Jurdan - the pain of love

Chapter Nine

"My presence....?" he repeated, maybe he had heard wrong or maybe she had misspoken-

Jude sighed. "Yes."

Cardan retreated a step his whole body going tense.

"My dear Jude what are you talking about I have barely seen you today, we were only just recently reunited."

Had he scared her off somehow? No... maybe she realised she could do better than him-

Jude shook her head not meeting his gaze, slowly she took back her knife.

"Forget it" she muttered.

Cardan was about to push when she looked at him any confusion or kindness that had flashed on her face when she had retrieved her knife now gone. As if she had remembered something.

"Do you have a reason to be here?"

Cardan felt like he was about to explode. Was he missing something?

Looking around he mused, "you walked through a secret passage and didn't come back I was merely curious, what is this room?"

Jude walked away from him facing a pain room.

"My chambers."

Cardan shook his head.

"You don't need Chambers your sharing with me." He couldn't understand her. Why wasn't she looking at him?

why where her fists balled up? Why did she not have that smile on her face or that amused gleam in her eye?

"Yeah about that..." she started turning around. "While everyone needs to still think that, that's not going to be the case."

Cardan tilted his head, was she playing a game with him?

She looked like she was about to say something more, but he cut her off.

"Because your won't get any sleep at night otherwise? Jude you'll just have to learn to control yourself."

He expected her to laugh or to defend herself with that knowing shine in her eye.

Instead she snapped at him. "That won't be a problem anymore."

Anymore....

Cardan felt himself still...

"What do you mean? Jude-"

"I mean..." she cut him off, pacing the room she fixed him with an angry stare.

"I mean I don't want to sleep with you, I don't want to kiss you, I don't even want to talk to you. This is a professional relationship now. Everyone will think we're a happy married couple.. but we're not. You can have a relationship with whoever on the side and I can as well... we'll keep it a secret. Just I don't know...."

She was rambling and walking faster.

Cardan felt wounded. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, it hurt. Everything hurt.

She kept going.

"I don't want to be with you. Go... enjoy your freedom without a real wife. I'll brief you later on what to do at our revel. And how to act."

This... this was pain.

He could barely speak.

"Jude....." it sounded more like a plead than her name. Slowly she turned to him.

Started walking towards him.

Maybe this was some cruel joke? Maybe they did this all the time in the mortal lands and he was unaware-