CHAPTER 161: THIS SECOND TIME AROUND...

The sky finally cleared, shedding itself of the storm and heavy rain from the previous night. Though its marks trailed behind from the muddy paths with boot marks to the trickling pebbles of water constantly on the sidewalk, the morning now seemed clearer.

Jenna stretched, yawned, and turned to the side. It wasn’t just the morning that got clearer; color returned to her face, and she now felt better.

The twist, the pain, and the wish to be ripped apart from her stomach down had long gone. She felt like she could conquer the world again.

Moving her eyes to the side, Jenna noticed Olivia resting her head on the edge of the bed, with her legs folded on the floor. The girl slept quietly, her eyes half-open. It was the second time she’d slept beside Jenna while caring for her.

If not anything, the tournament and this house had given her a good friend— one she could always count on and who would never say to others what she knew about Jenna.

She didn’t know how long she had been asleep, but the morning looked brighter. The sun pierced in through the window, burning the side of her face; Jenna had to use her palm to shield her face.

When Jenna shifted her body, the young girl startled but with her eyes remained closed. Jenna reached for her head to pat her back to sleep, but it was already too late.

"Jenna," Olivia yawned, stretching her body so she would sit up straight. With her eyes half-open, she looked around the room. "Do you need something... are you still hurting? Lady Rachel asked that I give you more of the tea—"

Jenna rubbed the girl’s hair gently; the warmth in her eyes was enough to warm her entire body, and the softness and worry laced in her voice. "Don’t be too nice to me... I might just want to stay here forever."

Olivia opened her eyes widely, shaking her head. "You’re going to abandon the man you love?"

Jenna nodded, an amusing glint in her eyes. She could tell the girl had missed the joke and was very much serious.

"But why?" she asked in a soft voice.

Jenna twitched her lips and exhaled tiredly. "Well... I don’t know, maybe if you weren’t so good to me..." she made a dramatic turn. "Now I can’t leave knowing I have Olivia here with me..." she trailed.

Olivia hummed, shifting in her position. "That is a very difficult situation for me, but if you need me so much, then there is nothing I can do." With a serious look on her face, the girl reached for Jenna’s hand, missing the corner of her lips twitching to smile.

"I’ll feel so sorry for the man, but a woman needs to be cared for... and I promise to take care of you, Jenna. I was never going to marry any man..." she bragged. "I’ll spend the rest of my life brewing chamomile tea for Jenna; that is my dream!"

Jenna could no longer hold it in; she laughed so hard until she felt her eyes prickle. Then she stopped and frowned. "I need to pee," she cried, jumping down from the bed to rush into the bathroom.

Olivia stood up and followed her, grabbing a dress from the table. "The servant outside brought this dress earlier; I’m guessing Lois brought it for you."

Jenna, who was done washing up her body, stepped out using a dry towel to wipe her hands and face. "She did?"

Olivia smiled, raising the dress for Jenna to see. "Lois is like that; she didn’t come to sleep beside your bed, but she really cares." The young girl turned the dress around and hummed in approval.

"She shows her care in very little ways, and this dress is beautiful! It’ll look perfect on you."

Jenna couldn’t agree more; she was very much in love with the dress just by looking at it. She hadn’t thought of what to wear for the next tournament, and she felt grateful for the young woman who went out of her way to care for her.

Thinking about it now, Jenna mused, maybe the young woman was strange in many ways, but she did care. They had even played in the rain together the previous night, and so far, Lois hadn’t told anyone she was hiding with a man. It was good, even though she didn’t know that it was Rhane.

"I love it," Jenna remarked, taking the dress from the girl. "It looks really great." And she couldn’t wait to wear it for Rhane to see.

Olivia clapped her hands together excitedly. "Then wear it! Wear it!"

Done with dressing up, Jenna got herself ready for the Trial of the Veils. She wasn’t meant to leave her room during her womanly visitation, but she wanted to be there when Rhane won it all. She wanted to see his face and show him how proud she was of him. So with that, she left the room with Olivia, in the dress Lois had sent across to her.

