Tangled By Fate

"You came to find me. Did you miss me that much?"

Veronica was startled. She turned around and saw a dark silhouette in the corner of the room.

She hesitantly inquired, "Dastan… is that you?"

"You remember my name. I'm honored." Dastan playfully bowed.

Veronica frowned and nagged him, "Don't you know common decency? How can you come inside a lady's room without permission? Where are your manners?"

Dastan's lips twitched as if he heard a joke.

"Do I have to learn manners from you? You make me laugh. Someone eager to open a man's pants shouldn't talk about decency."

Veronica's face slightly flushed. She looked away to hide her embarrassment.

"The situation called for it. I wouldn't have done that if you didn't try to abduct me."

Dastan shrugged. He couldn't refute. "I was doing that for your own good. You came to me eventually."

"It's my life and I am the one who gets to decide what's good for me. Not an outsider like you."

"Princess is mad. I'm scared." He pretended to be frightened by her gloomy expression. "I didn't think you would come all the way here to find me. What reason did you come here for?"

"For what reason did you try to abduct me?"

Veronica went straight to the business. She needed to confirm something before asking for his assistance with her work.

Dastan chuckled in disbelief. "You came to the elvish realm just to ask that?"

"You are an elf, and you came to find me. I want to know why."

"Is that all?"

"I need to know your position in the elvish realm."

"What will you do when you find out?"

"I need to ask for a favor."

"Now we are talking. What do you want from me?"

"I've answered everything you need to know. It is time for you to answer me. Are you ready?"

Veronica raised an eyebrow.

Dastan finally noticed something different in her.

"Ohh? You seem different than before. You never had this coldness in you. Did something happen?"

'He is perceptive, isn't he?' Veronica ignored his question.

"Why were you looking for me and trying to abduct me?"

"Isn't this obvious?" Dastan shifted his balance from one leg to another leg.

He continued, "Did you think you would have been safe with the humans? I heard that you were imprisoned by Utahill King. They didn't want to hear your explanation, did they?

"Now you know if you want to keep your freedom, with your status you won't be able to live freely in the human realm."

Veronica denied. "I don't believe I cannot do that. All I have to do is hide my identity. There is a potion for that."

"Yes, you are right. By the way, where is the guy you were with? Did you know his identity before you tagged along with him?" Dastan skillfully changed the subject.

Veronica bluntly asked, "What does it have to do with my identity?"

Dastan shrugged. "Nothing. But you should be careful when you choose your companion. The bloodthirsty person you were hanging out with created havoc in the human realm."

Her heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know? I'm surprised. It seemed that he got secretly married and his wife disappeared. He does have numerous enemies. One of them must have killed his wife and hid the dead body. He is turning the world upside down to find her."

"…That can't be…" Veronica mumbled. Her chest tightened, making it hard for her to breathe properly.

She knew Arthur was hanging out with women in Morina's Palace. How could he have time to look for her?

'Did he finally remember that he has a wife?' Her lips twitched just thinking that.

'He must have gotten bored playing with all those women and now he wants the doll he owns. Women are nothing but his toys anyway. I shouldn't be bothered about it. I need to focus on my mission.'

Veronica shook her head as if to push away any thought regarding Arthur.

Dastan heard her mumbling and stated, "Do you not believe that he can create havoc? If you knew his power…"

Veronica cut him off by saying, "That's not necessary. I'm not interested in him. I'm here for another reason."

She rubbed her temple since her head hurt when Arthur was involved in any conversation.

"Sure, let's see how curious you are tonight. Do you want to have a meal together? It's my treat," Dastan proposed.

Veronica agreed. Although she ate a day ago, she felt like she needed something to eat in order to run a conversation with him.

They went downstairs and their meal was served. Surprisingly, they were served egg sandwiches.

The bread wasn't the elvish bread that could make one's hunger go away with one bite. It was a normal human bread.

Looking at her quizzical expression, Dastan mentioned, "What? You didn't think we don't eat human food just because we are elves, did you?"

Veronica didn't comment on that. it's because that's the exact thing she was thinking all along.

She changed the subject, "Why do you, elves, want to give me freedom and security? What do you want from me?"

From a few months of experience, she knew there was nothing as free treats. She wouldn't fall for this kind of blind kindness.

Dastan narrated shortly, "Since you don't know, we, elves, are very supportive toward saints and blessed children. You are no different. You are all descendants of the great dragon. That's the very reason we are supportive."

Veronica was astounded when she heard him talk about the dragon.

She remarked, "You sound like you worship the dragon."

"That's right."

"Why is it? Didn't the dragon kill the basilisk who gave you power?"

"I'm amazed you know that. I thought you were just a naïve princess of Utahill," Dastan mocked her.

He continued, "Yes, we had great immense power from the basilisk's blood, but it only happened because of the great dragon. He defeated the basilisk.

"That's why we worship the great dragon, unlike humans who worship Goddess Juvena. And we provide all the assistance we can to the great dragon's descendants."

"How am I the dragon's descendant? Where is the proof?"