Chapter 3: Dinner with The Duke
Hey guys, here is chapter 3! Before I start, I really want to thank you guys for the reviews. Although it only takes a moment of your time, it really makes my day to know people are reading this, and my efforts to write aren't going in vain. Thanks again!
Juvia walked quietly along side Gray. Their feet shuffled quietly against the dirt road as silence filled the air. The blue haired maiden glanced at Gray- he seemed to be filled with thoughts of his own, not even a slither of shock across his face, unlike Juvia.
"W-what?" Juvia gave Gray a confused look as she took a step back from the handsome soldier.
Gray gave Juvia an annoyed look. 'How many times do I need to repeat myself with this stupid woman?' he thought.
"Duke Jose. Where does he live?" he grunted, obviously tired of repeating himself.
"Juvia knows where he lives. W-why would you want to seek Duke Jose? Has something happened?" Juvia asked, with a concerned look on her face. Although Juvia did not like her abusive father, she still felt some attachment to him, because he was the only one who didn't abandon her.
"I am to discuss an important matter with the Duke. King Heartfilia sent me to talk to him," Gray explained. He stroked his hand in his hair, knowing that the conversation would end here. The King gave him specific instructions to keep this mission quiet.
"Oh, i-is that right?" she asked. Juvia saw Gray's jaw tighten, and seemed to understand that this matter was private. But it's not like she wouldn't find out anyways, because Gray was apparently the guest that she was suppose to serve tonight! "Juvia knows the way. This is because Juvia is the daughter of Duke Jose."
Gray raised an eyebrow at her.
"What?"
"Juvia is the daughter of the Duke. She will show you the way," Juvia said, slightly tugging on the sleeve of Gray's outfit. Although she was shocked, her senses flowed back to her. Father did not like for anyone to be late. Ever. And if he found out it was Juvia's fault that his guest was late, he would surely make her remember to be punctual.
He looked at her as she pulled on his sleeve. She looked like an adorable lost puppy.
' Wait, what?' Gray Fullbuster mentally slapped himself. Why was he thinking like that? Yeah, she's cute, but it's not like he gave a crap about that. He looked away from Juvia with the slightest tint of pink on his face. He had to keep his focus on the mission.
Juvia and Gray walked the rest of the way silently home. At times, the girl would steal quick glances at the handsome soldier, and immediately look away, blushing enough that others would think she was a tomato. Gray, on the other hand, returned to his stoic face, thinking about his duty and what needed to be done by the end of tonight.
Juvia was about to open the door, but Duke Jose beat her to it.
"Ah! Welcome Gray-san!" The duke's voice was overfriendly as he opened the door to welcome him. "Please, please. Make yourself at home."
He glared at Juvia as Gray stepped into the house. She was tardy- but only by a bit. If the night goes well, he might forget about it and Juvia would be spared without a bruise.
Gray eyed around the house. It was huge- with a dramatic wooden staircase swirling down in front of him. The velvet carpet beneath his feet tickled his skin as he stepped inside. The walls were painted a gleaming white, decorated by portraits of none other than the Duke himself. Gray rolled his eyes- he never understood why rich people needed to establish themselves with grandiose painting of them. He looked around a bit more- some beautiful crystal chandeliers hung above the kitchen table, and expensive trinkets for decorations lay around. He saw no portraits of Juvia- in fact, if Juvia had not said so earlier, Gray would have thought the Duke lived here by himself.
"Juvia, where is dinner?" Duke Jose growled.
Gray looked at her. Was it just him, or did he feel a great deal of animosity coming from the Duke?
"H-here it is," Juvia whimpered, as she held out the two bowls of ramen, still neatly tucked and warm in the to-go box.
The soldier watched as Juvia shrunk a bit. 'Why is she so scared of him?' he thought.
"Good," Duke Jose barked. His eyes were hungrily scanning the meal, almost in an animalistic-like manner. "Now go clean the kitchen and scrub the floors. Gray-san and I have some talking to do."
"Yes, certainly," Juvia replied, still shaking in her voice. She hastily rushed to the kitchen, which was the room right next to where Gray and Duke Jose would dine.
Gray glanced at Juvia as she ran to do her chores. For some reason, he felt his hands tighten into a ball of fists. He didn't like the way Duke Jose treated her. But for the sake of his mission, Gray ignored his sudden rise of anger and tried to calm himself down.
