CHAPTER 164: TRIAL OF THE VEILS

"Jenna," Olivia ran after the young woman who was still fuming. She tried to grab her hand and stop her from walking in further; with her anger, she could do something that she would regret later. Though Olivia had a feeling that Jenna had poked a hornet’s nest.

Lois was kind, but when she was ready to shake hands with the devil, her beauty equalized the darkness in her heart. Olivia had seen it firsthand; she looked the other way because most of the time, the women had come unprovoked against Lois.

"Jenna... please wait," Olivia raised her voice this time, with a tired sigh following after.

Jenna turned to look at the girl’s face, and for a second, her anger vanished. It wasn’t the girl she was angry at. It was herself.

How had she missed the intention, and when did it start? The devil had been in the details all along. Somehow Lois always fell into the arms of Rhane; she was always there in secret when Jenna met Rhane. And because Jenna didn’t take it to heart and had been free, she ignored it all until the similarity in dressing. And it all made sense now.

The man Lois had fallen in love with was Rhane, and from Jenna’s deduction, the young woman thought Jenna loved Hart at first, which was why she tried to be friends, but might have along the line realized she was wrong. Yet she refused to stop.

"... Jenna, are you listening to me?" Olivia snapped her fingers in front of Jenna’s face, bringing her back to reality.

Jenna blinked, but her expression remained plain.

"You know you two can settle this... maybe Lois—" Olivia swallowed her words; she couldn’t continue with that lie. From what she had seen, Lois knew exactly what she did and had been doing. And thinking about it now, Lois had been standing with Jenna’s man that very night they played under the rain but had lied to their faces.

Olivia bit her lower lip. She wasn’t going to add more coal to the already burning fire; all she had to do was soothe.

"I’m really sorry it got to this... I didn’t know... I’m sure Lois feels sorry for her actions and would have a rethink." Olivia didn’t believe her own words; they felt heavy.

The face of Lois she had seen was wounded. Her ego had been brutally bruised by Jenna’s words, and nothing on earth was more dangerous than wounded pride— especially when that someone was Lois, a woman of high moral standing and beauty.

"Maybe she wants to apologize at the moment and reconcile, if you’ll let her." Olivia settled for the part of a mediatrix. It was the best she could do. These two women were better off friends than enemies. As Lois was dangerous, Jenna looked even worse when pushed to war.

A war between the duo would lead to irredeemable damage that would be regretted later.

Jenna puffed air. "She can feel sorry after I’ve left with Rhane; for this moment, I do not wish to talk about her." Jenna turned and continued walking. "I’ll have my attention on him... and maybe later I’ll have time for Lois."

"Great!" Olivia clapped her hands, trying to cheer Jenna up. "That is even better; after all, we all came here to watch your beloved win the final contest."

Securing a chair, Jenna and Olivia settled down, watching in silence as the last of the tournament ensued. In the midst of it, Olivia clasped her hands together and made a silent prayer, hoping that Lois didn’t do something she would regret later just to prove a point.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The heavy toll bell rang, announcing the commencement of the final game. The one game that would determine Jenna’s fate began with people cheering and raising white clothes in the air.

"Trial of the Veils," Hart repeated after it had been announced.

A piece of a woman’s veil was tied somewhere deep in the mountain; out of all of them, only one truly belonged to Jenna, and the one who found it and returned with it won it all. But that was where it was all tricky, the one who found it most times wasn’t the one who returned with it. And in rare cases, the one who attempted to return didn’t do so alive.

It was a contest for outlaws; there were no rules. The only rule was that the one who brought forth the veil alive became the winner. And whatever one met in the mountain was never spoken of.

Before now, before the choosing of Jenna’s groom, the Trial of the Veil was used by the king’s knights of different kingdoms to approve those worthy of serving the crown. Strength had to be shown, smartness, and most of all, the ability to overcome any temptation during this trial.

"Go now, men of goodwill, and let the best win."

Gerald grabbed a dagger and a spear, their edges sparkling at the sun’s slight kiss. They were well whetted and ready to cut down anything- or anyone.

Hart hummed when he noticed Gerald going ahead of them. Something had been strange about the young man. He hadn’t said a word since they arrived, which was unusual. And the arm that had been wrapped with a bandage was now bare. The young man looked like he was really ready to win it all. The serious gaze in his eyes, Hart had never seen it and couldn’t even tease him.

