“Zeikontour, huh.”
The word was foreign to Carysse’s mouth. She knew that in the ancient language, it literally means ‘raise your ranks’. But with her being a Thalisse citizen, it was not unusual that they didn’t know a lot of things in the outside world.
“Gairoshi was banned for centuries, right? But Zeikontour wasn’t. It was meant to be for those who wanted to become queen but when Gairoshi became dormant, it was now an event that opened opportunities for ladies who wanted to rise above society. Now, any girl can go from being a stable girl to a feudal lady and even higher,” the lady explained.
“Just like me,” she giggled. “I am a daughter of an ordinary merchant. But now I do my own trades. My goal this time is to go a little higher than just being a merchant boss. I’m aiming to become a feudal lady–a true achievement of those who were born in the slums.”
Carysse looked at her while they were walking.
“Ma’am, may I know your name?” she asked. It was preposterous of her earlier to immediately label the one who helped her as an enemy. It didn’t look like she was some hidden assassin. Every part of the noble lady was genuine. It would just be right to know the name of the one who is willing to give her a hand.
“Liblei,” she answered with another sunny smile despite the gloomy weather which made them put their hoods up once again. “Liblei Okkoa.”
For a noble, she didn’t address herself as Lady Liblei. Carysse was then having thoughts if she was wrong to assume that Liblei was a rich woman belonging to the higher class.
“How about you, my dear?”
“Carysse,” she only said. She could have made a fake name just for security but she was feeling safe around her. And to her surprise, the Liblei didn’t ask her for her last name.
“Madame Liblei,” Carysse started to which Liblei put up a finger as if to stop her.
“You can drop the madame,” she said. “I’m not some royalty that you should use such honoraries. Call me by my name only. That way, both of us can be comfortable.”
“Liblei, then. May I ask why are you kind to a stranger like me? You know that I am also not from here. Don’t you feel threatened that I might kidnap you and use you for ransom?” she asked.
Liblei chuckled. “I’m almost thirty years old and I have been through worse than kidnapping. Carysse, I have done bad things in the past. I have actually no right to be alive right now so no amount of threat to my life is able to scare me. This is why I can freely roam the streets of Apharothia without the fear of someone killing me because believe me or not, I deserve not to live.” She was talking casually about her life like it didn’t really matter.
“That was my thinking before. And it all changed when I realized that I can make up for what I did. I can never repay all my sins but I could try. I vowed that I will show kindness to everyone that I will be meeting, no matter who they are and where they come from. Besides, if you are really a kidnapper, you should have already done it earlier.” After that, Liblei stopped walking and turned towards her.
“Carysse, young ones like you are my redemption. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that I saw you earlier being chased by the guards but I believe that if I could at least help one more soul, then maybe I can die in peace.”
By then, the skies started to clear. It was already getting late in the afternoon but at that moment, Carysse couldn’t help but feel security in her words. For the first time in her life she heard such words. Carysse was an orphan who grew under the care of a kind yet authoritative elder. Warrior training has been part of her life and she was taught not to be soft because it would just be her weakness. She had been trained to be tough and that her life was nothing more than a shield and sword to the village and the people. This was the first that someone actually recognized her existence as something valuable. Carysse was suddenly lost in her thoughts, debating hard whether it was okay or was she allowed to think such things.
“Oh my, it’s getting dark. We better hurry. Let’s go,” Liblei said and lifted the cloth of her dress so that she could walk faster without tripping.
For some reason, Carysse didn’t need the feeling to hesitate.
***
King Visian couldn’t sleep that night.
There were countless times that he had seemed to have lost the ability to sleep due to fatigue of handling a kingdom. He would have his eyes shut down in tiredness, his body limp with, but his mind would be racing in madness. Those were the times that he wanted to be lost in his sleep but was being denied it. This night was different. He didn’t feel tired, his back ache wasn’t visiting him, and his mind was alert. He was feeling refreshed to the point that he didn’t seem to need sleep at the moment.
Finally, he could no longer take it. He removed his blankets off him, stood at the side of his bed, and grabbed his night robe that was readily put at his table. He donned it, feeling the warmth hugging him and walked towards his window. The moon was in its crescent form. Legends said that it was the time when the night was smiling. How he wished it was also applicable to the humans that it was shining upon.
Some of the light entered the room and gave enough visibility for the painting hung on his wall to be seen. It was their last family portrait painted more than a decade ago. Was it the reason for his alertness? Were the spirits of the dead visiting him again?
Then he realized that tomorrow was his late wife’s birthday.
That must be it. Tomorrow was her 10th death anniversary yet he wasn’t making any plans yet he was giving his all for the preparation of the Gairoshi. He would have to ask Dasran to clear out some time for both of them to visit. None of the other women presented to him after her death sufficed him even just in looks and there were none other that bore his seed. Because of that, he gave up all hopes of having another offspring for what was his lineage and life anyway if he could not celebrate it with the woman he loved?
Ruling a kingdom alone was difficult. That was why he was great for Dasran’s presence. Even if Chancellor Waharis was more powerful than him, Dasran was a true friend that he could depend on.
The painting of the woman and a child with missing teeth at her arms was something that he never got tired of looking upon, no matter how much pain it cost him every time he cast his eyes on it. Dasran suggested putting it away for the meanwhile because of the damage that the king was dealing emotionally at the sight of his late wife but the king forbade anyone from touching it. It was a sign of his weakness and a reminder of what will happen should he fall again for the trap of his enemies. Even a king needed something to remind him of his position.
Having the crown wasn’t some sort of decoration. He wished to pass it on to someone with good faith. Hopefully, Gairoshi will give him what he needs–what Apharothia needs.