Amia's POV
I was woken up by soft, beautiful humming and a nice aroma that filled my nose.
I blinked a few times and slowly moved to sit upright when gentle hands grabbed my shoulders, helping me.
"Easy," a familiar voice whispered.
I quickly looked at Serai in surprise.
"I apologize if I woke you up with my humming, my lady," she said softly as tears filled my eyes.
"Serai," I called in disbelief.
"Yes, it's me, my lady," she answered and then dropped her hands with a smile.
"Is this a dream?" I asked as I looked around.
"No, my lady," she answered calmly.
The room I was in was a lot bigger than the one I was given on the wedding day. A fire was lit in the fireplace, and the interior design of the walls looked very expensive.
When I shifted my gaze to the bed I was on, I frowned. The bed was bigger too, and the bedsheets were soft and had a pleasant scent.
A white fur mat was on the floor, and a huge table with some chairs was opposite my bed.
The balcony was open, and opposite it was a big door that was closed and had beautiful carvings.
"My lady, are you perhaps still feeling unwell?" she asked with concern.
I looked at the bedside table, which was next to the bed on my left side, and then swallowed hard. A tray of food was there, and it made my mouth water.
"Serai, is this truly not a dream?" I asked seriously.
"My lady, this is not a dream," she answered.
"If it really isn't, then why are we in such a room?" I asked with concern.
She sighed softly and then grabbed the tray, moving it to the table.
"It's because this is now your room, and I am to serve you, my lady, until you birth the heir of our nest," she answered in a low tone.
"I don't understand," I whispered, feeling confused.
"Upon the oracle's orders, you were moved here, and I was released from the dungeon to attend to you. You have been unconscious for some days.The Oracle personally visited you every day to make sure you were in good health. It seemed you passed out due to stress, shock, exhaustion, and hunger," she answered.
I was about to ask how she was doing when my stomach growled.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
She moved and grabbed my hand gently.
"Can you walk? If you can, please come and sit at the table and eat something," she said with a smile.
I frowned deeply and hesitated for a few seconds before slowly moving to my feet.
Something felt off about Serai.
I walked to the table and took a seat.
She uncovered the two plates and one bowl on the tray and then grabbed a spoon and handed it to me.
"You will first start with some warm soup, then after that, you will eat some porridge. If you still want to eat more, then you will eat some fried rice," she said as she pointed at the bowl, then the plates.
"Thank you, Serai, but before that, I want to apologize," I said sadly.
"For what, my lady?" she asked simply.
"It's because of me that you were in the dungeon. I can't start to imagine what horrors you went_," I cut my sentence short when her eyes swelled with tears.
"Serai, you can tell me," I said sadly, sensing how she was holding back.
She moved her tail, showing me the tip that had no scales.
"To us, scales are something we consider sacred. A scale or scales from the tip of our tail are what we offer to our other half to pledge our love and loyalty. It's also a way to swear on the gods and prove our purity," she said as tears ran down her cheeks.
"Those with no scales can never swear, and even if they end up finding love, no male could ever accept them because it's a bad omen and brings bad luck. As punishment, my scales were ripped, one by one, from the tip of my tail," she cried.
"I couldn't even do a thing because I was in terrible pain, gagged and tied. I have never wished for death in my life as I did," she said.
I moved, wrapping my arms around her as I fought back the tears.
I understood her pain, and I felt so guilty because I had not stopped her when she decided to approach Rachel.
"It's all my fault; please forgive me," I said in a cracked voice.
She hugged me back and sobbed loudly, and all I could do was listen with a painful heart.
It was truly my fault for being so weak and so focused on my own self and survival. If I had stopped her, she wouldn't have gone through such a terrible experience.
After a few minutes, she calmed down and pulled back, wiping away her tears.
"I have always dreamed of finding my bond—someone who could love me and be my strength, because on my own, I am weak," she whispered while wiping away her tears.
"I dreamed of starting a family and being happy," she said, then looked at me sadly.
"My lady, I may not experience that anymore, but that doesn't mean I regret everything I did. Given a chance to go back in time, I would gladly help you and do the same. So it's not your fault," she said as I rubbed my eyes to hide the tears that were rolling down my cheeks.
"You are our lady and soon to be the mother of the heir whom everyone will bow to and love. So please have more confidence in yourself and never let anyone below you step on you," she said seriously.
I dropped my hands and looked at her seriously.
Her words made my heart ache and they opened my eyes.
If I needed to live free, I had to be stronger than I was. And with her by my side, I was going to make sure to learn the ways and customs of the nest.
"I will do my very best to learn things and change my mindset, I promise," I answered honestly.
"I'm glad to hear that," she said, and then pointed at the bowl of soup.
"Please take a seat and eat your soup. I came rushing when the Oracle informed me how you had woken up. For days, I have prepared the same meal and warmed it thoroughly while waiting for you to wake up," she said with a smile.
I grabbed the spoon and looked at her seriously.
"Would you like to join me?" I asked softly.
She widened her eyes, then quickly shook her head.
"I won't eat the rice because I haven't eaten anything in weeks. The soup will do just fine," I said.
When I saw how she was still not giving in, I continued to speak.
"I also feel so sad eating alone. Eating with other people makes the meal taste amazing and better," I said softly.
When she sighed heavily, I smiled, knowing how she had given in.
"Fine, but only this once, my lady. If the Oracle were to find me, he would scold me," she said while sitting down next to me.
"Then let's quickly finish our meal," I urged.