Espionage was a common tool used by those who had power. Sending spies to peek at an opponent’s hand of cards, to steal information, put another way. When her highness, the crown princess sent him an invitation, he jumped with joy.

The Thompson family was an ally of the Wynt family. And Percy Thompson had actually met the heir of the Wynt family on multiple occasions. So when he was invited to be part of the gentlemen that served Francis Rayleigh, he was more than happy to.

As he waited outside of the crown princess’ chambers, he began to bite his nails. Was it a mistake? To think that the amount of favour her highness showed him was to that extent. At that rate, Benjamin Wynt had no chance of winning.

“What’re you so nervous for?”

The one asking was the other man. With grey hair and aged features, he looked like a dignified butler, not a count.

“He wasn’t lying, huh?”

Percy tried to calm his quickening heart. The mistake was on his part. But in the first place, it went against all known traditions. Her actions could set an unwanted precedent. It was impossible to predict.

“No, he was not. I suppose it's good for him, no?”

“That’s very true,” Percy said.

Spy or not, he had to keep up his act. No matter what, he was still one of Francis Rayleigh’s gentlemen. He bit down on his nails as his thoughts wandered.

If there was something that he could use, it was a potential scandal that brewed. Benjamin Wynt was the one that found it out, as amazing as he was. But that idiot left the palace with another woman. Did he forget that he was an Arcleus?

Outside of the princess’ chambers, it was a grand place. The sunlight filtered through the windows. He looked around, at the other ladies and gentlemen that served lord Francis.

The man beside him looked out the window. His eyes weren’t focused on anything in particular. But even then, he had a dignified look to him. Perhaps it was due to those aged features. A great grey stubble beard grew out from his chin.

With a rather long scar across his cheek, one had to wonder what sort of history he had. Something was for certain though; his life was in no way similar to Francis Rayleigh’s. But if it was a duel or a war, Percy had no way to know.

Percy stepped away from the wall. Something about that man was off. There was an air of danger around him, and that made Percy’s hair stand. Even in the heat of summer, that madman wore thick clothes. How insane was he?

“You know,” he called out to Percy, “You seem pretty calm.”

“I am.”

“Aren’t you curious about what they’re doing?”

“Not particularly. Why?”

“Hm. No reason in particular. Also, why did you accept her highness’ invitation, hm?”

“Was there a reason not to? Working under a mixed blood, and potential emperor is a good experience, no?”

The scarred man took some time to contemplate his answer. What was he thinking of? Percy could only imagine. His eyes closed slowly, and had a focused look to them. For some reason, it sent a chill down his spine.

“Come to think of it...” that man began, “We never did do any introductions, did we?”

With a deep, gravelly voice, he commanded attention. Perhaps he was a general, or at least someone high ranking in the military. It wasn’t rare for those of noble blood to join the army, and have men under them. After all, sometimes, it was easier to gather under the flag of a person fighting on the same field than some overarching authority like the empire.

“No, we didn’t. You are?” Percy asked.

“Shouldn’t one introduce themselves first before asking about others? It's just basic etiquette,” a woman said from nearby.

She was a young girl, looking only several years Francis’ senior. She wore a grand white dress that stretched down towards her ankles. Done up in a bun, her hair sat atop her head. Her hair had the colour of velvet, and a shiny, glossy look. That girl was one of the ladies that accepted her highness’ invitation. There seemed to be a pattern in the choices made by the princess. Two people near the lord’s age, and two much older. That was the conclusion that Percy reached, at least.

He sighed and cleared his throat. Nothing so far has gone according to what he wanted. First, his lord was unsatisfied, and now? It was unbelievable. If one wanted to work as a spy, they had to gain the trust of the people around their quarry. And more importantly, the trust of the quarry himself.

“Baron Percy, of the Thompson family. And the rest?”

“Earl Carter, of the Ravel family. Pleasure to meet you, baron,” the gruff man said.

“Countess Novita. From the Sera family. Nice to meet the two of you, earl Carter, and baron Percy,” the older woman said from behind. All that was left was the young girl.

“Viscountess Eve Hok. Same here.”

The four of them gathered around. They were the ones chosen by the princess. The ones to serve the lord Francis Rayleigh. The mixed blood. Earl Carter nodded his head. It was a subtle gesture, but the rest of them understood it. The signal was a sort of permission, to allow for casual talk. Issued from one of the two highest ranking members there, one of the keys was inserted. And if lady Novita allowed it, they would treat each other normally, without any formalities. Typically, that nod only occurred when everyone present was in the same situation, like on a battlefield. No one was insane enough to try that in front of the emperor. They looked to lady Novita for her final approval.

“Don’t you think you’re proceeding with this too quickly? We just might be dismissed once he gets out,” she said.

“Her highness will probably keep him in there for quite a long time,” Carter replied.

“Do you think his vitality is that good? Though, I must say, her highness has good taste in men. If I were younger, I would’ve chased after him too.”

“Um, are you implying that her highness is in love with our lord?” asked Eve.

“You don’t agree?” Carter asked.

“No... I agree, it just feels like we’re missing something... Like there’s a piece of a puzzle gone.”

“Hm... You might be right. I do think that there’s something suspicious about this.”

