An attendant android escorted Prince Bel and Artee into the house. Lady Nordhi cornered them before they entered the ballroom. She hugged Bel and whispered in his ear, “You are late. You know how my parents are about timeliness.”
“I can explain, on the drive here –.”
She interrupted him by grabbing his arm and hustling him toward the dining room. “No time for explanations. Get in there before my parents decide to marry me to someone else.”
As they entered the dining room, the cacophony of music, conversation, and laughter swelled, washing over Bel like a wave of expectation. The small crowd cheered as the attendant android announced the Prince’s arrival.
Bel’s cheeks burned, but he squared his shoulders and affected a confident stride toward Lady Nordhi’s parents. His rehearsed words tumbled out, a touch too fast. “Thank you, Duke Binder-mar for this ceremony. The King and Queen send their regrets. My father has fallen ill, and urgent matters of state prevent my mother from attending.”
The prince turned to Nordhi’s mother and handed his mother’s gift box to her. “Thank you, Duchess Gurneet-sha for raising such a wonderful and beautiful daughter. I only wish my mother were able to celebrate this day with you.”
The Duchess placed a gloved hand on Bel’s arm and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “She is a good friend and I know she was looking forward to this day as much as I have. She is so proud of the man you have grown into. I am so happy our families will finally be united as one.”
She leaned in close to Bel and whispered. “I was so afraid she might end up betrothed to your cousin. You know he not only turned down an invitation, although no one expected him to travel this far. He also didn’t send a gift. I think the petulant child is still upset Nordhi turned him down years ago.”
“Keerat did have an intense infatuation with Nordhi when we were teenagers. I’m sure he’s over that now. He has a wife and an entire island to run which probably explains why he declined to come.”
“Sweet, kind Bel, ever since you were young you’ve only ever seen the best in people.” She gripped his forearm. “You’re here now, better late than never, and all is well.”
“My apologies for being late. My new security consultant, Artee,” Bel said as he pointed at the assassin android, “experienced vehicle troubles and needed to be picked up.” Prince Bel then took his place next to Lady Nordhi so the formal betrothal ceremony could begin.
The Duke and Duchess presented Nordhi and Bel to the Granthi officiating the ceremony. The spiritual leader instructed Bel on how to offer the traditional scarf from his family. Bel then took hold of her henna-decorated hand and placed an engagement ring on her finger.
As was befitting a royal engagement, they received two gold kadas, or bracelets, from Nordhi’s family as a symbol of their commitment to each other. After a brief intonation, the holy man presented the couple to the admiring crowd.
There was light applause before friends and family approached the couple to congratulate them and provide words of wisdom. Duke Binder-mar welcomed the guests to celebrate in the ballroom.
Bel and Nordhi participated in the traditional dances before Bel caught sight of Artee. In the excitement, he had forgotten about the android and its mission. The desire to celebrate evaporated, and he made his way to the periphery of the ballroom.
The prince looked askance at the servant androids hosting the gala. How ancient are their droids? Painted on hair and clothing! That one is at least two generations out-of-date.
A butler android, carrying a beverage tray of cha, lassi, and sharbat, slowly lurched across the room. It kept stopping and starting to keep from sloshing the drinks. As it approached the royal family, a servo in its left arm gave out and sent the tray of drinks crashing to the floor.
Prince Bel jumped backward as the fruit juices and yoghurt splashed onto his dress pants. Useless droid should have been scrapped years ago!
The android lifted its face to the prince. Its LCD face flickered as the pixelated smile turned to a frown. “So..sor..sorry, sir. May...May I bring...bring you...another drink?”
Nordhi’s father, face flushed with embarrassment, rushed over. “I am so sorry, your highness. Money has been tight the last few years and the servant droids have not received the maintenance they require.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Then why keep them around? Bel mustered a thin smile. “Think nothing of it,” he said. “Droids break and when they can no longer serve their purpose, they get replaced. As a gift to my new family, I will order a new one for you first thing tomorrow.”
“You are too kind, Prince Bel. Pardon me while I have this one taken away and look for another to serve the drinks.”
Artee politely stepped forward and bowed. “Sir, may I offer my assistance. I can mix and serve drinks.”
“Thank you...”, the Duke gave a wan smile as he tried to recall a name.
“Artee, your grace. I am the Prince’s new security consultant.”
“Thank you, Artee but I couldn’t bother you to do the work of a droid.”
