บท 26: THE TIME HAS COME

Her slender body moved swiftly and the soft breeze kept brushed through her long hair that almost touched the cold floor. Her feet urgently moved in the direction of the inner temple.

The Head Priest was meditating. Whenever someone died under his care, he would meditate the whole night without eating, drinking, or sleeping. He would do that until his heart would stop hurting from the loss of someone precious.

He was in the private room where no one would dare to disturb him when he was inside. They knew that he would pray there alone.

Just then, the door of this prayer room burst open.

The Head Priest kept his eyes closed and stayed unmoved. The fire in the candles danced when the wind blew in the room after the door was opened abruptly.

"How many times do I have to tell you to knock?" the Head Priest calmly questioned the intruder.

The intruder lightly stepped forward. She didn't bother to answer his question. She said, "Something happened."

He calmly responded, "What did?"

The woman announced, "One of the holy lights… extinguished."

The Head Priest finally opened his eyes. He stood up and slowly turned around. Afterward, he spoke mysteriously, "Then it's time."

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After the light was out from Veronica's palms, Arthur checked his waist. His injuries were gone without a trace. He didn't even feel pain. It looked like, it was never there in the first place.

"You are a healer…" he muttered softly.

Veronica stepped back and commented, "Ah… about that, I'm not officially appointed yet."

Arthur was astonished. "Are you serious? Have you not used your healing power before?"

There are only a few who have healing power. They are called healers. They are assigned mostly in the royal palace. They get hired by different countries. They have to go to the war with the army so that they can heal the soldiers. Since the number of healers is very few in number, they are highly demanded.

Veronica slightly nodded. "I did. Whenever I saw injured birds or animals, I healed them."

Arthur frowned. He didn't know there was a zoo inside the temple. "What kind of animals?"

Veronica answered, "Cats, squirrels, rabbits, and dogs."

"And, did no one see you healing them?" Arthur inquired. It amazed him how others in the temple had no clue that she had some kind of healing power.

Veronica shook her head. "No one. I don't show off my skills."

"If you did, you would have a better life," he shared his opinion.

The fact was, healers had a simple lifestyle like the priests but at least their lives weren't restricted. They could go to other countries although there were chances that they would die during the war. They could eat varieties of food, get presents from other royal families and live some other places with their spouses. In other words, compared to a priest's life, a healer's lie was heavenly.

Veronica stated, "My life isn't half bad now."

Arthur became more curious about her. He walked side by side with her and asked, "When did you first learn that you are a healer?"

Veronica tried to recall when she first healed something. Her memory was good. She didn't have to try too hard to remember. "At the age of eight, I healed a bird."

Arthur didn't expect this number. He was stunned. "That's too young! How did you do that?"

Veronica moved away from him and gave him a suspicious gaze. "I don't know. And, why are you being so serious? You are scaring me."

Arthur let out a deep breath. He explained, "Nica, not everyone can heal people like you, especially not when they are eight. I really like to know why you didn't let your seniors know. At least you know the healers have extra privileges."

"It's not that I didn't want to. This power…" she paused before continuing, "it doesn't work all the time. I did try to tell my senior. When she wanted to see my power, I couldn't show her. That's when I realized that this power isn't for showing off. It's only for healing."

She added with a matter-of-fact tone, "So, my seniors didn't believe me and warned me not to lie anymore. But, I still tried to show them often. Gradually, they began to avoid me thinking I'm just a troublemaker."

Only then Arthur understood her reasons. "So, that's why you couldn't tell anyone. It doesn't mean you don't want to show off. You couldn't show off."

From what he saw, she liked to boast when she knew something or learned something new. Thus, for her not to tell others that she could heal injuries, wouldn't have been believable at all.

Veronica nudged him with her elbow frowning. "Hey, what do you mean by that?"

Arthur caught her hand and squeezed it warmly. "Nothing, let's go to a restaurant. You have never tried restaurant meals, have you? I will treat you for healing my wounds."

Veronica's eyes sparkled with eagerness. She didn't forget to tell her preference, "I'd like something sweet."

Arthur snickered before agreeing to her request, "All right."

They walked past a few shops before stopping at Morina's Palace. Veronica hesitated when she saw that familiar place. She didn't have a good memory of this place after all.

Arthur seemed to understand her concern. He tried to ease her worry, "Don't be bothered, princess. Tonight, you are a guest. Moreover, they won't recognize you. You were in disguise last time, were you not?"

That didn't ease Veronica's worry though. She replied, "That may be the case but three women still knew how I looked. They were the ones who dressed me up."

Arthur understood. "So, they knew that you had silver hair and covered it with false hair." False hair wasn't easy to obtain and there was no way she could get her hands on it.

Veronica recalled that time and spoke in a gloomy tone, "They said it was ugly. That's why I had to change it."