Kitanna
Chapter 243: STANDING TALL

Chapter 243: STANDING TALL

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: EYE OF THE TIGER ~ SURVIVOR]

Axilla, after spending a great time with Lady Hash, finally allowed the woman to rest. It was already mid-afternoon; she had lost track of time yet she still couldn’t get enough. After helping the woman tuck properly in bed, she left to find Kayla. Cortez had left very early in the morning and he was not yet back; she was worried he was still mad at her for the way she reacted the other night.

"But Lady Hash said he won’t be angry." She bit her lower lip gently, searching for Kayla all around the place. When she didn’t see her, Axilla decided to stay in the flower garden all by herself.

"Cortez really loves flowers; I wish to know about them just like him." She muttered to herself, touching each flower gently, avoiding to rip them out. She paused in her movement when she remembered the figure she had seen earlier.

Axilla tapped her finger slightly on her lips, "I’m sure it was that weird man, but he looks really familiar. Maybe I would ask him next time we meet." The girl was lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when three noblewomen stepped into the garden.

"Ehmm," Axilla was startled when she heard someone clear their throat. She thought it was just her in the garden.

She quickly bowed at the sight of the noblewomen, one of which was the lady who she had a brawl with at the tailor’s shop. Axilla noticed the look of distaste on the woman’s face, and she knew their bad blood still existed, but she didn’t say anything. She started leaving the garden; she didn’t want trouble.

Lady Marianne, who had glossed her lips full red again like she did that day at the tailor’s shop, chewed on something, making her look very annoying akin to a snub-nosed monkey.

"I told you all that she’s crazy, did you not see her talking to herself earlier?" The woman said loud enough for Axilla to hear it. Her two underlings nodded in agreement as they snickered behind their leader.

Axilla sighed; there was no need to stop and answer them; the women were only trying to provoke her with their words. She ignored them and went on her way, but one of them pushed her shoulder that she almost lost her balance.

"Where do you think you’re going to? You crazy girl. You’ve lost your mind, now you want Chief Cortez to lose his mind while chasing you. What were you saying earlier to yourself? Tell us if you’re not crazy." The snub-nosed monkey noblewoman said now walking closer to where Axilla was standing.

Axilla pressed her lips, "I don’t need to prove my sanity to likes of you. Please if you don’t mind, don’t try to stop me again, else it will be you looking for my trouble. Have a nice day." The girl bowed.

Lady Marianne spat on the ground, "Do not wish me a nice day before my life rubs with your ill and miserable life. A young lady without a family name!" The woman spat again, and her underlings followed suit.

Axilla stopped in her tracks, and she furrowed her brows. She didn’t want to give these women the privilege of hurting her with their words, but at the same time, it was true she didn’t have a family name.

"Why? Are you no longer going to run your mouth now that I have said the truth? Is it finally dawning on you that you don’t have a family name? Who knows? Maybe your innocent mother found out that you would ruin her life with your bad luck and madness so she abandoned you... haha..." The woman continued to taunt Axilla with her words.

Axilla’s voice now turned shaky as she tried to blink her tears back, "Don’t talk about my mother like that!" She defended.

Lady Marianne grinned, "Like you even have one... haha," she snickered, covering her mouth with her hands.

"What do you want from me? Please leave me alone." Axilla begged the woman; she had tried to swallow everything life pushed to her, but the height of it was telling her she didn’t belong anywhere.

Axilla never worried herself about having a mother or both parents; to her, it was never a necessity; she had all the love given to her by people around her. But now, this woman in front of her was marking out boldly that there was a possibility her own birth parents didn’t want her.

Lady Marianne flicked her finger in the air, brushing off invisible dust from her shoulder. She looked at the girl who was now being moved by her words, and it made the noblewoman so happy. She raised her shoulders very high proudly and said, "I want you to show your real self to Cortez. You chameleon! Show him you’re mad and you need help."

"But I’m not mad..." Axilla’s voice trailed.

Lady Marianne scoffed, "Then explain why you were talking to yourself earlier, explain why you tore your own dress at the tea party that night just to get attention. You’re just a crazy nameless girl looking for who to ruin!"

Axilla used her hand to cover her face; her body shook terribly.

