Chapter 500 REPORTING
"So, what's the urgent matter you wanted to discuss with him?"
"Merlin is here. He fled from Louses because his identity was exposed. The soldiers from Louses are looking for him everywhere."
"Is that so?" Zinnia frowned. "Who exposed him?"
Just like them, Merlin was a spy who was trained with them. As a magician and as a spy, he was one of the best.
Therefore, Zinnia was skeptical about how Merlin was exposed.
"The witches," Darius grunted.
Everything became clear to Zinnia.
"So, the queen is behind it," she stated. "Arthur will be so pissed when he hears this."
"He will start doubting the high-ranked magicians," Darius mentioned. "And, there is another thing I need to mention."
His face became gloomier when he spoke.
"Huh? What is it?"
"It's about Catherine."
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The thunderstorm passed by and left with a serene atmosphere.
Veronica opened her eyes. She didn't know when she passed out. The last thing she remembered was being pushed to the bed while her husband lost his sanity and pushed her into the depths of pleasure.
She yawned and rubbed her eyes.
Just then, she sensed someone caressing her back. She raised her head and found Arthur looking at her.
"Did you not sleep?" she asked in a sleepy voice.
"I did," he replied.
He didn't lie. When he noticed that Veronica passed out from intense lovemaking, he stopped. He used magic to clean themselves and hugged her to sleep.
He woke up when she moved. After the poisoning incident, he became careful around her. If there was a subtle change in her breath or complexion, he would become alert.
"Sorry if I woke you," Veronica said.
It had been so long since she got a comfortable bed. She felt drowsy. She wanted to keep her eyes open but she was unable to do so.
Arthur noticed her tired state and gently stroked her back.
"It's okay. You can go back to sleep. I'll wake you up if necessary."
"But Arthur…" she mumbled, "you need to stop the war."
"Why do you want to stop the war?" Arthur asked her.
Veronica explained, "We are killing innocent people."
He replied, "They are all witches who wanted to overpower us and spread dark magic. Would you want that?"
"No, but there are other ways to handle it…" saying that she yawned.
Arthur tugged her under the blanket. "Why don't you sleep first? We can talk about it after you wake up. I'll prepare a spicy curry for you."
"Will there be any meat?" she excitedly asked.
"Lamb meat," he answered with a smile.
Arthur knew how much she liked lamb meat. He would like to cook a special lamb curry with spices just like she loved it.
Veronica was happy just as he expected. However, suddenly she was depressed.
"Cathy loved lamb meat too," she said.
Arthur paused and then called out to her. "Nica…"
Veronica let out a deep sigh. She buried her face in his chest and then took a deep breath.
"Arthur, I miss her a lot."
Arthur pulled her close to his chest.
"Of course, you do. She was your best friend."
"She was my only friend. How did it lead to this? What should I do without her?"
"I wish I had the answer for it. But I can be your friend and your husband at the same time if you want."
"I know you can. I believe you can." After a pause, she asked, "Arthur, did you lose anyone you hold dear?"
"I lost you once."
"That doesn't count since I came back."
"But the despair I felt was real." Arthur then kissed her forehead.
"I can feel that. I was going crazy to see you," she confessed. "So, I desperately tried to come to you as soon as possible.
"Who knew I would have to sacrifice Cathy in the process? I guess I don't see what's precious to me when they are close to me. I start regretting when they are far away."
Arthur stroked her back over the light blanket, trying to make her fall asleep.
"I will be here for you. I won't let you feel lonely."
"I'm sorry for everything, Arthur,"
"Don't be. You did nothing wrong. I should have treated you better."
"You did. I just acted like a spoiled brat. Now it's too late. I lost Cathy forever."
The more she thought about it, the more she felt distressed.
Arthur saw her suffering from agony and his chest tightened. He felt his chest getting wetter.
He wanted to comfort her but he had no idea how to take away her pain.
All he could do was tightly wrap his arm around her and kiss her forehead. He let her shed tears until she fell asleep.
He checked her breathing. When he realized that she was in a deep sleep, he slowly got out of bed.
He wore clean clothes and went outside. He spotted Darius, Zinnia and Ironin around a bonfire. They were talking to another person whom he didn't expect to see.
They saw him approaching them and stopped talking.
"Merlin, why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the tower?" Arthur stated.
Merlin wasn't surprised.
He said, "Did Lady Veronica tell you that? I finished my work in the Magic Tower and rushed here to report. I also submitted a report to Ovior."
After a bit of hesitation, he mentioned, "Did… Lady Veronica say anything to you about Lady Catherine?"
Darius and the rest solemnly stared at Arthur.
"I heard," Arthur replied. "Tell me in detail what exactly happened."
After listening to Merlin and Ironin's report, Arthur frowned his eyebrow.
"Find that bastard who was chasing after her. I don't want a twirp stalking my wife to kill. I also want the heads of his men. Those who are looking for my wife, I won't spare them."
His order pleased everyone. No one had a complaint.
Dairus mentioned, "That's nice of you to say. But we have another situation."
"What else?"
