CHAPTER 143: A MAN CALLED RHANE

Jenna clenched her fist, trying to be subtle with her happiness. If it weren’t for the crowd watching, she wanted to scream and yell for Rhane, cheering him on. As she had expected, Rhane did win the hunting game. It was really going to be over, her dreams meant nothing. It was only her inner fears that brought about the nightmare.

Licking her lips, Jenna nodded to herself. She wanted nothing but to jump down from her chair and run over to Rhane and kiss him over the face, helping him out of his clothes, instead, Jenna found herself chewing her nails to relax.

"I knew he was going to win...he seems really..." Olivia turned her face away from Rhane, "How can he look handsome and scary at the same time...uhhh," she shuddered dramatically.

Jenna’s lips curled at the girl’s words, and she dipped her toes into her boots. She agreed with the girl!

"Didn’t they say someone was dying?" one of the maidens asked, "Oh someone is coming back..."

Jenna shifted her eyes away from Rhane, who had dropped the dead animal in front of the council and had now gone to clean his weapons.

From inside the woods, Hart followed with a young deer. He had a proud smile on his face too, showing off his kill.

"He is so handsome...he even makes hunting look endearing," Olivia commented with a sigh, "What do you think, Lois?"

Jenna turned to look at the young woman, she had been silent since they left the carriage.

"I...uhm..." Lois cleared her throat, as if feeling Jenna’s gaze she shifted. "Nothing about hunting is endearing...I just hate the sight of blood!"

Jenna hummed before looking away. It was very normal for people to find hunting distasteful. This time when she turned, Gerald was being carried with the help of other men out of the woods.

And behind him, a fatally injured man was carried in too.

"What happened?" the leader of the council asked, his brows furrowed.

Gerald was made to sit down on the ground, his eyes shaking each time he stared at Rhane. "We..."

"Speak! What happened to the man?"

Nikolai, who noticed his son’s actions, stepped forward. He scanned Gerald’s body, as if guessing what might have gone wrong back inside the forest. He turned to the councilmen.

"Let us not deliberate on this...hunting has never been beautiful in nature," Nikolai explained with a smile, "I’m sure my son here was injured trying to do his very best."

Jenna scowled. She would believe that the moon was a shape-shifting star faster than that. Whatever Gerald knew in the world didn’t have doing his best recorded to it.

"Get that man treated immediately, then we can continue. What do you say?" Nikolai asked with a grin.

The leader of the council waved for the injured man to be taken away, but he wasn’t fully convinced. So he asked, "Was that man also trying to do his best?"

Six of the remaining men sputtered, they looked at Gerald waiting for him to say something.

"I...did he not-" he glanced at Rhane, who was still focused on his deep cleaning. "It was really a wild animal...I took the risk to save the young man...but it fled after."

The council sized up Gerald, his fit was still very clean and so were his weapons. But being that Nikolai was his father, they let it slide.

"We will have to continue then, we don’t have much time. This has to end today," the council began, "We’ll proceed with the Trial of the Veil."

Nikolai narrowed his eyes, it wasn’t in his advantage to rush the tournament. He had to make another stop at the estate. "Ehm...wise men of honor...are we going to rush these men back into something dangerous? They’ve just risked their lives."

"What do you suggest?" Master Brown asked, "Isn’t it your wish to have this come to an end?"

Nikolai grabbed the man’s shoulder in a playful jab. "Well since we’ve begun...it’d be useless to take away the fun from it. I’d say the men take inside and have the drinking contest. It’ll give them a little rest to ease in before they go into the mountains."

"Hmm...but going into the mountain drunk. That would be-"

Nikolai interrupted with a laugh, "That is the charm of this, old friend! Won’t you want a man capable of taking care of your daughter even in turbulent times?"

"Well...when you say that," Master Brown nodded, "I do," he said in reply.

The council members too nodded in agreement, finding favor in the words of Nikolai.

Seeing that his words were working, Nikolai decided to add a little more, "Which is also why we should annul the hunting. A man almost lost his life for it and Gerald had lost because he was trying to rescue someone...."

