Victor positioned himself to see the gift’s unveiling, curious as to what his father had brought. He had seen an ornate box in the carriage, but his father had been very tight-lipped about the contents. His mother had seemed proud of whatever it was but had not been any help satiating his curiosity, either.

“The accompanying note says,” the announcer cleared his throat, “this is simply a reflection of that which we hold most dear.”

The king shot a quizzical look towards the marshal, near the front of the room, who smiled in return, enjoying the suspense.

The king slowly opened the box and reached within to uncover the contents. The queen and princess leaned in to peer at it as the king tilted the mirror towards them. He smiled as he saw the clear reflection of his wife and daughter on either side of him. “The image is fragile,” he heard the Marshall say quietly. “Treat it well.”

“So?” Meg asked Victor. “What is it?” Other attendees asked similar questions around the room. Victor just smiled and said nothing, dying to know the answer himself. It sure captured the attention of the royal family, whatever it is, he decided. That has to be good.

The king stood and sent a slight bow to Pierce, surprising the crowd. “A worthy gift indeed, to see my family happily by my side,” he said, understanding the earlier meaning, then invited the rest of the group to walk past the mirror to view their reflections. It took quite a few minutes of jostling and mostly good-natured encouragement before the room had cycled past the novel object.

“This is so much better than the silver mirror my mother had in her dowry,” Meg exclaimed when it was her turn. “It must have cost a fortune. How can I get one, Vic?” she asked as she punched Victor in the arm. The comment was not lost on the princess, and she blushed and looked away. Victor turned slightly red as well. He wouldn’t have known about the color change, but he happened to be looking in the mirror at that time, making him even more embarrassed. He bit his lip and glanced from the mirror to the princess one more time before bowing to the king and moving on.

Get it together, he told himself. Someone’s going to notice. If I like her that much, why don’t I talk to my father about it?

He sighed, and his posture deflated a bit. How do I know she would want me? Or better yet, would her father even consider saying yes?

The interaction did not go unnoticed by the king and queen, who glanced at each other but did not say anything.

Finally, the gift-giving portion of the night finished, and the king stood. “We thank you all for the gifts you brought us and your presence with us tonight. As is our custom, do any of you have petitions to bring before your king?”

The tradition was an old one, and usually, no one would dare to bring a serious matter before the king on the night of a celebration. Usually, a couple of nobles would bring a few petitions forward in jest, such as a request to have the king make the moon shine brighter or a petition for a refilled wine goblet. The first would be met with cheers and laughs, and the second would see the start of a short drinking game. Servants would surround the noble in question and fill their cup after every gulp. The noble would eventually become too saturated to stay upright, to the uproarious laughter of the crowd. Still, the potential for a serious petition remained; the nobles saw it as their right.

The head of House Rothpor stepped forward and addressed the king. “Your majesty, I have a petition.”

“We will hear it,” the king replied, and the crowd stirred in anticipation.

Victor listened as the man expounded upon the need of the city for long-term stability and prosperity. It’s a good thing you’re not the king, he thought. We’d be required to listen to hour-long speeches every morning before the first meal. The man does not know how to be brief! And I expected him to propose something amusing, the young man thought, that’s the last time I make that mistake.

Finally, the man got to his request. “For all of those reasons, I propose the marriage of my son, Luthias, to Princess Cassandra.”

What? No! Victor thought, frozen in place. He can’t do that! Why did I not talk to my father sooner? He turned to look at Luthias, who had his signature smug look on his face. The room filled with rapid conversation.

His thoughts were redirected when the king stood, and the crowd quieted. “Thank you for your petition and offer. You are not the first to make such a proposal tonight.”

That proclamation made the crowd burst into more chatter, which the king had to silence again. “As Brighton's king, I must look to the good of the state. As a father, I must match my daughter with a suitable partner. I have thought long and hard on how to meet both of these objectives and choose a worthy suitor.”

Absolute silence filled the room as the crowd witnessed the most exciting event to happen in their city in years.

“Your son, Luthias, will have the opportunity to prove himself worthy in this challenge. As will Victor of house Woodmere,” the king announced. Shocked, Victor looked around his group. His gaze settled on the seething, anger-filled face of Luthias.

The king continued, “Any other would-be contenders will have to seek my permission to compete. May the best man for both Brighton and Cassandra win. Competitors, here is what you must do...

---

“More servers? Really?” Tanya asked the technician. “That’s almost double the last increase.”

“More of the world is being actively processed,” the woman replied, checking her tablet. “Normally, areas without users would just be approximated. And moments ago, the AI started two new streaming channels. Should I deny the request?”

“No,” Tayna said. “Our revenue will be off the charts if we can keep our subscriber count increasing at this rate. The servers are more than worth it.”

---

“Hey, did you see the new stream from Razor? The one in Brighton?” An adolescent girl asked her friend over voice chat.

“Nope. I don’t skip school like someone I know,” the friend giggled. “Is it good?”

“You’ve got to see it. The princess is going to get married and have boys fight over her or something. And you want to know the best part?”

“What?”

“This is, like, unscripted. Not like those vids, where it’s so predictable, and the director calls the shots based on what they know we will like. This is as real as it gets.”

“You’re a goofball, Cindy. You know it’s all digital,” her friend shot back with a grin on her face.

“Why does that matter? What if we’re actually in a simulation too, and we just don’t know it? How do you know their world isn't as real to them as ours is to us?”

“That’s ridiculous. Next time you come over, I’ll pinch you and see if you wake up,” the girl laughed. “Or help you look for the logout command.”

Cindy joined her laughter. “So, can I get your notes from class today?”