The place Aisia arrived at was the mansion of General Adolf Kareha of the Urth Empire.
Even from the exterior, an air of elegance mixed with strictness could be felt emanating from it.
The white stone walls, the well-tended garden, and majestic engravings scattered about gave it an impressive appearance, but to her, it merely felt like the fortress of the enemy nation.
The moment she took a step closer to the building, she noticed the guards’ eyes fixed on her, and the servants observed her with guarded gazes.
“Your Highness, this way please.”
An unknown servant appeared to guide her to a room.
The room seemed cozy, but the tall walls and iron gates visible through the window made Aisia’s chest feel tight.
Though it seemed like a place she could leave if she truly wished, upon closer inspection, she found that both the door and the window—the only ways in and out—were under the vigilant surveillance of soldiers.
“So this is where I’ll be living…”
Biting her lip and looking around the room, she struggled to contain the burning fury rising in her chest.
Despite being far inferior to her days as a princess, this living space appeared extravagant for a captive, yet to Aisia, who was no longer afforded the freedom she once knew, this room felt like nothing more than a prison.
For all intents and purposes, it was merely a detention site for a “princess,” but the interior was quite comfortable and well-maintained.
“Is the captured princess really the one from the Liberian Empire?”
“Why does General keep her alive? Is she supposed to be his concubine?”
“General doesn’t need to take in a woman unable to bear children, right?”
The whispers of maids outside the door wouldn’t leave her mind.
Aisia clenched her teeth.
She felt the mockery of the world toward herself—someone branded as barren and relegated as a hostage—crushing her spirit from within.
Servants and attendants constantly came and went, which made Aisia feel increasingly uncomfortable.
“Is he trying to k*ll me slowly in here…?”
While staring out the window from her bed, she was consumed by such absurd thoughts.
“This humiliation, I don’t know how long it will last.”
The attendants of the Urth Empire made sure to care for the princess according to Kareha’s orders, ensuring she was comfortable.
Every morning, warm water and meals were brought to her, and if the room became slightly cold, extra blankets were provided.
Nevertheless, in Aisia’s eyes, all of this was merely mockery in disguise.
The servants’ attitudes when serving her food always carried a mix of suspicion and disdain.
“Your Highness, we’ve prepared Liberian cuisine for today.”
Although outwardly polite, their eyes betrayed the perception that, since she was now reduced to a war hostage after their defeat, she was no longer important.
The so-called Liberian dishes were abysmal in quality.
“Do you really think any Liberian dish is tasty as long as it’s loaded with spices?”
After the maids served the food and left, they could be heard mocking Liberian cuisine outside.
Even though Aisia couldn’t use mana due to her recent mana surge, her natural physical abilities allowed her to overhear the maids’ gossip. Each time, the nauseating quality of the food they served made her hands tremble when handling utensils.
“Should I endure this humiliation? Would it not be better to collapse by refusing to eat?”
Yet, she knew starving herself wouldn’t change anything and would only harm her in the end, so reluctantly, she forced herself to eat small amounts.
Several days into her life as a hostage, doctors and mages came to examine her.
“To further analyze the condition of Your Highness, we must confirm whether there’s damage to other parts of your body beyond the mana circuits.”
What might be seen as a routine medical procedure to anyone else felt like hell to Aisia.
As the enemy nation’s doctor probed her body and manipulated strange devices to measure her mana, her pride was crushed to pieces.
Quietly enduring like a doll until now, she eventually reached her breaking point.
“Do you have any idea how you’re supposed to ‘fix’ me? I know my body very well! Get lost!”
“The general hopes there might be some prospects.”
“Prospects? How revolting. The hope of the one who holds me hostage in this humiliation merely seems to prolong my shame further.”
Aisia’s eyes burned with rage.
Yet, the doctor continued the examination as if nothing unusual happened, expressionless.
After the examination, another day passed.
The princess, blessed with exceptional hearing from her royal lineage, could overhear the soldiers guarding her door muttering amongst themselves.
“Why is the general trying to treat the princess?”
“I don’t know what goes on in the general’s mind. Maybe it’s a political card, or perhaps he just likes her face?”
Upon hearing their conversation through the crack in the door, Aisia broke out in a cold sweat.
The last soldier’s comment implied she was nothing more than a collection item to them.
Back in the palace, surrounded by the protection and affection of those around her, Aisia had always walked on air. Now, she began to feel increasingly isolated.
As time passed, her appetite continued to decline.
