Tangled By Fate

Chapter 84 - THE TOUCHING REUNION

"Aww! I missed you too!" Violet hugged her back. Their reunion, after a month and fifteen days, was touching. She looked at Veronica and asked in a worried tone, "Why do you look like that? Did you not eat enough?"

Veronica told her, "I couldn't. I'm not used to having a long journey. I kept vomiting."

Leticia answered for Violet, "You have to take care of yourself as soon as possible. It's because tomorrow evening, the Royal family will hold a ball to celebrate the victory and honor the dead."

"Oh, you mean dead soldiers. Do you know how many of them died before we reached the desert?"

Leticia pondered before answering her question, "Well, soldiers still died on the battlefield because we couldn't heal them in the battle and of course we cannot bring people back from the dead. So, the estimated percentage is thirty. 30% of soldiers died on the battlefield before we reached there. The casualties lessened after we began working but as I said, we couldn't heal people on the battlefield. 2% died after we arrived." She was good at calculating and she noted how many soldiers had died and got injured. Thus, she knew better than others about the accurate number.

"So, 32% of families lost their sons, brothers, husbands, or fathers." Veronica sounded upset. "There should be a prayer ceremony in the temple for the dead soldiers, right?" She asked Violet and Leticia.

Violet scratched her head. She replied, "We don't know. No one said anything. You can ask the maids around the castle."

"Okay, thank you. See you later!" Veronica quickly left.

"Don't forget about lunch!" Violet spoke loudly so that Veronica could hear. Then, she commented, "Sometimes, I don't understand what she is thinking."

"She is kind," Leticia commented.

"Kind? More like a good actress," someone remarked from the side.

Both Violet and Leticia looked to their right side. Ivona was standing beside them.

Violet put her hands on her waist and questioned her, "What do you mean by acting?"

Ivona carelessly said, "Can't you understand? Do you think she is really a goody two shoes? She is acting to get everyone's attention."

Violet argued back, "There is no way she is like that. If she was an attention seeker, she would have bragged about the incident when she brought the healers. But, she was always uncomfortable when someone praised her."

"Ivona, could you be jealous of Veronica because Arthur is with her?" Leticia directly asked her.

"Cough! Cough!" Violet choked to control her laughter and vigorously coughed.

Ivona's expression turned ugly. She glared at Leticia and Violet before storming toward her room.

Leticia smirked. Ivona's reaction delighted her.

Ivona always acted high and mighty and treated them like bugs. She even looked down on Veronica. To think Veronica would be taken care of by Arthur whom Ivona had a crush on – it was unexpected and enjoyable to the healers who were abused by Ivona's harsh words.

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Veronica did as Violet told her. Unexpectedly, the maids couldn't tell her about any prayer ceremony for the dead soldiers. 'How can that be? They are part of the kingdom and they died to bring victory. They can never come back to their family because of their decision to serve the king. The king should at least do something for them in return.' She clenched her fists as she couldn't take this.

She was given a luxurious room but she didn't feel happy anymore. She took a bath in a luxurious bathtub, wore fine garments, and had a fancy meal that she could never afford. But, her heart wasn't into it. She could barely taste the meal.

"Miss Veronica, why do you look so glum? Are you not happy with the meal? How about some steak? I know you love meat." Major General Orion was sitting beside her. He served her a plate of steak.

Veronica didn't even notice when he sat beside her. "Oh, no, thank you. I don't feel like eating."

Major General Orion put down his fork and knife. "What's wrong? Don't you feel well? Sorry, I didn't have time to take care of you on the journey. It must be hard for you." His voice was full of concern.

"It's not about the journey. I heard there is no prayer ceremony for the dead soldiers. It saddened me to hear about that."

Major General Orion smiled. "So, that's what it is. Please don't let it get to you. We only celebrate the victory and offer the celebration to the dead heroes."

Veronica couldn't understand his logic. She stated, "How can that be enough? Even a dead person has the right to rest his soul. To rest his soul, he needs blessings and heartfelt prayer. Not any celebration can do that. Moreover, you said they are heroes. They and their families deserve more than just a celebration."

Major General Orion eased her worry as he chuckled, "Our King has already compensated the families of the dead soldiers. You have nothing to worry about-"

"What are you saying? Do you mean that money is equal to a person's life? If money can buy a dead person then why cannot money bring a person alive from the dead?" Veronica's voice unintentionally raised.

Everyone who was laughing and chatting while eating stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

Veronica continued, "Those people were trained, lived, and ate with you. Now they are gone. Don't you feel sad about that? I know the King generously gave them money but that won't rest those poor souls. They couldn't die beside their loved ones. Who would want to die in an unknown place, right beside their enemies? They didn't get a proper burial. You dug a hole and buried all of their bodies. We blessed their tomb but how can that be enough? We are not even priests and their families weren't there."

She painfully added, "Don't you find it unreasonable? You will be treated the same way when you die in a foreign land. How do you think your family will feel? The pain, the sadness… you cannot buy it with money or gold coins."

The dining hall fell silent. The healers and high ranked soldiers that were dining together couldn't speak. They lost their interest in food as well.

Veronica noticed that everyone heard her and she bowed. "I'm sorry for ruining your mood. I didn't mean that way. But, I cannot eat as long as I can't attend a prayer ceremony for those heroic soldiers. Please excuse me." She wiped her mouth and stood up.

She was ready to leave when a guard announced the King's arrival. King Edward the fifth entered the dining hall. He was wearing extravagant clothes and an iron crown on his head. The crown was decorated with jewels.

Everyone stood up to greet him.

King Edward V was a middle aged man around forty. His lips were subtly lifted as though he was amused by something. He raised his hand and signaled everyone to sit.

He opened his mouth and said, "I just came to visit everyone. I want to see everyone enjoying the meal my Queen has prepared for you. But, it seems like everyone is upset."

Major General Orion hurriedly expressed his gratitude, "Your Majesty, that is not the case. We were really happy to have a delicious feast made by the imperial chef after a long time. We are grateful to you and our Queen for thinking of us."

"Is that so?" King Edward V rubbed his chin and then his eyes landed on the girl with silver hair. His eyes curved as he remarked, "It's not the case for this lady right here, right?"

Veronica stood up. She sat down when the king signaled them to sit. She didn't want to offend the king and obliged quietly. Now that the king mentioned her, she had to stand up and bow to him.

She greeted him politely, "Greetings to Your Majesty. It wasn't my purpose to ruin your or the chef's hard work. It's just, we have been with these people for a few months and I noticed their love for their kingdom and their families. They had died in order to follow your command. We couldn't give them a proper burial or blessings as it was a priest's job, and not a healer's. I know Your Majesty is kind and gave their families a good amount of money. Everyone praises your generosity; but, their souls won't rest like this. I simply wish for a prayer ceremony so that their souls can rest in peace and give blessings to their families."

She wouldn't say that she wasn't nervous but she couldn't think of it right now. It was the first time she ever saw such a high level person. She didn't have the chance to see the king of her kingdom before. Now, she was in a foreign land and meeting up with a foreign king.

King Edward V hummed as he pondered on what she just said and then asked her, "What's your name?"

Veronica introduced herself, "My name is Veronica, Your Majesty."

King Edward V smiled upon hearing her name. "So, you are the one who brought the healers from the Riverhill camp and helped the soldiers to win. I've heard about your hard work. You have done a wonderful job out there. Since you led us to victory, I shall grant your wish."