She also knew that her guardian would want to keep his word, even if it meant sacrificing his chance to further increase his strength.
And that was what he was afraid of, wasn't he?
Her guardian was worried that she might have become too emotionally attached to him, and that he would end up hurting her if he were to marry Emilia after this.
"Juliette..."
The intimate sound of her guardian's voice made Juliette's heart ache. He definitely knew she was in love with him, and that meant it was up to her to do the right thing.
Gaël bent down to kiss his ward, but just as his lips were about to touch hers, Juliette suddenly shook her head and he was forced to rear back. It was her first time to reject him, and his gaze narrowed at the way she avoided his gaze while sitting up and wrapping the covers around her body.
"What's wrong?" he demanded.
Juliette shook her head. "Nothing's wrong."
If that was true, then why was she still refusing to look his way? Could she have figured out how he felt about her...and she was wondering how best to turn him down?
Gaël's jaw clenched. "Look at me, Juliette."
The harshness of his voice made her flinch, but he didn't give a damn, and after a few more seconds, Juliette finally lifted her gaze to his, and seeing his ward fighting back tears made him feel like punching something. Was the idea of Gaël loving her so damn bad?
"You know, don't you?"
Juliette was having a hard time breathing. "Know what?"
"How I feel—-"
"Yes. I do know." It was Juliette's first time to cut her guardian off like that, but she had no other choice. She knew Gaël always preferred to speak bluntly of things, but she also knew it would kill her to hear him actually say he didn't love her.
Gaël's chest felt hollow as Juliette struggled not to cry in front of him. This could only mean one thing, couldn't it?
"Can we talk about this—-"
Juliette shook her head. "I'd rather not. And I also k-know that you might feel like you have to do something about these...these feelings," Juliette said jerkily, "but please just...don't. It's more than enough for me that I was able to do my duty as your ward."
And there it was, Gaël thought dully. While making love to her had changed his world entirely, Juliette only considered everything that happened between them as her duty as his ward. But because she was always so damn kind, this was her way of letting him down as gently as she could.
Juliette felt the bed shift as Gaël stiffly rose to his feet. She could barely see past the tears she was doing her best to keep from falling, but in the end, there was nothing to see, with Gaël turning his back and walking away without another word.
The door silently closed shut behind him, and Juliette could no longer hold back her sobs.
It was over.
I love you, Gael. I love you, I love you.
And because she loved him, she must find a way to be happy for her guardian...if Emilia were to ask Gaël to marry her in exchange of her sangferia.
Go to the ball.
Something had happened.
Again.
The thought was at the top of everyone's minds as they piled inside the Bellecourts' stretch limo, which could comfortably accommodate the entire family. But as always, nobody said a word, and even Severin was privately troubled by the tension between Gaël and his ward.
The Mayor's Ball was one of the few annual events that Jean Luc required his entire family to attend. As those invited were the city's wealthiest and most powerful human and preter residents, Jean Luc wanted the guests to see House Bellecourt presenting a united front.
And because both Gaël and Juliette knew this, the two didn't hesitate to play their role of doting guardian and obedient ward as soon as it was their turn to pose for the press.
Juliette usually asked Gaël to keep their time on the red carpet to a minimum, but because this might be one of her few chances to stay by his side, her shyness was all but forgotten as she held on to her guardian's arm while smiling this way or that.
She could feel Gaël's icy blue gaze on her all the while, but Juliette pretended not to notice and told herself she had nothing to feel guilty about. She was only doing her duty as his ward, and it just so happend that tonight's duty meant sticking to him like glue.
Gaël's mood turned increasingly brooding as he watched his ward nearly break her neck in her effort to catch the eye of every reporter they came across. She usually hated having people's attention on them like this, but now she was acting as if she loved being in the spotlight. Was this her way of trying to make it up to him? Did she think her rejection would hurt less if she strove to become the perfect ward?