Gray looked into the man's eyes. This time, he was able to get a real look of Duke Jose. He had green eyes, unlike Juvia's dark blue ones. His reddish black hair was tied into a short pony tail, but those features were masked by his sharp eyebrows and his cold stare. He had a long mustache and a broad chin, making him seem to be an unwelcoming fellow. Gray concluded that Juvia must have gotten her looks from her mother.
"So, Duke Jose, shall we get started with business?" Gray spoke, interrupting the tension between the family members.
"Ah, certainly my boy! But first, let us sit down and eat. Juvia's a good cook, but because of her stupidity she must have forgotten about the dinner and bought some food on the way here. I hope this is fitted for you. I'm surprised she even had the money to buy two meals. Most of the money we make goes to me- I am the Duke, you know. Power comes with a price!" the Duke huffed arrogantly, fists pounding on the table as he laughed a bit too loudly.
"Food is food," Gray growled, a bit too harshly. As an orphan, when his family and Ur, the sensei who taught him ice magic, died, starvation was a reoccurring enemy for Gray. Plus, he didn't like the fact that he talked loudly enough for Juvia to hear in the other room. The walls were thin.
Duke Jose looked a bit taken aback from Gray's response. Gray noticed and quickly reoriented himself.
"I mean- yes, this ramen will be fine." Gray forced a small smile out of himself. Except that 'smile' wasn't really a smile- it looked like a face of that who wanted to strangle someone.
'Opps.' Gray thought. He really needed to work on showing better facial expressions. His face was usually stoic, since the tragedy of Ur. But in order to convince the Duke, he needed to put on a show. He tried to smile again, thinking about gentler thoughts.
"Boy, you smelling something funny?" the Duke asked. He was confused at why Gray's face mangled into what he thought was the strangest facial expression he had ever seen.
'Dammit!' This wasn't working out for Gray. He decided to cut right to the chase.
"No, I'm fine," the black haired boy said, with his normal, apathetic face returning to him. "Let's start discussion. I was delivered by the king to watch over you, as a bodyguard."
"Ha!" The Duke snorted to himself. "Yes! I knew it. The King finally realizes how important I am. Yes, yes. If I were to die, devastation would be brought upon this capital. I was once a nobody- just like you!" the Duke cried.
Gray wanted to punch him in the face until his mother wouldn't recognize him. But he refrained, trying to think of anything to keep him calm-puppies, flowers, and snow cones. He let the man continue.
"But I was a smart boy, I was. I got into the business of trade. And before you knew it, I was bringing profit to all of Crocus with my deals and smooth talk! I practically funded this nation!" Duke Jose yelled with joy. "I sometimes can't even believe it myself. I really am such a worthy person." He had tears in his eyes.
'Give me a break,' Gray thought. But he just nodded and agreed.
"You certainly are, Duke Jose," Gray managed to say, between gritting his teeth and trying not to dump his ramen over Duke Jose for his excessive pride.
"I like that. 'Duke Jose.' I was appointed that title due to my honorable actions in financing this capital. That idiot of a King should have handed me that title years ago! But I will forgive his blindness, since he is sending me a bodyguard," the Duke spat, in between his bites of noodles and swallowing.
Gray looked at the Duke eat in a most repugnant matter- hell, Gray knew what he looked like when he ate at the brink of starvation- but it wasn't even close to how the man in front of him was eating. The Duke seemed to have forgotten his manners, slurping, snorting, and making a mess everywhere. Gray looked at his own meal. He would have stopped eating a while ago due to the gruesome image appearing in front of him, but he remembered how the Duke's daughter bought it with her own money. He decided to finish it.
"Well," Gray started, now that both were done with the meal. "Are you willing to accept the offer of a body guard? I will maintain your safety at all times. Anyone who tries to disrupt your peace will be prosecuted."
"Are you an idiot, my boy? Of course I'll take the King up on his offer! It's good to know how distinguished I am. Long live Duke Jose!" The man laughed obnoxiously as he got up to pat the soldier on his back.
Gray smirked. Who would of thought that fooling the Duke would be this easy? He thanked the Duke's arrogance that blinded him from seeing Gray's true intentions.
"Now, if you'll just sign this paper in agreement to the King's offer, it will be officially recognized," Gray said, handing him the document.
"Right my boy!" Duke Jose signed the papers and pushed it back to Gray a little too forcefully. "Now, as my new body guard, I order you to send it back to the King immediately!" He laughed a hearty laugh, and walked away from the kitchen. Before he left, he shouted to Juvia.
