Jenna stood there, her eyes widening in shock as she watched the young man punch someone.
"Did you jus-" she tried to drag him back but he wouldn't budge.
Everyone in the merchant village backed away, suspiciously staring at the man now before them. Fear was written on the faces of everyone gathered.
The man who was punched groaned, holding his bleeding mouth.
"Blood! Blood!" he cried, flailing his hands, but nobody came to his rescue.
All eyes were on the burly young man Jenna had returned with.
"She brought a man to scare us," someone whispered in the crowd.
Percy scrambled up from the ground and ran to hide behind Rhane.
"Yes! He is not scared of anyone, and if you come close, he is going to—"
Rhane looked down at Percy, then moved away from his side and went to stand beside Jenna.
Percy swallowed hard when the crowd returned their attention to him, and he ran back to stand close to Rhane.
"Jenna, who is this man?" an elderly man asked, holding the pouch on his waist. "We need to know if he is friend or foe!"
Jenna stepped forward, her hands raised in a gesture to calm the gathered crowd.
"He is a friend… now works for me. His name is—" she cleared her throat. "Anne."
One of the women frowned. "Anne?" she asked, and Jenna nodded.
"Well, um..." she craned her neck. "Yes, and he is staying with me."
Soft mutterings began in the crowd until they became loud enough for Jenna to hear.
"Acted like a saint, now she's bringing men to please her. Tch!"
The crowd spat and cursed before slowly dispersing. They left behind Jenna and her workers.
The man who had been hit earlier struggled to stand up. Before leaving, he pointed an accusing finger at Jenna.
"You- I'll make you pay for—"
A low growl was heard from Rhane, and the man quickly scrambled out of there.
Jenna released her breath. She had just returned home, and in one day, there had been so much drama. She turned to look at the young man.
"I can't hide you, can I? What are you saying Jenna," She asked herself palming her face. He was even too big to hide for a minute.
Turning away, she faced Percy. "And you... I've asked you to ignore them. We are used to all of this."
"We shouldn't be used to disrespect, My Lady," Percy countered. He didn't like it when his mistress was insulted, knowing just how kind she was- and still is.
Percy sighed. "We can use him. See how scared everyone was of him?" He hinted at Rhane.
"We can make them think he is tough! And his punch is so heavy, we could train him to fight for us! His big body should be put to use."
Rhane glanced at Percy and lazily looked away.
"Stop the nonsense you're sprouting, Percy. I don't accept violence, and Anne won't be trained to inflict harm on others," Jenna scolded.
She firsthand knew what violence could do and had resolved never to hurt her fellow human. She couldn't even stand in the face of a violent act, it reminded her how she used to be on the receiving end of it.
And it wasn't funny.
"Let's get inside and rest. It's been a long day," Jenna said, turning away.
Like a loyal dog, Rhane took a step to follow his master, but Percy stopped him.
"You… You want to protect Master too, don't you? That's the only reason I'm accepting you, but if you—"
Rhane moved to the other side and walked away while Percy was still talking.
"See that, My Lady? He isn't like a child! He is arrogant and knows what he is doing," Percy gritted his teeth, running after them.
Once inside, Jenna crashed on her bed, her hand over her face. She had been so stressed out from the journey back and forth to meeting the thieves and engaging in banter with other merchants.
"All I want to do is just stay on my own," Jenna muttered, standing up from the bed. She untied the belt around her waist and removed her shirt, leaving only the piece tied to cover her breast.
Jenna walked toward the wine jar on her table and took a gulp before dropping it.
So far, everything had been good for her. All she needed to do was find a way to help the stranger she had found and send him back on his way.
"Master?"
Jenna heard the velvet voice and sighed. "Speak of the devil." She donned a shirt on her body first before going to open the door.
"Anne," she gave him a smile. "I wanted to rest before introducing you to the other workers."
Jenna moved to the side and allowed him to enter, seeing how he stood there gazing.
"Um… so this is my room. I stay alone here," Jenna decided to explain and do the introductions.
"I'll show you a room where you can share with Percy, and maybe something you can do until you get your memory or even your family comes along."
Jenna removed some of the things on her bed and pointed around the room.
"Can't I stay beside Master forever?"
Jenna bit her lip when she heard this. It sounded familiar yet different. It was the same words her first love had told her the night before she broke his heart.
'Jenna, can't we be together forever?'
Jenna looked down at her trembling hands and exhaled forcefully. She didn't deserve anything good. She only deserved pain for breaking a man's heart.
That was why she had met a beast like her husband...someone who had almost had her killed. Jenna pressed her hands tightly while staring into space.
She wished she could go back in time, but that was only a mere thought that would never happen. Not even for her. She had lost her chance at love, and it was obvious it would never come for her.
"Sorry, Anne. I was—" When Jenna turned, she was enclosed, wrapped like a leaf in Rhane's arms.
"What are you doing?" Jenna asked, trying to lift her face from his chest.
"Master wants to cry… I should hug Master."
Jenna tightened her eyes shut and pressed her head even closer to his chest. The hug felt so warm, and Jenna felt safe.
She didn't know how to put it, but the feeling was like running under a heavy rain all day, almost giving up, but then finding a small cottage at the end. A cottage with a warm fireplace, broth cooking, and a warm bath drawn.
That was how Jenna felt in this young man's arms. So she let it happen. She let herself enjoy the shelter of this warm cottage.
"Master is so small," Rhane whispered, leaning down to get to her level.
Jenna chuckled, not because it was funny but because her husband had clearly shamed her for being too fat and ugly. Jenna, compared to other women, wasn't thin and slender.
Her thighs were heavy, making her hips wider and her buttocks even bigger. She was very thick compared to other women, which was why the men in trade with her always wanted a piece of her but never wanted to marry her.
"And Anne is so big," Jenna replied, rubbing her head on his chest.