The next morning, Jenna woke up feeling much better than the previous night. There wasn't any headache or nightmare, neither did she try to think about meeting Gerald again and being locked in with his stepbrother.
All that occupied her mind at the moment was a plan to leave. She left before with Gerald and she knew she could leave again, if she tried.
"Good morning, My Lady," a young girl greeted Jenna with a bow, bearing a basin filled with warm water. "I'll get the bath ready for you."
Jenna nodded, pushing her feet down on the ground. She was about to remove her dress when she heard a little commotion outside.
"It's him," the maidservant muttered as if knowing the reason for the noise.
Jenna glanced at the girl, her brows raised in question.
"He's been hunting since last night, birds, antelope, even a boar. I don't know who he's trying to impress, but I'm jealous it's not me," the servant said with a shrug before disappearing into the bathroom.
Jenna pressed her lips. She didn't know why, but she felt like she knew who the servant was talking about. Taking a step closer to her window, she shifted the curtain to the side and peeked.
Outside the house, a lot of servants gathered around one man as he dropped his last kill for the day among other piles. All healthy animals, from birds to wild animals.
"If you'll sell the skin, I'll buy with gold," someone from the crowd offered loudly. "I'll take the antelope too."
"Nobody takes anything until my lady points her reject."
Jenna blinked, pushing the curtain further. She recognized that voice from anywhere.
"You mean everything here belongs to one person? And a woman at that?" another fellow asked from the crowd.
Rhane stood up straight, a few strands of his hair covering his face. "Not just any woman, one that rules my heart," he replied, staring at the person that had spoken with a dull gaze.
"Do you have a problem with that?" He asked.
"Ehm... not at all," the person replied quickly, swallowing the rest of their words.
Feeling someone's eyes on him, Rhane turned towards Jenna's room, but Jenna was quick to duck.
"Sweet gracious!" Jenna grabbed her chest, breathing heavily. "Has he lost his mind?" she asked herself, biting her lips.
The maidservant that had joined Jenna after leaving the bathroom nodded. "He really has lost his mind, going through the dangers of the forest for a woman? Tch," she tutted.
"Who is the woman... and most especially who is he?" She squinted, trying to get a closer look at Rhane. "Why is he looking at this place?"
Jenna blinked. She knew exactly why Rhane was looking at her room, because she was the woman he'd gone hunting for.
"I hope he quits with the nuisance before our master hears of it. The Scourge is known to hate silliness," the girl chimed, rubbing her hand on her dress.
Jenna pressed her lips. Rhane really kept his identity hidden so well that even his servants weren't aware of who he is.
"My Lady, your bath is ready." The girl stared at Jenna, who was sitting on the ground, and she cocked her head to the side. "Let me know if you find anything uncomfortable. I heard you're a great visitor to our master."
Jenna stood up from the ground awkwardly, pressing her back against the wall. "About your master, what kind of person is he?"
"He—" the girl began but chewed her lips. "I still have my family... if I die they'll..."
Jenna narrowed her eyes. "Why will you die?" She noticed the girl was now fiddling with her hands. "I won't tell a soul, I promise... I won't."
The girl chewed her upper lip, her taste for gossip subduing her will to stay alive. She closed the curtains, ran to the door to make sure it was locked, then returned to Jenna.
Jenna stood in awe of the precautions the girl had to take before speaking about her master.
The girl cleared her throat and began, "Our master...only a few have seen him before... and among those few, about three or less stayed alive after."
Jenna blinked. Including her and Percy would be four alive.
"I heard he's a beast and kills everything in his way. He hates people, especially women!"
Jenna had her mouth open, judging every bit of the girl's information that went against what she knew about Rhane.
"No woman ever dared to look at his face, and I also heard he hates them because of his mother. The Scourge is really a scary man... I don't think any woman can stand before him," the girl said, shaking her head. There was fear in her eyes as she spoke.
Jenna rubbed her forehead. "But he knelt before me..." she muttered.
"Huh?" the maidservant asked.
Jenna gave a soft chuckle. "Nothing at all, thank you for telling me." Yet she wondered, How could the gentle man who knelt at her feet be the same one feared across the land? Was she wrong or was everyone else?
The maidservant nodded slowly. "Whatever you do, avoid him... unlike that young man being romantic to his woman, whoever he is. Just think of the Scourge as an opposite. He'd kill whoever crosses his face."
Only if the girl knew... Jenna said in her mind while nodding to the girl's harmless advice.
"I'll leave you now to bathe," the girl bowed and quietly skittered out of the room.
Jenna raked her fingers through her hair. Rhane's personality was different from the Scourge. While Rhane was soft-spoken and even acted as her servant, the Scourge was a brutal killer who could kill faster than a human could inhale.
"What have you gotten yourself into," Jenna mumbled, slowly walking to the bathroom.
Now left alone in the room, Jenna slipped into the bath wearing just her loose chemise. Her hair falling out spread on the ground, her head resting on the bathtub.
More than being afraid of the dangerous man Rhane could be, and especially his ties to Gerald...Jenna was ashamed of herself.
Twice now, her body had betrayed her. As much she wanted to deny util now, she'd burned with want, even while her mind screamed to run.
She sank deeper into the bath, water rising to her neck, as if she could drown the heat still curling in her belly. What kind of woman aches for a man she doesn't trust?
Not just any man, but one who might wear the mask of a killer. One who could be lying about everything.
"Shameless," she whispered to the empty room. "You're absolutely shameless, Jenna."
Her leg moved on its own, rising through the water only to fall again in a sharp splash. She stared at it like it belonged to someone else. How could she expect him to take her seriously, when all she had offered him was lust?
This wasn't who she was. She used to be cautious, guarded. Now she dropped her skirts and reason in the same breath. Jenna squeezed her eyes shut, willing her mind to focus. Rhane might be dangerous. He might be the enemy. And here she was, fantasizing about the same lips that might one day speak her death sentence.
It took her an hour in the bath just to wash the guilt off. But the desire? That clung tighter than any dirt ever could.
Done with bathing, Jenna grabbed a dry towel from the stool beside her, using it to clean her body first before tying it around her body. Once she entered back inside the room, she heard a soft noise on her window.
Opening the window, Percy threw from outside a small parchment, with his finger over his mouth.
"Percy?" Jenna whispered, picking up the parchment the servant had thrown in. Her breath hitched when she read the words slowly.
'I have a plan ready, we can flee today. Meet me here before dusk.'
"Master?"
Jenna's heart flew out of the window when she heard Rhane's voice. She squeezed the parchment tightly.
"What is that you're holding, Jenna?" Rhane's voice shifted from one of softness to a cold tone.
With her back facing Rhane, Jenna's eyes darted around the room for what to do. She didn't want to risk her life or Percy's own.
"Look at me," Rhane entered further inside the room, his stride slow and calculative, but the sole of his heavy boots announced he was getting closer.
Left with no other option, Jenna dropped the parchment and kicked it under the bed with her leg, but also dropped the towel on her body to distract Rhane.
"What—" Rhane halted in his steps. "What are you doing?" he asked, throwing his face to the side.
Jenna swallowed, trying to gain her courage before she replied, "Doing exactly what you want... isn't my body what you want to have? After everything Gerald told you?"
"What?" Rhane turned this time, his gaze filled with fury.
Jenna nodded, pressing her legs together, her sweaty palms rubbing against each other. "I'm just saving us both trouble, you get what you want, and I stop pretending I'm not already broken." she replied coldly.