Lady Marianne, who thought the girl was finally crying, lifted her chin up in victory. She was waiting for the day to make this girl grovel at her feet. A girl that had the guts to fight with her, she was going to make her life miserable.

"You don’t need to cry, all you have to do is pack your things and go hide in the cave you belong. Nobody wants to see your hideous face, and Cortez deserves better than to be with someone like you. He deserves someone like Lady Jenna, or even someone like m-"

"You?" Axilla cut the woman short. They were all surprised to see the girl’s face when she raised it up. Instead of tears, her cheeks were red. Axilla held her stomach and started laughing again. Then she paused to look at the woman before she started laughing again; this time she waved her hand.

Marianne, who didn’t understand what was going on with the girl, turned to look at her underlings, and they all shook their heads. The noblewoman had wanted to break the girl with her words, but the girl was only laughing, and it pissed her off.

"What is so funny?" she asked angrily.

Axilla’s laugh finally died down as she crossed her hand on her chest. "I was really going to take your words seriously, but the way your lips keep moving was distracting me. I bet you don’t have a mirror at home because if you do, you wouldn’t be calling me hideous. Except you don’t know what that word means." The girl retorted, her stance steady and her words filled with confidence. She looked at the noblewoman straight in the eyes, without blinking.

"What? Are you talking to me?" Lady Marianne asked, pointing at her chest. Then looking side to side to be sure the girl wasn’t mistaken.

Axilla nodded, "Of course, except you now have a hearing problem. Talking about someone losing their mind, I should start with you because I don’t know why you would dress up and leave your perfect and great house to come to where I stay only to insult me. First question, what are you doing here?"

Lady Marianne gulped, "I- I came to get my silk- why am I even answering you? I am bigger than you, so you should answer to me, not the other way round." The young woman pursed her lips.

Axilla shook her head, "I only give respect to those who deserve it. And don’t ever put yourself and Lady Jenna in the same sentence, while she deserves the respect accorded to her and also her title. You on the other hand should get your brain checked, except you are obsessed with me. Now I know why Cortez couldn’t settle with any woman around after Lady Jenna; it’s because of the brains you have." Axilla sighed, rubbed her temples gently.

"How dare you!" Marianne, who was now fuming angrily, raised her hands to slap Axilla, but it was held midair.

Axilla held the girl’s hands firmly, "Don’t you even dare; you can’t come to my house, insult me and still hit me." She dropped the woman’s hands harshly, pushing her in the process.

"Ah, my hand, look she hurt me. Look at my wrist." The noblewoman started shedding tears, raising her hands for her underlings to see.

The underlings charged, to gang up on Axilla, but they were stopped when someone threw a stone that almost hit one of them.

"Who is that crazy person!" One of the underlings asked angrily.

Kayla stepped out, holding a long stick, "That should be me," she remarked, pushing the stick that was on her mouth to the other side she continued.

"Correct me if I’m wrong; three noblewomen came to get their goods but wandered about to fight with the woman of this house? I should report to Chief Cortez that some women tried to hit his wife-to-be. Let’s see if he can cut off their family from getting the best goods." The girl said loudly.

Axilla chuckled, looking at her friend who was now acting all tough trying to protect her.

"Wife-to-be?" The two underlings whispered amongst themselves; then they turned to Axilla and bowed. "We are very sorry; she only told us that Chief Cortez was bedding you and nothing special. Please don’t tell him about us." As they said this, they ran away from there, leaving behind their leader.

Marianne gritted her teeth, "Idiots!" Then she turned back to Axilla. "You will pay for this, you nameless girl!" She cried as she ran away from there.

Axilla and Kayla burst out laughing as they watched the girl almost falling down on her face as her gown was too big for her to run.

"You did great, Axilla; I was so happy when I saw you standing for yourself. That woman deserves it; she had it coming with those annoying lips of hers." Kayla touched her friend’s shoulder.

Axilla nodded; she hoped this would be the end. She was really tired of being bullied and being reminded that she didn’t have parents. When the thought was about to make her sad, she shook her head. "Thank you, Kayla." She smiled.

"It’s nothing. What were you doing here alone?" Kayla asked as they started walking back to the main house.

Axilla paused, trying to think, "Oh, I was looking for you; when I didn’t see you, I went to the flower garden."

"Okay, let’s go inside. I think Chief Cortez would be back soon." Kayla replied.

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