Fleeting dreams tugged at Ojero's consciousness as he awoke.
He didn't know how long he was asleep, but he felt better rested than he could ever remember. It was odd how that worked, how the more tired he was the better rested he felt after finally sleeping.
Still, it felt different, almost alien, how well-rested he was. It couldn't have been more than an hour, right?
Yet despite thinking that, he could feel his own body and he knew it was uncharacteristically energetic despite the little sleep he had.
He thought he heard some rustling across from him, and his mind connected the pieces immediately.
'We must have already gathered the students from Riverlane, I bet that's Roger moving around. We will probably be leaving the city soon.'
It was a shame, it'd be much harder to rest once they started moving.
The bumpiness of the carriages did not mix well with the stillness of resting.
He felt the carriage rock as Roger continued to move, no doubt teasing Jason in some fashion.
However, Ojero didn't hear any teasing happening. Come to think of it, he didn't hear any heavy breathing or rocking of the carriage either.
Could Roger have returned alone? No, he would be eating. Roger was a notoriously slow eater, especially when he was very hungry. It would've taken him at least half an hour to gather the supplies he needed, and then another few minutes to return and piece together a meal.
There was no way Roger would be done eating before they left, but Ojero didn't hear the typical chewing sounds he associated with eating.
His eyebrows knit in confusion, and just before he opened his eyes, he heard a teasing voice.
A feminine voice.
"How long do you plan to pretend to be sleeping? Should I call the guards for snooping on a royal lady?"
Ojero shot up with frightening speed, his eyes finally opening and seeing who sat opposite him.
It was a slender woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, a small grin on her face, and her arms crossed across her chest.
Her face was thin and sharp, and Ojero would be fooling himself if he didn't admit she was beautiful, even by noble standards.
Dozens of thoughts went through his mind at that moment, but he couldn't find a single one that explained the situation properly.
All he knew was that this woman definitely wasn't here when he fell asleep.
He was sure he would have remembered someone being there, especially someone who looked like this.
'Wait, blonde hair, blue eyes, and very pretty? In Riverlane?'
It all suddenly connected in his mind, and his eyes widened as he spoke monotonously.
"You're Anastasia Eyrial."
She seemed to find that funny and laughed a little.
"Well of course I am, the question is who are you and why are you in my carriage, sleeping no less? I assumed my uncle would send a servant, but for him to send one that sleeps on the job is a lapse of judgment."
'Servant?'
She thought he was a servant? Wait, her uncle? Does she mean the king? And why would he send her a servant? Can she not care for herself at all?
And why does she think that he is the servant in the first place!?
"Servant? I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong person, and you're most likely in the wrong carriage. The woman's carriage is further back I believe, this one is just guys."
She cocked an eyebrow.
"Are you saying I made a mistake, servant? It seems like I really do need to bring this up to my uncle."
At this point, Ojero was beginning to feel a little offended.
"Yes, lady, I am saying you made a mistake. I am not your servant, so stop calling me one. I am a noble of the realm and should be treated as such."
A knowing look appeared in her eyes.
"Ah, so my servant not only sleeps on the job, he has delusions of grandeur. This is a problem that should be solved immediately. Please leave the carriage and notify the Magos that I require his services."
Ojero was about to respond, his anger blocking his better judgment, when he finally thought about the situation.
Looking at her pretty face again, the teasing smile finally clicked.
His anger left him and he deflated against the wooden wall of the carriage.
"You know who I am, don't you?"
She tilted her head to the side and gave him a beaming smile.
"Of course I do, Mr. Guestino. When the Magos told me the women's carriage was full of other nobles, I asked to be placed in a carriage that would be more entertaining. He mentioned he had a carriage with two nobles, a draftee, and by some miracle a miner's son who bonded to a legendary gem. When I learned those two nobles happened to be from Guestinore, I had to take the chance to have some fun."
Just who did this woman think she was?
Well, Ojero knew the answer to that already. She was royalty, and not even distant royalty. If only a handful of people died, she could one day be queen. As it was, she was going to the Academy and would probably be provided the best gem money could buy.
'Unless she already had one. It wouldn't surprise me if she bonded to one the day she was able to.'
Just as he thought that, a worrying thought appeared in his mind.
"You wouldn't happen to have already bonded to a gem?"
Her smile never wavered, if anything his question seemed to make it even wider.
"Why yes, I have."
Ojero started to grow a little nervous.
"What would that gem be?"
Her smile turned predatory.
"Now that's a very personal question. You might as well have asked me to strip myself bare, you know. You're of nobility, you know asking someone's gem is asking them to reveal both their strengths and weaknesses."
He started to blush at her insinuations, which only seemed to encourage her.
"However, you are of high enough nobility that my family might not mind, should they choose to ignore your families… commoner origins."
She seemed to lean back in thought for a moment before continuing.
"I happened to have bonded to an epic tier gem that granted me the element Sleep Lord. It allows me to grant people I can bestow a deep and refreshing sleep that lasts only a few minutes but leaves those affected as well rested as if they slept for a full night. Not particularly powerful, but very useful when sleep is at a premium."
Her eyes glistened as she spoke about her abilities, showing her clear pride in them.
"Once I am placed at the head of the Riotian Legion, I will be able to make my entire army rest in minutes, rather than hours, allowing us to never have to end our marches or fighting."
She was right, that was very useful as an officer. Even more important, she mentioned being placed at the head of not just any legion, but the Riotian Legion, the most legendary of all armies that the Kingdom of Riote provided to the war effort.
Even the Everentile Empire only possessed a few armies as strong or impactful as the Riotian Legion.
Usually, such a position would be given to only the strongest in the entire kingdom, but due to her royal blood and epic gem, it was not that surprising she would be favored for it.
More than that, Ojero noticed that she had used her magic on him without him noticing, which brought his anger back.
"So you used your magic on me without permission? When I was at my most vulnerable?"
Her gaze grew questioning at his accusation.
"Most vulnerable? I am sure I could have had you in a more… precarious situation, should I have tried. All I would need to do is order the Magos to do as I wished. He is contracted by my father, after all."
She shrugged.
"Besides, I did you a favor. One of my aspects allows me to sense how tired someone is, and you were very close to passing out. Now, you won't have to sleep for quite a while. Some gratitude would be appreciated."
Stemming his fury, Ojero inhaled deeply.
'Just give her what she wants. It isn't worth the fight. Besides, she is the one who is going to regret her choices. Once Roger returned, there's no way he doesn't make her suffer.'
Just thinking about what the young thief would do to tease and torment her brought a smile to his face as he spoke.
"I suppose you do have a point. Very well, thank you very much for helping me, Lady Eyrial."
She seemed surprised by him acquiescing to her demands but was pleased nonetheless.
"You are very welcome, Lord Guestino."
She gave him a pleased smile that made his heart flutter.
"We should be departing soon. I do hope your companions make it back in time."
That brought a similar smile to Ojero's face.
"I certainly hope so too."