The butler was well dressed, as he should have been. He dumped an ocean of papers on Francis’ desk. It wasn’t really a nice thing to see, but whatever. Francis stepped out of his bed, and yawned. Seriously, what was the butler doing so early in the morning? When he knocked and asked for permission to enter, Francis just said yes without a thought. Instinctually, somewhat. He didn’t know that the whole mansion’s surplus of papers were going to be dumped on him.

“Explain this, Reison,” Francis said in between a yawn.

“My lady said that you requested for these, the history of his grace’s family and that of the Castinate, young master.”

“Ahhh that’s right. Leave it here. How many years worth of history is that?”

Francis could spot at least 5 different stacks of papers. All about the height of his arm, perhaps even more. He shuffled over to his desk, and grabbed a sheet from the top. Dated to sometime before even Francis was born, he wondered how much of this was even relevant.

“There’s about 100 years of history left in storage. Should I bring them to you, young master?”

“No. Actually, just leave the most recent 20 years or so. That’s probably all I’ll need.”

“Very well young master. Then I shall return later to collect the unneeded papers. Oh and, my lady asked you to act like an adult. Not as and I quote, ‘A brainless, charmer in a fairy tale,’ young master.”

“I’m not sure what you mean. You may leave now.”

“I shall see myself out then, young master. Oh, yes, would you be having your meals with the family?”

“Nah. Tell Ms Anne to bring my food here. And to bring a few candles too. Might have to spend the night reading these.”

“Very well. I shall pass your message along, young master.”

“Thank you. Goodbye, Mr Reison.”

Francis nodded. With a wave, he sent him away. Did he notice? Of course he did. How could he not? If he didn’t, then he was blind.

A head popped out from under the blanket. Untidy black hair that needed to be brushed. Pushing the blanket off, she sat up.

“Well, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

“When I said that I wouldn’t resist and that if you came in at night I wouldn’t do anything, I didn’t think that you’d accept that offer.”

“Hey. I was alone, and without someone else for like what, half a year? Cut me some slack.”

“At least you woke me up.”

“I have the decency to do that. But I’m still surprised that you’re a guy. You’re so much like a girl.”

“And I thought you only liked women.”

“Nope. I go both ways, Francis. But I will say that I prefer women to men.”

“Hmm. I see. But still, you didn’t even do anything.”

“Did you want me to?” She grabbed onto his chin and looked at him dead straight in the eye. “What, you want to be done?”

“You know, she would do that too. Grab me, and push me down. Too bad she’s gone, I guess.”

“Ah. Landmine. Welp, it’s best not to think about it.”

She patted his head. With her touch, it was weirdly calming. But regardless. He turned his attention back onto the papers. It was early in the morning, yet he had so much work to do already.

He sat down and read. Still in a nightgown, his stomach grumbled from the lack of food. He split up a stack into two halves. Roughly equal sizes, and he took a sheet from the first half. His eyes scanned the page. The next page. And the next. He got deep into reading. It was reminiscent of going down a hole in Wikipedia. He didn’t even notice when Hye-Sung left, or that Ms Anne knocked on the door.

Francis only stopped once his eyes were strained. Rubbing the area in between his eyebrows, he finally stood up. His bones popped as he stretched, and he looked out. Gosh, how long did he spend reading? The light outside was orange. Evening time? He stepped out of his room, and was greeted by a trolley. On it, several plates were presented to him. Shielded by a metal cover, it kept the heat in. Was it lunch? Or dinner?

“Uh, hey.” He waved to a passing maid. “Is this my dinner?”

“Oh young master. You’re finally out. And uh. I believe that is your lunch. Should I fetch your meal for you?”

“No need. Tell Ms Anne that she doesn’t need to bring it anymore. I’m heading downstairs.”

“As you command, young master.”

“Good. Now...”

He looked around. Where was she? There was supposed to be a guard right outside his chambers, no matter the situation. And yet, neither Katalina or Hye-Sung was anywhere to be seen. That was, until someone gripped his shoulder. Her touch was familiar.

“Katalina. How are you?”

“I’m fine. So... Regarding your night with her...”

“Oh, she didn’t do anything, don’t worry. That aside, have you had dinner yet?”

“My lord. I’m far more concerned about you. You haven’t eaten anything all day, have you?”

