The red head woman ended up following the ghost figure through a numerous hallways until some of the halls started to look familiar. She watched as the ghost figure turned and bowed to her, an arm extending to a darken room. She slowly nodded then she entered the darken room. Her back slowly tightened. A wave of pain washed through her. She grunted before she took a deep breath.

  Peering through the dark room, Tina held out her hands in front of her as she slowly walked forward, feeling her way through the dark. Her foot hit something and she reached down, grabbing whatever she kicked. It felt like a stool or a chair of some kind. The stool or chair settled under her hands. Wasn’t there an island nearby? She frowned, trying to remember. She sighed. She couldn’t remember if there was or not. However, she did spot a glow coming from the nearby fireplace.

  Tina walked over to it, kneeling down to examine the fire. There was still hot coals in the fireplace. She grabbed a poker she was able to spot through the darkness and poked the hot coals. Sparks flew up. The coals glowed an angry red. She looked on either side of the fireplace. There had to be some wood nearby. She let out a soft hoot of triumph as she spotted on the left hand side of the fireplace a pile of wooden logs. She grabbed one log and placed in the angry coals, waiting for it to catch fire.

  “What are you doing,” an accent, deep voice rang out from behind her, “In my kitchen?”

  Tina froze. Her eyes widened, staring at the angry coals as the wooden log finally caught fire. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. She watched the flames hungrily licked at the dry wood. It caused the room to brighten up a bit, just enough where Tina could see the room. She extended her spiritual awareness. The speaker moved closer to her.

  “I asked you a question,” the voice sounded a few feet behind her. If she didn’t any better, she could say he was Asian or at least grew up in a country within the Asia borders from his accent.

  “I was hungry,” Tina said. She slowly stood up, turning around facing the owner of the kitchen, holding the poker at her side. She saw it was the man who stood in front of the oven.

  He was tall man with dark hair. The growing fire lit up his face. His hair covered half of his face, showing one sky blue eye reflecting the firelight, and it was tied back in a low ponytail. The eyebrow she could see curved upward at the end. He did have a mustache which curled at the ends like some medieval pirate or lord. A very small beard shaped in an upside triangle hugged the outline of his lower lip and trailed downward in his chin. He wore a tan apron as the color becoming apparent as the fire light grew in strength.

  “You didn’t eat dinner with the rest of the Court,” the Chef questioned. Tina shook her head. The Chef nodded before he turned away, stating, “You can put that poker down and sit at the island. I’ll fix you something up in no time.”

  “Thank you, Chef,” Tina let the words out in a sigh of relief. She didn’t know what she would have down if he had called the guards on her for trespassing in his kitchen.

  “There is no need to thank me,” the Chef said, “Are you allergic to anything?”

  “Not to my knowledge,” she replied. She put the poker back on the stand and glanced at the fire. “Should I put some more wood in the fire?”

  “I’ll do it,” He stated with his back to her. She rolled her eyes. He was obviously not used to dealing with people who was not apart of his kitchen. “I have to start getting ready to cook breakfast for the staff and other servants, soon.

  Tina knelt back down and started placing a couple more logs on the fire, calling out over her shoulder, “It will be one less thing for you to worry about, Chef.” She watched the fire spread over the new logs before she place two more on it. Heat washed over her, warming her. She shivered, slightly. She didn’t realized how cold she was . It was comfortable enough outside where she didn’t noticed the drop in temperature until now. She stood up and turned around, her eyes roaming over the kitchen. She had been right. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen with stools on the far side, away from the various counter tops with preparation areas. She went over to the island and choose a seat, gathering her skirts tight around her legs before she sat down and allowed the skirt to bellow out, falling over the sides of the stool. She looked over the kitchen.

  Across from the island, Tina immediately spotted the modern looking oven in the middle. On the left side of the kitchen, the Chef stood with his back to her as he did something with a bowl. It sounded like he was whisking food together. Beside him, there was a well stocked preparation area. Tina had only seen some of the equipment there in the high end restaurants. She gapped in surprise. Next to the preparation area was a bare counter top, but the wall, on the other hand, was full of jars. She resisted the urge to get up and peer at the jar labels.

  “So,” Tina glanced at the Chef, wondering a lot of things but she didn’t have a clue where to start, “How long have you lived in Camelot, Master Chef?”

  The chief paused and looked over his shoulder at her. In the firelight, Tina noticed something she didn’t in the low lightening. He had tan skin. Not the kind from being out in the sun for long periods of time, but the kind that reminded Tina of her friends from Japan. He also had almond shaped eyes. She didn’t want to the assumption that he had to be of Asian descendant, but seeing the evidence, it was hard to say other wise. The Head Cook finally replied, “I have been living in Camelot for the last 21 years, my lady.” He went back to work.