Rhane, on the other hand, remained silent as he had always been. His expression was blank, except for the one time he turned to smile at Jenna. Rhane had noticed the worried look on her face and also how she was back to her normal dressing style. The shirt and trousers, Rhane didn’t know how much he had missed seeing her in those until now.

As they made their way inside the mountain, Rhane was filled with determination about how the trial would end. Finding a piece that belonged to Jenna would be easy, and returning also, except if his wounds tore open again while climbing the mountain.

Rhane made a plan not to push himself too hard, except there was need for it. Gerald was too foolish; he never actually saw Jenna as a woman. Locating her veil would be a chore. And Hart? Rhane wasn’t very sure, because this young man grew up with Jenna. He should know her to an extent.

But physical strength wasn’t the strongest armor the man had, and that would give Rhane an edge.

"Why do I feel as though I am under inspection?" Hart asked, his brows knitting. He swept his long, neatly combed hair behind his ear. "I know I look rather delicate most of the time, but don’t..." he snapped, feigning anger, then a smile graced his lips.

"Fall in love with me."

When Rhane scowled at him, Hart almost fell on his side trying to stop himself from laughing so hard.

"You’re human after all and not a wild animal," Hart waved his hands. "I really didn’t mean it that way, but most times you just..." he paused, seeing that Rhane wasn’t speaking.

"I’m sure you get that often... I wonder how you courted Jenna and made her fall in love with you."

Hart trotted behind Rhane, a wistful smile curling his lips. "Jenna doesn’t look at quiet men, and you know... have you seen Cortez? He’s one with a sharp tongue and has a response for every word. Witty but sly, also he has the face of an angel, but his body says differently. Once Jenna had an art in her ro—"

Rhane cracked his knuckles, turning his head to the side. It was enough to hush Hart.

"Don’t worry, Cortez is happily" he emphasized the word— "married! His wife is giving birth like a rabbit... I’m not sure Cortez ever lets her leave the bed. Jenna and Cortez both now have different eyes for life and, you know, love too..." the young man sized up Rhane’s body and hummed.

Hart chuckled, this time it was dry and filled with sadness. "I waited every day of my life, hoping that one day she would see that I look at her the same way Cortez did. And when I heard she had left Gerald, I came as fast as I could, but like the story of my life, I am always a second late..."

"You were already there..."

Rhane held a tree, then grunted as he climbed the slippery part of the mountain.

"Jenna loves you— oh good lord!" Hart almost slipped, but Rhane caught his hand mid-fall and pulled him up.

"If you know this, why are you here?" Rhane asked after he had let him go.

Hart grinned, arranging his shirt. "I can’t believe my near-death had you speak." He gave Rhane a knowing look.

Rhane stared down at him, shook his head slowly, then continued walking.

"Of course, it was obvious," Hart followed behind him. "I saw her eyes that night you grabbed the hot pot with your bare hands. She had reached for me, but her eyes remained on you. I’ve never been jealous of a servant in my entire life. How did I lose twice, and among them was a man of lowborn? It crushed my pride... so when I got the letter to join—"

Rhane turned, and Hart gave him a nod.

"I was overjoyed. Finally, a chance to prove myself again. To show Jenna my heart, though she already knows all of this..." Hart pointed at Rhane. "You will never know the sting of being second, nor the cruel mercy of being granted even a semblance of equal ground."

Rhane’s gaze remained unimpressed. "Who sent you the letter?"

Hart harrumphed. "Do I get Jenna in return?"

"You talk too much," was Rhane’s cold response.

Hart snarled. "You’re one killjoy, have you been told that?" He twitched his lips. "To think the one who sent the letter asked me to withdraw and return home, last night."

A moment of silence breezed in, except for the birds cooing and the chilled wind in the mountains, with an animal crying from a distance.

"It was Master Brown," Hart confessed with a sad smile.

A flicker of surprise crossed Rhane’s eyes, but it faded as swiftly as it came. "If you were bidden to withdraw, why stand before me still?"

"Have you ever been told you’re as heartless as the one who rules hell?" Hart asked sarcastically. "Well, a man never abandons what he has started— and who knows? I might be able to steal Jenna’s heart this way." He winked at Rhane before jogging ahead of him with a smile on his face.