“It’s no bother at all sire. I worked my way through university as a butler and a bartender. I’d be happy to add a human touch to the celebration.”
Bel gave Artee a funny look at the word ‘human’, but otherwise masked his emotions. Turning to Nordhi’s father, Bel said, “It really is no bother and as Artee has said, he has experience.”
And if it is serving drinks then it is not hovering over my shoulder like a specter of death. He sighed in relief as Artee picked up the serving tray and went to load it with drinks. Tension drained from his shoulders as the android walked away.
The assassin android proved to be popular with the guests as it deftly weaved in and out of the mingling crowds to take and deliver drink orders with a smile and entertaining comment.
Lady Nordhi sidled next to Prince Bel to whisper, “Your new consultant is very charming.”
Bel nodded as he replied, “It...uh.” His ears flushed red as he realized his slip in speech before he recovered. “Seems he possesses many hidden talents.” If it were not trying to kill me, I could almost forget it is an android. It looks and sounds so human, and its limbs move with the fluidity of a dancer.
“He certainly saved you from a stern lecture from my father. I, however, still need to punish you for nearly standing me up.” She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the ballroom floor. “This is our betrothal party. You are going to dance with me and pretend to have fun, even if it kills you.”
* * *
The celebration finally wound down around one A.M. After saying his goodbyes and kissing Nordhi goodnight, Bel summoned his chauffeur android to bring the hovercar around. Seeing Bel heading for the door, Artee darted over and followed him to the waiting vehicle. “Sir, will you be returning using the same road?”
“No, I was planning to take a quicker route.”
The android formally stated, “We must return to my hoverbike so that I may follow you.”
Prince Bel waved him off. “It is late and I am tired. I can have the chauffeur droid go and collect it for you.” He stepped into the hovercar and Artee took the seat beside him.
“That would not be advisable.” Artee lowered his voice. “The hoverbike is wired it with explosives.”
Bel’s eyes widened_,_ and his voice rose to a loud whisper. “Explosives! And you intend to drive it to the royal estate?”
Artee addressed Bel in a light, casual tone, as if discussing the weather. “If you did not follow your psychological profile and stop, I was going to detonate the hoverbike to blow up your car as you drove past. Naturally, I will disarm and remove the explosives.”
Bel’s elation from his betrothal instantly evaporated, leaving a sickening feeling in his gut. This was supposed to be the most joyous day of my life. Now a killer droid driving a car bomb is coming to live with me. Fully awakened by the shot of adrenaline from the revelation, he interrogated the assassin. “The story you told the duke, is it true?”
“Partially. Obviously, I did not grow up or have a family. I have worked as both a butler and a bartender while on assignment.”
“That explains your convincing conduct during the party. Is that typical of assassin droids or are you a high-end model designed for killing royalty?”
“I am a typical model. You have probably seen assassin androids and did not notice them.”
Bel knitted his brow as he racked his memory. “As a prince, I meet people all the time. How is it possible that I would not realize if they were a droid?”
“Until an assassin reveals themselves, few people can recognize us. We are skilled at blending in and take jobs which often go unnoticed. Until I revealed my intentions, you believed I was human, correct?”
“That is true. Even now it is difficult to physically distinguish you from a person.” Bel lowered his eyes in thought. “It is disturbing to think I may have been in the company of assassins before.” He looked back at Artee. “How many people have you killed? I cannot recall anyone being assassinated in many years.”
“Most assassinations are designed to appear accidental or natural. The contract for you specifically requires that it look like an assassination.”
Bel’s eyes went wide. Who hates me enough to want my death to be a spectacle?
Artee continued. “I do not know the number of contracts I have completed. Whenever an assassin completes a contract, the details of the contract are erased from memory.”
“Do you mean to say that if you kill me, even though everyone will be in mourning over my death, you will have no memory that you were responsible?”
The assassin shook his head. “Other than any useful skills or knowledge I acquired, all memory of you and the contract will be gone.”
“Earlier you told me that a contract cannot be bought out and are extremely difficult to cancel. What happens if whomever purchased the contract dies?” The prince leaned toward Artee and asked in a conspiratorial tone, “What if, hypothetically speaking, I were to put contracts on everyone I thought bears a grudge against me?”
“Contracts are paid in full through secure means to maintain anonymity and to ensure that the needs of the purchaser are carried out no matter what.”
The prince sat quietly for the remainder of the ride to Artee’s hoverbike. I cannot bribe it and it has no emotions to appeal to. By the many gods, there has to be another way to outwit it.