Tangled By Fate

'They need to be punished. They have to be punished.'

The words kept repeating inside her head. She couldn't help but feel rage bubbling inside her heart. Her emerald eyes flickered as she stared at Urulas.

Dastan instantaneously realized something was amiss. He immediately walked forward and grabbed her hand.

"I think your emotions are connected to nature somehow," he said, worried that something unprecedented might happen. "Calm down before things get worse."

Urulas heard him and his eyes widened in surprise. 'Is this her doing? How is she powerful enough to control nature?'

At first, he came to meet her and wanted to accept punishment. However, when his elder brother Aerolus spoke up, he had to retreat.

He recalled for what reason he was competing against his elder brother. That was why he refuted. He didn't expect Veronica to be this angry.

Veronica didn't heed Dastan's pleas. She repeated, "They have to be punished."

Dastan helplessly gazed at his brother. "If you don't take the punishment, there will be a huge storm. Do you want to destroy this village? Think about father."

Urulas clenched his fists. He couldn't help but curse his brother inwardly.

'Our father would never allow this to happen. Aerolus, that bastard! Every time he wants to control me, he will use our father as the bargaining chip. I hate him!'

Urulas glanced at Veronica and stepped forward. The moment he did so, a thunder struck right where he had been.

He dived and landed on the nearest land and looked back. His pupils shrank when he spotted the place he was standing in until a moment ago was burned. 

Dark clouds were already forming above his head, ready to start a war against him.

Thinking that he would have been fried if he was a tad bit slower, he gulped. 

'That was a close call,' he thought.

He stood up and didn't step closer to her like before. He cautiously said, "Fine, I admit my mistake. I was wrong."

Veronica's expression didn't change. "Oh? What were you wrong about?"

Urulas bowed deeply. "I was wrong about killing innocent people. I gravely sinned by selling people. I deserve to be punished."

He sounded as if he was truly regretting it.

Veronica didn't seem to believe him yet. "How do you want to be punished?"

Urulas bit down his lip and took some time to answer. "Let me serve you."

"…What?" Veronica blinked. She wasn't expecting this answer.

Urulas continued, "Let me and my men serve you for the rest of your life. We will help you whenever you need us. If you need us to fight animals or bad people, we will do that."

Veronica slightly raised her chin. "…Anything I ask for?"

"Anything you ask for," Urulas promised. His unwavering eyes fixed on hers.

"What if I tell you to protect innocent people from now on." Veronica didn't give a second thought before asking for this.

"…It means we have to stay in the human realm forever. But we have people to protect here too."

Veronica mockingly watched him. "Did you forget to protect your people when you went to the human realm?"

"… I only went there to see how the human world works. My men went to find me."

"And you turned them into a criminal group when they went to find you. They are so lucky to have you as their leader."

"…" Urulas stayed quiet.

Veronica breathed deeply. "Leave for now. I don't need your entire army. The men who were present during the crime and you must stay. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Afterward, she turned around and went inside the inn. 

As she disappeared behind the door, the sky became clear and the wind calmed down. Everything went back to normal as if the disturbance a moment ago didn't occur.

Dastan narrowed his eyes. Displeasure was written all over his face. 

The ending of the occasion gave him dissatisfaction and yet he couldn't voice it out loud.

When he saw everything being settled without any bloodshed, he turned around and left. He didn't even spare another glance at his brother.

Urulas saw his brother's back before turning toward his army and leaving them an instruction. 

Afterward, a few of his men and he went inside the inn. They wanted to stay for the night.

Veronica didn't come out of her room for the rest of the day. She wasn't in the mood to eat either. But the next day, she couldn't stand the hunger anymore and went downstairs.

And, she bumped into Urulas.

He was startled at first but quickly overcame it. He tried to put on a polite smile and greeted her first, "You are awake. Good afternoon. Would you like some lunch?"

Veronica calmly stared at him. When she first met him, he was cold and unfriendly. After coming here, she found him completely opposite of his deadpan personality. She knew he was forcing himself to get close to her.

"Good morning. I want lunch," she curtly replied. 

"Then, please come with me. I'll have lunch too. Let's eat together."

"…" She was so hungry that she didn't have the energy to continue the conversation.

Urulas misunderstood her silence as anger. He quietly followed her downstairs and ordered their meal.

While Veronica was served egg fried rice, Urulas was served green leaves with breadcrumbs. 

Veronica nearly lost her appetite seeing his meal. She forced herself to open her mouth and eat her food. She closed her mouth to savor the taste. It was delicious.

Urulas carefully observed her. Noticing that her expression eased quite a bit, he spoke his mind. 

"Back then when you wanted to punish us for our crime, I said 'no' for a reason. If I agreed to the blessed child's demand, I would fall into my brother's trap." 

Veronica wasn't interested in his excuses anymore, nonetheless, his words interested her.

Urulas noted her gaze on him. He continued, "That's why I disagreed with taking any kind of punishment. I even came up with a half-assed excuse. I'm sorry."

He apologized from the bottom of his heart. 

"Except, I didn't imagine that you would bring storms in our elvish realm. You are truly the blessed child. 

"However, you are the first to have this kind of power.. The blessed children before you could never control nature. Do you know why?"