Their entrance was unceremonial. They stepped out of the horse-drawn carriage, with a cool breeze going by. There was no fanfare, no greetings. Just a polite nod from the gatekeeper as they were let in. Did the news already spread that early? Katalina followed close behind, keeping her distance from him.

The butler met him on his way in. Well dressed and smart looking. He was bald, with a thin frame of glasses atop his nose. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out his approximate age, maybe 60 or so.

“Lord Rayleigh. I am Alphonse, the butler of the imperial palace. And this is..?”

“Yeah. This is my personal knight, Katalina. Show me in please, and inform Her Highness that I am here. Thank you.”

In response, he nodded. Guiding him further into the palace, the butler handed them two cups of tea. It was fair, nothing too strong nor too mild. Though it wasn’t his preference, whoever brewed this had skill. Katalina, at his request, took a seat beside him.

“Is this your first time here?” he asked. Katalina nodded her head as she looked around.

“I see. Have you ever met Her Highness, then?” And again, she shook her head.

“Usually, I stay on the estate.”

“Ah. Well, I hope you don’t mind my asking, but if you do end up in the room with me, please tell me what you think of her later.”

Katalina raised her eyebrows. She nodded, and closed her eyes. Perhaps she was thinking about treason. Still, talking about the nobility, as well as royalty, was allowed. Some noble families even encouraged public criticism, much to the chagrin of others. His own household was one such family.

Perhaps it wasn’t fair to compare the Rayleigh family to others. With their unique blood composition, it acted as a DNA test when the technology didn’t allow for it. Meanwhile, other families more insecure in their legitimacy silenced public critiques.

“The Lord Francis Rayleigh. Her Highness the imperial crown princess Haein Norrenburg is ready to receive you. I shall show you in. As for your knight...” The butler returned, but seemed concerned, and for good reason. Katalina wasn’t dressed for combat, but was ready for a quick defence.

“If Her Highness finds my knight’s presence distracting, she shall tell me herself.”

The butler nodded, and led them in. Past the weaving hallways and doors, they stopped. With a knock on the door, Alphonse opened it. The princess was what one would expect from a royal. Well groomed, wearing only the most exquisite of fabrics, and carried herself with grace. She was about his height, maybe taller but not by much. The red dress squeezed against her waist, and her long hair was down. She nodded her head.

“Your Highness.” The two took a knee.

“Yeap.” She was curt, if nothing else. “Right, we’re alone, yes? And we both know what we want, yes? So let’s drop the formalities. I’m Haein Norrenburg, with too many names in between that. And your knight?”

“Should a crown princess really be speaking in that manner? This is Katalina. Should she leave?”

“Look, I’ve met with 3 other askers. I’m getting real fucking tired of it all. She can stay here and have tea, or go off and fight. I don’t care.”

“Are you being serious?”

“By the gods- Fine. By order of the imperial princess, I order you to drop all formalities.”

Her words were sharp. She sat down on the velvet coach and pushed her blonde hair back. Her legs stayed crossed, and her eyebrows furrowed. Still, he took her offer and sat down opposite her. She seemed to be maybe 14 to 16, so at least a few years older than himself. Even Katalina was older. And as if sensing her cue, she slipped out of the room with a small notice.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I shall be sparring against any knight that is willing.” She bowed her head, and closed the door as she left.

A high tea set filled with scones and other pastries sat on the table. Compared to the tea from before, the porcelain cup held one of a higher quality. The flavour was fuller, and even the cup itself had intricate designs.

“Alright. So, you invited me here.” Francis sipped his tea.

“Yeah. You wanna just marry me and get it over with?”

“That’s a fast proposal. Shouldn’t there be some sort of trial or test?”

“Oh please. I can just say that it's true love and the church won’t allow my parents to intervene if you agree.”

“Hm. But why me?”

She stopped her words. With a tight smile, she scanned his face. Her eyebrows raised, and she breathed a sigh of amusement.

“You’re not like what they said.” She inched closer and closer. “And... You’re more handsome too.”

The princess grabbed his arm. Rubbing up against him, he could tell her intent straight away. He tried, and did succeed to an extent, to push her away.

“Damn. You’re really not like the others. And you’re not like yourself, either.”

“What are you implying?”

“You’ve changed a lot. From what I know of you, you either would have tried to seduce me or started crying the moment I touched you. But right now? You seem a lot more intelligent, yes?”

“10 days of fever tends to do that to you.”

“Then let’s just get straight to the point. Instead of playing mind games between the two of us, let’s just make it simple. You know Three Truths?”

“Nope. Give me a summary.”

“It's a simple game, yes? We both have three questions each, and lying is technically forbidden.”

“‘Technically?’ What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Depends on whether you believe in the gods. You know, Truth, Bahamut, Seraphine, yes?”

“Bahamut...” The original grinded his teeth.

“Right. So if you lie, Truth punishes you?”

“That’s right. Wanna play?”

He closed his eyes. Ideas floated past him. It was a good opportunity. The game gave him a chance to scout out her personality and ideas too.

“Sure. What do I need to do?”

“Just put your hand on your heart and say that you swear you’ll tell the truth.”

That simple? He shook his head slightly, and placed his right hand on his left side. The constant heartbeat reverberated into his fingers, and he muttered an oath as she did the same.

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll start. Why did you accept my invitation?”

“I wanted to see if I had a chance with you, and find out your intentions. My turn. What’s your final plan for me if I do marry you?”

“Damn good question. I initially wanted to have you just be a pretty doll and just sit by at home while I ruled. But now? I don’t think you’re even remotely close to that same person. So let's both be straightforward.”

The princess laughed. Her smile was bright. Optimistic, yet behind it there was an ocean of something. He thought that she was similar, in some way or another.

“What about you? What do you plan to do if we get married?” she asked.

“I don’t know. All I know is that becoming the ruler of this empire is sure to be great. Plus, I want to help push human civilization forward.”

“Like a saint, yes? You’re one of the only people to think like that. It's always selfish desires or greed.”

He leaned against the velvet. It was a nice break from everything. And she seemed to enjoy his company too. She still had a question remaining, while he had two.

“Lemme ask you this. Who else would you accept as your spouse?”

“Hah! Anyone whose interests matches up with mine. If you’re willing to just be my puppet, I can just let you do whatever you want as long as you don’t affect me.”

“Final question then. Have you ever killed a person?”

Her smile dropped. She stood up, and began to pace around the room. It was a question, yes, but it was a telling one. Was she going through all the potential answers in her head? What did killing someone really mean? But her answer would inevitably be just as ambiguous as well, without hearing her definition of killing.

“I... Have.” She sat down with her answer. Her eyes narrowed onto his face, and she crossed her legs. “And what about you? Have you ever killed someone.”

There it was. Of course she was going to throw that back at him. But she did? That was a surprise. Either she interpreted that as a first degree murder, or somewhere along the butterfly effect. The children that starved in the slums, perhaps? Did she count that as her own fault? If so, she was a great woman. Else, she was a murderer. Both were good to know.