Westalia made her way into town after the sun rose and sold off a small portion of the jewels, using that money to buy more suitable clothing. She bought a dark robe with a hood, which would make her look like any other traveler on the road. Her silvery white hair was quite conspicuous, so she tied it up in a bun and tucked it under her hood. Then, she boarded a stagecoach and opened her map.
So I’ll go from here to here... she thought as she marked out her route. From the royal capital where she was now, she would have to go through the Kingdom of Slidd to reach the Archaites Empire. The entry procedure into the empire required a number of documents, including an ID card, but there simply wasn’t enough time to forge them all before the empress selection began. This meant that she had to avoid areas with strict border checkpoints and instead sneak across natural barriers like rivers and mountains, meaning it would take her about three weeks to arrive in the empire. The crown prince had acceded to the throne six months ago. The selection of the empress would begin in two months. Considering the various procedures that would be necessary after entering the country, she would have just barely enough time to make it as it was.
The native languages of the Kingdom of Lhumzia and the Archaites Empire were different. Since the language of Archaites was widespread and used as an official language of many other countries, Westalia had learned it, but she needed to be perfect by the time she entered the empire.
The first stage of the selection for empress was a written exam. By the end of that stage, due to the low literacy rate among the common people, it was usually only the daughters of noble families, who had received a good education, who remained in the running. Additionally, the results were ranked, so if a woman placed highly, she would likely leave a lasting impression on the imperial family.
There’s lots to do while I travel. I must study, of course, but I also need...allies. At least one, Westalia thought.
Then, after passing the first round of the selection process, there would come a point when she would need to be accompanied by a lady’s maid. The competence of the lady’s maid was of utmost importance, as it also was a measure of her employer’s abilities.
I will be handpicking a lady’s maid to an empress. She must be strong both mentally and physically. Of course, it must also be someone who understood her situation. Besides, Westalia was too sheltered to live in a new country for the first time by herself; she didn’t even know how to do any domestic chores. She needed an ally who could fill in the gaps where her knowledge was lacking. She looked out of the carriage window, wondering where she could find someone who would fit the position.
✦ ✦ ✦
Two weeks later, Westalia found herself in the Kingdom of Slidd, which was located between her home kingdom of Lhumzia and the Archaites Empire. The country was rife with conflict and public unrest.
“May I have some of those medicinal herbs?” Westalia asked, pointing to some herbs lined up on the shelves of an apothecary’s shop she’d stopped at.
The owner frowned. “Those leaves have a very strong effect. If used correctly, it can be a good medicine, but if used incorrectly, it can be a dangerous poison. I don’t know what you intend to use it for, but I can’t give it to someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing with it.”
Westalia let out a small sigh. “That plant... Its red berries have a dangerous paralytic effect on nerves, but the leaves, on the other hand, have antipyretic and analgesic properties and are used as medicine for the dying and sick. There is nothing wrong with it, as long as you use it in the right amounts.”
“Y-Yes, you’re correct. You’re well-versed in medicines.”
“Yes, my father is a doctor and asked me to come buy some for him. There is a...terminal patient who is suffering greatly, so my father needs the herbs to make the patient as comfortable as possible,” Westalia said to the man, her acting putting Lily’s antics to shame. Obviously, she couldn’t tell him she was planning on using the herbs as a poison.
“Oh, yes, a doctor’s daughter. I understand now.”
After she bought the herbs and left the store, the apothecary tilted his head to the side. “Huh, I didn’t know we had a doctor in this little town...”
This shopkeeper had unknowingly allowed her to buy materials for poisons and other hidden weapons. She would pretend to be a simple traveler to Archaites, secretly crafting self-defense weapons. Westalia caught a ride on the wagon of a passing merchant. The wagon was half covered and filled with crates of miscellaneous goods for trade. Westalia wrapped herself in a large blanket to keep the cold wind off her body.
Westalia looked out at the deserted streets. The occasional people that she saw walking around were all wearing shabby clothes and gloomy expressions. The buildings lining the street were in a state of disrepair.
“The people in this town are kind of...ambitionless,” she said without thinking, so caught up in the sorry state of things.
“There was a conflict here a little while ago,” the merchant replied. “Crime is rampant here now. Human trafficking, for example. You should be careful. They’re after good-looking girls like you.”
“Thank you for the warning...” Westalia replied, pulling her hood farther over her face and stroking the place where her handmade poisoned needle was hidden.
“Help me!” a voice cried suddenly.
“Huh?!”
What was that?
A girl suddenly made a flying leap onto the back of the wagon as it rolled slowly by. Her clothes were tattered, and she was bleeding in places. Her hands were bound in manacles, the chain dragging. She was trembling furiously.
She’s terribly frightened... Westalia thought.
With tears in her eyes, the girl looked up pleadingly. “I’m being chased. Can you hide me...?” Her voice was hoarse, as if she were having to wring the words out of her throat. Seeing what a state she was in, Westalia nodded silently and concealed the girl under the blanket.
Soon, several men came running toward the cart. Westalia calmly opened her book on top of the hidden young girl. The men looked frantically around the area.
“Find her quickly! She couldn’t have gotten far!”
Westalia guessed that these men were slave traders looking for their escaped goods. She met their eyes for a brief moment, but she smiled a gentle smile and they were so entranced by her beauty that they did not notice the unnatural bulge in her blanket.
“Let’s go,” she said quietly to the merchant and he sped the horses up. The girl was still trembling next to Westalia’s legs. Westalia put a hand on the blanket to soothe her.
Westalia whispered to the girl after they’d gotten safely out of the city. “It’s okay, you can come out now.”
“Really?” the girl replied, peeking out from under the blanket. She had round eyes and a childish face, but she actually looked to be a little older than Westalia herself.
“Yes.”
“Good,” the young woman sighed in relief.
The merchant looked back over his shoulder at them. “Hey, wait a minute, when did she get here?! She must be a slave from a trafficking ring. If they find out, I’m going to lose my head!”
“Please don’t take me back to those people. I beg of you... Please...” the girl pleaded.
Westalia glared at the merchant. “She’s already frightened. Have some consideration!”
“S-Sorry!” The man rubbed his chin, embarrassed. Helping a slave escape was still a serious problem. If it came to light, he would be punished for aiding the fugitive.
I don’t know what to do here... Westalia thought.
The young woman twisted her wrists to try and remove the manacles. The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the air. She wouldn’t be able to remove them on her own, and she would never truly be free until she could rid herself of the proof that she was a runaway slave.
“Let me see those manacles,” Westalia said.
“O-Okay...?” the young woman replied.
“They have a lock on them.”
“Nobody except the leader of the organization can remove these. But please, I can’t go back there...”
“I know. Stay still.” The lock on the manacles was simple. Westalia took the pin holding her blanket shut and inserted one end between two stacked boxes. She held the top box with one hand and used the other to bend the pin upward. Then, she bent it at a right angle.
The young woman and the merchant looked at each other, wondering what Westalia was doing.
Westalia then pulled down her hood and took out one of her hair clips, removing a piece of metal wire from it. The young girl gasped at the sight of Westalia’s long, silvery hair cascading down. Westalia inserted the straight wire from the hair clip and the blanket pin into the lock on the manacles. She made a series of small adjustments, twisting one side so as not to damage the inside, until the wire and clip were in the perfect position.