Royal Love (F1 x LH44)

Fourteen

Jude POV
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My head jerked towards the door as it opened right after a single knock. My heart started racing and the thought of Grayson getting into my room flashed through my mind. But a huge relief made place when Pete came through the door.
"Pete. You're back." I said from my bed, where I sat at the foot-end.
"Look who I bumped into." Pete said and I couldn't help but smile through the tears as I saw Lewis walk in behind him.
"Lewis, oh my god." I jumped up from my bed and walked towards him. My leg was struggling and I couldn't seem to walk properly.
"Jude... what happened?" Lewis asked as he watches me walk towards him. Concern filled his eyes.
I was almost there when my leg gave in. I fell forward and I could see the floor come in closer. But two strong arms picked me up. Lewis pulled me back on my feet.
"What happened?" The question now directed to Pete. "Did he do this to you?"
"She had been abused for the last month. I didn't know..." Pete said and the disappointment was hearable. Pete was really disappointed in himself since he wasn't there to protect me.
"Why didn't you say it to me, Jude..." Lewis said, his arms closing around me, pulling me in a tight embrace. I cut contact with him for a month. I wasn't sure if he still wanted to hear from me...
I flinched and pulled back. "Ouch." Lewis had his arm right at one of my bruises. "You hit a bruise." I chuckled and looked up at him.
"Don't laugh now... This situation isn't to laugh for." Lewis said and he kept his arm gently around my waist, trying not to hurt me by being too harsh on the bruises.
"I'm just happy you're here." I said and I couldn't get my eyes off him.
"I'm happy to see you too, god it's been a month! How the hell did this happen in just a month?" He asked, directing to my bruises. But before I could answer him he scooped me up and placed me back in bed. "Stay." He ordered and I just nodded. "Please explain it to me. All of it." Lewis said towards Pete and then looked at me.
Pete tried to explain the whole story from what I told him, and sometimes I filled him up. It was mainly about Grayson and his abusive behaviour, and his threats towards me. We also told Lewis about the actions of Grayson. Keeping me locked in here, using me sexually, selling pictures of us to the media to get the perfect view for the society.
Lewis filled with hatred and at the end of the story he was ready to explode. But he just breathed in and out, and than relaxed again. He crouched down and brushed with his fingers through my hair. "I get why you didn't want to tell me... it was to protect your title... and your family. I can't imagine how he's threatening you." Lewis said and he left a small kiss on my cheek. It made me blush and I got a warm feeling in my belly.
"You know... I didn't say anything to protect you. If you knew... I don't know what you would've done. I just- I was so scared." A tear crawled down my cheek.
Lewis swept it away with his thump and kept stroking my cheek with a faint scar on it. "How did you get this scar? And this time the truth." Lewis said as he looked me in the eyes.
"He hit me and said I had to tell everyone I hit the point of a table... I didn't even notice it left a scar..." A hiccup escaped my throat and it almost sounded like a sob.
"It's okay, Jude... you're okay now." Lewis said, soothing my hair.
"I'm just so sorry for this. We said that we would go back to being friends, and here you are..." I couldn't seem to keep in my tears. I couldn't even look at him right now.
"I'll always be there for you, Baby. Even if you want a relationship or not." He said and I couldn't help but smile through the tears.
I laid down on my side, so I can look him in the eyes. "Thank you..." and I smiled, for the first time in a month I really smiled.
"I'll leave you two alone." Pete said and he got up from the chair that he sat down in earlier. "I'll be just outside, doing my job." And he walked out.
"Thank you, Pete." I said as the doors closed. "And thank you..." I said to Lewis.
"No problem, Love." He said back.

