WASN'T HERS

On the stone floor, something heavy fell and made a 'thud' sound.

'Huh? What's this?' Feeling curious, Veronica lowered her body and picked up the small thing.

She draped the dress over her left arm before bringing the heavy object closer to one of the candles to have a clear look. Only then did she see that it was a blue gem, attached to a simple yet intricately weaved chain.

'Hmm? Is that a locket?' She wondered while looking at it. It was a sparkling blue gem that flickered beautifully under the candlelight. The chain was made of gold.

Everyone in the temple had a locket but their lockets were made of brass. Moreover, all of their pendants followed a simple design. A wheel design. As far as she could remember, none of them had anything that was remotely related to something fancy, not to mention a locket chain that screamed richness.

"I've never seen my brothers and sisters wearing something like this," she murmured while feeling the texture of the gem in her right hand. "It was with the dress I wore in the morning. Then, could this be…" she steadily turned her eyes toward the dress in her other arm.

She concluded – since this locket fell from the dress and she didn't see it in the morning, then it could only mean one thing. And that was, the locket got stuck to her dress when she sat on the grass beside the lake. Since it wasn't hers or the owner of the dress, it could only belong to that man.

She let out a low chuckle. "You are really an unlucky dress," she cursed the dress in her arm.

She sat on her bed and pondered over the issue at hand. She never took someone else's belongings and she had no reason to keep this locket either. No matter how luxurious it was, it was of no use to her.

Besides, stealing wasn't a good thing to do. And as far as she could remember, she had never stolen something in her entire life. Now that she accidentally took someone else's locket, she felt even worse for leaving the temple in the morning.

'I need to find that man and give it back to him as soon as possible. I also have to say 'sorry' for peeping at him.' As she was thinking, she came to a sudden realization.

'It means, I have to leave again!' She choked. She had to find an opportunity to sneak out tomorrow. This plan made her uncomfortable.

However, she knew she couldn't get any peace of mind if she kept this with her either. His locket could pull back all those images of her sinful encounter with the naked man.

Nevertheless, thinking of her schedule for the following day, she gasped in horror.

Because, from tomorrow, her cleaning duty will start. At dawn, she has to go to the prayer room to lit up all the candles. And then, she needs to go to the inner temple and inform the High Priest about taking over the aforementioned duty before she can start working. She has no time to leave tomorrow. And her duty will continue till next month.

'What to do? What to do?' She marched from one side to the other in her room. She couldn't keep this locket with her, neither could she go and give it back to its owner.

Veronica looked outside the window. From there, she could see the busy town roads which were still brightly lit up. At that moment, she made a decision.

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Even though it was time to sleep, the city was still bustling. People were walking, laughing, and even gossiping.

Veronica was now strolling in the market area. It's more crowded than other places. She felt like that man could be here. The truth was, she was afraid of dark places and that's why she avoided quiet places like dark alleys.

Her heart was thumping in nervousness and she was joyful at the same time. She wanted to see this city and her dream came true.

She was looking for a place where many men gathered to eat and drink. She had asked a shopkeeper about where she could gather information and the woman told her to look for a bar.

She once heard that people go to bars to drink booze. She had no idea what booze was. She asked around and found a bar. She went inside.

Inside the bar was a little dark, even darker than the night roads of a busy town. The lights were dim. There was an odd smell that she couldn't recognize. She heard laughter and loud voices that belonged to men.

Veronica stood there dumbfounded. She had no clue where to go next, whom to ask questions. She didn't move until someone from her back spoke aloud, "Hey lass, move."

She was startled. She jumped and moved to the side. And when she finally turned around, she saw a giant man. Nervously, she stepped back a little, giving the living mountain enough room to walk inside the bar.

The bulky man didn't care about her. He just strode past her and went to the bar counter. "Max, give me the usual," he ordered.

The bartender, Max, seemed to be in his early twenties. He had fair skin and dark brown hair. His brown eyes were peaceful. He was a fine, young gentleman. He was wearing an off-white shirt and paired it with dark green pants. Max gleefully replied, "Coming up."

"How is it going?" The bulky man questioned the bartender.

Max answered, "Everything is going well. The harvest was great. The crops will be delivered to the town tomorrow. I heard that the royal family has decided to distribute the best crops to the orphans."

But his recipient didn't seem that moved. He stated, "The royal family's contribution is praiseworthy. Anything unusual?"

Max lowered his voice and reported, "I heard a man had come to the town. He was looking for a job."

Meanwhile, Veronica, who had been eavesdropping, unintentionally or intentionally, stepped closer. She cleared her throat loud enough to get their attention. "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt your conversation. I have a favor to ask you."

Max gave her a friendly smile. "Hello, miss, what can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for a man. Can you help me find him?" She questioned.