Kitanna
Chapter 237: A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

Chapter 237: A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: CARRIAGE RIDE ~ TORI AMOS]

The rest of the day, Axilla made sure to avoid seeing Cortez. Her body had been exposed to him countless times, and it was becoming alarming. First, when he helped her treat the wound on her back, then at Avon inside the bathtub, and now again this morning with her chest touching his body. As an unmarried woman, her body had been seen too much by Cortez.

"What if he decides not to court me because I’m too loose?" Axilla muttered to herself in a low voice. She shook her head, getting rid of the thoughts. "He didn’t see me," she nodded.

Kayla, who was passing by, saw Axilla hiding her face behind a pillar. She tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Ah! You startled me!" Axilla held her chest while glaring at her friend.

Kayla twitched her lips, "Why? Did you do something wrong?" She narrowed her eyes.

Axilla pressed her lips before saying, "What do you mean something wrong? Did you see me showing myself to anyone?" The girl blurted out when she realized what she said, she coughed slightly.

Kayla nodded, "You definitely did something wrong." She looked toward one of the rooms and asked, "What about Chief Cortez? How is he now? I didn’t know you both have gotten that close." Kayla brought her two pointer fingers together while giving Axilla a knowing look.

Axilla nudged the girl, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." She blinked, looking away briefly before asking, "What about you? Where are you going with the basket?"

Kayla looked down at the basket she was carrying, "Oh this? I’m going to buy fresh fruits in the market. I want to try making juice like the one served at Lady Jenna’s mansion," the young girl replied.

Axilla nodded her head; she had also wanted to try it out later. "Can I join you? Let’s do it together."

"Sure! Let’s go." Kayla locked her arm with Axilla’s as they went out to the market.

At the market, the girls passed different stalls, trying out hairpins and street foods while also checking for the freshest fruits.

Axilla and Kayla were almost through with what they were buying and were now on their way to leave the market.

"Axilla! Let’s try those! It’s milkbun rolls." Kayla dragged Axilla to the open store.

Axilla noticed that others stood in line waiting to get the same product, and she wondered what made them special.

"Sir, give us two sticks of the milkbun rolls," Kayla ordered, getting two nickels from her purse to pay the man.

But the seller shook his head, "Come back next time; someone already paid for everything." The man waved them away.

Axilla widened her eyes; someone paid for everything without considering others? It must be a noble person. They always try to have everything good for themselves.

Kayla, who was not having it, refused to leave the stall. "What do you mean sir? Not even one roll? We will pay extra," the girl said, her voice almost getting high.

"I’m not selling to you; come back next time," the man replied nonchalantly.

Kayla frowned at this, "People like you are the reason why this society is going down the drain. Do we not deserve to get something good too? How much were you paid not to sell?" The girl queried angrily.

Axilla held the young girl, trying to drag her out from the place. "Don’t worry, Kayla, we can come back next time. People are watching."

Truly, people started gathering at the scene, leaving what they were buying to inch closer and watch if a fight was going to happen. Axilla, who didn’t want the attention, tried to drag her friend out of the stall.

"What’s going on here?" A female voice asked from behind.

Axilla recognized the voice and turned to look at the person. "Lady Jenna," she bowed.

The noblewoman smiled, "Didn’t know I’ll be seeing you here. What is the problem?" Jenna asked.

Axilla rubbed her temples, "We were trying to buy those, but the man said it’s already paid for. Kayla here didn’t take it lightly," she narrated.

Jenna walked toward the stall and said to the man, "I want half of the milkbun rolls," she dropped two cold coins on the counter.

The stall owner widened his eyes at the money; without hesitation, he packed half of the buns and handed it over to the noblewoman.

Kayla scowled, "See? He was looking down on us. Did you all see that?" She pointed at the man accusingly, anger seething through her ears.

Lady Jenna picked up the snack before leaving. She said to the owner of the stall, "You shouldn’t act this way. If you’re looking down on people, then you’re to be regarded as the lowest human. They are people too, who would enjoy your product like every other person."

Before they left the stall, Kayla made sure to sneer at the man.

