Chapter 83 - WELCOME TO SYNETIA

"The story is too good to be true. There are no flaws. It will make anyone believe his tragic story. If they are truly related, then Lord Alexander went to great lengths to make this plot believable. What is he thinking? Does he want another Great War or there is something in the desert that he seeks?" Felix came up with the questions one by one which he had no answers to.

"Something in the desert, huh?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. His head was gathering all the puzzles in one box. "If I remember correctly, both Synetia and Riverhill were on a mission to get desert in their underwear. But, the desert is a free land and the desert tribe won't bow to anyone. Even so, the war broke down between two countries – Synetia and Riverhill. Shouldn't it be rather like Synetia and Riverhill fight side by side to take down the desert tribe?"

Felix couldn't agree more. "This is rather intriguing. What made them fight against each other when they could clearly defeat the desert tribe if they worked together?"

Arthur shared his plan with him, "We have to go back to the desert to find out about the reason. Since you are working as a Synetian soldier, stay here. I'll let other men spy on Riverhill. Sebastian will find more clues from Utahill."

"And, you will leave for the desert. I see. Well then, I'm off. Let's meet again when we gather more information." Felix stood up and left.

'I should head back too,' Arthur thought. Upon remembering Veronica's expression, he wondered, 'Is she still upset now? She doesn't act like other women. Sigh! How to deal with her?' he ruffled his hair before going back.

After he reached the tent, he slid the curtain and looked inside. Veronica was already in bed and she wasn't moving. He entered the tent without making too much noise. He sat on the bed and peeked at her sleeping face. Just as he thought, she was soundly sleeping.

'And here I was worrying what to say,' Arthur smirked as he thought that.

He changed his clothes and went back to bed to sleep. It was a long day. Nonetheless, he couldn't fall asleep. 'What could possibly be in the desert?' he wondered.

As he was thinking, he heard a faint groan coming from her side.

"Hnn… Sister Ruth… sob… sob… don't die…" Veronica made vague noises while she was sleeping.

'Is she dreaming about Joana's death?' Arthur frowned as he thought of that. He slightly raised his body and looked at her.

Veronica's eyes were moist. Tears dripped from her eyes. She was crying pitifully as she slept.

"Nica? Wake up," Arthur didn't want her to continue crying, so he called out to her.

Veronica frowned. "N-no… I don't want to die… please help me…" she wept louder.

"Nica! Wake up!" Arthur strongly moved her body, causing her to open her eyes.

Veronica jumped and gasped for oxygen. She was panting hard.

Arthur realized that she had a bad dream. He stroked her back and said, "Easy there. Here, drink some water." He reached out for the water pouch and handed it over to her.

Soon, she calmed down. She wiped her tears and mumbled, "Thank you."

Arthur asked her, "Do you want to have some fresh air?" He was genuinely worried about her.

She never showed her weakness to him or others, and so, he thought these killings, hunger, and unhealthy situations weren't affecting her. He complimented her for being so strong willed. She was indeed so. Or she could never hide her fear or pain like that. She was only vulnerable during sleep. If she didn't have a nightmare, he wouldn't have found out.

"I'm fine." Veronica didn't talk much and laid down to sleep again. For a moment, she forgot that she was mad at him. When she remembered, she began to avoid talking to him.

'Maybe I shouldn't have said "thank you",' she pondered. "But, wouldn't that make me look ungrateful? Why would I have a bad side because of him?'

Veronica was tired after the journey. When she heard his footsteps, she lied down and waited for him. However, he didn't enter the tent as she thought. She kept waiting and waiting. Soon, she felt drowsy and then passed out before she could tell. She wouldn't know when he came back if he didn't wake her up.

'Oh no! He saw my crying face. Will he laugh at me or blackmail me for having a chicken heart?' she began to panic. In spite of closing her eyes, she was far from sleeping.

'No matter what, I'll just put a blind eye on everything. He won't even admit that he saw me bathing. He saw my naked body! Does he know what it means for an unmarried woman? What I think is he doesn't even care. I won't talk to him unless he confesses his crime and acknowledges what he did was wrong! Just because some women sleep with him doesn't mean the entire world wants to sleep with him! Enough is Enough! He must pay for what he has done!' Veronica strengthened her resolve.

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The next day, ten carriages arrived from the capital to pick them up. Their journey was smooth after that. They stopped whenever they passed the army checkpoint and they were able to rest for a while before setting off again.

At each checkpoint, they regrouped with other teams and proceeded toward the capital city. Their group enlarged but Veronica couldn't join her fellow healers from other groups. She couldn't find them despite looking around.

Synetia was a bigger kingdom than Utahill. When Veronica thought it would take fifteen days to reach the capital since that much of a time it took to reach the desert from Utahill, she had to be disappointed. It took them thirty days to reach the capital despite having horses and carriages.

It was more tiring because Veronica decided to avoid Arthur at all costs. She didn't talk to him and avoided having eye contact. Even so, she couldn't leave his side because there was no one she could trust. Only she knew how hard it was not to forgive something and start a happy conversation during the journey.

As they entered through the huge iron gate, the city and the magnificent royal palace came to view. The citizens welcomed them with myrtles. They warmly welcomed the heroes with big smiles on their faces. Some women handed flowers to the soldiers.

'I've never seen a gorgeous city like this in my entire life!' Veronica thought as she was gazing outside through the window of the carriage. She was never this happy and excited before.

"Pretty lady! Pretty lady!" a small child saw her face and called out to her. Since the procession of the army was slow, the five or six year old boy ran toward her carriage and gave her a bouquet of flowers. "Pretty lady, thank you for saving my papa!" he thanked her with a smile.

"Thank you!" Veronica exclaimed. The boy's mother came forward and took her son. Before leaving, she slightly bowed to Veronica to show her gratitude.

Before Veronica could ask anything, she saw a soldier going closer to that woman and kissed her right in front of everyone. The young boy also hugged the soldier gleefully. The soldier then kissed the boy's face all over.

'So, they knew I'm a healer and helped the soldiers. It's only natural because all kingdoms hire healers from Utahill. The soldier must be the father of that child. I'm glad I could do save some soldiers and return them to their families,' Veronica's heart warmed up. It's been a month since she had felt so emotional.

"Are you going to cry now?" Arthur asked teasingly. Ever since the day she started avoiding him, he would tease her about her crying face or nightmare.

"…" The smile from Veronica's face disappeared. Her mood was ruined. She pretended not to hear him and looked outside the window again.

The procession stopped in front of the imperial palace. The royal family of Synetia was present. The King of Synetia kingdom, Edward the fifth, congratulated the army for the great victory and welcomed them.

Afterward, the healers were taken to the guest rooms while the soldiers went to their barracks or their families.

"Veronica!" Violet saw her from afar and called out loudly.

'Finally!' Veronica swiftly moved her head upon hearing a familiar voice she wanted to hear for a month. As a result, her hood slid off and her shining silver hair was revealed.

They were still in the corridor and many visitors were walking there. They saw Veronica's unique hair and then charming emerald eyes. The men in the corridor fell in love with her mesmerizing beauty at first sight.

Veronica didn't have the time to look at them. Her eyes were fixed on Violet's excited face and Leticia's exhausted face. She ran toward them and hugged them tightly. "I missed you!" she said.

"Aww! I missed you too!" Violet hugged her back. "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."

"You have to take care of yourself as soon as possible. Because tomorrow…"