ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ғᴏᴜʀᴛʜ.

"Riku!" Her scream rang in his ears and a small smile formed on his lips. He fell on his knees, clutching his left shoulder while panting heavily. 

A large group of bandits suddenly attacked them and he didn't see this coming. He picked his sword up and tried to stand on his own but the Countess of the Jung family rushed to his side to help him. The wound on his left shoulder is really not that deep but when he saw her crying her eyes out, he couldn't help but to laugh. He received a punch on his chest instead. He cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears. 

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch." He whispered, assuring her that he will be fine later on. She shook her head and looked around, taking the cloth from the soldier. 

"A scratch? It will not bleed if it is a scratch." She said between her sobs and he watched her tie the long strip of cloth around his left shoulder to stop it from bleeding. 

"Where did you learn that?" He asked but he winced in pain when she tightened the cloth. She puffed her cheeks, still feeling scared and worried for him. 

"I'm fine now. Thank you, Gia. You will be able to take care of my brother well." She felt more tears falling from her eyes when he said those. She almost forgot that she is there to fight for their country. 

"Yes, I will take care of him very well." Her voice almost cracked and she turned away to start fighting against the bandits again. He stared at her but he went back to reality when a dead bandit fell in front of him. 

The Lady of the Hasegawa family witnessed this. She can see how much they love each other. She heaved a sigh, feeling the loneliness it brought to her. Her eyes widened when she saw a bandit running towards her direction but the Prince swung his sword towards him and then, he kicked him away. He turned to look at her and she received a glare. She bit her lips and looked away. The Knight of the Fujiwara family stopped from watching the two secret couples and shook his head. He felt like he was watching a drama despite the fact that they are currently on the battlefield. 

Right after they defeated the group, they heard a loud horn nearby and they rushed to the place. They found an abandoned chapel and saw the Knight of the Hayashi family walking out while carrying the Duchess of the Cheikh family in his arms. The Countess immediately approached them and she hugged the younger one. The Prince dismounted from his horse and the Lady followed to cover the Duchess' exposed legs with the blankets that the soldier provided. 

"Where is Kazuma?" Lauren asked while hugging Gia tightly. She caressed her hair, comforting her since she is still panicking. The younger one looked at Fuyu and she didn't know what to answer. 

"He is already back in the barracks. He was attacked but your cousin already gave him immediate medical attention." The Prince answered the question instead. The Knight of the Yoshino family is not yet back from the barracks, so they don't know what the Grand Duke's condition is now. 

"He will be fine. Reiki will not let him die." Gia assured her, hugging her tighter. Kazuki took a deep breath and tried to keep himself focused. He is her lover. He is feeling bad that he is jealous of someone who almost died because of this chivalry. 

"You should go back to the city capital now. You, Gia and Lauren. Don't be stubborn. Let us men handle this." The Prince said softly to the Lady and she slowly nodded her head. 

"I will wait for you." She whispered and he hugged her tight. She hugged her brother as well and the Prince instructed Itsuki to bring Lauren back to the city capital. 

It took them half an hour to arrive at the city capital. They went straight to the barracks for Lauren to be checked up by Reiki. Gia's eyes widened when she saw her cousin helping him. The younger one also didn't expect to see the Viscounts of Suzuki and Sugiyama families there. Fuyu already forgot to tell Higa about the contract but then, she finally realized that the admiration she had towards the Viscount now belongs to the Prince. She smiled faintly and released herself from his hug. 

"We need to talk later, Milord." She said and he just nodded his head. With the circulating rumors about her and the Prince, he already assumed that she will terminate the contract soon. 

The Knight of the Fujiwara family went back to the chivalry along with the news that the Grand Duke is already recuperating. The Duchess went to see him and decided to stay by his side after changing her gown. The two women did the same and helped the medics with the wounded soldiers. When Fuyu saw that Gia had no plans on telling Reiki about the General's condition, she approached him and told him that his twin brother was wounded. 

"Where will you go, Milord?" Gia asked Reiki when he suddenly got his bag and put the medicines inside it. 

"Riku is wounded. He needs me." He said but she held on his arm tight and shook her head. He looked at her with furrowed brows. 

"He said he is already fine. Don't you trust your brother?" She asked and this calmed him down. He carefully placed the bag down and she hugged him gently. 

"I'm just worried. He is my brother after all." He mumbled and she buried her face on his chest, taking deep breaths to remind herself that Riku is fine and alive.