“Presenting, lord Francis Rayleigh!”

He was the first to arrive at the palace. Under special instructions from the princess, he made his appearance long before the others. Even from the carriage, he saw the scale of the palace. It was on par, and might even have been bigger than the Rayleigh manor.

After a few months, he still failed to figure out the final Arcleus. The mixed blood stepped out of the carriage. He was greeted by servants, who received him. They took his coat, and ushered him in. His nose burned from the intense sunlight. Katalina followed behind him, keeping a safe distance of about half a metre between them. Of course, she was treated much better than other servants by virtue of being an Arcleus’ knight.

Sweating, he fanned himself and wandered in. It was a mystery that the servants could endure the blazing sun. Or perhaps it was his body’s fault. The air bit at his fingertips, and he walked through the large gates of the palace. Beads of sweat trailed down his body, and culminated at his hands.

“Your room is this way my lord,” a butler said.

The butler led him up the stairs. With Katalina near him, the tension he had released. The communication device was in his pocket, though no one ever found out about it.

He stood in front of a door, presumably his room. The butler pulled the door handle down, and the two moved in. The servant stayed outside, as the guests inspected the room.

“What about her?” Francis asked.

“I’m sorry my lord. Her highness the crown princess asked that your guard stay with you.”

“Why would she do that?”

“I do not know, my lord. But she has instructed me to give you a small tour of the palace.”

“I see,” Francis said, turning to his knight, “Are you okay with this?”

“Even if I’m not, can I refuse?” Katalina said with a chuckle.

“I could try to get a room for you if you’re uncomfortable.”

“You’ve really changed, huh?”

“And you seem to hate me less.”

The two laughed at their own words. In the room, there were two beds on opposite ends. The allocated room itself was rather large, much more spacious than at the Rayleigh manor. With a small table for makeup, and a mirror attached, and another table. There was even a large bathtub in the attached room.

“A tour, huh? Sure, lead the way,” Francis said.

“My lord, if you’re tired, I can delay it for later.”

“Nah. Let's just get it done early. And if we’re lucky we might see the princess herself.”

The old butler with a bald head bowed. He led them around. The great library, the upper garden, the courtyard, the barracks, and even the grand ballroom. Francis looked around. The sheer amount of books within the library caused his face to contort in curiosity. Most within the palace greeted him. Those that reside outside of the Rayleigh mansion still thought that he was a vicious, ruthless man. Throwing ceramic cups at servants who used the wrong tea leaves, and abusing those who dared to come close to him. They were right, of course. The imposter had only died about 7 months ago.

“And that concludes the palace tour. Are there any questions, my lord?”

“No, not really. And besides, I can just ask the crown princess directly.”

“Very well my lord.”

The butler backed away, with his head bowing down. His uniform was neat, with a black tie tucked into his vest. How could he wear that in the heat? Worse, he didn’t utter a single complaint, at least not in front of anyone significant. But, it was only the morning. Noon, when the sun reached its peak, would prove to be a challenge. And there were still more months of the summer. At least, his clothes allowed for some air circulation. Absolutely nothing like the tightly fitted, and no doubt thick layers of fabric. His dress was made from linen and of a bright red colour.

They made their way back. Past the twists and turns of the palace, past the grand library and garden. The greenery of the courtyard was glimmering in the summer sun, with roses and tulips, and a large variety of other flowers. A sole table was outside, at the end of a stone path. Shaded by a parasol, it had a view of the land below them. The balcony was lined with a golden handrail.

Once they returned, Francis sat on his bed. Feeling around in his pocket, he pulled out the hexagonal device. He tapped on the glass, and said her name. It lit up with a blue glow, and her voice transmitted through.

“So you’re here?” she asked.

“Yeah. You asked me to call as soon as I could right?”

“How do you like the palace?”

“It's nice. Also, could you send a tailor to my room? Or some clothes?”

“Hm? There should already be clothes fitted to your size in the wardrobe.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Ah... My sister put me in a dress before coming here.”