Despite the servants’ morning reminders that refusing food would harm her, Aisia found herself losing her appetite after merely smelling the dishes served.
In the afternoon, when the doctor came in for a “mana test,” she curled up in her bed and refused to respond.
Although the soldiers wouldn’t physically coerce her if she refused to cooperate with the examination, she knew they would promptly report it to Adolf.
Then Adolf would come, explaining in a low voice, “This is for your own good,” a phrase she loathed.
“Why should I receive anything ‘meant for my own good’ from you?”
She suppressed her fury and turned her back on him before the conversation could continue.
“Such hypocrisy. All this misfortune began with you.”
As she began blaming everything on Adolf, her insomnia also worsened.
Every night, the memories of her critical injuries during battle after the mana explosion, the fatal diagnosis, and her home country turning their backs on her after declaring her infertility and using her as a hostage would surface one after another as she tried to fall asleep.
“Mom… Dad… did you truly abandon me?”
Shaking her head as tears streamed down her face, there was no one by her side.
“It’s truly… no one will come to save me.”
It seemed that Liberia, close to collapsing due to the war, had no means left to rescue a single princess.
“It seems I’m utterly alone.”
Without strength to escape or any rescue attempts from Liberia, she felt as if she had been abandoned in solitary confinement.
After a month of living as a hostage, Adolf’s visits became less frequent, yet each time he came, their conversations grew longer.
When Adolf entered her room, Aisia always stared coldly and ignored him, yet he would linger and raise various topics.
“How about going for a walk? Staying cooped up in your room must be tough.”
She didn’t even want to respond.
As her inner frustration grew, she kept her mouth shut.
Adolf Kareha would leave her room after such uneventful visits. His attitude further tormented her.
Had he been blunt and harsh, calling her a “discarded subject,” she might have only allowed her anger to grow. Instead, his ambiguous displays of ‘compassion’ or ‘care’ made her mental state even more confused.
After his footsteps faded away, she would slump to the ground, breathing heavily in anguish.
Gradually, Aisia Lil Shuhain began to break down.
“One way or another, that captive—no, princess—has refused her meals, showing no recovery whatsoever.”
The doctor in charge of Aisia Lil Shuhain informed Adolf Kareha that she was refusing to eat and had abandoned any will for recovery.
Though Adolf had returned to the capital and resumed his busy life, he couldn’t ignore Aisia’s situation.
Upon learning that she was refusing meals, Kareha realized he needed a clever plan to ensure she’d eat.
He would need more information about Aisia Lil Shuhain before resorting to force.
In his study, he began jotting down notes on the back of documents, collecting insights about her characteristics and the fictional world’s context.
“The princess was full of confidence… she highly valued honor, and appeared to have a strong sense of belonging to the Liberian Empire…”
He added that she was destined to become the mother of a hero.
Previously, Kareha had thought she was an ideal candidate for the hero’s mother due to her character and qualities.
“Hmm… this method might work.”
Upon devising his plan, Adolf Kareha arranged for a new maidservant of Liberian origin to be placed beside Aisia Lil Shuhain.
A few hours later, as dusk set in, the door opened.
This time, an unfamiliar woman entered, and her demeanor and attire were different from those of other servants.
“Your Highness…”
The woman greeted her in the Liberian accent.
Startled, Aisia opened her eyes to find the familiar warmth in her gaze.
“Are you… a citizen of the Liberian Empire?”
Her voice became noticeably sharper.
Nevertheless, Aisia hadn’t expected to encounter someone speaking her homeland’s language here.
“Yes. I have only recently arrived at the Urth Empire. General Adolf Kareha directly employed me, and now I serve as Your Highness’s maid.”
The woman bowed deeply.
Aisia’s heart skipped a beat.
“Why would the Empire’s general go through the trouble of finding a Liberian maid? Is it another plot?”
Her mind was filled with caution.
The maid, maintaining a humble attitude, presented the basket she had brought, revealing herbs and a warm cup of tea.
“I heard Your Highness hasn’t been eating well, so I personally prepared this. It’s a kind that was also served in Liberia. It’s known to soothe the body and mind.”
Though still suspicious, Aisia recognized the familiar aroma reaching her nose.
The fragrance reminded her of the tea she often drank in the Liberian palace, stirring her emotions until her nose tingled.
“How long has it been since I’ve smelled this scent…”
Despite the bittersweet feelings this brought, there was no denying that her heart had softened slightly.