As if on cue, his stomach grumbled. She was right. Not even breakfast. Or water, actually. His lips were dry, and his throat longed for hydration. He walked down the hallway. Looking out of the window, a strange blonde person stood outside at the gates. They looked like they were conversing with the guards, and after a while, were turned away. How peculiar.

Francis made his way towards the dining room. A few servants passed by, and he greeted all of them. ‘Good evenings’, and ‘have a good day’ were tossed around. Still in the previous day’s nightgown, he looked dressed for bed. But no matter. For some strange reason, he just couldn’t get himself to care about what they thought.

“Do you know where she is? Kim Hye-Sung, I mean. She left my chambers and I didn’t notice.”

“Why do you want to see her, my lord?”

“It’s about the invitation I got. I want to brief the two of you about what not to say. Though, since you’re my guard, I don’t think you’ll be doing the talking.”

“Is that so? Then she should be eating.”

“Great. Let’s eat together then.”

“Wha- No. You can’t, my lord. A knight cannot eat together with her master. It is simply unheard of.”

“And it was also unheard of for someone to have both ladies, and gentlemen serving an Arcleus or Regina in the imperial palace. Who cares.”

“But my lord. That is simply not right. My duty is to protect.”

With a sigh, Francis shrugged. It seemed like Katalina was still in that dutiful mindset. At least the new guard had the benefit of being an otherworlder. The etiquette was simply different there. Francis stopped in front of the servants dining room. Separated from the main room, with all the fanciful decorations where the noble family ate, it was much more simple. The security here was much more lax, without any guards standing alert outside. It was where the maids, butlers, and guards dined after all. Who would be interested in them? He pushed the door open.

“Oh. You’re done reading?” Hye-Sung set her cutlery down.

“Yeah. You left without even saying goodbye.”

“I did. Just that you were too engrossed in reading.”

“O-oh! Young master, what brings you to us lowly servants?” A maid bowed down, leaving her seat.

“No need for formalities. Ah, and get me a plate, could you? I’ll have what you’re all eating.”

“Immediately, young master!”

She rushed off. Honestly, there wasn’t any need for that. That maid emerged out shortly after, holding a plate of hot food in her hands. It looked in most ways similar to what he spotted on Kim Hye-Sung’s plate, but the portions paled in comparison. So even the maids have heard about his small appetite. Francis looked at Katalina behind him and raised an eyebrow. She only shook her head, but not before shooting a glare at the guard sitting opposite him.

“Suit yourself then. Sit down, at least. It’s easier to explain when you’re not beside me.”

“Fine. But only that. No further.” Katalina complied, and sat besides him.

“Alright. So basically, I’ve spent the day skimming through the previous 20 years of history.”

“So? What did you find out?”

“About that. The Castinates aren’t on good terms with us. Within the past 20 years alone, there have been at least 5 clashes with the Rayleighs. Two of them ended up with the marquess losing their head.”

“Whew. Why were there so many clashes?”

“It's often because the marquess got a tad bit too arrogant. Of course, I expect that our side of the history will be biased. The previous disputes were over them blocking our roads and trades. Out of the entire empire, our relationship with them is well, extremely bad. It's quite surprising that they haven’t died out yet.”

“Ahh, politics isn’t really my game. Got a super condensed version?”

“Basically, we’re not on any good terms with them. So when I enter their territory, you two need to keep me safe. Got it? I’ll handle the talking, and you two handle the stabbing if it comes to it.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t reach that stage.”

He chewed the meat. It seemed to be similar to chicken breast, or maybe even the exact same thing. It lacked a great bit of salt, but Francis could shrug it off. But this was the food that the servants ate? Every single day? Overall, it was rather bland.

Once he was done, he stood up and motioned for the two guards to follow. With their footsteps behind him, he nodded and continued forth. First, he had to change. Being in a nightgown was definitely not right for going out. He stopped in front of his chambers and asked his guards to wait outside. After he switched into something more presentable, they headed out. Of the three of them, he was the only one that wasn’t dressed appropriately to go out.

“So, where we going?” Hye-Sung asked once he stepped out of his chambers.

“Depends. You two, do you drink?”

“The first thing you saw me with was a wine glass.”

“Good point. Katalina, you?”

“In case of an attack, I cannot drink my lord.”

“Alright. Fair enough. Then you two know any bars in the town?”

“Hmm. I’m not familiar with any. Mostly just stayed in here waiting for you.”

“That’s nice.”

