Walter directs his gaze to the young man standing seriously behind the twins. The kid is tall, with what can only be described as a "swimmer's physique". He carries a gun at his hip, a privilege allocated to very few. His hair is a dirty blond, his eyes light blue, and his jaw is chiseled like a statue. Walter had been present when the boy was chosen to be the bodyguard of the most important children on Earth, even he feels sorry for the kid. Still, due to the genetic modifications of the soldiers in both private and public armies, anyone who can keep their sanity is sought after commodities. Add onto the fact that he is a physically attractive young man, capable of lowering the twins' guard, and he is the perfect choice.

Though he never had a real name, or if he had, it was lost in a sea of paperwork, Oswald himself gave him the name of "Adam". Adam, even though he had already been serving in the military since his childhood, was put through an entire year's worth of intense training and indoctrination after he was hired. He was made to value Mary and Lilian's life more than his own. Eventually, he adapted, and just in time as yet another bodyguard had been fired due to the sibling's fickle tendencies.

Currently, Adam stands directly behind Mary, who is the easiest to get along with due to her gentle and kind nature. His eyes are locked onto the hands of the bartender, who is hastily making Master Oswald's drink. Walter decides to follow along, keeping an eye out for poison.

10 milliliters of Sprytus Vodka are poured into the mixer, quickly followed by 15 milliliters of Rum. The bartender's hands flash across the counter as he grabs the Gin and pours an even 20 milliliters into the mixture, hastily following it with 10 milliliters of Blue Curacao, which causes the drink to take on a blue coloring. 30 milliliters of a Sweet & Sour mix is added, which is quickly followed by a handful of ice. Vigorously and flashily, the bartender rhythmically shakes the canister, putting on a show for the mere bodyguards, as nobody important is paying attention. The finished drink is poured smoothly into a seamless wine glass. It is then adjusted to fit lopsided onto a ringed coaster and slid across the bar to the waiting Oswald.

The beautiful drink sparkles in a cyan hue, as it baths in the glow of the surrounding lights. It seems reminiscent of a small patch of sky on a forgotten sunny day, pure and unadulterated, like a video rendering of the old days. Such a sight goes ignored as Oswald picks up the glass and begins to sip on it, never breaking the conversation with the princess. The bartender also doesn't seem to feel any pride in his work, as without sparing a single glance, he quickly makes Elise's drink in no time flat. Now finished with all his orders, the young man turns to look at the twins, only to hastily snap his head back with a crimson glow spreading across his cheeks.

"Anything I could get you, Ladies?"

While his words are polite, his posture is far from it. To any other aristocrat, or maybe simply on any other day, he would have been scolded and forced to look at the client he was speaking to. But Lilian doesn't seem to care as she bats him off with a vague wave of her hand, and instead flags down the previous waitress, who is still keeping an attentive eye on them. With a flurry of fabric and skirts, the girl flies across the room and stops before the young miss. Mary doesn't say a word and simply sits quietly in her seat, hands in her lap, eyes poised downward. This means Lilian is once again the one speaking.

"I hear the confectionary in this establishment is superb. During my last visit I wasn't able to try any, so give me the top 10 best selling items of this week."

"Of course, right away."

Not daring to speak further to the goddess of the Lemming family, the woman vanishes as quickly as she arrived, off to fetch sweets for the most dangerous daughters in the city. Walter silently sighs at the sight. Such a scene is custom, no matter the place. Lilian will always hold a strange authority over Mary, the workers will always be fearful of the twins, and Oswald and the Princess will always be lost in their own world. Such a scene is natural, but it isn't the only event expected. Such a dynamic wasn't always the case though. There have been times where motives were hidden under the surface, and not everyone understood the cards in each other hands.

Tick tock, tick tock...

In another time, before a certain disaster that shook the world...

