CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5 – Lisha

That night, I set out on the road. The air was cold, biting at my cheeks as I walked. My boots crunched softly on the dirt path, and for hours, silence was my only company. Then, faintly ahead, I caught the glow of a lantern swaying in the darkness.

An old man was walking at a careful pace, leading a mule stacked with bundles. He stopped, tilting his head toward me.

“Traveling alone at this hour?” he said gently. “That’s dangerous.”

I slowed down, unsure whether to respond. His eyes, however, carried no threat. When I caught up, he reached into his sack and held out a piece of bread.

“Here. You look like you could use it.”

I hesitated before taking it. “Thank you.” I said silently.

We walked side by side. He spoke now and then, asking about my journey, but I gave little more than short replies. My mind was elsewhere, heavy with thoughts I couldn’t share.

When we reached a fork in the road, he stopped. His lantern light cast shadows across his wrinkled face as he studied me.

“You look like someone carrying a heavy load,” he said softly, “even though your hands are empty.”

I blinked, unsure how to answer. “You think so?”

“I know so,” he replied without hesitation. “Don’t let the weight crush you before you reach your destination. Or even after.”

Something in his words stung deeper than I wanted. I forced a faint smile. “Alright.” I said simply.

Though inside, I didn’t care if the weight crushed me as long as I finished what I came here for.

We exchanged a nod. He took the right path, I took the left.

By the first light in the morning, my steps had carried me to the outskirts of the town. On the streets were waking vendors calling, carts rattling, children running. I drew my hood lower and moved among them like any weary traveler.

The palace loomed in the distance, but I would not rush. First, I needed entry. My research had been right, the palace was holding open calls that day for new maids. Kitchens, libraries, medical clinics.

I chose the medical ward. Not because it was easiest, but because it gave me access to people at their most vulnerable moment, besides I have some medical skills I had learned from Peronne and my mother.

At the town hall, I stood in line with other applicants. When it was my turn, they questioned me on herbs and treatments. I answered with precision, I was also made to recite treatments and procedures. I caught the moment of surprise on the interviewer’s face when I answered all his questions smoothly.

By the end, he looked at me suspiciously, check the booked we all wrote our name and serial number.

“Your name is Lisha? And where are you from?” he asked.

I hesitated for a moment, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Yes, my name is Lisha. I came from Norvale, a small village just outside the capital.” All questions like this I've anticipated and prepared answers for.

He wrote something on the book, then stopped halfway, as if he's weighing my words, his eyes lifted to study me again. The pause stretched, long enough to make me uncomfortable, for a moment I thought he had seen through me. But then, with a small nod, he set the pen down.

“You may proceed.”

Only then did I let out a quiet breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and continued.

The best part of the interview was that the results were given immediately. They told me I had qualified on the spot.

I was happy my plan was moving forward. Though, unlike the other maids who celebrated loudly, I didn’t show it. They were happy for a job, I was happy for an opportunity to get closer to my target.

The next morning, those of us who had been chosen were escorted into the main palace. The corridors was wide and echoing with footsteps, until a tall man broke from the line of officials waiting inside. He was the same one who had stood silently behind the interviewer the day before.

“Welcome,” he said. “I am Leon Gabi, head healer of the palace, welcome to the palace, here we expect you to be on your best behavior, this is a life time opportunity for you. To serve the king directly is an honour for any citizen, make sure you make the best use of it.”

I scoffed on the inside, I will make sure I made the best use of it.

He then turned to a man besides him.

"The man here will guide you around the palace and explain more do's and don't."

The man gestured for us to follow him, It was then Leon eyes found me, he pointed slightly. “You, Lisha, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, keeping my tone respectful.

"Come." He ordered.

I approached carefully, wondering what I've done wrong.

“You won’t be serving as a casual maid,” he said, stepping closer. “You’ll be assisting me in the main clinic.”

The words caught me off guard. For a moment, I felt happy in a long time. It felt like my father and mother were guiding me, their hands reaching down from the heavens to open doors I could never have forced alone.

“Thank you,” I said, bowing my head. “I truly appreciate this. I’ll give it my all.”

He waved it off. “No need to thank me. Your gift created the space for you. We need people like you in this palace. That’s why this recruitment was arranged in the first place.”

As he spoke, he gestured for me to follow. We walked down a broad hallway lined with tall, arched windows that let in illumination. He showed me the treatment chambers, the storerooms stacked with herbs, and the clean, orderly beds where patients would rest. His steps were quick, his hands constantly in motion as he explained.

“You see, this selection is only the second of its kind,” Leon said, turning to glance at me as if testing my reaction.

I almost stumbled but caught myself. From what I had gathered during my own quiet inquiries, this was the third edition of the event. Something in me was not comfortable. Was he careless with details or probing me?

“Second?” I asked, forcing curiosity into my tone. “In Norvale, everyone said it was the third.”

He smiled. “Generally, yes, it is the third. But for the clinic, for healers like yourself, this is the second. The first edition run only for kitchen maids.”

I nodded slowly. One thing was clear with this Leon Gabi, I needed to tread carefully. Too much truth or the wrong truth might expose cracks in my story.

After the back and forth, Leon finally showed me my quarters. The room was small but cozy, far better than I had expected. A bed with clean sheets, a small desk by the window, even a jug of water set neatly on the stand.

“Thank you,” I said again, genuinely.

He only smiled, hands behind his back. “Get your belongings in and settle. You resume tomorrow morning. Rest well there’s plenty of work ahead, and you’ll soon learn the clinic can wear a person out.”

I was about to reply when a figure appeared at the end of the corridor. A palace man, he bowed slightly toward Leon.

“He’s looking for you.”

Leon’s expression shifted immediately. “Alright. I’ll be with him now.” He turned back to me, and smile. “Tomorrow, Lisha.”

I bowed my head slightly in thanks and he left at once with the man trailing behind him.

I stayed by the doorway, wondering who had summoned him. The urge to start gathering information immediately was ready in me.

The guard posted further down the corridor was already watching me too closely, his eyes was unblinking as I glanced once more toward Leon’s retreating back.

I forced myself to turn and went inside my room.

Tomorrow, I told myself. Tomorrow I will begin.