Tangled By Fate

Chapter 127 - HER NIGHTMARISH EXPERIENCE

"You never had a plan to betray us. did you?" Arthur inquired.

At his question, Catherine answered, "I don't care whether I have to betray you or not," Catherine replied. "I only care about Ver. I'm fine as long as she is okay. This is all that matters to me."

"She is a brave young woman. I give her that," Felix voiced his opinion about Catherine. "Miss Veronica is also a smart woman who understands what is happening. I do like her strong will not to laugh at that terrible villainous act. My men were laughing at Miss Catherine's performance in the mountains."

"Was it that bad?" Catherine's face reddened in embarrassment.

Felix answered, "You were on the verge of crying when you were talking ill of your friend, Miss Catherine."

"So then, when you were shaking you were trying to hold back your tears?" Sebastian was dumbfounded.

"It was hard all right! It was so hard to talk bad about her when she is such a good girl. I'm sorry for saying harsh words to you, Ver," Catherine wept as she apologized to Veronica.

Veronica said, "No, no, it's completely fine. I know you tried your best. You can do it again in the future. However, I don't think Lord Alexander will think of you as his ally anymore. But hey, did he really promise you that he would make you his queen?"

"Of course, he didn't. I made it up. That guy is such a jerk that he threatened to kill everyone with poison if I didn't help him." Catherine sounded irritated.

"Let's pray for his soul so that he becomes a good person." Veronica clapped her hands together as though she was praying.

Catherine looked like she couldn't believe her friend. She asked in disbelief, "Do you really think he will change no matter what happens? Well, I don't think so. This madman will ruin the entire world if he gets you. Millions will die. Don't let him get you, Ver. He won't treat you like a human. He will treat you like a chess piece to win his chess match. I've seen him with my own eyes."

"How did he get to you?" Veronica interrogated her. "You shouldn't be going out, right? Did you slip out of the temple again?"

"Yes, I did. I slipped out at night and I was caught by his men. It was like he knew that I went out every week. His men must have been telling me all this time. I was taken to him. He was torturing someone at that time and he did it deliberately in front of me. That person betrayed him. As a result, Lord Alexander punished him. Lord Alexander told me that I would face the same fate if I betrayed him. You have no idea how scared I was." Catherine shivered as she recalled that nightmarish experience.

Veronica embraced her friend's shaking body and said, "You must have had a hard time. I'm sorry that you had to go through this because of me. I wish I could erase your terrifying memory with my healing power. But I'm merely a child who can do nothing but kill people."

"Don't say that!" Catherine reprimanded her. "You are not just a child. You are a good child."

Arthur: "…"

Felix: "…"

Sebastian: "…"

The boys couldn't understand how telling Veronica that she was a child could make her feel any better. Surprisingly she didn't mind. Now they could really believe that Catherine was her one and only true friend in the temple since she could understand Veronica better than anyone.

Arthur wouldn't let anyone know but he was truly jealous of Catherine and Veronica's bond. It takes some time to understand how Veronica felt and what he had to do to make her happy when she felt depressed.

Arthur looked at Felix and inquired, "What will you do with the assassins? Kill them all?"

Felix answered, "Yes, my men will kill them before they get to cross the border. There were also two men spying on this situation. Maybe Lord Alexander put them to keep an eye on the assassins and so that they could let him know if the assassins didn't succeed. I wanted to interrogate them but my man told me that they killed themselves with cyanide before they could do anything. I guess they were truly loyal to Lord Alexander. I also don't want him to find out that I'm alive. I don't like being hunted by mercenaries anymore."

"That's for the best," Arthur nodded his head as he approved of his action. "We should head to Zynthx before he finds out that none of his men survived. I would hate it if he tailed us. I don't want to kill anyone unnecessarily in front of her," saying that he turned to look at Veronica who was talking to her friend. "We must cross the border before he sends another group of assassins."

"Sure," Felix agreed. "I will be with you until we cross Utahill. After that, you will be on your own."

"Fine, let's head out." Arthur pulled the reign of his horse and then with five of them marched to the South.

It took them three days to reach the border. Just as Sebastian said there was indeed an unsafe road to cross the mountains. Even though they were shivering in the cold breeze, they couldn't stop their horses. Snow piled on the horses' bodies. Even so, they had to move forward. The narrow road was rough. If they made a single mistake they would fall thousands of feet and die.

Arthur wanted Veronica to sit with him so that he could share his warmth with her. However, she refused because she didn't want her horse to feel cold. She wanted to share her warmth with her horse.

After they crossed the mountains there was a plain field waiting for them. Crops were growing in the field. Everyone sighed in relief.

They set up a camp for the night. Sebastian and Catherine were cooking meals. Felix went to scout the area. Arthur strode to Veronica and held her hand. He rubbed her hands and then blew hot breaths to warm up her freezing hands.

He said, "That's why I told you to sit with me. What if you caught frostbite? There is no healer around us right now. You can't be healed if something happens and you cannot heal yourself either. How many times do I have to tell you to be cautious?" His voice was full of affection.