"Girl! Clean up the kitchen and prepare the guest bedroom for Gray-san! Make sure he finds his way to the castle to properly deliver the message!"
Juvia's mouth dropped to the floor. She heard the whole conversation through the kitchen walls. Gray-san was staying with them? As in living together? Juvia's heart pitter pattered. She paced the kitchen floor back and forth, trying not to faint from the news. Gray-san, the mysterious and handsome Gray-san, was staying with them?
"JUVIA!" The voice roared out.
"Y-yes!" Juvia squeaked out. She scurried to where Gray was. "Gray-san, please follow me to the palace."
She bowed to the Duke and walked quickly out of the house.
"Your father is something else, huh?" Gray said, rolling his eyes, once they were outside and walking toward the castle.
"Yes- the Duke can be rather…proud of his work," Juvia mumbled. "B-but he is good at heart! He didn't abandon Juvia when everyone else did!"
This caught Gray's attention.
"Abandoned?"
Juvia immediately covered her hands over her mouth. Why did she say that? Was it because she didn't have a meal all day and couldn't think straight? Now he would surely find out about her shameful past and want to steer away from her.
"Erm, nothing. That is of the past," Juvia murmured. She looked down and dared not stare into the intensity of Gray's eyes.
"Huh." Gray looked at the blue haired girl. She was nervously playing with her hands and darting her eyes from left to right on the road.
"Oi- stop being so nervous," Gray ordered. "We are going to be together for a while, so quit it with your anxiety."
'Together?' Juvia thought. 'Juvia isn't ready for this!' But she did love the stranger at her side. Wait, love? No, she just thought he was handsome. But he was her father's body guard. Her world was spinning. Or was it her head? The fatigue of hunger finally hit Juvia, as she began to fall to the dirt road.
Gray looked at her with a bewildering manner. Why was she turning red so fast? And she's…dancing? Isn't she the Duke's daughter? Shouldn't she be a bit more graceful when she sways from side to side? Wait, she wasn't dancing. Juvia was fainting.
Gray caught her just as she was about to make impact with the floor. He helped her tightly to his chest.
"Juvia? Juvia? Are you okay?" Gray's expression finally changed from his cool face to a concerned and worried look. He held her tighter when she didn't respond.
"Oh god, please don't die!" He gently brushed off the mage's bangs away from her face.
What the hell was he supposed to do? He wasn't a doctor! He picked her up princess style and began to run to the castle for treatment. But just as he began to move, Juvia squirmed in his arms.
"Eh?" She squinted and saw Gray. The she realized she was in his arms.
"EH?" Juvia stammered, escaping from his arms. She turned all shades of red. "Juvia is sorry! She didn't mean to faint. Juvia was just hungry and did not eat at all yet today."
He released the girl, who appeared a bit paler than before. She looked shaken up, embarrassed even.
"You didn't eat at all today?" Gray questioned.
"No, Juvia was busy and hadn't had time to grab a bite. She is sorry for fainting so easily and-"
Gray interrupted her.
"Let's go to the castle, now. We will get you something to eat," Gray growled protectively. Even Gray didn't know why he was acting like this. He blamed it on his role as a body guard- he just assumed that if the girl was in trouble, the Duke would fire him, messing up the whole plan. Not the he cared for her or anything like that.
Juvia nodded politely and began to walk. With one step, Juvia wobbled and weakly tripped. Gray caught her before she bashed into the floor.
"Let's just take it slow. Here, lean on me while we walk." Gray commanded.
Juvia's heart raced at his suggestion. But she was too weak to reject the embarrassing gesture. Silently, she leaned her body against the body guard's arm-it was cool to touch but muscular and strong. She wrapped one arm around his and tugged his sleeve with the other hand.
Gray looked at her nervously. 'Why am I feeling so uneasy? Girls do this all the time to me." He was annoyed at why he couldn't pinpoint the source of this feeling. But he wasn't entirely bothered by this- Juvia was snuggled tightly against him so she wouldn't fall. She fit perfectly into his arm as they took small strides together. And damn, did her hair smell good…
'Stop,' Gray instructed himself. What the hell was he thinking? He returned to his icy cold demeanor and distracted himself of what he would say to the King once they returned to the palace.
