the stars. Their movements flowed and melded together perfectly, as if they were made to dance like this. Their steps were but quiet steps, too silent for the ear to hear above the sound of trickling water but their movements were grand, fit for a ballroom. After a while, they stopped, tired but their heart beats raced on, beating in time with each others. They placed their foreheads together and smiled.
"That… was fun… wasn't it Rena-chan?"
"Yes… that was really fun… I want… to do this more often."
"Anytime…"
They smiled at each other and closed their eyes, listening for the sound of nature at work around them… and for the sound of their own heartbeats. Jurina opened her eyes first and looked at Rena. She squeezed Rena's hand lightly before leading Rena to the small lake/pond. She gave Rena a soft smile before walking slowly walking down into the water and submerging herself waist deep. She held out her hand and smiled once again, silently asking for Rena to join her. Rena looked at her uncertainly before following. As they stood there, they both looked up at the stares, watching them glitter. Jurina looked back at Rena studied her face. Rena did the same and she saw Jurina's eyes soften. She saw Jurina slowly lean closer and she closed her eyes. When she felt something soft touch her lips and she automatically responded. Their first kiss was soft and sweet, a silent confession. When they parted, they stared at each other before leaning in for another one. Rena wrapper her arms around Jurina's neck and Jurina held Rena's waist tightly. Their lips stayed together until neither of them could hold their breath any longer and they parted.
"Rena-chan… I take back what I said earlier… I do like you…. No… I love you… I love you Matsui Rena… I truly do… will you stay with me?"
"Silly… why didn't you say so earlier… I was so disappointed when you said it wasn't like that… but yes… I'll stay with you… I love you too Jurina-chan… my young prince… my savior."
Shiori's Armor