Tangled By Fate

"…Just a small scratch on you can make their lives living hell. Try to understand these terms. Nothing comes for free." Ironin lectured her.

He showed his disdain for her action so openly that she was at a loss of words.

Later, she squeezed out some words, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Ironin left with a frosty expression.

Veronica went to Arthur's office but couldn't find him. The room was empty.

'Where could he have gone? Is he going to punish Sebastian?' Chills ran down her spine.

She ran to Ovior's office. Fortunately, she found Catherine. Unfortunately, Ovior was nowhere to be seen.

Catherine looked depressed. She sighed from time to time while doing her work.

"Cathy! I heard about Sebastian," Veronica stated.

Catherine exhaled sharply. "So, you know. Who told you?"

Veronica replied, "It was Ironin. He was mad at me."

Catherine's eyebrows twitched. "Urgh! That guy! He came here and lectured me a while ago. Since we are both at fault, I guess he did the same to you."

Veronica sat at the table and asked her friend, "What should we do, Cathy? It's not his fault. We made him eat spicy food and created a dangerous situation for him. He is innocent."

Catherine shook her head. She looked helpless. "We can do nothing. Ovior told me the news in the morning. I protested but it didn't work. He said that Sebastian didn't claim his innocence. He didn't even try. He took all the blame on himself."

Veronica desperately questioned her friend, "Where's Arthur? I have to meet him and tell him to let Sebastian go. I will never accept it if he gets punished because of me."

Catherine gave her a downcast look. "What can you do? What can we do? The trial has already started. Your husband is already there. So is Ovior. Sebastian is going to be punished. No one can stop that." 

Veronica grabbed her hand and stated, "There must be something we can do. We won't know if we don't try. The trial must be happening in the courtroom. I forgot where the courtroom is."

"I know where it is. Let's go together," Catherine suggested as she stood up. 

Veronica's face beamed with hope.

The girls went to the court together. They hurried so that they could stop the trial before it ended.

It was the court only for magicians and those who belong to the Magic Tower. As Arthur's subordinate, Sebastian was already a part of the Magic Tower.

Two guards were guarding the door to the courtroom. They were putting on a mean expression.

When they saw the girls, they greeted Veronica, "Long live the Mistress of the Magic Tower." 

Veronica nodded in reply and demanded, "I want to go inside. Open the door."

The guards exchanged glances. She was the Mistress of this place and they had no right to stop her.

Without a word, they opened the door and declared her presence, "The Mistress of the Magic Tower enters." 

For the first time in her life, Veronica understood the magic of power. She realized why people craved the power that can dominate others.

'The pleasure of holding power is quite scary,' she thought.

Inside the courtroom, people became silent and looked toward the entrance. Everyone looked surprised to see her.

The moment the heavy doors opened, Veronica's heart shook in nervousness. However, she didn't want to show her weakness.

'I came here as a Mistress. I have to enter like a Mistress and I have to prove Sebastian's innocence as a Mistress. Weakness is not allowed.' Veronica clenched her fist and stepped inside. 

Inside the courtroom was more like a stadium. In the oval-shaped courtroom, there was a chair in the middle. It was for the criminal. Around the room were stone tables and stone stools. On one side, the victim's supporters could sit and on the other side, the criminal's supporters could sit. 

Across the room, juries could sit, and in the top place, above them all, there was a seat for the judge. It was for the master of the Magic Tower, the most powerful man in the country.

Since it wasn't a serious crime, there weren't many people in the courtroom.

Sebastian was sitting in the middle. He turned to look at her. He seemed astonished.

Arthur was sitting on the seat for the judge.

There were also two high-ranking magicians. They were quite old. 

Other than that, Darius, Merlin, Zinnia, and Ironin were present.

They were all putting on serious expressions. Ironin gave her a frosty glare.

"Why have you come here?" Arthur asked her. He sounded helpless. 

"I'm here for Sebastian." Veronica's heart was racing hard. She tried her best to calm down.

"Oh?" The corner of Arthur's lips rose. "How are you going to save him?"

Veronica took a deep breath and declared, "Sebastian is innocent. I have proof."

Arthur leaned against his chair. He was amused. He stated, "He has failed to protect the person he was supposed to protect. He claimed that he was the one who should be punished. Are you saying that he lied?" 

Veronica answered firmly, "Yes, he lied. The person who he was supposed to protect was me. He forbade me to go to an antique shop. I had no desire to listen to him. That's why I bought some spicy food and forced him to eat it. He didn't understand the reason behind my action. He trusted me and ate the food. Afterward, just as I expected he had a stomachache. As a result, he had to go to the washroom. I took the chance and went to that antique shop without him. The people there were vicious."

She added, "Then I realized why he stopped me from going to that shop. I regretted my action. If I followed what Sebastian had advised, I wouldn't be in danger. As you can see, he had done his part to protect me. I'm the one who failed to protect myself by not listening to him."

"Is this how it is? So, should I not punish Sebastian? It doesn't change the fact that you were in danger and he couldn't do anything to protect you."