'No! No! No! This can't be happening!!' she internally screamed.

 

Everything was her fault. She gave in to the temptation and now she had to suffer for it.

 

A few hours ago –

 

It was a sunny day. The spring had come. Last night, it was drizzling. As a result, all the dust, that had been brought with the spring breeze, was washed away. At the same time, the new leaves that grew in the trees looked anew. The temperature was cooler than usual. Nature was full of vitality and vibrant colors.

 

Veronica had been meaning to sneak out for a while after seeing her few brothers and sisters sneaking out on the weekend. Every Monday night she got to hear the stories of their adventures and with each story her urge to go out there and have an adventure of her own became greater than ever before.

 

Since it’s Veronica’s birthday, she thought even if she snuck out and got caught, she would be forgiven. She had just turned eighteen. It’s her special day. Her heart was excited to visit the town for the first time in her life.

 

She found a secret door after searching for it every night for three months. At dawn, birds began chirping. At that time, she was getting ready. She had three sets of clothes and two of them were uniforms. Only one was a nightdress. She had no regular clothes. She never thought she would ever need one. However, now she had a reason to have it. So, she borrowed one from her guard’s sister.

 

She wore a white full-sleeved cotton top with a grey skirt and a brown corset. She covered her head with a white scarf. She felt her blood boiling in excitement even though she was wearing second-hand worn-out clothes. She found out that playing dress-up was more fun than she had imagined it to be.

 

As the birds started welcoming the new day through their own tunes, she secretly walked along the corridor. Her footsteps were lighter than feathers. There was no sound of footsteps because she was barefooted. She held her shoes in her hand. It’s the strategy she came up with so that others wouldn’t wake up when she walked. Her heart was thumping like crazy thinking someone would catch her any moment.

 

Without being noticed by others, she went to the storeroom beside the kitchen. She carefully closed the door after looking around for a while. When she was confident that no one noticed her, she sighed in relief.

 

‘It looks like Goddess Juvena is on my side today. Thank you Goddess Juvena!” she thanked the Goddess happily. After that, she opened the back door of the storeroom. She went out using that door without being noticed by anyone.

 

Veronica found herself in the back alley. It was quiet. It was a sign that no one had woken up yet.

 

‘Did I come out too early?’ she wondered with a thoughtful face. Fortunately, she wasn’t hungry yet. While the town was still asleep, only birds accompanied her. The whole town felt quite serene.

 

She took out a small piece of paper. It was folded into a square. There was a map drawn by an amateur. It was a map of the town and surrounding areas.

 

Veronica brought the map close to her and squinted her eyes, trying to figure out the drawing.

 

‘Hmm… it says ‘North’… then north is…’ pondering deeply, she looked up to the sun. The sun rose in the east. ‘If it’s east, then the north is on the right side of me. Then I’ll go to the opposite direction; the south.’

 

Veronica folded the paper and put it inside her pocket. She walked on the street and looked around with great interest. She had seen this scenery from inside the building many times but never actually been there. It was her dream to walk in the street.

 

She was thrilled that finally, she was able to come out. She stood in the town square, realizing that it’s the town’s biggest market. She was a bit upset that she couldn’t see the crowd she usually saw from up there.

 

However, she didn’t let it make her unhappy. She hummed a song she heard a long time ago. She felt like she was the queen of this sleepy town. She could do anything without asking for permission or justify herself to anyone.

 

She strolled on the quiet town and strode in the direction of the lake. She heard that the lake looked breathtaking in the early morning. That’s why her first target was the lake.

 

After that, she would walk in the street again. By that time, she would come back and the town would be wide awake. She could then take in the hustle-bustle of the town as she pleased.

 

‘It’s a good thing I have nothing to do today. I will go back after I have breakfast in the town,’ she decided gleefully.

 

She had to pass a narrow alley between four abandoned houses to reach the muddy road of the woods. It was slightly muddy due to the drizzling rain last night. However, because of the tall trees covering the path, the road was dry in the woods. They said that it took a person fifteen minutes to reach the lake using this road.

 

Veronica was excited. She walked briskly taking in the smell of wet mud and reached her destination in ten minutes.

 

‘Oh, my goodness!’ she exclaimed in amazement as she gazed at the lake with sparkling eyes. She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath; not until her heart lacked oxygen. The lake view was truly breathtaking. She wouldn’t have believed it if she didn't see it with her own eyes.

 

The lake water was light blue; maybe because the water was reflecting the clear blue sky above. The huge lake was surrounded by the woods. The reflection of the woods on the water was vivid.

 

Since it was early morning, a light fog was covering the lake. The temperature was colder here than in the town. Veronica shivered as she felt the cold breeze. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms with both hands.

 

The ground was covered in soft green grass. She sat on the ground and stared at the lake in a daze. The smell of dirt and green grass, the songs of birds, the spring breeze, and the captivating scenery made her heart calm. She was feeling like she was inside the page of a fairytale book.

 

Veronica was thinking of staying here for a couple of hours, not caring about when she had to return to her room. She wished to stay here forever.

 

Just to jolt her back to reality, a man came out of the lake abruptly; completely naked.