The cogwagon Saya was riding was headed straight west down the main road. Jubilia, Ivara, and a royal guard who worked under Ivara were riding in the passenger compartment along with her. The knight had introduced himself as Gozo. He had a toned, muscular body which made his skill apparent, and his face was accented by extremely dark eyes.
“Today we’ll be going all the way to the first ring road; then we’ll stop there for the night,” Ivara said.
“Wait, why are you the one in charge?” Jubilia objected.
“Lady Ivara holds the highest rank among us, so it is only a matter of course,” Gozo answered, his tone arrogant.
“I am Saya’s guard here.”
“Weren’t you informed that the Sovereign appointed me to this post? Do you intend on defying our liege’s command?” Ivara challenged.
Even though Jubilia was displeased, she kept quiet. The atmosphere in the cogwagon was terribly awkward. Saya’s life was already in danger, so this just made her even more depressed.
The journey was completely different than when she had first gone to the capital. Absolutely everything she laid eyes on had been new to her back then. Now that she knew what lay beyond all this scenery, it didn’t shine in the same way as it had before. Even though her time in the capital had been quite short, she felt like she had learned more then than in the rest of her life.
Still, a thought occurred to her. Maybe the scenery only seemed to shine back then because she had been with Nagi. If she could meet him once more, would the world regain its light? Only by reuniting with him would she find out for sure.
She wondered where he was now. According to Lernaean, he had been part of an attack on a place called Ronadyphe Prison. Saya didn’t even know whether that was nearby or far away. Was this cogwagon bringing her closer to him? Or perhaps farther? Saya might never meet Nagi again.
Her heart throbbed painfully at the thought. The scenery sank farther and farther into the darkness. As the cogwagon shook to and fro, Saya began to doze off.
“Lady Saya,” Jubilia said as she shook Saya awake. “It’s a little early, but it seems we’re stopping for the night.”
They were at a small settlement where the western road intersected the first ring road.
“Apparently, one of the villagers is offering up their house for us to stay in.”
“Really?”
Ivara returned to the cogwagon and said to Saya, “Be at ease. We have secured the chief’s house, which is in the best state among all the buildings here. Still, the area is rather seedy.”
“What about the people who live there?”
“Who knows? They’ll sleep somewhere or other, I suppose. There are plenty of huts around. They won’t die from sleeping outside, either. Come now, this way.”
The chief’s house was in fact the largest in the village. It was split up into several rooms.
“Let’s assign this room to Lady Saya. The bed here is the best one, after all. You use that room over there,” Ivara declared.
Jubilia scowled at her. “It will be troublesome if I am not assigned to the same room as Lady Saya.”
“But there is only one bed in the room.”
“Then I shall use the floor.”
“You mustn’t,” Ivara replied coldly. “Do you not have any pride as a noble? A knight is one who exemplifies the difference between commoners and nobles, remember?”
“Nothing more than a common knight. Your bloodline is evident,” Gozo added dismissively.
Jubilia somehow managed to hold back her rage. Knights of the royal guard were of an entirely different status from other knights. Many of the royal guards were high-ranking nobles. On the other hand, many of the common knights, who had to come in frequent contact with commoners, were pretty much all lower-ranking nobles.
“Is there a room where the two of us can sleep together?” Saya asked.
“There are, but they’re terribly shabby,” Ivara said in an uncompromising manner.
“I’m fine with that.”
“You cannot. The Sovereign will scold me if you are not given the highest quality room.”
“Jubilia, or whatever your name is,” Gozo said with a scoff, “are you making light of the royal guard? We serve closer to the Sovereign than any other. If you cause any more trouble, then I shall have to start thinking of your punishment.”
“You do not possess the authority.”
“Do you really believe that?”
Jubilia had no choice but to fall silent. Seeing her like that, Saya decided to yield. “Jubilia, I’ll be fine on my own. Besides, it’s only for one night.”
“But—”
“Lady Ivara and I are here, and we’re more than enough of a security detail. You’ve got no role to play here,” Gozo said provocatively.
Jubilia bitterly bit down on her lip.
“Are we all in agreement, then?” Ivara asked with a saccharine smile.
She then whispered something in Saya’s ear, so quietly that Jubilia couldn’t hear. “When everyone is asleep, I will come to get you... and help you escape. I will take you to that commoner boy.”
Saya was shocked by what she said and just barely managed to keep herself from yelling. She kept a tight hold on her expression and nodded slightly, but she was unable to do anything about the hope and elation blooming in her chest. She was going to reunite with Nagi sooner than she expected.
With a glance at Jubilia, Saya could tell that the knight was still vexed about their separation. It truly pained her to try to run away from this woman who thought so much of her safety.
However, Jubilia was Lernaean’s subordinate. Their interests were currently aligned, but he wasn’t Saya’s ally. Her true goal was to see Nagi again.
That night, Saya lay in bed, fully awake. Before long, the time had come. The window opened without a sound, and Ivara slipped inside. Even as she descended from the windowsill, her movements were completely silent. If Saya had been asleep, she surely wouldn’t have noticed the intrusion. What Saya didn’t realize was that this proved that Ivara was no mere handmaiden.
“Lady Saya,” she whispered, rousing Saya from her bed. “This way.”
The floorboards creaked as Saya walked over to the window. It was likely a quiet sound, but it felt to her as though it echoed greatly through the stillness of night. Saya’s heart thumped in her chest.