Tangled By Fate

At first, Veronica thought it was a carnivore. However, after turning around, she had to change her mind.

When she saw someone standing right behind her and she didn't sense anything, she was spooked the hell out.

"Ah!" she gasped and stumbled backward. She had no weapon with her to defend herself.

The person was calm as if he or she was expecting her to be startled. Before Veronica could shout, her mouth was covered. 

"Umm! Umm!"

Veronica wanted to scream but she couldn't. Since she couldn't alert others, she just threw a punch – right across the face.

The person wasn't ready to take a punch. Even so, that person didn't let go of her mouth.

Veronica couldn't tell who it was but from the features, smell, and strength, she could guess it was a man.

'I know what to do.' She narrowed her eyes. She hadn't forgotten two months of training. 

Without hesitation, she kicked him, aiming at his weakest spot.

The guy must have noticed where she was aiming. He was prepared this time. 

He swiftly blocked her knee with one hand and took off his black hood with another hand, revealing his sharp purple pupils and dirty blonde hair.

Veronica's body stiffened. She wasn't expecting him at the least. 

She stepped back and asked, "Ironin… why are you here?" 

"Vero…nica…" Ironin mumbled. His unique eyes weren't focused. 

He raised his hands and cupped her cheek as though he wished to check if she was real.

Veronica wanted to move away but she sensed his fingers trembling. 

She glanced at him in confusion. "Are… you okay?"

"You are alive." Ironin's quiet voice was hoarse.

"Yes? Should I be dead?" Veronica frowned. She couldn't understand why he was acting so weird. 

"I'm not dreaming…" Ironin mumbled. 

At first, he thought he was hallucinating. So, he touched her face. 

But her cheeks were soft and cold after the bath. There was a sweet fragrance coming out of her body. it was faint but reached his nostrils.

Only then could be confirm that he wasn't hallucinating.

Only then did Veronica realize she was only wearing a shirt. Feeling bashful, her face became completely red.

"No, you are not. First of all, you sneak around when a lady is bathing and then you ask odd questions. Have you gone crazy?"

Having her pointed her index finger at him and being nagged at, Ironin stared at her in amazement. 

This wasn't the Veronica he knew of. The kind, gentle girl he knew turned into a fiery woman.

Long before, she couldn't talk to him properly and was scared of him and now she just reprimanded him. 

He had been searching for her for months aimlessly and almost lost hope. After meeting her unexpectedly, he got to know a new side of her. It was a lot to take in.

It wasn't that he disliked it. He just found it interesting.

Veronica recalled how she got away from him months ago and suddenly felt guilty. However, she didn't want to show it.

Veronica put her hands on her waist, trying to cover her embarrassment. 

"Anyway, what are you doing here? You shouldn't peep in someone's bath." 

Nothing she said went inside his head. His eyes were steadily looking at her. He was scared that she would vanish if he blinked.

His chest was acting unusual. He felt like something squeezed his heart. It was painful.

He muttered in a low voice, "I was looking for you…"

"You were? But… didn't I leave a note? I thought you got that."

"But then you got captured by some elf traders."

"You know about that? Were you tracking me?"

"We were. How could we not? Arthur was–"

"Don't mention him," Veronica immediately interrupted him. 

She closed her eyes. Her heart trembled. She thought after all these months, she could face the truth, but she wasn't ready yet.

Ironin was surprised. "…Is there something wrong?" 

He wished to know if she had a fight with Arthur.

Veronica looked away. "Why would he try to track me down? Wasn't he busy with others?"

The memories of that night flashed once again and frowned. The burning pain in her chest was unbearable. 

"…He was busy but he was done the night I picked you up from the palace. When he heard you were gone, we all went to find you on his order."

Veronica crossed her arms. Her pain and anger wouldn't go away just because he said so.

"Who is he to order others to find me when I want to disappear? I can't believe he would go looking for me after he was done with his business there."

Ironin was even more confused. 

"…Are you upset because he was busy with work?"

Veronica tightened her fists. She didn't want to open her mouth about it but she thought there wasn't any point in hiding this fact anymore.

"He wasn't just busy with work. I saw him with my very own eyes that he was playing with women from Morina's Palace. I saw it with my own eyes. 

"Before that, I didn't believe in rumors. You guys would avoid talking about Arthur when he was just missing without telling me anything. 

"Later, someone took me to Morina's Palace. Even though I didn't want to trust my eyes, it was all true. The whole place knew Arthur was playing with women and so did I.

"How do you think I felt at that moment? Do you think I'm kind enough to be okay with whatever my husband does? Do I look that foolish?

"The reason I didn't want to go back with you was that I didn't want to face him. I had my things to take care of and I didn't want to drag you all with this.

"That's why I decided to go far away from him. I wanted to clear my mind and wanted to come to a decision. However, I still couldn't. I don't think I can face him. You should go away."

After saying all she wanted, Veronica walked past him.. She didn't want to stay around him any longer.