Chapter 367 – TO FORGIVE

“Then. I don’t see the problem.” Veronica shrugged. “You have been with me since the day we met. After that, you hadn’t been with others, did you?”

“Of course, not!” Arthur loudly opposed.

“So, it’s fine, isn’t it? Your past has nothing to do with me. We can’t change it even if we want to. But we can change our present actions. As long as you don’t cheat on me, I see nothing wrong.”

Arthur stared at her for a couple of minutes before leaning close to embrace her. “You are so good to me, Nica. I was so worried.”

“Well, you should be worried. It’s a good thing that you aren’t cheating now. Just try doing that and you will see the worst.” Veronica didn’t give him an empty threat.

Arthur vigorously shook his head. “You are the best when you are the kindest.”

Veronica chuckled. “Am I? It doesn’t sound so promising. People will hurt me if they notice how forgiving I am. Should I let them hurt me?”

“That’s not what I mean. I don’t want you to get hurt. Just do whatever you feel like. But when you are kind, I just feel the safest. Or, I’m afraid of what you might do to me.”

Veronica’s body trembled as she controlled her laughter. “Aren’t you being too scared? What will I do to you? Eat you?”

Arthur’s grip on her tightened. “I’m afraid you will go far away.”

‘This is going to become traumatic,’ Veronica thought. “Arthur, aren’t we getting along well? We even share each other’s problems now. We don’t hide anything from each other. I don’t see any reason for us getting apart.”

“You are right, but I’m still afraid.” Arthur raised his head and pecked on her cheek. “You are not allowed to leave me.”

  Veronica looked at him. She stared at his golden pupils. Those attractive orbs drew her near as though she was spellbound.

Their lips locked and they participated in a meaningful bond. After the meaningful kiss, Veronica traced her index finger on his face.

“And you aren’t allowed to hurt me,” she demanded.

Arthur held her hand and brushed his lips over her finger. “I’ll do anything to ensure your happiness.”

“My happiness isn’t something you can give me, Arthur.” Veronica pulled her hand away from his grasp. “It’s something I have to ensure myself.”

Arthur stared at her. “What if I change your belief? I will make sure you are happy by my side.”

‘Is it just me or did she seem a bit depressed? Is it because of the bartender witch and his partner?’ Arthur thought about it and became restless.

Not knowing what he was thinking, Veronica lowered her head. “How can you ensure my happiness when I don’t want it?”

Arthur’s expression changed. “What do you mean?”

Veronica took a deep breath before saying, “I… did some things which don’t give people the right to forgive me.”

“Is there something you want to tell me, Nica? I’ll always be there to listen to your worries.”

Veronica ruefully smiled. “Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t.”

“Don’t say it like this!” Arthur pulled her close to his chest. “There is no way I will ever stay far from you willingly.”

“Even if I’m a criminal?”

“What kind of criminal are you? I will erase that from the earth.”

Veronica pressed her head against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat. His heart was beating faster.

“Arthur… when I was out there, experiencing the world… I… killed people,” she confessed while staring at an empty space. 

Arthur froze. He was expecting many things but not this.

Long before, Veronica was someone who shed tears for her enemy. Even the cruelest criminal had her sympathy. 

‘For her to be like this, just what did she experience out there when I wasn’t there to protect her?’ Arthur felt a pang of pain in his heart when he wondered.

Controlling his emotions, he asked in a low voice, “How did this happen?” 

She told him, “I realized that the world is a cruel place. A person cannot act elegantly if she was thrown into the world of the savage beasts. A princess can act like a princess in the palace, protected by many. 

“When she is at war, she has to bring out her ferociousness to defeat her enemy. If she doesn’t act according to the situation, she is meant to suffer and die.”

Veronica raised her head and smiled at him. Her eyes were drowned in sorrow.

“How can I blame you for anything? How can I punish you for anything when I know the world we live in is so cruel? I know I shouldn’t kill people. But if I didn’t kill the nobleman and the looters, the innocents would die. At that time, I knew that I couldn’t save both parties. I had to choose only one party.

“Either I choose the nobleman or the innocent bride of another man. Either I choose the looters or the innocent travelers. People out there are so cruel. They don’t care about one’s life if the person isn’t related to them.

“I’ve even seen brothers killing each other for a woman or a piece of land. How can something be worthy enough to destroy the bond of two brothers – I have no idea. I don’t even want to understand. I believe, if I try to understand them, I’ll go insane.”

Arthur listened to her and stroked her back. He couldn’t utter a single word. His throat painfully choked.

Veronica kept going, “Back then, I was debating with myself. I was still thinking, if I try to make the nobleman understand what he is doing wrong, he will eventually understand and let the woman go. But, he didn’t want to listen to my words. Rather, he asked his servants to send me in his quarter.”

When Arthur heard that, his eyebrow creased. His pair of golden pupils raged silently.

Without knowing his thoughts, Veronica continued, “Even then, I was ready to make him understand his actions were wrong. But then, when I went to his chamber, I saw his guards grabbing the legs of an infant and hanging him upside down. 

“The child was crying loudly. His mother was being forced by the nobleman into the bed. At that time, I realized something. 

“There are some animals out there. They disguise themselves as humans. But they cannot leave their cruelty behind. They aren’t prepared to hear human language because they simply cannot understand that.

“It wasn’t just the nobleman who was enjoying the sufferings of mother and child. The guards, the servants… they were all the same. When a human grows up in the jungle, it acts like an animal. It must be true.

“Was it wrong for me to kill everyone in the mansion without giving another second thought… without flinching or feeling sorry for them? At least, I saved the mother and the child.”

Arthur securely embraced her body and responded painfully, “No, you did nothing wrong. You did the best thing. Even I would do the same. You acted as a hero. I’m sure the mother and the child will be forever grateful to you.”

Veronica let out a deep sigh. “What’s the point of being a hero if I have to bathe in blood? I wanted to help people… but I never wanted to become a murderer.”

“You aren’t a murderer,” Arthur firmly stated. “You said so yourself that those things weren’t human. They were animals in disguise. You had to choose between good and bad. You chose good and left bad. You made a wise decision.”

“But a killer is a killer.”

“How come? When you see a person who kills animals to eat them or to save himself, do you call him a killer? That’s definitely a hunter. You are also a hunter. Your hunting saves innocent people. It’s not like you did it to save your skin. You are the most selfless hunter I’ve seen in my life.”

“But Arthur… even if you say that… it won’t change the fact that I harmed people. And I might do something bad in the future too. What if I somehow hurt you?” Just this thought was enough to scare her.

“You think you can hurt me by killing people? Just kill them if you want to. I’ll take the blame. I will see who comes to hurt you later on,” Arthur boldly declared.

Arthur killing people was killing mosquitoes. He killed countless people. No one could ever keep a record of it. If he killed one or two more, who would come to bother him for that?

Even if someone did come to bother him for that, that person would have a death wish.

“But that’s power abuse,” Veronica complained. “This is a crime. Should we do this?”

“We have the power to do so. There is nothing wrong with cleaning off some insects from society. There will be fewer diseases. Don’t you think so?”

Arthur seemed reasonable but Veronica still couldn’t completely agree.

“Even if there is power like that, we shouldn’t use it as we please. Just for the betterment of everyone,” she stated.

“As you wish…”

They were chatting when a communication device rang a bell.. Someone summoned Arthur.