"Now Rafael, take it easy with the boy. Don't worry Maxim, he was just born that way. You'd think some of us would have some real self-control."

"Self-control? Look, we're just here to verify your existence as representatives of both of the king's families. Could I see his birth certificate, Bishop Milanovic?"

"Yes, absolutely. I have a folder full of all his legal documents for you to view, Your Highness."

Lord Milanovic stood up and handed Rafael a slightly thick folder full of all sorts of documents, ranging from sheets of paper to thick inner folders with even more pages inside. Is this my identity in this world? Why so many papers? The last time I had to go through any kind of legal process in the U.S., my papers didn't amount to this much.

"I appreciate that you are prepared. Then this visit will surely be short."

He opened the folder and spread its contents across the table in front of the guest couch in Lord Milanovic's office and sat down, a concentrated look on his face as he thoroughly checked the information. Antonio, on the other hand, sat down in front of me and greeted my look with a smile.

"Hello Maxim, how are you?"

Being a Rojas, he lacks the whole presence thing, but still, there is something warmer about him compared to Rafael. How can I describe it? His demeanor is a bit like Cassandra's.

"I'm fine, thank you, Your Highness."

"There is no need to address me as such. Just Your Grace will suffice. That doesn't apply to Rafael over there, though, so just call me that, okay?"

He said the last part in a whisper, as if to avoid attracting Rafael's attention. This is the first time I get to know his character like this, so to learn that he has been so quiet all this time is certainly a surprise, especially considering who this man is related to.

"Yes, Your Grace."

I smiled at him and he smiled back. I hadn't expected to have such a healthy interaction with a Rojas of all people.

"Now to the main topic of today. I imagine you received a visit from Otto, yes? I imagine he was quite a nuisance to deal with."

Yes, he was, Your Grace. As if you had no idea.

"Not at all. He seemed to have a lot on his mind, though."

It seemed like he was a little less enthusiastic at the slightest mention of Otto. That's just Otto's effect on people, I suppose.

"Yeah, he's always running around, not paying attention to anything or anyone. Now that this thing is out of the way, how is your new consciousness? Are you getting used to it well?"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"I would say so, yes.”

"Incredible. Now for my last question, do you know if you have a singularity?"

As soon as he asked this question, I could see from the corner of my eye that Lord Milanovic was tense. How am I supposed to answer this? Should I know at this point? In Horizon, the Milanovic family crisis had caused this whole process to be ignored, so I have no idea what I'm supposed to say. Is he trustworthy? Well, he's a Rojas, and they certainly aren't. But what good would sharing this information do? Should I dismiss it? What if—

"I apologize for my late greeting, Your Highness. As my father said, I was busy with some other duties that I decided to postpone until His Highness' visit was over."

Rafael stood and shook the hand of the man who suddenly entered the room. Wait, it's Bertram! This is the only time I've smiled at the presence of this man.

"Don't worry, Lord Bertram. We're almost finished, so there's no need to apologize."

"In that case, I'll stay here until it's time for you to leave. That is, if you don't mind."

"Of course not."

"Well, there you are! How long has it been, Bram?"

At the sight of Bertram, Antonio jumped out of his seat, a broad smile on his face. He seemed strangely disappointed that Bertram refused to acknowledge him in his greeting.

"The last time we met, I remember kindly telling you to stop calling me that."

"If by kindly you mean nearly unbuttoning my shirt with the force of your grip on my collar, you were quite right."

Even as he described how Bertram had brutalized his clothing that night, the smile never left his face. He really is a peculiar guy.

"You really are focused on ruining my image with your obscure, brutal stories about me. The last time I checked, you clearly provoked me first that night."

"In my defense, your attire-"

"Antonio.”

"Yes, I see, no need to call me a child, Rafael."

Is that really how their relationship is? I mean, I didn't remember them being so... contentious? At one point in this argument, it almost seemed like they were teasing each other. I get chills just thinking about how that meeting they talked about turned out in real life.

"I think this is our cue to leave, Bishop Milanovic. We will be no further trouble to you."

"You were never any trouble to begin with, Your Highness."

He handed him the folder, now neatly organized, and grabbed Antonio's arm as he pulled him away from Bertram. He dragged him forcibly out of the office.

"Wait, ouch! Don't pull so hard. See you all next time! And expect to hear from me soon, Bram!"

He waved as best he could until they were out of sight. What a nice surprise he was.

"What a piece of work."

"Bertram.”

"With all due respect, what were they all thinking when they gave him this job?"

"Regardless, he is still a Rojas, so he is to be respected."

"Not as long as I live."

"Anyway, that ends all of Maxim's meetings. All that's left is his birthday party."

"Which is the hardest part anyway."

"Yes, but at least the meetings are over, right? How can we celebrate?"

"Celebrate?"

"Yes, celebrate! What would you like to eat, Max?"

Me? Well, I've had pretty good meals so far, but if I had to think of something I miss...

"Fried chicken?"

"Fried chicken it is, let's go!"

"Are we really doing this?"

"Don't be a party pooper Bertram, when was the last time you had fried chicken?"

"Well..."

"Then let's have some fried chicken! It's been a while since we all had a family outing, hasn't it?"

Bertram sighed, but followed anyway, his duties seemingly abandoned. I wonder how good the fried chicken is in Horizon?

Somewhere outside the Milanovic estate…

"Seriously, Antonio, what is your deal with Bertram?"

"I don't know, should I ask Otto about it? Maybe he has a different opinion on the matter?"

"You—”

"Anyway, you noticed something about the boy, didn't you? There must be a reason why you wanted me to pry so much into him."

"Ahem. Yes, I did. Well, Otto warned me about the situation, but so far he didn't seem to have any connection to the Remains of the Vitality.”

"Well, good grief. I certainly didn't want to be the one on the chopping block when it came time to break the news to our beloved Dante."

"If there is nothing to point out, then there is no need to tell him. Still, you said you knew someone, didn't you?"

"Yes, and apparently the Queen has already gotten wind of this little matter. Don't worry, I have Bazarov on speed dial just in case they try something funny."

"If they get involved, things could escalate quickly. The kid’s barely half our size. If they get to him, who knows if he will make it?"

"Who knows if we will make it? With both parties so unstable, a civil war seems pretty likely."

"....It's better not to think so negatively. Otto thinks there's still time to make things right."

"Well, only time will tell."

Antonio closes the car door behind him as he exits the vehicle. His steps are in the direction of a large mansion surrounded by multiple guards.

Still, he is right, only time will tell.