“Pftt. Elise, was it? Hahaha. I’ll have to meet your sister one day. I’ll be coming to your room later. So be prepared for that.”

“Huh? On official business?”

“Nope~ I just want to see you. Also, I think the gentlemen will only arrive tomorrow since your father didn’t send a list.”

“Hm, alright. Although, I think I’ll be able to survive without them.”

“Even if you can, you can’t just walk around without them.”

Francis lay down on the as he talked. He sunk deep into the tall white bed. With the mobile device in the palm of his hand, he sprawled his body across the bed. His dress draped off the sides of the bed as he spoke.

His body ached. His legs were sore, and his arms heavy. After riding in the carriage, his entire body hurt. It had been a long time since he felt so much dull pain.

“Once the other two Arcleuses come, I’ll pay you a small visit.”

“Actually, why do you even support me? It's too early for it to be love.”

“The same reason why water flows in a particular way. Path of least resistance.”

“So I just so happened to resist you the least?”

“In a sense.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“In a sense.”

“Then I hope you don’t mind me using you too.”

“What?”

Francis hung up without answering. Katalina looked at him with a perplexed look. Her hair grew slightly longer after a few months, though she kept it at an appropriate length. She tilted her head towards her left. That long brown hair followed. Around her finger, that iron ring still stood. If it had begun to rust, Francis couldn’t tell. It still looked close to brand new.

“How often do you two talk, my lord,” she asked.

“You don’t hear it? Oh, I guess the door’s too thick. Uh, on occasion, before we sleep,” said Francis.

“When she called you during the Hunters Festival, I was surprised. But now, I’m more interested in how close you two got. Besides, isn’t that something that lovers do?”

“Hm? What do they do? Are you perhaps familiar with it?”

“Awahaha-”

Katalina sputtered once he brought that topic up. Her face lit up with redness, and she fanned her face. Francis chuckled at that sight. His own stupid grin found its way up, and refused to die down.

“I’ll- Ahem. I’ll have you know... A knight’s duty and code of honour doesn’t forbid that.”

“Hmm~ I wonder which lucky guy you chose.”

“I- I only had a few...” she admitted.

“That’s a few more than me.”

“No one’s interested in my lord?” she asked, with light in her eyes.

“Why would they? I have pink eyes. Grey hair. I’m not even a full blooded Rayleigh. Why would anyone, let alone the crown princess, want me?”

“My lord, don’t doubt yourself.”

The imposter laughed politely at her words. Was that her trying to comfort him? What would she even know?

He sat up on the bed. The knight was standing nearby. Her hand on the blade, ready to strike at any moment. It seemed she didn’t forget her duty as a guard. But she was on the beautiful side, so it was understandable that she got herself a few. And seeing her flustered was cute in a strange way.

Standing up, he took off the dress. The fabric slipped off his skin, and the knight turned around. With his arms in a X shaped formation across his chest, he used his left hand to pick up the discarded piece of clothing. Left in a room alone with a beautiful guard who was near him for most of the time? And only wearing his underwear? It was a scandal waiting to happen. But it wasn’t as if he disliked wearing dresses or skirts. Oftentimes, since he had no need to fight or move in a strenuous manner, those were much more comfortable. Breezy, and without any tightness that more masculine clothes had. He changed into a long, loose shirt. It stretched down towards the quarter mark of his thighs, just below his waist. After all, it was an offday. Official activities would only start once all three had arrived, and were all sufficiently rested. Perhaps that was why Haein had asked him to arrive early.

A few hours passed, and another commotion happened outside. From his room, he was able to watch the palace gates from above. A carriage arrived, being pulled by two white horses. And a tall man stepped out.

“Presenting, lord Benjamin Wynt!”

The second Arcleus. He walked into the palace. Unlike Francis, he was a fine man. With tailor made clothes, and high quality materials, he looked the part of a noble, and Arcleus. The first one was treated as his sister’s dress-up doll, while the second could be a fashion model.

“So that’s what you’re competing with, my lord,” Katalina said as she joined him by the window.

