The next day, Aisha opened her eyes again to the unfamiliar ceiling. It took her some time before she could finally recall what had happened.
Right. She was captured and forced to swear her loyalty to the Empire.
Cornered by Archibald's trick, Aisha had no choice but to mix some herbs she ground into her drink. It was a risky gamble, but she knew Archibald wouldn't let her die just yet.
He wanted her to show her loyalty, so she was ready to risk her life in the process. By now, they should already be aware that there was no poison. A cunning and wicked person like Archibald should understand what she tried to imply by doing something like this.
'I won't run anywhere, so don't harm anyone.'
Aisha's whole body still felt sluggish, but she forced herself to sit up anyway.
It was bright outside, but who knows how many days had passed since then? She seemed to recall having a dream of meeting her old friend Ren, but she didn't remember what she did after that.
Right when she wanted to wash her face, Leslie entered the tent with a basin of water in his hand. "Priestess, you have already awakened."
"Yes, just now. Can I ask what you are doing here?"
"Ah, pardon my intrusion. The Emperor ordered me to look after you while you were unconscious. I will leave now."
"No, that's okay. Anyway, can you tell me what happened outside? And how much time had passed since I lost consciousness?"
Leslie put down the basin of water on the table before replying. "Today marked the fifth day since you collapsed. Since you have already awakened, we will depart to the Empire soon. The Emperor had given the order to prepare ourselves for the journey."
Aisha clenched her hand into a fist. When she was still a child, she dreamed of going on an adventure and traveling to various lands to see the outside world with her own eyes. However, she didn't expect her adventure to start this way, alongside the tyrant that burned her homeland.
She felt complicated, but there was nothing she could do about it. "What about the villagers who got captured?"
"The Emperor ordered us to release them. They should have returned to the village by now."
Aisha felt relieved. Sure enough, that man would understand the real intention behind her actions. A part of her was anxious about the consequences she would receive later, but for now, she was content that no sacrifices were made.
"What about Maya, the girl who was with me?"
"She is recuperating well as we speak. However, she still can't move much due to her injury."
Aisha wanted to ask if she could visit her. However, she restrained herself.
"I see. Thanks for telling me all this."
Leslie respectfully bowed at her. "It's my pleasure to serve you, Priestess. If you need my help, please don't hesitate to ask me. I will be waiting outside the tent so you can have some time for yourself."
Only then did Aisha notice that she wore a different outfit than the last one she remembered. Thinking about how this camp was filled with men, she dreaded thinking about who helped her change her clothes.
Noticing the horrified look on her face, Leslie tactfully added, "The one who changed your clothes is one of the nurses on our ship. She is a woman."
Aisha was visibly relieved to hear that. "I see."
"Then, I'll excuse myself first, Priestess."
After Leslie left, Aisha quickly used the water he brought to clean herself before changing into fresh clothes. She felt refreshed, and hunger began to hunt her.
However, she didn't have to worry for long since, at the next moment, she could hear Leslie's voice from beyond the entrance curtain. "Priestess, I brought you some food. Should I enter or bring it back to you later?"
"Please come in."
Leslie entered with a tray of food in his hand. She carefully put them on the table and poured the tea for her. "It's not much, but I hope this suits your liking."
Meanwhile, Aisha felt her mouth become watery just from the delicious view in front of her. There was some meat, soup, and bread. Despite being a prisoner, the food given to her was fancier than any food she received during her priestesshood. She couldn't wait to dig in.
"Allow me to serve by your side as you eat. You might not be familiar with the utensils we used."
As embarrassing as it was to admit, he was right. In her village, everyone used chopsticks, so this was her first time using a fork and knife to eat. "By all means, please help me."
Leslie elegantly used the knife and fork to slice the meat into pieces, just enough for one bite. His movement was smooth without awkwardness as if it came as second nature to him.
He dressed humbly, but based on how much the Emperor trusted him, Aisha assumed that Leslie must be a noble or some kind of important person in the military.
He silently stood by her side as she ate. Despite the delicious food, she couldn't help but find it hard to swallow when he was staring at her like that.
"Say, Leslie, I want to know more about the Empire. I will soon become a citizen of it, so I want to know more before we return."
Leslie noticed how she used the word 'return' instead of 'go', and thought that the Priestess wasn't as simple as she looked. But he covered his thoughts well and smiled, "Certainly. Is there anything, in particular, you want to know about the Roseau Empire?"
Aisha pondered for a bit before deciding not to beat around the bush. "Please tell me about the Emperor. I have to know more if I want to serve him well."
Leslie complied with her request and began his story.
The Roseau Empire was the new-established name of the Roseau Kingdom after the young, new King took the throne and won the war between the kingdom and a few other countries.
Due to the failure of the previous King, the national treasury was wasted in the prolonged war. Their land was stolen by another land, and people were suffering from famine.
However, everything changed when Prince Archibald took the throne. He went to the war by himself and won back their stolen land.
Due to the kingdom's landlocked position between a few nations, the Roseau Kingdom was always at risk for war. That was why the young King took it upon himself to conquer those countries and restore peace to the land. He unified the Brusellia Continent and made it his Empire.
Aisha listened closely to Leslie. She didn't interrupt nor show any reaction; however, she felt indignant inside.
The way he portrayed Archibald was as if he was a hero who united the land and saved people. But in that conquest, a lot of innocent blood was spilled. He even attacked her land, which was far across the sea and isolated from the world.
Unification? Protection? It sounded like a convenient excuse to wage war and conquer the world to her. Human greediness knew no bounds sometimes.
Even now, Aisha could still hear the scream of people and the horror of the flame burning down her land. The world was vast, and trying to put it under a man's feet was simply a display of arrogance.
The peace they were talking about was built upon the sacrifices of thousands of people. Aisha couldn't condone the logic behind it.
"Priestess? Is there something else you want to ask me?"
"Hm, how long does it take for us to reach the Roseau Empire?"
"We will travel across the sea for approximately one month. When we reach the land, we'll need another two weeks by carriage before we can finally reach Eden, the capital of the Roseau Empire."
The journey would be so long. Once she left, she would be separated miles away from her land. She wondered if she would be able to return someday.
"Leslie, do you think I can visit Maya?"
"I'm afraid I don't have the authority to decide that. Perhaps you should ask the Emperor about this."
Aisha knew it wouldn't be that easy. Archibald had already seen through her tricks; he wouldn't allow her to meet Maya easily.
"Priestess, if you want to meet your guard, I suggest you ask the Emperor for permission. Coincidentally, he wanted you to come to his tent tonight."