CHAPTER 173: DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE

Rhane looked at the young woman carefully from head to toe, then he moved his head to the side. "I’m not sure what a woman is doing alone on the mountain, but it’s not safe," he remarked casually, then continued walking.

It was already over, Rhane thought to himself. He didn’t need to stop now when he had won; all that was needed was to get home to Jenna. It was all over. Rhane staggered but caught his feet and continued walking.

Lois, who was stunned by Rhane’s response, stood at a point, trying to process what had just happened. She had met this man more than twice, but he didn’t recognize her? Was it a joke? She turned and glared at him.

"You... you don’t remember me?" Lois asked, clutching her dress and the box as she walked hastily to block Rhane’s path.

"Woman, get out of my way right now!" Rhane barked. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if this was yet another scheme to hold him back and stop him from returning to Jenna’s side.

Lois dropped her eyes; the aura from Rhane made her throat tighten. She couldn’t make out a proper word. When she arrived, she had seen Gerald on the ground bathed in his own blood, while Rhane walked out almost unscathed.

This was among his charms, Lois thought to herself. So she didn’t care about Gerald’s fate. It didn’t matter; the young man had hurt Jenna. Now the problem was how to get Rhane’s attention.

For the past few nights, he had been on her mind. She had imagined what their life would be like if they married and started making babies. What Lois didn’t prepare herself for was how to speak to this man who had a deadly aura like a beast in hunt.

"Step aside. This is your last warning," Rhane repeated.

Lois raised her face; when she met Rhane’s furious gaze, she gulped softly, her lips shivered.

"I..." her voice betrayed her. "I am Lois..."

"Did the devil gather his underlings in one place?" Rhane exhaled tiredly. "You said so earlier. Now move, Lois."

Lois blushed, rubbing her feet together. She used to daydream of a moment like this—Rhane on the mountain covered in sweat and her, covered in the sweet aroma of broth. Both of them staring at nature with a smile.

Rhane’s brows knitted worriedly when he noticed the lady smiling to herself. His hand gently moved down from his dagger he had grabbed. He decided to walk away quietly, seeing that the young woman was not in her right senses.

"Please don’t go to Jenna!" Lois finally spoke up, her eyes staring at the ground. "Give up the tournament and take me as your wife!"

Rhane confirmed it now— the woman was really crazy but he would give her the audacity that comes with madness. The young woman made good use of it.

"Stop looking at me that way! I am not crazy," Lois scowled when she saw pity flash in Rhane’s eyes.

Rhane frowned. "You’re not?" He grabbed his dagger again, going back into attack mode.

"Maybe crazy in love, yes. But I am very much healthy as a woman should be," Lois remarked.

Rhane nodded. Thinking of it now, the woman spoke fluently, and her dress, it was clean, her face pale and—

Her face... Rhane blinked.

"You? You were the lady standing beside Jenna... the bold lady from that night too?" Rhane snapped his fingers. He had almost failed to recognize the young woman who caught him the first night he came for Jenna.

The same woman was also standing beside Jenna, not once but twice.

"Ah... I do remember you now," Rhane replied with a quick nod.

Lois beamed; she waited for him to mention the night she had saved him. "And what else do you remember?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Well, lady, I am not here to play a game of memory with you. I don’t know what brought you to the mountains, but be careful while returning." Rhane gave the woman a quick wave and turned to leave.

Lois gritted her teeth, dragging her dress as she chased after Rhane. Once close to him, she grabbed his arm, but Rhane shoved it off instinctively, causing her to fall.

"What are you doing?!" Rhane’s voice was mixed now with annoyance and disgust.

Lois sat on the ground; she sniffled. One tear became more, and she cried. "I... I should be asking you! Why are you doing this to me? Why?"

Rhane looked around, wondering if someone was behind him, but it was just the two of them.

Standing back on her feet, Lois grabbed her chest. "Why can’t you remember that it was me! It was me who saved your life?!"

"I think you’re mistaken, lady," Rhane replied. He glanced at the woman once more, then walked away, making his way out of the mountain.

Lois grabbed her hair, and a loud shriek that cast the birds away from the trees escaped her lips. "Why?! Why is everyone so mean even when I’m being nice? Why?!"

She pulled her hair, kicked her feet on the ground, and cried out loudly. She had been meek, smiled at Rhane, blushed, and even showed her best just to show him she meant no harm, yet he didn’t acknowledge her and had treated her like a sickness.

"Is that your all?"

Lois snapped her head around; when she didn’t see anyone, she looked up and saw Hart hanging on a tree branch eating a pear.

Hart sucked the fruit and chewed slowly, a grin dancing in his eyes. "When you said you were brave... I’d thought you had everything totally under control." He jumped down from the tree and chuckled.

"Who knew what you meant was crashing out in the mountain like a girl rejected by her secret lover?"

Lois glared daggers at the young man, but she couldn’t do anything.

"I guess I expected too much from you." Hart’s ears perked when he heard someone scream from the other end of the forest where the cave was. "And Rhane has made a lot of people cry today... I wonder what Gerald can do with just one arm..." he hummed.

Lois wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, scrambling to her feet. She picked up her box.

"You can use that to save a man. If you ask me, Gerald and his family will reward you," Hart suggested, biting his lips to stop himself from laughing.

Lois snarled, "It must be funny to see a mirror of how miserable you look, hm? But guess what? I don’t stay down for too long." She licked her lips, wiping the sand off her hands.

"You don’t?" Hart asked jokingly. "What else are you going to do? Crying and acting like a spoilt princess in distress didn’t even get Rhane to see you. So what else do you have in your box... humor me," he grinned mischievously.

Lois sucked in a deep breath. "I didn’t come here only to leave with shame. I have never lost a day in my life."

"I can see that," Hart taunted, enjoying every bit of her plight.

Seeing the path Rhane took, Lois steadied the box under her arm. "He will see my heart... some love needs extreme measures to be seen." She began walking, but Hart grabbed her hand.

"Must you go that far?" the young man asked. "You know it’s alright to stop... not everything has to go our way. At least not this... we are in the way of their love."

Lois pulled her hand away. "I have never been a coward, Hart. Everything in life happens for a reason. And I have come to believe that the reason Jenna brought Rhane into my life was because he belongs to me. I’d rather die than not live with the man meant for me."

Hart dropped his hand to his side; he could see it in her eyes. There was no use convincing the young woman, her mind was made up from the set go.

In life, there were different kinds of people: those who know when to give up— that was him; those who wish to give up but need a push and that was Gerald; and those who found death a better ally than giving up— that was Lois.

"I wish you the best of luck," Hart replied coldly, watching as the young woman chased after Rhane.