☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Amused by this gesture in their current situation, Ayano sits on the bed, crosses her legs, and places her palms on her knee, turning slightly towards the "slave."
"Why not?" she agrees. "I am a miko of the Yanagi Temple, or a priestess, if you prefer. This is the main branch of my people's beliefs; we are responsible for ensuring the functioning of our temples and shrines, upholding spiritual traditions, and, umm... Are there demons, undead, and evil spirits in Vistaria? We make sure they don't bother the population or cause harm. I've been doing this my whole life, moving from place to place, but in this empire, I haven't really encountered them yet – maybe the local clergy takes care of them, or maybe this land has been spared from this problem. It's hard to say. So, here, I'm just taking care of the Temple."

"Just taking care of it?" Cleona examines the priestess's attire and painted nails. "I have the impression that it's not quite that simple." She turns her gaze to Sonata. "And you?"
"I am a military instructor and, starting today, the head of an organization with the same focus. By the way, would you like to join Ayano and me and visit my students a little later? It would be great."
"Maybe we'll see. And what did you do before?"
"Oh, did I give away that I didn't tell you everything about myself? Before, I was first a princess, and then an empress, but my reign didn't last long – I was overthrown. Then I lived a long, mostly happy life with my beloved husband and daughter." She happily shows the ring on her finger. "Well, and then I was summoned to this world and ended up in the same coven as you."
"I see. Well, I'm also of noble birth, in a way. My grandfather was a slave, but he earned his freedom by demonstrating extraordinary bravery when he won a military tournament in our country, and my father distinguished himself in war, for which he was granted the title of baron – that's how things were in our country. So, in my past life, I was a baroness, although no lands were attached to my title, but despite my low status in the aristocratic hierarchy, my lover was the prince of this country. His father, the king, however, did not want to acknowledge our love, and so we went on a journey together; we had many happy moments, but that's how I met my end. Only after being in this world did I learn that the cause of my death was the bride chosen by my young man's father – she appeared in my dreams and terrorized me in every way. Otherwise, I am a sorceress; I don't have any other noteworthy professional skills."