The nearby clock unhesitantly measures the passage of time, a timepiece long beyond its prime yet still able to perform its duty flawlessly. Perhaps that very clock is a testament to the fact that machine lifeforms are superior to humans in every way. Or perhaps not. The family is spread out around the table. Oswald sits in silence, occasionally grumbling to himself about his worries and future plans while picking at his food. He has dark circles under his eyes, a sign that he's spent many a restless night locked away in his study. He's a stern man. One that has long lost any semblance of human sympathy in his heart. His warm exterior has grown worn, and even now, he struggles to maintain his fatherly appearance in front of his unwitting daughters.

Lilian and Mary sit across from each other, droning on about meaningless topics such as school tests and how boring it is to study. Of course, everything they say is a tedious apparition, a ghost of a conversation that hides away their true intelligence. As much as they dislike deceiving their father, their plans still need time to develop before they're able to step out of the shadows and fully assume control of the family. They estimate they still have some time before their father makes any drastic moves that will jeopardize their wellbeing, so for the moment they're at ease.

The servants, the well-trained dogs they are, don't lend an ear to the words of any member of the family. They simply await further orders from the head-servant, Walter. Walter is the watchdog of the Lemming family. He assigns protection to the children, personally assists the master of the house, preventing him from allowing the family to fall to ruin. He helps the girls with their various school matters, aiding them with their studies when they very rarely make the request. He is the guardian. He is the guard-dog. Such is his position that he hones in with razor-sharp focus the very instant these ominous words are spoken with an innocent, curious tone:

"You know, I've been thinking, I really wanna meet the inferior. Aren't you curious, Mary? Don't you want to see how they live?"

"Hmm? I guess so. They are our fans after all... Even though we're only beginners, from what I read online, the general public sees a lot of potential from us!"

"Ah! In that case, would you like to go on a tour of the city with me? I'm sure it'll be fun!"

"U-um... I guess so-"

"Wait! Young ladies, I believe you severely underestimate the danger the city possesses. I know you're clever, and I know you have some good heads. But you've grown up in a sheltered life, surrounded by good, kind-hearted people that only care about your well-being. You mustn't assume that every person is the same."

Lilian, though incredibly intelligent to a frightening degree, doesn't fully grasp the horrors of the outside world, is what Walter believes. Even though he doesn't see the full picture, he still has enough common sense to know that these little girls are unprepared for the outside world. Perhaps it's a failure of the school system, or maybe it's his own fault. Whatever the case, allowing children only just reaching their teens to explore the Domed City is incredibly foolish and risky.

Lilian frowns, annoyed at the thought that a mere servant would attempt to challenge her. Still, she has no grounds for arrogance in the public eye, so she chooses to cower, silently fuming. Mary, on the other hand, subtly heaves a sigh of relief. It wouldn't be incorrect to say that she has more of an interest in her future career than her other half. This being the case, she often reads stories of the horrible things that actresses do to get further in life. She at least understands that the world isn't as black-and-white as her twin makes it out to be. Still, she's powerless to Lilian, and so is thankful towards Walter who put an end to her foolishness before things got out of hand.

Walter backs down after noting that the conversation has seemingly changed and that the matter has been forgotten. The danger that the children would be in is no joke. As aristocrats, there's a neverending list of people that would use the girls as leverage for their plots. And in terms of their own careers on the big-screen, countless deranged lunatics wouldn't hesitate to pounce on them the moment they get the chance. This isn't even due to their background. Anyone would feel compelled to act if the opportunity presented itself, simply because of their angelic beauty.

Still, intelligence has a strong connection with the emotion known as curiosity. For incredibly intelligent people, curiosity is equivalent to a drug. A mind-numbing emotion that compels them to action, and influences them to behave in irrational manners. The most logical person might act on a whim, simply to see the reaction their actions cause. A genius mathematician can question the prominent theories of their age, merely because they want to know if that is the truth. Do machines feel curiosity? Do artificial intelligence? Do Gods? Is curiosity, which so often makes the greatest minds act in erratic, detrimental ways, yet just as often causes the greatest of breakthroughs, a strength or a weakness of the human race? If a goddess were to acquire true curiosity, would that too lead to the downfall of her species?

Such an emotion has unreasonably taken control of Lilian. Her future actions will forever change her fate, as well as the fate of human civilization as a whole...