Tangled By Fate

"Accept me for who I am… can a married woman think of that?" Catherine muttered.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Veronica looked at her.

Catherine mentioned, "You know, after marriage, the in-laws don't let the girls do jobs outside. They want her to be a full-time housewife."

Veronica couldn't deny her friend's worry. "Well… I didn't face it because Arthur doesn't have any family other than me. As for you, you have to ask them what they want. Some women just sacrifice everything for the men they love.

"But my question is… for what cost? If you throw away the career you worked so hard for and then sacrifice all your wishes for the sake of your husband and children, what will you get in return?

"It will be great if you can get their devotion and love for you but most women are treated worthless. That's the problem. If that's what happens, it would be better not to sacrifice anything at all."

"But I won't know if I don't try, will I?" Catherine asked. "I have to sacrifice and then check if they really care for me or not."

"Yes but if they don't, who will get hurt more than you? I don't want you to take risks," Veronica told her.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"Go and ask them what kind of woman they want as their daughter-in-law. You also have to make sure if Vincent will support you or not. If he doesn't, you already know the answer to his proposal."

"But I love him!" Catherine insisted. "I really want to be with him."

Veronica reached out and held her friend's hand. "Cathy, no one is stopping you from saying 'yes' to him. I want you to be happy no matter who you are with. My choice here is irrelevant. All I want you to choose wisely.

"I want you to be happy no matter what you choose. I'm telling you to give both of the proposals some thought because you have choices you have made. Since you can accept or reject both of them, I want you to think deeply before you make the decision. Just make sure you won't have any regrets in the future.

Catherine finally understood what she wanted to say. "You have a point. I need to make sure I'm going to a safe and happy place. I can't throw away my life because of love. I guess I will have to ask Vincent and Sebastian to wait.

"It sounds cruel but their sudden proposals did make my brain stop and I don't want to answer them. Right now, I want to focus on my work and finish the rest of it before tomorrow arrives. Or else, I'll be killed with another pile of papers tomorrow."

"Yes, do that and try to eat some fruits while you are at it. You need strength to work," Veronica reminded her.

"I will." Catherine looked at her plate. "I don't want to waste it but I don't even have the appetite to eat."

"Let me eat it. You barely touched the food."

"Sorry, but thank you." Catherine pushed her meal to her friend's side and then stood up. "I have to go now. I will finish my work before going to sleep."

"All right. Rest early if you can."

After Catherine left, Veronica was left alone. Other magicians didn't dare to sit anywhere near her. If their eyes were locked with hers, they would greet her, or else, they avoided her mostly.

She emptied half of the bowl when she spotted Darius walking past her. His action made her believe that he was avoiding her.

Darius looked at what stopped him from going forward. He saw her and politely smiled at her. "Hey! Isn't this the Mistress of the Magic Tower–"

"You lost the bet. Give me five hundred gold coins," Veronica directly demanded.

'I knew this would happen. That's why I tried to avoid her,' Darius thought. He gave her a half-smile. "What gold coins? Are you trying to rob me?"

"If you are trying to avoid it, it won't work. You see, Sebastian already confessed to Cathy. Ironin and Felix were there when we had a bet. When they take my side, you will have to give a penalty. How about giving me double the price as the penalty?" Veronica suggested, feeling amused.

Darius's shoulders dropped. He pulled the chair beside hers and sat there. He spoke in a gentle voice, "Veronica, I know you have a grudge against me because I didn't hold back last time we were fighting. Can't we sort this out without going for the money?"

"It has nothing to do with that match though. I was at a disadvantage, but I still won. The thing is we made a bet and you cannot take your words back now."

"Veronica, aren't you the Mistress of the Magic Tower? You are the richest woman in the universe. Why do you need to take the money of a humble being?"

"Humble?" Veronica's lips twitched. "I heard you spend a thousand silver coins every night. I know alcohol and women are expensive in places you go. You can spend money there but not when you make a bet? Where is your dignity as a warrior?"

Darius could have any kind of insult but not when someone mocked him as a warrior. Since Veronica talked about his dignity as a warrior, he couldn't argue with her any longer.

'I don't know which son of a bitch told her about my nightly expenses but I'll hunt him down, I swear.' Darius gritted his teeth.

"You will get the money by tomorrow," he declared. He looked depressed. His heart suddenly felt empty thinking a fortune of him was going to end for a stupid bet.

He started calculating, 'Just how many alcohol bottles and women would I get from those five hundred gold coins?'

When the result turned into something more than he expected, he choked. As though half of his heart was chunked away, he became motionless.

'No way… how did everything come to this? Why did I take the bet in the first place? Wasn't Sebastian a coward? Why would he confess to Catherine, the ugly woman? Did he lose his mind?'

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became.

Even though he was sad, he still had to give her a pouch of gold coins after dinner.

Veronica was delighted. 'What should I do with all this money? Should I go shopping?" She started making a list.

While she enjoyed because of Sebastian's confession, he himself didn't think the same.

That's because from then on Catherine began to avoid him.

Whenever he tried to approach her, she looked away or went to another place. Her action was so open that she didn't hide from others.

She even stopped coming to crowded places where they could meet by chance.

'I knew things would turn this way,' he thought. 'Why did I have to confess? If I held back from proposing to her, she wouldn't avoid me. We would have still talked. Now everything has changed because of my stupid mouth.'

He lamented and blamed himself every second.

On the other hand, Catherine stayed at Ovoior's office and placed her hands on her head.

'What am I doing? I have to tell him that I need a month to wait. I've already sent a letter to Vincent. All I have to do is to let Sebastian know that I need time. And yet, I can't face him. Whenever I see his face, my legs start running. Just why?'

It was like her body was moving on its own accord. Her legs would turn the heels whenever she spotted Sebastian.

'Why is my heart going crazy?' she wondered. 'I admit it was unexpected that he would like me. But I shouldn't run away. This is just rude. Sebastian is a good man and I quite like him as my friend. I rely on him sometimes too. Am I not breaking his heart by doing this?'

"Legs, listen to me well. Don't run away from Sebastian!"

"Catherine, have you finally lost your mind?" Ovior asked from his seat. He was deeply frowning at her.

He mumbled, "I knew she would lose it at some point due to work pressure but that's just too soon."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Catherine stared at him. She was confused by his accusation.

"Why do you ask me? You are the one commanding your legs." Ovior's frown deepened. 'This is serious. She has become insane.'

'Oh no! Did I speak loudly just now?' Catherine gasped. 'Just how much did I say out loud for him to hear?'

She carefully observed him and told herself inwardly, 'He thinks I lost my mind. It's all over his face and he isn't hiding it.'

"Ovior," she stated, "I'm all right. It's just someone did something and I started avoiding him before I knew it. It's making me distracted. There are things I want to tell him but my legs keep running away."

Ovior listened to her worries and commented, "Your legs are betraying him, not your hands. Write a letter if you have something to say.'

"Writing letters?"