Amnesia.
Such a convenient excuse. For one, she is lucky people believe her given the circumstances to be against her odds. For two, the 2nd imperial princess is a very imaginative person. Just the right amount of imagination to suspect Zeraya.
Zeraya extends the telescope in her hand. Sneaking to the lower floors of the tower is difficult enough, not to mention finding an opportunity to escape. In fact, Zeraya only has one chance to sneak around yet she immediately knows— the tower is impenetrable from the outside and inside. It is a cage and a fortress in one which speaks greatly of the empire's architectural feat. The only thing she can do now is lie in wait for an opportunity.
"I see… So this must be that place…" Surrounding the very tower where Zeraya resides are mountain ranges, and various village settlements. Her hunch tells her that she must be at the infamous Tower of Fire of the Empire. The sight of the almost unending mountain ranges on the horizon at least supports her assumption.
Through the lenses of the telescope, Zeraya takes a gander at her surroundings. As she is on top of the tower, she can see as far as possible, especially with the telescope. "For a random piece of equipment lying randomly in their workshop, this must be a prototype of some sort… The technology level of the empire is frightening…"
Zeraya's ears perk at the sound of someone's arrival. She immediately hides the telescope under the dirt by the flowery gardens. She carefully pries the sides of the dirt and grass with her teacup's mouth like a shovel so as not to destroy the grass. After digging the slightly hollow space that she has been using for some time, she buries the telescope under the patch of relatively intact grass.
Sitting on her chair, and pouring herself a cup of tea, she effectively hides signs of 'improper' usage of the teacup. She swirls the murky tea and smells its fragrant tea flavor. Finally, the guard arrives.
In this short gap where her guard takes a break can she only have a moment of time for herself to use the telescope. It has been very difficult for Zeraya, but her will to survive and return home somehow is able to get her through the difficult times.
During her imprisonment, she so much wants to die and commit suicide, however, seeing how things are developing, she comes to realize a mad ambition— to spy on the empire. The imperial 2nd princess seems to think of her highly.
But Zeraya knows the radical elf King's emotion is not something to sway easily. And if it does, Zeraya can tell, that the actions that will come out of his volatile impulses are not something they can expect and manipulate. After all, the Elf King is someone who dares confront a Kingdom using a force so little, they barely qualify a village at that time.
Zeraya observes the guard with simple scrutiny. At his middle-aged, brown hair, strong, muscular, diligent, and not slacking even a moment. For Zeraya, she can see that the guard didn't even let his guard even one second. The discipline is so scary that Zeraya is even beginning to think the guard is not human.
From the top of the tower, Zeraya can feel the wind breeze. There is a garden, a table where she can drink tea, and a relatively rigid cabin that lacks any artistic design to it. The cabin is just a simple box with layers of stone bricks, and while not aesthetically pleasing, it is functional enough to protect her from the sun and rain.
Zeraya is aware that it will take her a long time to even find a chance to escape. The tower is a building with intense security. "I wonder what is the princess's standing is like. For her to have the power to make this my prison, she might as well be among the good seedlings who have a chance for the throne, right? She must have quite the influence if she is capable of giving me this VIP treatment."
At her words, she tries to discern even the tiniest bit of emotion from the guard, but the guard is not saying anything. He is like a statue unmoved by anything.
"Tsk, boring…" Zeraya rocks her chair back as she contemplates a plan of action. Last time, she is able to escape the guard's eyes because of some mishap. The guard had an accident on some of the floors causing her to lack any security detail for some time.
As it is a coincidence and out of luck, it will be difficult for Zeraya to replicate her escapades of slinking around. Though she is harboring a suspicion that maybe this is one of the 2nd imperial princess's tricks to toy with her, Zeraya doesn't care as it really doesn't change anything.
What if Zeraya is sneaking around? It is unlikely that she can escape anyway.
What if that one escape prior to stealing the telescope is some conspiracy? Zeraya doesn't care, after all, it doesn't change anything. So if that is the case, she might as well play the 2nd imperial princess's game.
Clearly, the imperial princess wants to tell something to her, and the message is too clear. She cannot escape. The need for the princess to tell this to her must be because she doesn't want Zeraya to cause trouble.
As a hostage, to the 2nd imperial princess, Zeraya has value.
Replicating the typical fairy tale, Zeraya is like some princess in a dragon's tower waiting for her hero to save her. However, she isn't really a damsel in distress. Not a sign of hurry on her face, she relaxes on the top of the tower…
As a former adventurer, she has her fair share of adventures, but this tower tops them all off. However, to Zeraya, this will be simply just like another adventure for her, and with her same winning mentality, she places her fate on her power over luck.
It can be worse. It will be worse. But she is here.
At the tower, alive and well.
For a half-elf, Zeraya is truly a weird existence possessing luck like no other. Birth from parents who truly love her, love from all kinds of species, and confidence that comes from her invisible natural trust in her guts— in the Elf King's words, she is someone who has charisma.
But Zeraya doesn't get it. How do these things relate to charisma?
Zeraya can still recall how her old friends use to tease her about how in the world she isn't sold to slavery yet when she is such a beautiful specimen that is even above among the most beautiful elves. Human greed after all is so powerful not one race is able to fight against it.
At first, Zeraya takes it with confidence that it is her abilities that allow her to survive this far. While some of her friends argue that it is luck, she simply tells them that it is just part of her abilities.
But no.
Luck cannot be an ability as there is no way in the world a person can train luck. Providences are not something a mortal can wield. At the recollection of that fateful day when arrows strike her back, when her horse struggles to run, and when steel touches her flesh… Despite all of that, she is alive…
When Zeraya suddenly finds herself on top of this tower, she comes to divine enlightenment that it is not merely luck but the work of fate. She firmly believes in this disillusion that even now runs dissonant of the objective truth.
Zeraya already has a scheme in mind. If luck is the agent of fate, then she must be just a meager coincidence. Perhaps a probability that has come to usher a new movement behind the scenes.
*Knock *Knock *Knock
The heavy thumping of the stone door behind the guard is loud, but not in a hurry. The guard grows flustered at the unexpected visitor, but clearly, the new arrival is not someone the guard can take care of.
"The 1st Imperial Prince, direct heir to the throne has come to visit! Open the door!"
The guard who should be a direct subordinate of the 2nd imperial princess nervously sweats at the mention of the 1st imperial prince. With reluctance, the guard opens the stone door revealing the white-haired, blue-eyed prince.
With a gentle smile and a benevolent gaze, he gives an elegant bow out of respect for Zeraya. A truly ridiculous thing to do despite the gap in social status. "Greetings, fair lady… I hope that I didn't interrupt your drinking of tea?"
"Hmmm…" With her lips rising by a notch, she smiles at the prince with arrogance. "I have been waiting for you…" Zeraya not even deigning to give the prince the respect he deserves, simply remains seated with fearless atrociousness.