Now standing away from the stall, Axilla bowed in gratitude. "Thank you so much for today."

Lady Jenna shook her head, "It’s nothing. Next time when it happens, you can mention that you work for Cortez. He is popular around here; nobody would deny selling to people who work for him," the woman advised.

Axilla nodded, "I didn’t know you come to the market yourself; thought you have maids for that."

Lady Jenna smiled, "I do, but sometimes I do it to get some air."

Axilla, who didn’t notice the woman’s face earlier, now saw the side of her eyes that had a little discoloration. Thinking it was a stain, Axilla used her handkerchief to clean it off.

"Ah!" Lady Jenna winced.

Axilla took a step back, "Oh sorry, thought it was—"

The smile on Lady Jenna’s face fell, and she said, "If you are not in a haste, can we have tea at that inn over there? I don’t want to go back home yet."

Axilla nodded in agreement. Following the woman behind, they entered an inn that didn’t have many customers. When they settled down, the innkeeper came to get their order.

"Just tea would be fine. Two cups, please," Lady Jenna ordered. Turning to Axilla, she said, "Hope you enjoyed your time in the market. Anyone around here would notice that is your first time."

Axilla widened her eyes, "Really? Didn’t know it shows on the face, but I did enjoy my time," she replied.

Lady Jenna smiled, "I really envy you, Axilla," the woman blurted out in a sad voice.

Axilla smiled, "I envy you too; you’re kind, married, and comfortable."

The woman chuckled, "I wish those were enough. What people see is only what I let see. As you must have noticed, I’m not really happy with my husband, but I don’t know what to do. I’ve already betrayed Cortez in the past," she revealed.

Axilla gripped her gown tightly, waiting to hear what the woman had to say.

Lady Jenna continued, "You may want to ask why? It’s easy. I was young. When Cortez had told me about his interest, we were still very young. I liked him really, but I guess not enough. When he showed me the scar on his back, I became scared of him, avoided him, and one day ended up on another man’s bed. I was just young and reckless," she muttered.

Lady Jenna stared at Axilla, "You are not asking me which scar, seems like you’ve seen it? It didn’t look normal for a young boy to have such a scar, so it scared me. Are you not scared of him?"

Axilla shook her head. Rather than fear, it made her drawn to Cortez. It made her want to hold his hand and let him know that he is never alone. "I’m not scared; it makes me sad that he had to go through the pains the scar came with all by himself. For him to have shown you, he must have really trusted you," she remarked.

Lady Jenna nodded, with a sad face. "But I blew it, only to end up like this. Why exactly does my husband hit me, even when I’ve already forgotten Cortez and moved on? Do you think I can ever be saved?"

Axilla moved closer to hold the woman’s hand, "Nobody else can save you, except you. I don’t know what has happened, but it’s all in the past. Try moving with the flow of the present, and always know you have people like me cheering you."

By the time the two women finished their conversation, it was already evening. Axilla and Kayla were the first to leave. Lady Jenna watched as their carriage left; she sighed.

"I’m really glad Cortez found the right one. He deserves it," she muttered. Walking to her carriage, she was stopped by someone.

"Excuse me, Milady, I’m a traveler with my friend. We just arrived here so late, can we stay in your place a few days before we continue? I’m really scared of asking any other person. I heard people get conned easily around here," the man said in a smooth voice.

Lady Jenna’s maid, who was standing behind her, whispered, "Don’t accept them; there are stories that thieves now disguise as travelers."

Lady Jenna nodded, looking at the man one more time she replied, "What is your name, and where are you going to?"

"I am Venantius, and this is Dominique. I promise we are not thieves. Here is a bag of gold coins if you don’t trust us; we can sit with the coachman if it’s not too much hassle. We are also avoiding thieves," the man replied.

Lady Jenna waved her hand, "Don’t worry, the carriage can accommodate one more person; the other should sit with the coachman. I can only let you stay in my mansion for three days," she replied.

Venantius nodded with a subtle grin, "Aha! three days, just enough. I knew you were a kind woman the moment I saw you."

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