Tangled By Fate

"If you are going back at midnight, what do you want to do for the time being?" Arthur asked her.

Veronica pondered for a while. Truthfully, her heart was pounding hard out of pure nervousness. This time, she really screwed up. She couldn't imagine what would happen if the temple found out about her breaking the rules.

Since worrying over it wouldn't change anything, she decided not to think about it altogether. At least, for now.

To do so, she needed to keep herself busy until nightfall.

She answered, "Since you said that I have to repay you for your kindness, let me help you with the chores. I'm good at cleaning, washing clothes, and gardening."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. He was only teasing her. When he helped her, he didn't think of meeting her again. Since she came up with the idea of passing her time, he didn't mind as long as she helped him in the process. He questioned her, "What about cooking?"

Veronica gave him an honest reply, "If you want me to peel vegetables and chop them for you, I can do that. But, I have never cooked."

"Fine, finish tidying every inch of my house before noon and then help me cook," after instructing her, Arthur returned his attention to finishing his meal.

"Okay!" Veronica was excited as she was assigned to a new task.

But, her excitement flew out of the window just as she started cleaning the house. Last night, she didn't notice that this house was huge. She only thought, it simply had a living room, dining room, kitchen, washroom, and a bedroom. She was totally unaware of the huge library that was attached to this building. It was a public library. All the scholars came to this library to study and borrow books.

Forget about cleaning, she was gaping at the tall bookshelves filled with various books of multiple languages. Although she had heard of other languages, she had never seen books written in so many languages being gathered in one place.

In the temple, there is a library for everyone's use. It only had religious books, history books, law books, and philosophy books. Here, they have books on history, geography, philosophy, politics, economics, romance, fantasy, and so on.

Veronica was wearing an olive green colored dress and a brown colored apron over it. Her hair was tied into a bun and covered with a scarf. Since it was frequented by readers at every hour of the day, Arthur made her cover her head entirely so that no one would notice her unusual hair.

"I thought you were going to help me cook," Arthur came behind her and commented.

Veronica was standing on a ladder and brushing off the dust. Her face was covered with a mask since she was sneezing because of the dust. She looked down and saw Arthur staring at her. She replied, "If I knew I had to clean a library, I wouldn't have promised to help you in the kitchen. What time is it? Can I help you after I'm done with this bookshelf?"

Arthur stated, "I'm afraid not. It's one o'clock. Lunch is ready. Wash up and join me."

Veronica quickly came down. She didn't hesitate in the slightest as if she was used to climbing up and down a ladder. "I'm sorry, I broke my promise. I will definitely make it up to you."

Arthur patted her shoulder. "I'm looking forward to it, Nica."

"Nica?" Veronica was confused.

Arthur turned around and walked toward the corridor that led to his house. While walking, he narrated in detail, "Isn't your name 'Veronica'? If your pet name is Ver, it means others already call you that. I decided to call you something else. So, I will call you Nica."

Veronica followed him from behind. "We aren't close enough to call each other by nicknames, don't you think so?" She was spiteful while complaining.

"Didn't you say I'm your friend?" Arthur reminded her of their breakfast conversation.

"It's because I needed your help," she mumbled grudgingly. She had no intention of being close to a man who saw her maiden body when he wasn't even married to her. She wished she could avoid him forever. But, she was in debt.

Arthur turned around and asked her, "Did you say something?"

Veronica vigorously shook her head. "Not at all!"

Arthur turned around and threw a remark at her, "For a woman to sleep in a man's bed for a whole night, their relationship must be closer than normal friends."

Veronica's face burned in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to sleep in your bed. Moreover, wasn't it you who carried me to the bed?"

"Oh, I gave you a gentlemanly service. Did you like it?" He inquired.

Veronica glared at his back without giving him a reply.

Somehow this whole conversation and the situation seemed ridiculous to her.

After lunch, Veronica finished the remaining task. Later, she took a short nap in the living room and went out with Arthur in the evening for sightseeing.

When Arthur covered her head with the cape hood, she complained, "Why do I have to cover my hair now? I don't like to cover my hair."

Arthur lectured her, "Princess, you have no idea how the world works. If you don't want to get in any trouble and want me to save you, you should cover your hair." He would always call her 'princess' in a mockery tone whenever she showed how naïve she was.

"Fine, I will cover my hair, but why a cape? Why can't I stroll around like those girls over there?" Veronica looked at those girls in the street, walking along with their partners or family members.

"Your eyes are enough to catch others' attention. Men like pretty women. If a guy falls for your beauty and kidnaps you afterward to make you his wife, what will you do? You can't even win against a drunk man."

This time, Veronica couldn't complain anymore. Her lips were sealed.

Suddenly, she thought of something and said, "So, you think I'm pretty." She peeked on his expression and asked, "Does this mean you like me?"