Tangled By Fate

'What is he doing in there? Veronica wondered. 'Doesn't he want to eat? I'm so hungry. He should be hungry too. I should check.'

She went inside his office and opened the door using the magic ring she was given by him. She found him sitting on his chair and working on something. "Arthur, won't you come and have breakfast with me?" she asked him. 

"I'll be down in a minute," Arthur replied busily. 

"What are you doing?" Veronica was curious. She stepped closer and saw him putting a red cloth in the glass box. "Is this what I think it is?" she was astonished after recognizing the bedsheet. "Arthur, what are you doing? This is our bedsheet and this is not washed yet. it has blood and…" She was at a loss for words. "Arthur, why are you keeping it in the box?"     

"I'm going to keep it here. I want to see this every day." That's what Arthur said.

Veronica refuted, "This is insane! You cannot do this. How can you let something like that stay in your office? This is so embarrassing." 

Arthur chuckled. "Will it be OK if you cannot see this when you come to my office?"

Veronica shook her head. "That's not the point here. This is not a hygienic thing to do. I should have washed it."

Arthur stayed quiet for a while and then responded, "It's here for a reason. I want to see this every day and remind myself that you have given yourself to me while enduring this pain. This will help me to calm down if I ever go berserk. Maybe this way I can avoid bloodshed."

"There is a better way to do this." Veronica truly didn't feel comfortable.

"I know you feel uncomfortable. You worry that someone will see it. But don't worry. I'll put an invisible spell on it. Only I can see it afterward. This is our mark of us being one. This is precious to me. In case you didn't know that it is a ritual. Every Master of the Magic Tower has to do it after their first night. After they die, they will be wrapped with the cloth and sent to the underground," Arthur explains to her.

There were lots of rules she didn't know about. She was supposed to learn them before marriage. But there were workloads and they needed some assistance who could keep their mouths shut while helping them. Veronica was among those trusted people. Not just anyone could work at Arthur and Ovior's office.

Most magicians had hidden intentions. Even if they didn't have any hidden intention, they could do anything for their family members. At first, the security wasn't that tight. The incident of the crystal magic stone being stolen was a good lesson for them.

"Oh, so that's what it was." Veronica was relieved. She thought he had some kind of weird fetish. "Do you need any help?"

Arthur replied, "I do need your help. But we can do it later. Go to the dining hall. Fill your stomach first and then come back."

"I… want to eat with you," Veronica bashfully confessed. "It's our first meal after the wedding."

Arthur smiled. "You are right. We should have a meal together. Wait for a while. I'll be done in a minute." Then, he suggested, "How about we eat in the bedroom? We will get some privacy."

Veronica understood what he wanted to hint at. She quickly shook her head. She shyly averted her gaze and stated, "No need. If we don't use the dining hall to eat, what is the dining hall for?"

Arthur proposed a plan, "We can have a private dining room up there. It will be great."

"That's not a bad idea. I think it's a good idea." Her face beamed. "How about having our small kitchen? You can cook for me if I want to eat something. You can teach me too."

Arthur glanced at her. "…Don't you like our chef's cooking? I was sure that you would like his cooking. Your taste is almost similar to mine." Afterward, he thought, 'I thought I would make the Head Chef her personal chef. I guess it won't work.'

Veronica told him, "I do like his cooking. In fact, I might have a hard time eating somewhere else after I have tasted his cooking. But I like your cooking the most."

Arthur stared at her for a while and then the corner of his lips raised. "Looks like I will have to be your personal chef," he replied.

Veronica's face was glowing in happiness. "I knew you would agree. Thank you so much."

"Uhuh, you cannot say 'thank you'," Arthur forbade her.

Veronica was confused. She inquired, "Then, what should I say?"

Arthur had his answer ready. "You have to say – 'I love you, husband. You are the best – that one."

"…" Veronica was speechless. 'Do I have to get used to it?' she pondered. She saw that he was patiently waiting for her to speak. She lowered her head, trying to hide her expression. After that, she opened her mouth and said in a low tone, "I love you, husband. You are the best."

Her voice was hardly audible but Arthur heard her. Even so, he insisted that he didn't. "I couldn't hear you properly, wife. What was it?"

"Oh, you! Just go and check your ears!" Veronica stomped her foot. She was blushing hard.

"We can go to the bed if you want." Arthur shrugged.

'Not again!' She was shocked at how easily he threatened her. 'If I don't do this, I will not be able to eat another day,' she thought. She raised her voice and said, "I love you, husband. You are the best. Now, finish your work. I'm dying of hunger!"

"That's better." Arthur smiled in satisfaction. He was done with the glass box and then pointed his finger in the corner of the box, "You have to sign your name here."

After she was done, they went to the dining hall together. Looking at the gloomy Catherine and Sebastian, Veronica was surprised.

"What's wrong with you two?" she asked them.

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ANNOUNCEMENT:

Dear Readers, chapter 1 has been re-uploaded. Please re-read it when you have time.