Kitanna
Chapter 232: THE SKETCH IN LADY JENNA’S SANCTUARY.

Chapter 232: THE SKETCH IN LADY JENNA’S SANCTUARY.

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: WALKING THROUGH THE DARKNESS ~ ZIOR PARK]

The next morning, Axilla finished dressing up after making preparations to go and meet with Lady Jenna in her mansion. She packed sweet cookies and tea leaves as gifts for the woman, then she wrapped them carefully in a pink-colored silk bag with flowery designs. When she was sure she had packed everything properly, Axilla made her way to the carriage that was waiting for her.

She stopped in front of Cortez’s room and tried to enter, but then she stopped. He hadn’t come out since the evening they arrived from Morado, and he didn’t show up for breakfast. She pondered on whether to enter and ask him what was wrong, but then she canceled out the thought and said to herself,

"Maybe he needs some time alone. I will talk to him when I come back." Axilla let go of the doorknob and walked to the carriage where Kayla was now waiting for her.

Kayla climbed the stool and entered the carriage before Axilla joined. The carriage started moving as it headed towards the mansion that was located at an isolated part of the village. When they finally arrived, Axilla got down, carrying the silk bag with one hand and holding her gown with the other as she entered the mansion gate.

It was looking better than the first day she came for the tea party, and she wondered if it was because she saw the mansion at night. The place was painted sky blue, with simple designs for the pillars, and the whole area was well-lawned, making it appealing to the eyes.

When Axilla got to the door, a servant rushed to attend to her, taking her jacket and the silk bag she brought with her.

"I’ll wait here for you," Kayla suggested, going to sit in one of the extended sheds outside the mansion. Axilla nodded in agreement.

Another servant appeared and bowed to Axilla, saying, "Welcome, Milady. Please follow me."

Axilla followed the servant until they got to a particular room; the servant bowed and opened the door for Axilla to step inside.

The room was not dark, but it was not using the natural light from outside. It was brightly illuminated with large golden candles that surrounded the room, giving it a warm feeling.

"Good morning, Lady Axilla," Lady Jenna stepped inside the room, walking towards Axilla with a sweet smile on her face.

Axilla blinked when the woman called her ’lady’; she bowed and tried to correct her. "Good morning to you too, Lady Jenna. But I’m not a lady," she remarked.

Lady Jenna shook her head, "To me, you are. Please come in and have a seat while the servants prepare juice." The woman motioned for Axilla to get comfortable and sit.

"I trust you like juice, yes? It’s from the fresh fruits in my garden. I prefer to squeeze them when they are fresh rather than having to buy the dry ones in the market," Lady Jenna narrated.

Axilla, who never had the leisure to consider how she wanted her juice, nodded in agreement.

Lady Jenna noticed the girl was still uncomfortable; she said in a light tone, "I noticed tea didn’t work the last time, so I opted for juice," she laughed.

Axilla chuckled, finally relaxing her muscles. "I’m sorry about last time; my situation had cost you the tea party you worked hard to plan."

Lady Jenna scoffed, "I didn’t necessarily work hard; everything that was served was already available in the mansion. I just invited people to join me in drinking tea. What I mean is that you did nothing wrong, so don’t beat yourself up. I’m just glad you accepted my invitation," the woman replied.

Axilla smiled, "You’re a very nice person," then she pursed, her lips, "But I was wondering, what is this room?" She asked.

"I call it my sanctuary. It’s a place I hang all my great works. Too much sun ruins the paint, so I only open the curtains at night. But with the candles, you can see them clearly," Lady Jenna explained.

Axilla wondered what kind of great works the woman meant; she wanted to know, but at the same time, she didn’t want to look nosy.

Lady Jenna noticed the conflicted look on the girl’s face and smiled. "Do you want to see them?" she asked.

Axilla nodded her head with excitement written in her eyes, "Yes, please."

Lady Jenna said, "Follow me."

Axilla walked closely behind the woman. When they got to a particular place, Lady Jenna pulled the white cloth that covered something, revealing what was underneath.

Axilla was wowed by what she saw; it was random sketches of different things. She moved closer to look at them and asked, "Did you do these? Did you learn how to draw?"

Lady Jenna twitched her lips, "Well, you can say it’s something I picked up while growing up," the woman replied.

Axilla walked around, checking out the sketches. She couldn’t deny that the woman was truly talented. For a moment, she stopped in front of one of the sketches, that was painted; it looked abstract, unlike others. It didn’t look like an object or a person, but it made Axilla want to reach out to touch it. Then she brought down her hand.

Lady Jenna noticed this little action and it surprised her, but chose to keep quiet.

A servant finally arrived with a tray that had two cups and a plate filled with biscuits.

Axilla, who was done looking at the work of art, now settled down on her seat with a glass of cold juice in her hand. When she sipped it, she nodded her head, "It’s lovely. I can still taste the residue of a particular citrus. This is nice, and how do you make it this cold?" She took another sip.

Lady Jenna smiled, happy that the girl enjoyed her juice. "It’s the residue of orange; I don’t throw it away after squeezing the juice. I scoop out some of the particles, removing the seed, and allow it to soak in the juice. I’m glad you love it. As to how I make it cold, it’s a secret."

Axilla nodded her head but also wanted to know what this secret was.

"But I will tell it to you," Lady Jenna said, seeing an excited and anxious smile flash on the girl’s face.

"I have this earthen pot, molded with red sand, so I fill it up with clean snow then close it tightly. Surprisingly, it retains the coldness, and on days when it doesn’t snow, I fill it with water and bring it out early in the morning during the morning dews or late at night. And the water gets very cold," the woman said.

Axilla was surprised that an earthen pot could do that. She was amazed at how this noblewoman knew a lot of things, and she wondered why her husband didn’t appreciate her.

"You’re really amazing, Lady Jenna. I wish to be like you," Axilla complimented.

Lady Jenna twitched her lips, "Be careful what you wish for, Axilla," she said in a serious tone before a sweet smile finally curled her lips.

For a moment there, Axilla thought she was serious, but when she saw the smile, she relaxed a bit.

The two women continued to discuss random things, losing track of time. Finally, late in the afternoon, Axilla prepared to leave the mansion while Lady Jenna walked her to the door.

"Thank you for hosting me; I really enjoyed my stay and our discussions," Axilla said, feeling genuinely happy they didn’t get to discuss her past relationship with Cortez, which would have been awkward. Though she wanted to know what actually happened between them, she also didn’t want to know either.

Lady Jenna shook her head, "No, thank you," she said. "Your visit really warmed me up. I thought you would refuse after what happened that day, but I’m glad you’re here. We should do this more often; maybe next time, we can visit the market together. Yes?" she suggested.

Axilla, excited with the offer, nodded happily. Before she got into her carriage, Lady Jenna called her.

"Axilla... do you?" The woman stopped.

Axilla turned and asked, "Do I what?" she said.

The woman waved her hand, "Nothing, please have a safe trip back home," she rushed back inside.

Axilla furrowed her brow wondering what the woman wanted to say, before she got inside the carriage with Kayla, who was already tired after waiting outside all day. When they got to the merchant’s inn, Axilla walked straight to Cortez’s room; all the while she was with Lady Jenna, he was in her mind.

Pushing the door open, she noticed he was not inside. Axilla was almost walking away when she heard a sound coming from the bathroom. She rushed towards the bathroom, pushed the door open.

"Ah!" Axilla gasped; on the floor was Cortez, whose back was now bleeding from a deep wound.

Axilla rushed to help him up but paused in her tracks. The cut was similar to something she had seen somewhere; the sketch in Lady Jenna’s sanctuary.