They sat together atop his bed. It was the only location where they could see out of the room. There was another, smaller window on the other side that showed the courtyard from above.

“Looks difficult, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“I... I don’t know. My duty is to protect you my lord. As such, I cannot guarantee that you will triumph over him, but I can assure you that you will not die.”

“How are you so confident of that?”

“On that day, I swore my life to you. Despite how much I hated it, my duty is to keep you safe. If the worst case scenario happens, when another Arcleus attacks you, I will protect you.”

“And if it were the princess attacking me?”

“My duty. I swore my life to you, not to them.”

“Haha. Good to know that I can rely on you, Katalina.”

“Oh, but my duty is protection, my lord. I won’t assassinate your opponents, or fight for you. So... Don’t pick any fights, you know?”

“Well, I can assure you of that.”

The two of them rested, their bodies aching after the long carriage ride. He dozed off. As the bright afternoon sunlight shone on his face, he jolted awake. How long was he asleep? If he looked outside, the sun was still going bright.

On the other bed, Katalina slept as well. Her breathing was calm and steady. And her posture was straight, unlike the one who sprawled across the bed. The sword that was normally on her hip was placed by the small nightstand right by her mattress. He watched her sleeping face. As if right on cue, a servant knocked on the door.

“My lord, lunch will be ready half an hour from now. Her highness the princess wants to see the Arcleuses together,” he said.

“Ah. Alright. Tell her I’ll be there.”

The noise woke his knight up. She grabbed her blade while her eyes were still half closed. Rising up from the bed, she woke like a soldier. Straight, precise movements.

“You’re up.”

“My lord! I apologise for dozing off.”

“Nah, it's fine. Anyway, we’ll be having lunch with the other Arcleuses and the princess later. Do you wanna freshen up? My knight needs to keep up appearances.”

“What would I do that for? I’m here to protect you, not to charm people.”

“But you should let your beauty be known.”

Her face turned red at his words. Hiding her cheeks and mouth her hand, she averted her eyes. He chuckled. A summer breeze entered the room through the open windows. Their eyes met, just for a moment.

“Then, I shall take a bath...” she said.

“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll take one after you, so don’t take too long.”

She nodded. Walking towards the attached bathroom, her eyes wandered. He was still in that long brown lounge shirt.

“Don’t you dare peek.”

“That would be rude to do so,” he replied.

She walked in and closed the door. Meanwhile, he brushed his hair. It had grown quite a bit since the Hunters Festival, and started to encroach on his back. His neck tickled as the tips of his hair brushed by. Even so, Elise didn’t want him to cut it. And he didn’t mind letting it grow out. Running that soft flat hair brush through, the tangled knots went straight.

On the makeup table were a variety of cosmetics, all for their use. He wasn’t a stranger to it, his sisters had made sure of that. Being used as a dress up doll had some benefits after all.

The water ran from behind the door. The technology of that world was surprisingly advanced, though they still fought with swords and bows. But, whether it was due to the march of science, or the addition of magic, the capabilities were much more than he expected. There was central heating, and even the magical equivalent of a phone.

“My lord, could you please lend me some clothes? I shall have to purchase more when I have the chance,” she said.

“Sorry, but would you be fine wearing the same pair of underwear in the meantime? There aren't any here. I’ll bring you shopping after lunch.”

He opened up the wardrobe. With a pair of leggings and a rustic shirt in hand, he handed it to her through a small crack in the door. After a quick change, she left the bathroom. A white towel hung around her shoulders. Despite being dressed in rather plain clothes, her face and body was more than appealing. While she was in the bath, he looked through the wardrobe and found a comfortable and plain red dress.

“Well then my lord, it's time to meet your competition.”

“Yes. Let’s see who’s the final one.”

With light footsteps, they walked towards the great dining hall. Servants greeted them as the passed, and he greeted them back. Left, right, left, left. Going past a labyrinth of turns, he made his way. Pushing open the door, his eyes met with the princess.