9 Moon Points

Affinity Elisa : 10/10

Affinity king : 5/10

I decided for the first one, not knowing anything anyway about what would follow. I was completely lost, that was for sure, but I could not see myself precising it once more to the housekeeper.

Curiously, I noticed while slowly putting on the blue dress, my environment was familiar to me. The face of this woman also. Sahara, princess of what kingdom? All of this was very destabilizing.

"Good! It looks great on you, as expected. See."

She steered me to a mirror to the right of my bed, which I had not yet noticed. It was big, however, of gold and emerald, a perfect oval. My image shocked me : I was so young ! And so beautiful ! My deep green eyes were staring at me with endless curiosity and perplexity. I didn’t look like my helper whose pale complexion and black eyes had an outdated charm.

"Why is my skin so dark ?" I asked then. She frowned, tapped a few ply and steered me to my sweaty moccasins.

"What are you saying there, princess ? You know well that your mom is Arabic. Your father chose her as a concubine after the Caliph of Córdoba offered her as a pledge of peace, while she was a slave, but one of the harem’s favorites."

These details froze me, but I was unable to explain why. I put on my shoes without a word, breathed long and then passed the door that had just opened to me by the governess.

On the pavement of the hall, my dress slipped, rustling. I felt nervous for many reasons, and these walls were used to me, which added to my discomfort, as I didn’t remember anything at all. The paintings representing ancient personalities were next to closed doors ; the painted ceiling, with a light vault, used a pattern of a regular diamond to a sort of large apse from which three other cross corridors started. There, a young girl was waiting for us, about my age, I thought when I saw her.

"Princess, she bowed, and I almost did the same before I remembered my status. Your father is waiting for you.

- Well, princess Sahara, I’ll leave you. You’ll have lunch right after in your room, the king’s orders. We will then dress you accordingly."

I nodded and followed Elisa.

"Is it normal for me to have lunch in my room? I asked her when we were far enough away from the tall woman.

- Oh, yes, princess. You don’t usually like lunch with your sisters. Oh, forgive my impudence.

- There is no problem, go on.

- Well, today it wasn’t your choice. The king wanted it that way, he will certainly explain why. It's true that... (she twisted her hands while walking, embarrassed. I kept silence to enjoin her to pursue) the king does not pay much attention to you, usually. Oh, I shouldn’t say that. It’s just... I’m sad for you, princess Sahara."

She stopped talking there, because fast steps were approaching behind a rather large side door, a short distance away. Opening it, the young man who came out of it did not have time to hide his dissatisfied expression. I thought he was icy. Of course, his clothes were perfect and his stature elegant, but when his dark eyes landed on me, I felt a wave of utterly unexpected disgust. He barely bowed, almost touching us. The guard of his sword, protruding from the side, became entangled in my lace sleeve, slightly tearing the fabric.

"Oh, Princess, are you all right?" the young servant panicked, glancing at the boy who had already left.

I agreed, saddened by the situation: what had I done to him?

"Pfff, what a... arg! held back, furious. Well, let’s go... like this, it doesn’t appears."

I noticed that we had just taken the open door ; so my "father" was behind? I was both curious and worried about meeting him. We passed through the richly furnished anteroom, then we stopped in front of a door leaf lightened by an ornate and elongated lock box in solid gold.

"Monsignor," said the handmaiden in an assertive but gentle voice. Princess Sahara is here.

- Enter."

This serious intonation echoed, like a distant memory. I could not catch up with it. The interior, however, was tidy, with a pile of files and the fatigue caused by the hours that had to be spent studying them. The king, not seeming to have reached his fifties, wore a close-shaven beard and large eyebrows of ripe wheat like. I didn’t know why I kept these details.

Elisa closed the door behind me, and my father and I were alone.

"Sit down, I have something to tell you."

I immediately complied myself, but my hat, a little too bulky, knocked the high back and folded over my eyes. The king giggled, I straightened up, very confused, immediately removing the heavy headgear.

"It is not with this kind of outfit that you can do what I am about to ask you, he pointed out. As you know, every month we receive an invitation from the Du Pinson and we always send one of our members to them. However, no one has yet brought back the secret of their trade to me. This month, I want you to do it for your brothers and sisters who have failed all this time. I expect you to extort the most information from the duke, of course.

- Uh, I... you mean I...

- That you seduce him, yes. You will have appropriate clothes, as well as Elisa at your side. Do you have any questions?"

A. Why would I do that if my brothers and sisters didn’t ? After all, I’m not special, father...

B. Who was the young man who left your office earlier?

C. I don’t have one. I will not disappoint you and report their secret (I knew nothing about it and I absolutely did not see how to do it, but I had only one desire : to get out of here)

D. I am not an object at your convenience. But I will try to get what you desire... other than by seduction.