She’s got guts... I like it. If Westalia was going to drag someone into aristocratic society with her, it was better that it was someone who wasn’t afraid to show her fangs. After all, if there was anything Westalia was used to dealing with, it was poison. And poison could be good medicine too, depending on how it was used.
Westalia looked back at the seller. “I will take her. Right now, in fact. How much?” She opened her attaché case, which was filled with wads of cash. Paige and the seller looked at each other, clearly wondering just who she was. The seller’s offer was exorbitant compared to the market price for a regular slave, but Westalia paid on the spot and had the cage opened.
“Let’s get out of here quickly, Paige.”
Westalia and Paige left the arena. After they returned to the inn, Paige washed herself. Without the dirt covering her body, she was suddenly beautiful. Westalia sat her down on the bed and carefully began tending to the woman’s wounds, one by one. What she could see of Paige’s body was muscular and well-defined, but her skin was still soft.
She’s covered in scars... Westalia thought. The scars varied from old to new, deep to shallow. She used her fingers to apply ointment to the still-fresh wounds on Paige’s arms, then bandaged them.
“These must hurt. Let me know if the ointment stings,” Westalia said.
“These aren’t that bad. They’ll heal on their own,” Paige replied.
“No, they won’t! You’re not a wild animal. We have to take care of them so they don’t fester,” Westalia argued. “There we go. You can get dressed now.”
Paige was silent as she put on her shirt, but she looked in Westalia’s direction as if she wanted to say something.
“What’s the matter? Do you still have other injuries?” Westalia asked, and then she shrieked as Paige reached toward her. Paige took the medicine box from her hands and grabbed Westalia’s arms, forcing her to sit down on the bed. Then Paige opened the box, took out the ointment again, and placed some on her finger. She gently applied it to Westalia’s injured finger, where she’d gotten a cut when she was making her poisoned needles. Paige frowned as the medicine soaked into the wound.
“Ouch...” Westalia muttered.
“It’s fine that you’re taking care of me, but what about yourself? And please put up with at least this much. I did.”
“You’re so kind,” Westalia whispered, looking at Paige as she applied a bandage to the wound.
“No, you are the kind one.”
After that, the pair went to a tailor to buy suitable clothes for Paige. She wanted clothes that would be easy to move in, so they bought a button-up shirt, slacks, and a vest. The masculine clothes made her look like a beautiful young nobleman.
“How are you feeling?” Westalia asked. “You’ve been in such a horrid place for so long... Maybe you should see a doctor.”
“I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me,” Paige replied.
“Do you want something to eat? Are you thirsty? If there’s anything you want, you let me know.”
Paige stopped in the middle of the street, a serious look on her face. “Why are you being so nice to me? I’m a slave.”
“A former slave. I bought you, but I am not like the previous buyer. I will not mistreat you and I will reward you for your achievements. And in due time, you shall be lady’s maid to an empress,” Westalia responded. The position she promised was a glamorous job that any woman would love to have. If Westalia was going to ask Paige to cooperate with her from now on, it was only right for Paige to be aware of the situation.
Paige blinked. “Empress...?”
Westalia looked straight at her. “Before long, I will become empress of the Archaites Empire. I will have everything and be the most powerful woman in the land. That’s why I chose you as my ally, because you are strong in mind and body.”
“I heard that the empress of Archaites is chosen from among all the maidens in the country by a special selection process. Will you be able to do it? I don’t know how competitive it is.”
“It’s not a question of being able. I will be empress.”
Just as Paige had wished for sunlight when she’d been underground, Westalia wished, from the very bottom of her soul, to regain all that she had lost. Having experienced humiliation, the only thing left for her to do now was to crawl back up, aiming higher and higher.
Paige saw the conviction in Westalia’s eyes. She knelt down on the spot. Westalia caught the sharp gaze that shot out from between the locks of Paige’s bangs.
“To be honest with you,” Paige started, “I come from a ruined family of knights. I was reduced to being a slave, but I have trained since childhood and always dreamed of becoming a knight.”
“I see. So you wish to be a knight and not a lady’s maid?”
“If my dream were to come true...”
Westalia bid her to wait, then walked around the area, leaving Paige with her head still lowered. Westalia picked up a tree branch that was lying nearby and walked back over to Paige, tapping her on each shoulder with the branch—like it was a sword. This sword salute was the gesture symbolizing that one had just been knighted.
“I will grant your wish,” Westalia said. “From this day on, you are my one and only knight.”
“I hereby pledge my life to you—to be the spear that strikes your enemies and the shield that protects you,” Paige replied. She was so beautiful as she clasped her hand on her chest and uttered the oath that even a woman wouldn’t be able to resist her charms.
“So? What do I do first?” Paige asked. She was an excellent gladiator and had made fighting her entire life. However, she was still wary of Westalia and pondered what heinous crimes she’d be asked to commit.
But Westalia just smiled softly and raised a finger. “I’m going to have you scramble up that wall with me.”
“Huh?!”
Westalia pointed directly at the wall that ran along the border between the Kingdom of Slidd and the Archaites Empire. Paige just blinked at this unexpected request.