Jenna hadn’t gone far from the place when she met the servant Rhane left to work for her. She noticed how the young man kept acting awkward from the corner.

"Olivia?" Jenna muttered. "Go ahead; I will meet you at the carriage."

The young girl didn’t question; she took off with a playful little jog and a bright smile fitting her innocence. Once she had left, Jenna turned around and walked toward the young man.

"Percy, is it?"

The servant bowed. "Yes, mistress." He stood straight. "I was going to wait all day in front of your door, but people were beginning to suspect, so I left."

Jenna shook her head with a small smile. "It feels reassuring to know that you worry for me." She patted the young man on the shoulder. "I’ll let Rhane know of that."

The servant beamed at the mention of his master. He snapped his fingers when he remembered something. "About that... earlier, Master Rhane sent another Percy like me..."

Jenna narrowed her eyes. There was another— she snickered when she realized who it might have been. "Oh, Percy was here?"

"Yes, mistress," the servant replied, "and he kept claiming to be the only Percy."

There was only one Percy, Jenna thought to herself. And she couldn’t help but imagine Percy’s reaction when he met someone else with his name; it would tick him so bad. Looking back now, Rhane must have used a name Jenna was very familiar with.

"And what did this Percy say to you?"

The servant scanned around, then with a low voice, he said, "Master Rhane is unwell and not fit to join the tournament but has stubbornly joined. Percy needs to visit Master Kali and has asked that you care for Master Rhane during the tournament."

Jenna knitted her brows. Rhane was unwell? How? Was it the drinking contest? It couldn’t be. Jenna’s mind went through so many events all at the same time as she tried to think of what had happened to Rhane. Was that why he wasn’t there when she left?

It was it. Jenna’s eyes widened. During the contest, she had seen pain in Rhane’s eyes, something was wrong, and he had kept it to himself.

"I have to go," Jenna replied, waving at the servant.

"B-but, Mis—" The young man stuttered with uncertainty in his eyes.

Jenna had wanted to ignore him but then stopped and turned. "Anything else you want to say?" When the servant stammered again, Jenna’s face hardened. "Speak!" She didn’t have the luxury to sit around when Rhane was out there, maybe his life in danger.

"I... I’m sorry, mistress, but I feel I have seen the dress you have somewhere... It was..." Fear reached his eyes as he was even more scared of speaking, afraid it would be found out as a lie.

Jenna frowned. "Of course, you might have seen it in the market or anywhere else... why are you wasting my time?!"

"I’m sorry, mistress," the servant got on his knees, his forehead kissing the cold marble floor. "It was the lady who had brought your dress... I’m sorry for worrying you; I should have known my place and not get involved in—"

"Wait... hold on." Jenna blinked. This time she turned properly, her attention fully on the servant. "Who did you say had the same dress as me?"

The servant raised his shaky hand. "The lady... the one who brought yours... I should have kept my lips sealed. Please punish me—"

"Lois brought a dress she has on?" Jenna repeated more to herself than to the servant. When she glanced at the dress, she was filled with disgust that she almost threw up.

Jenna turned on her heels, walking toward her room, her fists clenched. The last time, she thought it was a mistake, but this second time— why? Why had she intentionally gotten a similar dress for her? It didn’t sink well with Jenna. She felt sick to her stomach.

Women never liked the idea of having a similar dress unless they were best of friends or twins, but even then... Jenna gritted her teeth.

This young woman had conveniently tried to have the same look as her twice. They weren’t that close enough to share such a thing. It bothered Jenna, whatever reason it was. Women, she heard, who did this only wanted to take another’s identity.

Jenna exhaled sharply. She had been too free and relaxed and not been able to notice things this trivial and put them into place. Now she had to do that, or it’d never be corrected.

"Mistress..." the young servant stood up, watching as Jenna entered her room without looking back. "I hope I haven’t committed an unforgivable crime."