  “That’s a long time,” Tina said, “Where did you live before coming to Camelot?”

  “Why do you want to know, Lady…” he asked.

  “Armstrong,” She supplied with a friendly grin, “I’m Valentina Armstrong.” She watched as the chef set down his bowl and turned to her with a guarded expression. She paused, thinking about what she just said, “I’m sorry. I meant to say was I am Valentina of House Armstrong.”

  “Well, Lady Armstrong,” he started, “I am Kurosaki Sanji, as the people from my homeland would have called me or in this land, I am Sanji of House Kurosaki.” He studied her with guard eyes.

  Tina cocked her head to the side. She knew that was enough of a hint to say he had to been of Japanese descent or raised in the Japanese culture, but again she didn’t want to assume anything. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  “As you say, my lady,” Sanji said. He grabbed the bowl and walked over to the stove. He pulled down a skillet before he walked over to the pile of logs and grabbed an armful. He went to the counter beside the stove and knelt down beside a metal door. He pulled open the door and started to pile logs inside. He returned over by the fireplace and grabbed a bundle of sticks before he stuck them into the roaring fire. He waited long enough for the tips of the sticks to catch on fire before he returned to the metal door. He placed the sticks inside and shut the door.

  Tina noticed he didn’t answer her question. She allowed that matter to drop. For now. She continued on to a different topic, “Is it true? What I have been hearing that the King is dead. I just got into town, a day ago and I want to make sure if that rumor has any truth to it or not.”

  “Yeah, that rumor is true,” Sanji replied, “he died three days ago.” Tina frowned. That was when she arrived in this land. He paused before he went on, “The castle has been in an uproar since then. The Prince has announced that he is not taking the Throne after his father.” He released a heavy sigh. He went over to the skillet and placed it on top of the stove.

  “Why not,” Tina asked, confused, “I thought he was his right to take the Throne after his father’s death.” Was Camelot’s Seat of Power not passed down from father to son or at least the Current Ruler to the Chosen Heir?

  “No,” Sanji said, “Have you been living under a rock, Lady Armstrong?” He turned to her.

  “Yes,” Tina replied without hesitation, with a wide grin, then she went on, “I lost touch of my family a few days ago and haven’t been able to get any news about the current events.”

  “The Holy Sword choses the next Ruler,” Sanji explained like that was the answer to the universe. She blinked. “It is safe to assume that Prince Arthur didn’t pull out the Holy Sword.”

  Tina frowned. What the hall was going on in Camelot? This was not told in any of the legends of the Kingdom. The only time a sword in a way chose the ruler was when Arthur pulled the Sword from the Stone and claimed his right to Rule. What happened to the Kingdom for that particular event to be repeated?

  “I’m assuming the Knights of the Round Table will make attempt to pull the Sword out, next,” Sanji went on, “Then the High Lords of the Sacred 150.”

  “Sacred 150?” Tina repeated. That was a high number. She paused, thinking. Didn’t one of her course over the Legend of Camelot stated the Round Table was large enough for 150 knights to sit at it? She remembered, while reading that long retelling of the legend from the women’s points of view, that The King Arthur of legend had to build a special Great Hall to fit the round table in it.

  “Yeah, the descendant of the Original Knights of the Round Table,” Sanji explained. “Most of this is common knowledge, even to the people of the lower class,” he said.

  Tina frowned, ignoring his last comment, thinking. This was not the Camelot she knew from the various legends. She had to change the subject. She knew he was getting suspicious, but she had so many questions. She didn’t want to even think about it, but she may have to track Tristan down and question him about this version of Camelot. She asked, “What will happen if the Holy Sword -” that was something she had to get used to saying when she was pretty sure the sword in question was either the Ceremonial Sword or Excalibur, “- didn’t chose somebody to pull the blade out?”

  “I fear it would be the end of Camelot,” Sanji confessed. Fear laced his voice. She met the eye she could see. She watched as a storm of emotions danced through his eye.

  “Why do you say that,” Tina asked, more then just curious, “I’m sure the Knights will everything in their power to protect Camelot and her people.”