"You mean we should..." Master Brown turned to look at Rhane.

Nikolai nodded, "To make things fair, we must."

The council members spoke to each other in hushed voices, their gaze falling at intervals on Rhane, who was now casually cleaning the cut on his arm.

"Well, it’s done." The leader exhaled after a long talk with his members. He turned to everyone that had gathered, waiting anxiously.

"Good people gathered, men of nobility and maidens of beauty. It is true that ceremonies such as this...don’t always end without bloodshed but we always try our best for it not to." The man took his time to inhale deeply, knowing his next statement might not resonate with someone.

"A man was injured during hunting, and Gerald, a good man who understands brotherhood, left behind his quest for a woman’s heart only to save him...that man is alive because of Gerald. So for that reason...the hunting game has been annulled."

Jenna stood with force, pushing the chair behind her. "How are we sure Gerald was trying to save him?! What about Rhane! He is injured."

Rhane turned when he heard Jenna’s voice, his head moved to the side. His face had a mix of pride and surprise.

"Jenna!" Lady Rachel hissed, "You will sit down or have the man you pro-"

The last leash had already snapped from Jenna’s mind. Even when Lady Rachel spoke, she interrupted with disdain.

"Why should I play along with this...and do not tell me what to do, I am a grown woman!" Jenna barked.

Lady Rachel gasped, holding her chest. "Jenna?"

"And the rest of you," Jenna pointed at the council members. "Old sly men trying to make the worst out of this situation. I am so tired of sitting here and pretending like you know what you are doing when you don’t!" Jenna kicked her chair with force before turning to leave.

Olivia chewed her nails, "I- I go with her," the young girl muttered before running after Jenna.

Jenna didn’t stop walking, each step she took made her want to turn around and smack a stone on Gerald’s obnoxious face. She’d seen the look on the idiot’s face when the hunt began, and when he returned.

Jenna knew very well how nothing had happened to Gerald. If cowardice had a rank, Gerald would be the general without combat. The fool valued his own life even more than a child’s.

Rescue? Jenna let out a bitter laugh. She was tired, her insides were boiling so much. She’d seen Rhane return with his arm bleeding but not a word of complaint left his lips, yet these men chose to undermine his effort and cancel it entirely.

"I was stupid for agreeing to this," Jenna spat, "Tournament?" She chuckled dryly.

"Jenna, wait." Olivia called out of breath, as she tried to close the distance between them. "Jenna, hold on."

Jenna refused, she was fueled by rage. "I am leaving here...and I’m leaving with Rhane. The rest can decide the woman they want and fight for her." She grabbed the dress by hand so it wouldn’t trail behind her.

"Stupid...stupid...stupid. I was stupid for accepting this charade." Jenna breathed heavily, as she marched down to the carriage.

Olivia caught up with her before Jenna could hop into the carriage, and she dragged Jenna’s arm.

"It’s...it’s him...right..." the girl’s words broke, she waved her hand in the air trying to catch her breath.

"What?!" Jenna, who was already out of control, hissed.

"The scary man...he’s the one you wanted?" Olivia slowly stood straight, with a soft gulp. "I’m sorry I said everything I did about him...I didn’t know he’s the one you wanted. In fact, none of us did."

Jenna wriggled her arm from the girl’s hold, "It doesn’t matter now, I’m leaving."

"You can’t," Olivia grabbed Jenna’s arm again, "You can’t leave...if you do then all his hard work would be in vain."

Jenna smirked, "He doesn’t need to do any more hard working. He’s proved himself enough...I’m taking him with me."

"But he agreed to finish the tournament," Olivia remarked, pointing at the gathering. "Everyone is going in to get ready."

Jenna frowned, "Rhane agreed?"

Olivia nodded, "Hm...the council was going to punish you for the insults and also put an end to everything, but he agreed...the scary- I mean the man you called Rhane...in place of your punishment. He agreed to give all his points to the other man...Gerald was it? Yes..."

"He...what...Rhane did what?" Jenna dropped her hands on her side.