As the two reached the palace, Gray shined his badge to the guards. They nodded and let them in. Large outdoor corridors welcomed the two. The design of the palace was impeccable- with while marble arcs stretching to what seemed like infinity in the large castle. Statues of past heroes and goddesses looked so realistic that one might mistake them for a real person if it were dark enough. The concrete road seemed to have bits of gold on the tiles, emitted flashes of golden rays as they walked. Several maids walked past Gray, giggling as they slyly pointed at the handsome soldier. Some blushed while others eyed him with a crazed lustful look on their face. Gray was used to this. He knew he could steal a woman any time he wanted to, but refused to do so. He had no time for such trivial manners. But what he wasn't used to was the glares he received quickly after the maids noticed Juvia at his side.
Juvia felt the piercing stares at them as they walked down the corridors. She quickly released Gray from her grip.
"What's wrong?" Gray asked, with a conflicted look.
"Juvia does not want the maids to hate Gray-san." She glanced at the maids who were scowling at her.
"Why are they making that angry face at you, anyway?" Gray questioned.
"It is a long and boring story that Gray-san would probably not like to hear," Juvia said quickly. She took a step forward but almost collapsed as she did so.
Again, Gray caught her.
"No need to play hero. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I stopped caring a long time ago."
With that, Gray pulled Juvia to his side as he wrapped his strong arm over Juvia's shoulder. Juvia knew that she was going to faint soon, but this time it wasn't from hunger. It was from Gray's musk, which smelled woody yet fresh. It was from his strong hand that clasped her shoulder. It was the intensity of his eyes when he said those words.
Juvia wanted to pull away from him, because she knew they would be the talk of the castle's gossip tomorrow. But his arm stayed sturdy- he didn't budge as she tried to squeeze out of his arm. She finally gave up and leaned against his chest.
"Ugh, look at her. What is she doing in the palace anyway?" a maid said with disgust.
"Yeah, even if she is the daughter of the Duke, it means nothing," the other maid sneered, loud enough for both of them to hear.
Juvia knew what they said was right. Her father earned the title as a Duke. Even though Juvia was his "daughter," the title of Duke or Duchess could not be passed down so easily. To the maids, Juvia was just a pathetic excuse of a wannabe royalty, using her father to gain riches and admiration. But what they didn't know was Juvia's yearning to just be free, and away from it all. It was a shame she was too scared to leave Duke Jose, in fear of what might happen if he ever caught her. She dared not leave her house even for a full day.
"And why is that handsome man with her? She must have begged him to walk with her, so she can look like she has friends," one snickered.
"Hey, rain woman, how much did you pay him so he could walk with you? 5000 jewels? Not that it would matter, since you probably just go asking Dear Daddy for money!" the other maid shouted wickedly.
Gray had enough. This was why he never wanted to be involved with girls. Where they all that heartless? He was about to shout some obscenity at the two cruel maids, but he felt a small tug on his shirt. Gray looked down to see Juvia, teary eyed, nodding her head to say "no" and to let it go. Gray growled in a low tone, but decided to adhere to Juvia's wish. He unconsciously hugged her a bit tighter as they walked to the King's room.
The weather changed rapidly, and began to drizzle. Dark clouds were forming and soon the soothing drizzle of rain could be heard gentling hitting against the pavement. Gray wondered what had caused this sudden shift- it was sunny in the morning and the sky seemed to have no intention of raining earlier on.
Both took a seat down at the bench as Gray waved for a servant to tell the King that he had arrived. The servant nodded and informed him that His Majesty was currently in a meeting, but would be done soon.
Gray was still fuming at what had just happened. Juvia was shaking from the rejection of the maids, trying hard not to let the tears escape from her eyes. She grabbed the hem of her skirt with her tiny fists and used every ounce of willpower not to cry.
Gray, still looking down at the aisle where the maids were, didn't notice this.
"Those girls were stupid, huh?" Gray suggested, in hopes of easing the situation.
Then he heard a sniffle.
"W-whoa, wait!" Gray nervously said, looking at Juvia to see tears streaming down her face. If anything, Gray's weakness was a girl crying. "Hey, don't be like that! Who cares what they think- they probably feed off of breaking down someone's spirit. So just cheer up, okay? Don't let them get to you!" Gray felt extremely uncomfortable- he moved back a bit from the crying maiden.
"B-but, the girls are right," Juvia managed to croak out, still sniffling. "Juvia is not wanted. She is just depressing all the time."
Gray's eyes softened as he looked at her.