  “And they will die doing so,” Sanji finished, “I remember what happen the last time the Holy Sword didn’t chose a successor.” He paused. Tina lend forward. “I was just a boy then, 9 years old. My grandfather and I just wash up on these shores a few months before the King died from an illness. Rumors has it - it was more of a curse. Whoever has the ability to pull out the Holy Sword, has a shorten lifespan of 9 or so years.” He looked at her, lending against the counter top. He crossed his arms over his chest. He watched her as he continued, “However, after the king’s death, no body could pull the Holy Sword out of the stone. Many people tried. Each of the living princes at the time, the knights of the Round of Table, and the High Lords of the Sacred 150 tried. Not one of them had the ability to pull it out.” He let out a deep sigh that seem to come up from deeper in his body. “Not for 6 months.” He glanced away from Tina for a moment before he continued, “Those six months were hard on everyone, especially for the current generation who grew up during that time.”

  He turned away from her and started to work on breakfast. It was obvious to Tina that he wasn’t going to continued as he reached for a couple of the jars. She frowned. That little story brought more questions then answers. However, it was becoming clear to Tina that this version of Camelot was nothing like the legend she knew of. She turned her thoughts to Sanji’s reaction. It was obviously he went through that time and feared going through it again.

  Another voice rang out, directly behind Tina, “It was eventually known as the Era of the Kingless Kingdom.” She jumped and spun in her chair, looking up at the newcomer.

  The newcomer was a tall man with an impressive amount of spiritual pressure and control. She didn’t sense him approaching until he had spoke. It worried her, but she pushed that emotion aside as she turned her attention back onto the newcomer.

  In the firelight, the man’s black hair seemed to move like shadows and his gray eyes flickered with an emotion she didn’t know as they seemed to glow with some sort of power, but when Tina blinked, the glow in his eyes faded away. His spiritual energy was low, like it was being suppressed somehow, but average for a normal human without any training. Tina figured he was keeping it low for a reason. He wore a Traditional suit with the jacket’s tail extending to his mid-thigh. He wouldn’t be out of place at the Palace of King William in England as apart of the staff. She wondered if how he dress reflected his job and status or not. However, she jerked herself out of her musing as one of the two men spoke.

  “We all thought it was the end of days. The Enemies of Camelot had declared war on the Kingdom when we didn’t a king within a month. They all wanted the Throne of the Once Great Kingdom.” The man paused, frowning and looked at Tina. “The people don’t know what to do and the Ruling Family could only send out a call to arms, preparing for war.” He glanced around the kitchen before he moved to sit on the stool, “I was not much older then Sanji, here, but living on the border of Camelot and Mercy.”

  Mercy? Tina had heard of that Kingdom, but it existed during the last 5th century. She didn’t know when the Kingdom disappeared into the forgotten pages of history. It might be have merged with Kingdom of England when William the Conqueror took over the country.

  “My village was one of the first villages to disappear on the first wave from the Merican army,” the man went on, “My family had just enough warning to hid my siblings and I in the cellar before they were upon the farm. I still remembered how my mother screamed, how my father fought against the Army and how in vain it was to do so.” Tina watched as the man’s eyes glassed over far off memories as he continued to tell his story, “After the army moved on, I guided my siblings out of the burnt farm to a back road. I knew the army would take the main roads to the heart of the Kingdom. My siblings and I agreed we had to let the Ruling Family know.”

  “Back here in Camelot,” Sanji picked up the story, “We had waves of men pouring in from all over the country side, saying the Armies of Merican, the Franks, and our other neighbors were on the move. My grandfather and I was quickly overwhelmed with how many meals we had to make for the growing army. We managed to get permission from the Ruling Family at the time to hire as many people as we need to keep the kitchen full staffed around the clock. Lucky for us, many of the men had wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters who jumped at the chance to help the men. The kitchen became fully staff as did the Healing Ward. We all prepared for the worst.

  “The Worst did come. Villagers from the outskirts of the Kingdom poured into the castle with the same story, just the enemy army was different - our home was burnt to the ground by the enemy and they were marching this way to the castle,” Sanji went on, his voice took on a thicker accent. It sounded familiar to Tina. It was at the tip of her tongue. “The Camelot Army split into six branches marched out to meet the enemy on six different fronts led by the Ruling Princes at the time, however, Queen Belladonna had to leave the safety of the castle to led the sixth branch of the military. We didn’t have enough generals at the time. Hell, we still don’t. We have three generals out of the six we need.”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Each battle ended a retreat,” the man sitting next to Tina picked up the tale again. “My remaining family and I made it to the Castle and sought shelter, but we turned away from the castle itself. We did find some shelter in the town below the inner wall. We waited until the army retreated to outer wall. However, one of the Princes soon returned to the castle after six months and with the armies of the Enemy sitting outside of the Castle, managed to pull the Holy Sword out of the Stone.” He took a breath, looking at the island top. Tina glanced up at the cook. He had his back to her, still fixing breakfast. “Whatever the reason for what happen is still a mystery, even to the magi. They couldn’t even really explain what caused none of the princes to be chose, yet, one of them chose after six months.”