***

She pulled him so quickly that it was poor for his heart. Then, she broke into a grin. Throwing both of her arms wide open, she embraced him with all she had.

“You came to see me!” she exclaimed.

Due to their positions, it was more of a shout than a happy statement. Shot into his left ear, his eyebrow twitched as he endured the urge to block it out. She rubbed his back with her hands, and finally let go.

“To be honest, when you started trying to contact me, I wondered if you would come.”

“Well, you didn’t answer, did you? And you didn’t talk to me through ‘Messenger of the Mystics’ either. So either you were deliberately not replying, or you were dead, or kidnapped. Fastest way to know the answer to all three was to come here,” Francis said.

“I know. I predicted all that, but I was surprised you’d come here yourself. Not send a servant or something.”

“Even then, did you have to pull me in? I’m already weak enough, no need to tear my arm off.”

He rubbed his shoulder as he talked. It still did hurt. Either she was much stronger than he anticipated, or it was just him. It was probably him.

“Haha. Well, you’re fine, aren’t you?”

“Yes. But that hurt, you know? I’m a mixed blood.”

“Yeah, yeah. Weaker than me and stuff.”

Her chambers were neat and tidy. It had a larger floor space than his own, but the difference was barely noticeable. A similar table for cosmetics took up a portion of the wall.

“And? What do you think?” she asked.

The crown princess spread her arms open like an eagle preparing to take flight. There wasn’t anything in particular that caught his eye. If anything, her room looked less impressive than what he expected. Though, that was indeed predictable, for valuables that held high monetary or political value were probably stored in a vault somewhere. In essence, her chambers had nothing special about it, nor was it peculiar in any way. It was rather plain, actually. There wasn’t a lick of the typical femininity he expected from a girl’s room. Were it not for him staying in a smaller version of her chambers for a day already, he might’ve been surprised.

A neat bed took up a rather considerable amount of the floor. It was similar to his bed back in the Rayleigh manor. The four corners had long poles that propped up a canopy, with drapes that reached close to the floor. And a large map covered much of the wall opposite her bed, where she would be facing while she slept. It was the most updated version of the world map, as much as was discovered.

“It’s pretty nice,” he said, while nodding his head.

“That sounds very much like a lie, but sure.”

She wasn’t quite wrong about that. While it wasn’t surprising, it was wrong to call it ‘not nice’. In fact, there’s a sense of comfort in familiarity. And he was okay with his chambers. Sure, there were improvements that could be made, a lot of them, but it wasn’t the worst.

“Anyway,” she continued on, “Any problems with my selection?”

“Quite a few. I thought they were gentlemen, so why are there two ladies waiting outside?”

“That’s a gift, I suppose. Someone to help out with your make-up?”

“Really now.”

“Besides, I have something else I want to do...”

“Hm?”

“I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

“Neither have I,” said Francis, “Want to eat together?”

“I do want to eat something...”

“Then let’s go?”

She sighed. Whatever implications she was getting at, he didn’t understand. And she took it into her own hands to make him understand.

Grabbing him by his shoulder, she pulled him further in. While they were standing by the door and chatting, that location would be changed. She dragged him without his content further in. When they were far away from the door, she threw him onto her bed, and he landed with a slight bounce.

“Right. So you want to do this, then?” he asked as he tilted his head up to look at her.

“Not yet.”

She crawled onto the bed. The soft fabric depressed as she placed her weight on it. Like a predator, she approached him with a confidence that he wished he had.

“Should I take off my clothes then? Or does it turn you on to do it?” he asked.

He spoke as if it was a chore. Annoying, but necessary. She slammed her hand by the side of his head, causing the bed wobble.

“I said not yet,” she spoke in a low voice.

It sent chills down his spine.

“Then why exactly are you looking at me with those lustful eyes?”

“Because I’m holding myself back.”

“No need to hold back, you know. I don’t mind.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Haein grabbed his collar and pulled him up. His hair draped down like a curtain. What she did was a feel levels below having sex, but still a form of intimacy. But kissing was all for naught, because they were behind closed doors. And it was unlikely that Benjamin Wynt would stalk them all the way to her chambers. So then, why was she being so aggressive with her mouth?

The warm air of summer rushed in through the open windows. They were close enough for their shoulders to rub, though the sweat was enough of a deterrent. By then, there was no doubt that those outside would be talking. Discussions about their relationship would be held, though he did suppose that it was for the best.

“Should we stop?” he asked.

“Why?”

“Because they’re waiting outside?”

“Oh right! Hahaha. Completely forgot about why you came here. Is there a problem with having ladies?”

Her face moved close. Their heads were inches apart, in a way that an annoying prankster would push them to one another. A thin trail of saliva clung to his lips as she waited for his answer.

“No, not really.”

“Good to hear. Let me get changed then. Eat breakfast together.”

He nodded his head, and turned around. The sounds of fabric rustling around reached his ear. If it was still the original Francis, he wouldn’t be anywhere near that situation. With the crown princess changing behind him, perhaps, no, definitely, it was a scene that many yearned to witness.

“I’m done.”

Her voice motioned for him to get ready to leave. And by his side, was Haein. She was garbed in a dark red dress, as though she was scheduled to attend a ball. No doubt, it was hot to be in. But, it did look rather loose, so perhaps the air circulation was good.