Chapter 129 - WHO'S THERE?

Felix was alone when he heard footsteps coming near him. He cautiously turned around. "Who is there?" he asked. 

"It's me." Veronica stepped away from the tree and came to the view. She walked closer to him. 

Felix's demeanor changed and he politely said, "Miss Veronica, you must be tired. Why are you here?" 

Veronica replied, "There is something I wanted to do for you for helping me when I was a cat and saving us from the assassins." She reached out her hand and requested, "Can I have the locket you are wearing?" 

"You mean Joana's locket?" Felix slightly hesitated. 

Veronica smiled and assured him by saying, "I will just borrow it for a moment and give it to you right after that."

Felix stared at her for a while and then took off his locket. It was shining in the moonlight. Anyone could tell that he took great care of it. 

After he handed the locket to Veronica, she clasped the Locket in between higher palms and closed her eyes. She recited a mantra in a whisper that he couldn't understand. Sometime later, he saw white smoke coming from her palms. His heart almost dropped thinking that something happened to his precious locket. 

He was going to speak when he noted that the white smoke was taking a form. He quietly observed and soon realized that the white smoke was turning into a human form. He could recognize that human form. His heart was trembling with various emotions. He parted his lips and called out in a quivering voice, "Joana?"

At that moment, Veronica opened her eyes and handed over the locket. After that, she said, "I summoned Sister Ruth's soul from the afterlife. Please talk to her as long as you want. 

Felix took his locket and asked her, "How is this possible?"

Veronica only smiled and then turned around and left, leaving the two of them alone. 

Felix looked at his long-lost lover. Tears pooled in his eyes. "It's been so long," he said.

Sister Ruth affectionately smiled at him. "It has," she replied. 

Felix didn't consider hearing her voice. When he did, he cried harder. All the emotions he bottled up had burst out. "Why? Why did you do this? Why did you leave me behind? Why did you take our child away from me? I deserve an explanation."

Sister Ruth's eyes brimmed with tears. she told him, "Oh, my dear Felix, I wish I could be with you and our children."

"Children?" Felix's whole body shook as he broke into tears. "You mean you were bearing twins?" How he wished he could have his own house with his beloved wife and two children. They would call him Papa and run around the house. He wished nothing more than that while he was with her. However, everything was nothing but a dream. 

Sister Ruth raised her hand and tried to touch his face. But she was only a soul. She couldn't touch a living thing. Her eyes were filled with love and sorrow. "My dear Felix, I cannot tell you everything. If I do, you will be in danger. Your life will be at stake. Neither I nor our children did wish to see you suffer. That's why, please never ask me what actually happened."     

Felix shed tears as he stated, "You think I can be happy without you and our dead children? I can never accept the fact that you were forced to choose death over me. I am nothing without you. If you are not here, what is the point of living in this world?"

Sister Ruth was hurt by his words. "Please don't say that. The only reason I chose this path is to save you and the people around you. I had to do this. Not only for me but also for the innocent lives in this world." 

"Is it Lord Alexander?" Felix inquired, "He sent assassins to kill me. Now, he sent more assassins to kill all of us. Is that what you wanted?"

She shook her head. "I did not. He has chosen the worst path possible. He needs to be punished. And that matter, I could never face it alive."

He tenderly gazed at her. "I wish you would tell me. You believe in me, right?" 

Sister Ruth smiled and nodded. Tears dropped from her eyes. "I believe in you so much that I never believed in myself. As a soul of another world, I'm not allowed to tell you the details. It's against the rules and there will be consequences.  I have to think about our children too." 

He asked her, "How are they? Our children?"

She answered, "A boy and a girl." 

"Oh…" he could visualize his dream. Something struck his heart. It was hard to breathe. 

She could feel the pain he was feeling. "I miss you so much."

Felix tried to embrace her but his hand only touched the emptiness. Even so, he stepped forward and bent his head, pretending as if they placed their foreheads against each other. "I miss you too," he responded with a forced smile. 

She confessed, "I love you." 

"I love you too," he responded with the same affection.

She stated, "Don't forget that no matter where we are, our hearts are connected. If we meet in the next life, we will be reunited and fulfill the dream that we couldn't fulfill in this life." 

"Yes, no matter how many times I am reborn, I will find you, marry you, and raise our twins together," he promised. 

"It's a promise," she said. Her face brimmed with happiness, just like she was when she was alive.

They stayed like that for a long time before Veronica's power wore off and Sister Ruth's soul slowly disappeared into the sky. 

Far away from that tragic couple, Veronica shed tears. "This is what I could do for him. I wish I could do more."

"You did your best," Arthur hugged her body to ease her pain. 

Veronica placed her head on his chest and uttered, "I don't want us to be like that."

"We won't be. I will protect you," he promised her.

The night was quiet. Somewhere a wolf howled. It sounded like he was wailing. Veronica interpreted that the fox was expressing his sadness for losing his partner. 

The next day, they started their journey at dawn. When Felix went past Veronica, he muttered, "Thank you." Only she could hear him. She only nodded in reply.

Veronica looked ahead and thought of Arthur's promise. She also remembered that they were supposed to get married after they reached a town. Despite being downhearted until now, excitement filled her heart again.