In a neat, yet simple attire, he lacked the usual accessories or clothes that he wore. A plain, white shirt and black pressed pants. He got a glimpse of himself as he passed by a mirror. Out of a skirt or dress, he really looked weird. But that was fine. Francis wanted to have a drink before leaving into enemy territory. Not with his family, of course. They wouldn’t understand. Not with how strong they all were. Have they ever felt fear? Regardless, he banished those thoughts from his mind and went to his father’s office. He nodded, and the guards knocked on the door. After checking who his guest was, he let Francis in with no issue.

“What do you need, son?”

“Can I have some money? I want to buy something from the town.”

“But the servants can just buy it for you.” Charles stood up and reached into a drawer. “How much do you need?”

“Not that much.”

“Alright.” He wrote on a piece of paper that resembled a check. “Here. Bring it to your maid, Ms Anne.”

“Thank you.”

A short while later, he was presented with a sack full of gold coins. That was far too much money for a night out. This was enough to buy the whole bar’s stock of alcohol.

They left the mansion’s premises. That peculiar blonde girl talking to the guards was gone. Francis and his guards walked past the mansion’s walls and ventured into town. The citizens went about their lives, though their stares were distracting. Without any disguise, he walked around. Though there were plenty of bars to choose from, something just drew him towards this particular one. Nothing in particular stood out about it, but his gut instincts just told him to go in. And he followed it. To be fair, his gut instinct did prove useful to him often, as he had found quite a few good restaurants on more than one occasion.

Stepping inside, all eyes were on him immediately. The once rowdy scene, with shouts and laughs that he could hear from outside turned silent. A freezing cold atmosphere took over, even whilst in summer.

“Whoa. What the hell happened?” Kim Hye-Sung asked the question he had on his mind.

“Y-y-young master! What could I get for you?” The owner quivered as he walked up to him.

“Uh. Get me your best wine. One bottle.”

Francis turned his head towards the other customers in the bar. It was several hours past the evening. Men and women sat together. People from all walks of life were there, fresh faced youngsters, and balding old men. There wasn’t that much connecting them, and yet they all had their heads down. Beads of sweat formed on a bald man’s head. Every single one of them looked down, and avoided his gaze. Did he ever do anything to them? Well, everyone except for the two guards with him, and a girl sitting at the end of the bar table. Francis could recognise that blonde hair. She was the one talking to the guards previously. No, whilst everyone else looked at their plates and glasses longingly, as if cursing their luck for encountering him, she glared straight at him.

“OG. What did you do?” Francis asked internally. No response. Thinking back, he was absent the entire day. No quip when he woke up with Hye-Sung beside him. Nothing. Sorting through his inherited memories would take too long.

Francis sat down. The two guards took their seats beside him, one on the left and one on the right. The owner brought out a fine glass bottle. Gently placing it in front of Francis, the bar owner backed away.

“Well. Mind explaining your glares, lady..?”

The girl looked at him. Francis placed his head on his hand, and leaned on the bar table. She had her hair clipped on one side, and overall had a very pretty face.

“Are you Francis Rayleigh?” she asked.

“Do not talk to him so casually!” Katalina stood up.

“No need to worry. Stand down, Katalina. And yes, I am. You are?”

She stayed silent. Kim Hye-Sung corked the bottle and poured out two glasses. The red liquid slowly filled the glass, and he picked it up. Swirling it around, a small vortex was created in the centre, much like a cyclone.

“Do you have anywhere to stay? Need any help? A young girl shouldn’t be staying out for too long.”

“Hah! And you think you’re any better? And I have a place to stay, thank you very much.”

“Is that so,” Francis said as he took a sip. The bar owner waited nervously. “It's delicious. I appreciate it.”

“O-oh. Young master. Thank you kindly!”

“Think nothing of it. Here, keep the change.”

Francis slid a silver coin across the table. Downing his drink, Kim Hye-Sung offered to pour him another. Shrugging, he accepted. And another glass. After his third glass, with about half a bottle finished with their combined efforts, she grabbed his glass and started to refill it. But with a hand, he declined. Just how much of a light weight was he? He was already feeling the effects of getting drunk.

“Let’s go. You’re an interesting lady. What’s your name?”

The blonde girl turned to look at him. Her eyes looked at him like she was looking at a pest. Her mouth opened, as if to say something, but ultimately chose not to. With a shrug, Francis turned and left. She wasn’t his business. Still, despite that, he still instructed the guards to not be violent and aggressive when dealing with her.