  The man beside Tina fell silent. Tina’s eyes flicked up to Sanji. He didn’t say anything. Tina puzzled the last part of the information out before she spoke, “It sounds like to me that the Choose One was living during those six months or at least a part of those six months before something happen to the said person and they died as a result.”

  “That was what the Battle Mage Merlin came up with,” the man beside Tina said.

  Sanji reached up for a plate and served Tina what he had fixed before he repeated the process with the unnamed man. The cook didn’t say anything as he set the plates down in front of them and fixed a third plate, setting himself a place on the other side of the island.

  Tina grabbed the silverware - well, she corrected, mentally, wooden fork - and paused, glancing up at the cook through her eyelashes as he took a bit of his food before she muttered loud enough for the three of them hear the traditional Japanese phase for thanking the cook before eating.

  Sanji sucked in a breath. His lone eye widened. He coughed as he choked on the fork fill of food then he recovered. He looked up at her with a shock expression. He stammered, “You - You - You are like me.” Tina raised an questioning eyebrow as she ate her food. He went on, “You are from the outside world.”

  “Outside World?” She questioned, before she ate another fork full.

  “Shit,” the other man breathed, “My apologizes, my lady.”

  Tina sent him an amused look, saying, “Well, I was fucking thinking I time traveled to the god damn dark ages.” Sanji snorted as the other man just gapped at her. She winked at him. “So, what do you mean by outside world?”

  “Long time ago, during middle of the 6th century, over 250 of the best trained Magi had to moved Camelot and few of the other kingdoms to a parallel world,” Sanji explained, “However, nearly everyone of those 250 magi ended up dying from the magical drain.”

  “Except for the Battle Mage Merlin and the Black Mage Lady Morgana,” the man next to Tina finished. She glanced at him. “I’m a fifth generation immigrant from the Outside World as well. My great- great grandfather managed to pass through the barrier sometime during -” He frowned, thinking, “I think he said it was during a war, that he was targeted by his government due to his religion.” Tina frowned. Unfortunately, that description was too familiar, too widespread. She knew some of the World Governments did that because the main religion was the national religion and any other religion was inferior. “He was forced to wear a yellow star.”

  “He was from Germany,” Tina stated, immediately, knowing what he meant by the yellow star. “He hunted by the Nazi Government because he was a Jew.”

  “Yeah,” the man’s eyes lit up with recognition. “He did say that.”

  “He would be happy to know the allies won,” Tina commented, “And Hitler committed suicide to avoid the prosecution of his war crimes, but according to the various documents that surfaced over the last few years, he really died in a country in South America.”

  Before the 5th generation Germen immigrate could say anything, there were soft footsteps padding up the hallway. Sanji turned, looked at something, and muttered something that Tina couldn’t hear before he gave Tina his attention. Tina watched as the cook’s demeanor changed into a professional one. He started, “I’m sorry, my lady, I couldn’t spend more time with you, but I need to get back to work. I have a large breakfast to make and it appears my staff is starting to arrive.” He stood up and bowed, meeting Tina’s eyes with a wink. “I will be able available later in the day.”

  She nodded in understanding. She quickly finished her breakfast and said, “Thank you, Chief, for the delicious meal, but I will have to take a rain check on that. I have been up all night and I really want to see my bed.”

  Sanji nodded and grabbed the plates before he went to the sink and started his day’s work. The man next to Tina stood up with her and offered his arm to her, “May I escort you back to your room, my lady?”

  “You may, Sir..?” Tina grinned up at him.

  “I am Sebastian, the Head of the Staffing, here at Camelot,” Sebastian finally introduced himself, “I am not Sir. I am just a simply servant.”

  “Pleasure to meet you,” Tina said, with a nod of her head “I’m Valentina of House Armstrong.” Sebastian led her back down the hallway, passing a pretty woman with honey brown hair, who was making her way to the kitchen.

  “Ah,” Sebastian lit up, “You are a Vessel of The White Hall House.”

  “Vessel?” Tina questioned. Her eyes darted forward and saw they were approaching an archway, leading outside before her eyes flew back to her guide.

