Tangled By Fate

With a relieved mood, Catherine went back to the Magic Tower.

'I have to tell everyone the good news. Oh wait, maybe I should have bought some sweets to celebrate with them.'

She slapped her forehead. 'How did I forget to buy some sweets?! Just how miserable I can be!' she lamented.

'Maybe I will ask the cook to make pastries for everyone. Hmm… I should go to the kitchen before telling them about my engagement and marriage,' she decided.

While she was going to the upper floor after talking to the chef, she noticed some commotion in front of Arthur's office.

Darius, Zinnia, and Felix were standing in front of Arthur's office. Some people were shouting and crying inside.

Catherine's heart dropped. She had a bad premonition. She let the magic elevator stop in front of Arthur's office and went closer.

"Why are you guys standing there? Who is crying?" she asked in a low voice.

Zinnia pressed her index finger on her lips to signal her to be quiet and then pulled her forward to give her a chance to look inside.

She saw Arthur was sitting on his chair with a solemn expression. And Veronica was sitting on a couch. Ovior was standing behind her. He was expressionless.

There was a woman in the middle of the room. She was crouching on the floor and crying heartbrokenly. She had bright blonde hair. Her curly stands covered her face.

From the back, she looked rather familiar.

'Who is she?' Catherine wondered.

The woman finally raised her head and stated earnestly, "Arthur, how can you lie like that? You said you would divorce her and take me as your wife. You told me your wife was a horrible woman who forced you to marry her.

"We made love every week. Every time you embraced me, you said you loved me. Now that I'm pregnant with your child, won't you accept me anymore?

"Did your love disappear because I'm pregnant? What will happen to our child, Arthur?"

Catherine's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her ears. She just went to the resort to meet Vincent's family and here something big had happened without her knowing.

'Arthur? Made a woman pregnant?! The girl came to become his wife??'

She could barely process the data.

Veronica seemed distressed. She stroked her forehead and told the girl, "Look, I understand your pain but you have some kind of mistakes somewhere. Even if Arthur is a magician, he can't be in both places at the same time."

The woman wouldn't fall for her words. She shook her head in disbelief.

"We have been together since we met in Kerbell. He came to meet me that night. That night was the first time I gave him my innocence knowing the risk of being with him. After that, he appeared every weekend. There is no way I can make a mistake."

Veronica sighed. "That night Arthur was with me. And also every weekend, he spent his time with me. Forget about the night, he doesn't have time to be with you even in daytime."

Ovior had a headache. 'That's true. I pushed so much work on Arthur that on the weekends, he had to work in the morning and he could only be with his wife at night. There is no possible way for him to have time for another woman just to have sex.'

'Then again… if he wants… there is no way he cannot place a dummy with Veronica and have sex with another woman in another city. He is such a playboy. I don't believe he had changed his character so quickly. If he really makes this woman pregnant…'

Ovior didn't want to imagine the rest. He glared at Arthur, wishing that he would do something about this.

"I don't believe this. You cannot fool me." The woman refused to believe any word Veronica had to say.

"Fine, think whatever you want." Veronica gave up trying to make her understand.

'I'm pretty sure that it has something to do with one of the fake Arthurs. They must have seen a weakness in this girl for Arthur and that made use of her. I can't even disclose the matter of fake Arthur to the outsiders. Now she is pregnant. How pitiful.'

Veronica bit her upper lip and covered her face. Neither she could say anything, nor did she find a way to comfort that woman.

Thinking that she was having a hard time because of the pregnant woman, Arthur's hurt shook in fear. He finally decided to open his mouth.

"I'm sure many people can change their appearance by taking expensive potions. Furthermore, even if I don't sleep with my wife, I won't sleep with you either. I'm a man with great taste. I don't sleep with just any woman."

His words were like a sharp blade. It pierced through the pregnant woman's heart and ripped it apart.

"Damn! That was a deep blow. That heartless jerk. He can be so merciless toward a pregnant lady," Darius whispered.

"This is just a huge misunderstanding. I think it's something to do with the fake Arthur. I feel sorry for the woman," Zinnia stated.

"Whatever it is, it has to end today. I don't think Magic Tower is prepared for another black magic smoke," Felix commented.

Except for him, the other three shuddered thinking of the time Arthur had gone crazy killing people to bring Veronica's soul from the underworld.

"I think I should go inside and stand with Veronica," Catherine said before entering the room.

She saw the pregnant woman's blue eyes glisten. She was badly hurt by Arthur's words. As though her eyes were like a fountain, tears streamed down to her face.

'Kerbell… this face!' Catherine recognized that woman almost instantly.

"Hey! I know her!" She pointed a finger at the woman. "She wasn't with Arthur on the night you guys met in the swimming pool area. She was with another man."

"How do you know that?" Veronica stood up, surprised by her friend's sudden claim.

"I was strolling with Vincent when I encountered a couple in a narrow alley. She was almost n-naked. They were… they were…" Catherine blushed when she recalled it. Her lips betrayed and she kept stuttering.

"They were doing what a married couple does!"

Later, she forced herself to answer and shouted in the process.

Everyone heard her loud and clear.

"I can never forget you," she added. "You came to the tower later with your family. Your name is Betty!"

Betty's swollen blue eyes glared at Catherine.

She shouted, "No! No! You are lying. You are all lying. You are trying to deceive me, aren't you? I know who I was with.

"I have loved Arthur for so long! Why won't I recognize him when he came so close to me. I still remember his voice."

She panted heavily. This kind of stress wasn't good for her. After becoming pregnant, she had morning sickness almost every day and it was getting worse each passing day.

'Why is this happening to me? I'm sure I slept with Arthur every week. I made sure not to take pills to prevent pregnancy. I wanted to take the chance since he always poured his seed inside me, again and again, every time we did it.'

'Is this because I got pregnant willingly and lied to him about taking pills? Is this why he doesn't want to take me? Maybe he had another plan and I ruined it.'

She panicked while wondering about that fact. She became sad when she realized that Arthur wasn't ready to take her in.

"I had enough of this drama. I'm sure others had their fills," Ovior finally opened his mouth. His cold eyes jeered at Betty.

"Since you know that Arthur isn't the man you slept with, you will get out before we throw you to the dungeon. You have no right to disrupt the magic Tower as you please.

"People fear us for a reason. If you want to kill yourself and your child, you can try neglecting my words."

His words sent chills running down her spine. Betty shuddered.

"You should leave. You can't just sleep around with men and then try to destroy someone else's family. If you destroy one's happiness, you will never be happy either," Catherine told her.

Betty's eyes turned red from crying. Her face was pale since she was feeling sick. She wanted to throw up several times but held back.

With her trembling legs, she stood up. Her eyes landed on Veronica first and then Catherine. Later, she looked at Arthur.

"I'll leave for today. But I won't give up. After I give birth to my child, I'll come back. If my child looks a tiny bit like you, you have to take me in as your concubine, Arthur.

"You promised to take in and let me live in the tower with you. Don't go back on your words."

She wiped her tears and walked away.

After she left, there was a heavy silence inside the room. The problem was gone but the atmosphere didn't improve.

Who would talk first?