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I was sitting in bed. This time with Lewis by my side. We decided to catch up a bit and I let Lewis take care of my bruises. I therefor had to take off most of my clothes, but I somehow felt strangely comfortable with it when Lewis was around. He put some salve on my bruises and the ones that became scars got a special scar-salve to reduce the scars and let them see less.
Most of the time I would crumble under his touch when he touched a bruise. They really hurt and especially the ones that Grayson made today. They were the most visible ones of all and my whole knee was sour and thick.
"You can't go to the party like this..." Lewis said and I shook my head.
"If I don't do he'll kill me." And with he I revered to Grayson. My dad would kill me as well, but if he would believe my story.. maybe he wouldn't kill me. But he won't believe me, he never does.
"You need to tell them..." Lewis said. He meant tell my family about the bruises, but I didn't want anyone to find out. They wouldn't believe it was Grayson and would find out that Lewis was there as well, he would lose his knight-title and then we would never see each other again. 
"No... no I can't. It would risk everything."  I shook my head. But Lewis took it in both hands and made me look at him.
"I don't care if it risks anything. I want you to leave that moron. I don't want to see you in pain." Lewis said and he intensely stared into my eyes, not letting go of my face.
"But how... I can't just let them see my body..." again tears watered my eyes.
"Jude... please do it for me. It's all I'm asking..." Lewis almost begged me. But I shook my head. I'd risk everything. Grayson would expose me and would ruin my position in the palace. But I won't say that to Lewis. He would only try to make a way out of this.
"No... I won't. It's my body Lewis, I'll get to choose for myself." A tear ran down my face. This is it. This is where it ends.
"So you'll keep this arrangement... you'll marry him. You're leaving me?" Lewis asked and his eyes were glistening with tears.
I just nodded. I didn't want to look him in the eyes, because I would definitely cry if I saw his sadness.
"I need you to say it, Jude." He said.
"I can't... please, just leave." Tears ran down my cheeks now.
He took me in a hug. "I won't leave, you need someone." He let his chin rest on my head, fully embracing me.
"I have Pete." I said with a sob.
"You need someone that loves you, someone who cares for you in any condition." He said and I looked up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time again.
"You love me?" I asked as I looked straight into his chocolate brown eyes.
"To whatever end." Lewis said and he placed a small kiss on my lips. I smiled as he pulled away.
"But what if I marry Grayson... you can't love me." I said, going back to my denying.
"I don't care, Jude. I'll make sure we'll be together, no matter what road we take." Lewis said confidently.
"I like the sound of that." I mumbled, but I couldn't dream. Such a life isn't for me.
"Now we have a party to prepare us for... ready to show everyone how beautiful you are?" Lewis asked and I nodded.
"I'll rattle the stars with my beauty." I joked and Lewis laughed. He broke off the hug and got up from the bed.
"Please take it easy... I don't want you to get hurt even more." He sounded concerned and I couldn't help but smile a bit at how careful he was.
"I will, Lew. I'll stay away from Grayson." I stood up and walked over to where he was standing. I placed my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes. "Now I want you to kiss me like we did before. Maybe you'll convince me to step out of this marriage by that." I smiled as Lewis eyes started to twinkle.
"With pleasure." He said and he bent down to give me a long, deep kiss. It wasn't harsh, nor painful. It was just perfect. It was nowhere near to Grayson's harsh and demanding kisses. This was so soft, but in the meantime he made his claim on me. His arms trailed over my waist, but slowly moved to my back, locking me in an embrace.
I didn't want to pull back, but when there was a knock on the door I had to pull away. I stayed silent for a bit and just looked at him, this man that owned my heart.
Another knock echoed to the room and I got out from my trance. "Who is it?" I said as I broke eye contact with Lewis.
"It's Nick." The voice said from the other side of the room. It was Pete's voice, so that means that he did stay to guard me.
"Oh, let him come in." I said and I took Lewis' hand, pulling him with me towards my door. The door opened and Nick came rushing in.
"Why the hell aren't you answering your pho-" Nick stopped talking as he saw me, or the person behind me. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything..." Nick said with an apologetic look.
"We were just talking... what's up?" I asked Nick.
"Well I was trying to call you multiple times and I began to worry." Nick said and I could see some stress in his eyes.
"I couldn't pick up because Grayson stole my phone." I explained and Nick freaked out.
"He- what? How? Why?" And Nick kept asking more and more. He wanted a full explanation.
"I can't explain it right now. I need to go and get ready for the party. So you, boys, have to leave." I said as I pushed Nick to the door with my one hand and with the other I pulled Lewis with me.
"Jude! No. I need to talk to you!" Nick said and I kept pushing him towards the door.
"You can do that at the party. Now get yourself ready. These sweatpants aren't soothing enough for a party." I opened the door and pushed him out. I than closed it again and turned towards Lewis.
"You should've told him, you know." Lewis said and I nodded.
"I will, sometime. But now I want a goodbye kiss before I get ready for my party." I smiled at him.
"I don't know if I want to give one, maybe I should just go and let you wait for the next time we see each other." He said and I dropped my smile.
"That's mean." I said as I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
Lewis chuckled and stepped closer, took my face in his hands and looked me deep in the eyes. "I'll see you at the party." And gave me a tender kiss. He opened the door and left my room. Now leaving me fully alone with only one hour before the party.