Earlier, Jenna had left the room, her heart heavy with sadness. She didn't want to leave the young man behind, as it seemed he couldn't even remember anything about himself.
Yet, she wanted to put herself first. That was one thing she decided after leaving her husband- to put herself first.
If she tried to attack the lady nurse, it might raise a dust she wouldn't like. Jenna didn't want trouble; she only wanted to live and leave.
"My lady, the carriage is ready," Percy said the moment he saw his mistress.
Jenna nodded, pushing the thoughts behind her. It didn't matter; at least the woman was going to give the young man a roof and a home.
"My lady, you look down. Did something happen inside?" Percy asked, knowing how cheerful his mistress was despite the things she's been through.
It was as though the question was the only thing Jenna needed. She halted in her tracks.
"I'm the master, right? He thinks I'm his master! So I can be!" Jenna patted Percy on the shoulder and nodded.
"Thank you, Percy!" she said, running back inside the inn.
Percy blinked. He was confused as to what had just happened. He pointed at the carriage, then at his mistress.
"That's not the way inside the carriage," he muttered.
Now inside the inn, Jenna stood defensively in front of the young man, who was staring down at her.
After her speech to the caregiver, who was fuming, Jenna turned, almost bumping into the huge figure.
"Let's go," she whispered.
The lady at the inn held Jenna's jacket to her body. "You're going to regret this if you take him. He looks dangerous. You don't know what he might do if he regains his memory."
Jenna bit her lip. She couldn't deny that she was also worried about that. She turned to look at the young man.
"Let's just hope you're not the kind of lion that feeds on its master after recovery." It was Jenna's wishful thinking.
Getting to their carriage, Jenna moved aside for the young man to enter, but he didn't.
"Mistress, why is the man with you?" Percy asked, puffing his chest out to mark territory or whatever was in his mind to mark.
Jenna pointed at the stranger and then at Percy.
"Well...we will have to accommodate him... for now."
Percy frowned. "For now? My lady, this man looks- no," he shook his head. "He's dangerous! Look at him! His body, face, hair."
"No, no, Percy. He is not. The thing is...he is," Jenna didn't want to offend the young man. She leaned closer to her servant and whispered.
"He is like a child...his mind. Hitting his head made him that way. He doesn't remember anything," Jenna revealed, pointing at her own head and waving her hand to explain better.
Percy scowled, his nose flaring. "And you believe that?! With his size? This man is okay! Perfectly normal."
"Percy, be nice," Jenna hissed, eyeing her servant and then turning to give the stranger a smile.
The young servant wasn't going to be fooled easily, even if his mistress believed. He needed to prove it to her.
"My lady, I've met men like him! He just- Fine, I'll prove to you that he is not a child or has memory loss or whatever act he put up in there." Shaking his head, cracking his knuckles, and stretching his body, Percy took two...rather three bold steps closer to the stranger.
"You! I know what you are, and I'll reveal it to my mistress. You're trying to get under her skin because she is nice! But I won't let it happen. Percy won't!"
"Percy, stop!" Jenna called after her servant. He was her only trusted servant because he was crazy. He only listened to her, but right now, all evidence proved to the contrary.
But...Jenna understood him. And Percy had his use.
"I'm going to hit you so hard and get your memory back!" Percy stretched his hand forward, moved it closer to the stranger.
Seeing that he was too tall, the servant tiptoed and then slapped him. The stranger fell to his knees.
"Heavens! Percy!" Jenna shouted, this time meaning her words.
Percy raised his hand and stared at the young man. "Was that me? I mean, I know I was strong, but...I must have improved over the years."
"Master," the stranger held his face, his eyes on Jenna.
Jenna covered her mouth with her hands, almost crying. "Percy, why did you hit him!" she scolded, pushing her servant to the side. She went to kneel beside the young man.
"I'm so sorry. Percy is not a bad person- crazy sometimes, but not bad." Jenna patted him on his back.
Percy dropped his hands to his side. "What?" He pointed at his mistress, then at the young man. "My lady, you're kind and good, but that young man isn't forgetting his memory. He is—"
"That's enough, Percy!" Jenna scolded, this time her voice laced with seriousness.
Percy recognized the warning and backed down, though his eyes were still filled with doubt. But he loved his mistress too much to counter when she was being serious.
"Stand," Jenna said, helping the young man stand to his feet. Though her strength added little or no effort, she still grunted.
The young man stood behind Jenna. For a fleeting moment, his eyes fell on Percy, then he looked away.
"My lady, did you see tha—" Percy began but stopped when Jenna sucked her teeth to get him to shut up.
"We are leaving, back to the Merchant Village. We'll return to town by tomorrow," Jenna ordered, turning to the young man.
"Don't be afraid. Let's go."
Jenna led him inside the carriage. Once the man entered, she watched him bend his neck so much before fitting in. The weight of the carriage dipped to a side as he sat down, the same way it did when they brought him.
Jenna's carriage was too little for the big stranger.
"Percy, with the coachman," Jenna ordered, ignoring her servant even when he grumbled.
Now inside the carriage, Jenna sat opposite the young man. She tried to look elsewhere, but every time she turned her eyes, the young man was staring at her.
Without blinking!
"S-So what is your name?" Jenna asked, with her hands placed on her lap. She tried to act casual, like she was not afraid of the big man she had just rescued.
The young man didn't tear his gaze from Jenna. He gave her a small smile. "My name is- Rh—" The carriage bumped noisily, swallowing his first words.
"Ane Hendrick."
Jenna heard something totally different.
Jenna blinked. It was weird for a man to bear a woman's name. Either the young man didn't remember his name and just said anything, or she misheard. She nodded and played along.
"Anne is a good name, um...not popular but unique." She turned to look at the man, and when she saw he was staring at her, she quickly turned away.
"Uhm...I'm Jenna," Jenna decided to introduce herself. "Lady Jenna."
"Master?" he repeated.
Jenna nodded. "Well, yes...um, Jenna is Anne's master," she muttered, finding it even weirder to tag a man as Anne. She just hoped she could find his family with his last name.
Hendrick.
A unique name, too- one Jenna wasn't quite familiar with. Seeing that the man was still staring, Jenna cleared her throat.
"Ehm...you can look elsewhere. Like um," Jenna opened the window properly.
"The sky, the trees," she suggested.
Like water on rock, the stranger kept staring at Jenna like he didn't hear her.
"Or...you can keep looking at me." Jenna smiled awkwardly, her face slightly flushed with a blush.
It was going to be one hell of a long carriage ride.
Jenna bounced her feet on the carriage floor nervously.