"Hey, don't say that. They were just a couple of bitches. They didn't have the right to talk to you like that."
"Juvia doesn't mind what they said that much- but they will now think badly of you. Being with Juvia, even for just a moment, is taboo in the castle. Juvia is sorry," she said softly, between her tears and hiccups.
"Why is that? I don't think you are like that. You are pretty damn nice, if you ask me," Gray said defiantly. He then realized what he said and blushed a bit, frowning with angry that he let those words spill from his mouth.
Juvia looked up to him. No one has ever said that to her before, besides the children at the orphanage and a few commoners she met on the outskirts of town.
"But Gray-san will not think that once he knows of Juvia's past," Juvia said sadly.
"Why? Everyone has a past. The important part is what you do with your future. That is what will define you," Gray spoke, as if he could relate to his words.
Juvia's tears began to rapidly fall from her eyes. At this point, she could not control the flow of the water.
"W-wait! I didn't mean to make you cry more! I take back what I said! I take it back!" Gray was almost shouting.
A small smile escaped Juvia's lips as the tears on her cheeks accelerated.
"No, what Gray-san said was beautiful. I only hope that everyone would think like you. But Juvia is not really Duke Jose's daughter," she explained.
"What?" Gray had a dumbfound look on his face.
"Well, Juvia is his daughter, per say, but not exactly. Juvia's mother had an affair with another man. I am the illegitimate child of Duke Jose." Juvia had shame in her voice. "Father tried to cover it well, but rumors like to fly. People began seeing Juvia as a disgrace and an unwanted child. All of Juvia's friends stopped talking to her. The maids at the castle ignored me, and soon, rain always started falling whenever I was around. Juvia was labeled as an unwanted ameonna." Juvia's voice began to break.
Gray moved closer to her, reluctant to hold her hand to comfort her.
"Juvia…" he said, quietly. Just as he was about to place his hands on hers, the servant from earlier on appeared.
"Soldier Fullbuster, the King is now free. He wants to see you immediately," the servant said, interrupting the small moment that Gray and Juvia had. Gray immediately withdrew his hand away from hers. The servant looked at Juvia, and made a 'tch' sound has he walked away.
Juvia had a look of hurt on her face, but tried to cheer up. Like she said herself, no one wanted a depressing girl all the time. She forced a smile and looked at him.
"You better go, or the King will not be happy," she said, with a weak smile. "Juvia is sorry she let you hear all that."
Gray hated to leave her there, but his mission was above all else.
"Just wait right here," he said, quickly rushing off.
He soon returned with a small green tea cake in his hand.
"Eat this and go home and rest. I will be back after I am done talking to the King, and I'll see you later at the house."
Juvia took the cake from his hand, and smiled a genuine smile. She was not used to being treated kindly, and she appreciated Gray's thoughtfulness.
"Thank you, Gray-san." Juvia's face warmed up from her smile and the tears ceased.
Gray was taken off guard at how quickly Juvia's mood changed from such a simple action. Wasn't it normal to give a starving person some food? Why was she smiling at such a small gesture, when she was just being the victim of such a brutal attack? But damn, she looked pretty when she smiled. It was like an aura of light surrounded her.
"Uh, yeah. Whatever," Gray mumbled, with a light hue of red surrounding his cheeks, as he waved her off and started to walk toward the King's meeting room.
He didn't look back, afraid of what else of an affect Juvia would have on him. As the rain stopped drizzling, he thought to himself.
'When did I become so damn sensitive?'
A/N:
Tada! New chapter, hurry! It's longer this time too. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and yes, I'll admit Mr. Fullbuster was very in touch with his sensitive side this chapter. I guess you can say he was struggling with this manly counterpart. Maybe Juvia has unlocked some new sides of Gray? :o But savior this moment, because I don't think I'll make Gray this sensitive for a long time. Muahaha!
Did you notice something else, too? King Heartfilia! Yes, that means our dear Lu-chan will appear…somewhere in the story line.
And yes, he gave her a green tea cake. I couldn't help myself- have you guys TRIED those things? They are damn delicious x_x
Anyone else hate Duke Jose? I enjoyed writing his part, hehe!
Also- I finally thought out the entire plot of the story. I hope you guys will enjoy it!
So, tell me some feedback. Am I rambling on too much in certain places? And please point out some grammatical errors- I am a grammar nazi and I really hate it when I make simple mistakes like that. But please don't be too harsh ;~;
-GreenTeaCake