Chapter 18 - BACKSTORY

"I don't have a full name. I haven't been baptized yet. My name is Veronica. I live in the temple," Veronica introduced herself in a polite fashion. "What about you?" She was becoming more curious about him.

Arthur told her, "I haven't been baptized either. So, I also have one name."

Veronica tilted her head. "How can that be? You should at least have a family name."

Arthur shook his head as he replied, "I don't. What about you? Why don't you have a family name?"

"I'm an orphan," Veronica stated.

Arthur looked at her in the eyes. Her emerald eyes were firmly staring at him. There was no touch of sadness. He said, "There are two types of orphans in the temple. One, after they were born, they had no parents to take care of them, and two, their parents threw them in the temple and never return. Which one are you?"

Veronica answered truthfully, "I don't remember anything. All I have heard that after my parents died, I was brought to the temple."

When she saw children going to the temple to pray along with their parents, she asked Sister Josephine about the whereabouts of her parents. Sister Josephine told her what she knew. No one saw her relatives since they put her in the corner of the main gate of the temple on a dark night.

Arthur suddenly wished to know more about her. He kept asking, "Who sent you to the temple?"

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. They said it was my relatives."

He raised an eyebrow and commented, "Don't relatives usually adopt the orphans?"

Veronica sipped in the cup and drank the warm tea. It had a sweet and sour flavor of honey and lemon. It gave her a warm feeling as the warmth spread all over her chest. She felt refreshed. After complimenting the taste of the sweet tea, she told him, "They do unless they are poor."

Arthur finally understood her situation. He concluded, "So, your relatives are poor."

Veronica slightly nodded. "I think so. Moreover, they left the country too. Therefore, we were never in touch."

Arthur put down the empty cup and inquired, "Do you blame them for leaving you in the temple? You must have a hard life there."

Normal people would hate their relatives and would curse them for leaving them in the temple. The life of a temple was harsher than living a simple life.

Not only commoners, but aristocrats send their children to the temple as well. Since everyone is treated as the children of Goddess Juvena, everyone is equal there. No one can use their family influence to bully others and work less.

No one likes harsh treatment. Because of that, both commoners and aristocrats complained about this. However, it didn't work in the slightest. On the contrary, those who complained got harsh labor for the next few months. They were worn out after that and eventually shut their mouths.

Arthur thought Veronica would be like that and yet, her answer was completely different from what he had imagined.

She said nonchalantly, "Not really. How can I blame them? I have a roof on my head. I can eat and sleep without worrying about the future. I can have free education. I have a disciplined life, but it's not bad. My relatives must have done this thinking that it will be the best for me. I'm forever grateful. If I ever see them, I'll thank them from the bottom of my heart."

She paused and added, "I was taught something important when I was little and I don't intend to forget that."

"What is it?" he asked out of reflex.

She stated in a matter-of-fact voice, "Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness and bad days give you experience"

'Pure, kind and naïve… she will have a hard time if she keeps wandering out of the temple frequently,' Arthur thought. He let out a chuckle. 'I guess humanity isn't wasted yet. I had lost hope a long time ago. And, look at her, she always found the positive side of everything throughout all the challenges.'

He played with the cup that had already cooled down. As he wasn't speaking, she didn't speak further. Two of them stayed silent for a long time.

Arthur broke the silence first. He asked her, "Shouldn't you go back to the temple? It's past curfew time I think."

When he heard no sound from her, he raised his head and as he expected, she dozed off. She was worn out from the harsh labor. She wasn't able to keep her eyes open any longer.

The honey lemon tea made her relaxed. The feeling of warmth, a serene environment, and the cozy place was enough to send her to the dreamland. She was sleeping so soundly that even a strong buzzing sound wouldn't wake her up.

He let out a sigh. 'Honestly, she has no sense of danger. How did she manage to survive till now? She is seriously going to have a bad experience again like before.'

Arthur stood up and walked over to her side. There was a trace of tea on her lips. He took out his handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped it off. After that, he carefully carried her to the second floor and moved her to the empty bedroom.

He placed her on the bed and covered her with a thin blanket. In the dark, he could see her silver hair glowing. He looked at her for a long time before saying, "Good night, naïve princess."

And, when he was about to get up, his neck was caught with something. With his excellent eyesight, he noticed that his necklace was stuck to her. When he was covering her with the blanket, the necklace somehow got caught up in her dress.

If he needed to take it out, he had to insert his hand under the blanket and somewhere around her chest.

What to do?