5 Chapter 05: Jeff's Secret

Two days passed and Rose is gathering herbs for her journey and also for her father's apothecary shop, bringing 5 guards and Jeff along with her as her father wishes to have someone to protect his daughter from bandits up in the mountains.

Rose noticed that Jeff is excellent in this job, gathering the right herbs and not picking those rubbish like before. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stare at him with confused and curious eyes while Jeff on the other hand have this strange feeling that someone's been staring at him. He turned to look at Rose, raising a brow, he find this weird especially coming from her, it makes him feel like he is naked at the moment.

"Who taught you?"

His confused expression turned into a bashful one, scratching the back of his head, he laughed awkwardly and stood up. Placing the herbs into the basket that was placed on the ground, he wiped his hands clean and gave Rose a tight smile.

"I, uh–"

"Ara?" Rose said with the side of her lips lifting upwards, hands on her hips and eyes shined with amusement, teasing her dear friend.

Jeff choked on air, why is she teasing her right now? And in front of some people who is now looking at them with the same confused and curious eyes she gave him before. He can feel his face heating up and is certain that they can see how red he his like a tomato. There's no point in lying, he's now exposed and the worse thing that will happen is that the people in the manor will know, especially his mother, she will not stop asking him questions. He sighed exasperatedly.

Rose laughed at Jeff's expression, she really just wants to tease her friends. The guards that knows how to differentiate between herbs and whatnot continued on their job to help their Miss.

"That disgusting tongue of yours," Jeff huffed taking his basket and marched up deep in the forest, he is aware of the dangers the forest holds but he doesn't care about it at the moment, he wants to cool off, "I really hate it and don't you dare follow me Rose!"

Her laughs soon died down as she realized that Jeff really went dive into the forest, her eyes widen, Jeff might run into danger. She turned to look at one of the guards that was standing still beside a tree, waiting for her orders. He witnessed what happened and yet he did not follow her friend that went in deep the forest and just stood there.

Rose flailed her arms to where Jeff went off to, not understanding what she's trying to say, she groaned.

"One of you get Jeff! He might be in danger and father will not be pleased about it."

The guards immediately took off and went to find Jeff. Rose shook her head and continued onto her job and that is to pick herbs. So far, all she have seen were bunch Bloodroot, Goldenseal, Ginseng, Passionflower and mushrooms.

She went to look around at some trees hoping to find rare herbs, she left the guards who didn't notice her walking away from where she was. With the basket full of herbs in her hands, she took silent steps to not attract and scare animals, her hands trailing through the trees.

Her keen eyes searching the forest, carefully not to miss rare herbs but after minutes of searching she grew tired and realized that she's already far away from where she is supposed to be at. Turning around, she walked back in a fast pace in hopes that she can find her way back, she was too distracted in finding herbs that she forgot to leave back a trail or should've told one of the guards to come with her, she groaned at her stupidity, her father will certainly not be happy about this and might change his mind to not let her go to another kingdom.

She hurriedly went back wherever she came from, she slowed down and calm herself to think rationally. She should've left a trail for the guards to follow her or for her to have a way back, but her stupid ass just went off.

She calmed her heart down and placed her basketful of herbs down the mossy ground. She looked around, observing and listening her surroundings. She heard nothing but the wind hitting the trees' leaves making it sway as if it's dancing along the melody of the wind and the chirping of birds singing along the wind as they fly around.

Calmness enveloped Rose as she continued on listening to her surroundings, moments later she heard a sound coming from behind making the girl alarmed and readied her dagger that was hidden in her skirt, she always have her dagger around her just in case she might be in danger.

With tense shoulders and scared heart, she slowly turned around to her back to look for any signs of life. Sighing in relief, she saw a deer that was staring at her. She thought somebody is out there, a man to be exact, she can feel strange feeling at the pit of her stomach. She shrugged the feeling off, calming her heart once again, she should really stop staying up late.

"Hello." Rose greeted, she gave the deer a small smile, "I thought I'm about to die."

"Rose!" She heard her name being called to her right, relief washed over her body as she saw her friend Jeff along with the guard who she ordered to look for him.

He ran straight to Rose and hugged her tightly, muttering words of relief.

"Don't you ever run off like that! Not only you have a disgusting tongue, you also have that thick head of yours! Your father already told you to not wander off alone! You scared me!"

"Jeff," Rose said, "you must not utter a word about this to father."

"Why would I? I might also get in trouble, don't you know that?" Jeff sighed as he pulled away from the embrace, he frowned and shook his head, "Marcus, you tell the others with us about this and must not utter a single word about what happened, am I clear?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Han." Marcus bowed, "we must head back, it's almost sunset and Master Izamae will not be happy if we go back late."

"Shall we go?" Jeff offered a hand to Rose, who is greatly surprised.

"Lieutenant?" Surprise laced through Rose's voice, what in the hell? This guy have been keeping secrets from him?

"Oh you don't know? I am now the second-in-command of the kingdom's army, a lieutenant."

"How?"

"Hard work. Didn't expect that a servant from a noble house to be a soldier eh?" He smirked.

"When?"

"Did I became a soldier? Since 12. Became the lieutenant? Yesterday, I asked his majesty to keep all of this hidden, I do not want to attract nor want all the fame but I do now have my own manor." His smirk grew wider.

"So this is the reason why you left for years, you said you are going to travel the world and be a scholar," raising her brows, she crossed her arms at him, "then coming back to tell us that you failed on your journey and didn't get a chance to be a scholar, when you are already a soldier! A member of the Imperial Army! And now?! A lieutenant!" She exclaimed.

"Okay! I'm sorry! I just want to keep my identity hidden and I want to be in the household where I grew up, you and your father is also like my family." He sighed, "I'm just scared that if you knew about it, you will never come talk to me, to us, ever again."

Rose sighed as Jeff's head was down out of shame, he can't face her right now. He's too ashamed about all of this.

"Jeff, it's alright, I would never ever do that to you, you are like my brother. You protected me since we were kids, along with David, Mari and Azu. True I might not talk to you for you are a lieutenant and I'm just a mere doctor," Rose stated and engulfed Jeff by her embrace, "but if you want me to treat like we're friends and not some professionals, I would gladly do it, for you."

"Thank you, Rose."

"Well then, Lieutenant Jefferson Han, shall we?" Rose teased and took Jeff's hand, smile etched on to their faces.

"We shall." And by that both of them went back to the manor and celebrated Jeff's achievement.

She is certainly proud of her friend's achievement.