  “Yes,” Sebastian nodded, before he explained, “The White Hall Family is responsible for your protection if they need to protect you and your family. The Current High Lord of the White Hall Family is one of the Knights of Camelot, Bardock, and his heir is the General Genesis. According to stories I have heard, Lord Bardock became the Head of the House when his older born brother Angeal refused the title. The Current High Lady of the White Hall Family is Freya and, luckily, she doesn’t come to Court often.”

  Tina’s lips pressed together, listening. It was interesting to hear about her maybe father and brothers. She asked, “Where is this Lord Bardock and why doesn’t Lady Freya come to Court?”

  “Lord Bardock headed back to the Family Estate, the other day, with two of his three sons,” Sebastian explained, “I figure it will be at least another week before he returns back to Camelot. As for Lady Freya, she doesn’t get along with Queen Belladonna very well and it often results in headaches for everyone involved.”

  Tina frowned. So, her possible father was not in Camelot, anymore, and he won’t be for another week. However, one of her maybe brothers was still in the Castle.

  “However, you should take the time introduce yourself to the General,” the Head of staffing suggested, “He is the Acting head of House White Hall while his father is not here.”

  “Perhaps,” She stated before she admitted, “I just want to sleep right now.”

  Sebastian led Tina through a series of hallways. It didn’t take her long to become confuse and lost, again, in the large castle. She heard her guide chuckle as she tried to remember her way through the maze. She shot him a glare of annoyance.

  “Don’t worry,” He started, “It took me a long while to memorize the various hallways, which corridors led to where and how to reach the major rooms on short notice.” He glanced down at her, leading Tina around a corner. Her gaze roamed in the new hallway and she frowned. It started to look somewhat familiar or at least the tapestry did.

  The tapestry had an image of a large battle. It was crafted in a way that Tina had thought it would come alive and depicted the entire battle for her. However, it didn’t, but it did mean that they were nearing the hall with the white rug where the room she had claimed for herself was located.

  Sebastian went on, re-capturing Tina’s attention, “I will be assigning a maid to help you with anything you need during your stay here, Lady Valentina.”

  “Call me Tina,” she corrected, automatically, “Please.”

  “As you wish, Lady Tina,” Sebastian nodded, “Like I was saying, the maid will be acting as your guide through the castle. She will be helping you dress in these outrageous outfits that are extremely popular of the day. The Older Queens expected the women of the court to be dressed accordingly to what is appropriate for your station.”

  “Don’t tell me,” she gasped as her mind caught up what the head of staffing was suggesting, “I have to wear that…those medieval torture devices?”

  Sebastian tried to hide his grin, and said, “Yes, you will have to wear a corset.”

  A word flew from Tina’s mouth echoed loudly in the hallway. Sebastian gapped at her in a mixture of surprise and horror before he threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter. He covered his mouth with his free hand. Tina’s eyes narrowed, waiting for him to recover.

  “You are taking too much delight out of my situation,” she stated.

  “And you, my dearest lady, are going to be a delight to have at court,” Sebastian grinned, “I will have to be there when you are introduced to the Queens.”

  “Why is that,” Tina drawled out. Her eyes darted around as they entered a new hallway. She grinned as she spotted the long white rug sitting in the middle of the room.

  “Simply,” Sebastian said, “You will be butting heads with Queen Belladonna and possible with the representatives of House Black.” She turned her head to stare the head of staffing when he finally announced, “And we are here, Lady Tina, your room.”

  “Thank you for your help,” she replied, stepping away from Sebastian.

  “As a reminder,” he started, “There will be a maid assigned to you shortly. I will send her to you around mid-morning. The Pope is arriving shortly after the sun raises at the docks and the Ruling Family will be busy for a few hours with that.” His eyes darted over Tina’s shoulder. “Please, let me know if there is anything else I can help you with, my lady.” He bowed to her, taking her left hand and placed a gentle, quick kiss to her knuckles before he turned away, leaving the hall.

  Standing there, she extended her senses and felt someone standing halfway down the hall. It was a strong presence. Not like the presence that sent her scurry into the lower town the night before. If she had put a letter to the spiritual power she was currently sensing, it was a high C or low B class.

  The system Tina was using was the same one her Great Aunt Nami had explained to her when she was learning the difference in strength when it came to the Youkai classes. The system was ranked from E to A. Basically, the higher the letter, the stronger the Youkai was, both in power and intelligence, but after the A class creatures, there was an even stronger class known as S-class and SS-class. Lucky for Tina, she never had to face or came into the same breathing space as a S or SS-class Youkai. She did hear a couple of her former teammates managed to enter the power grade of S-class Youkai and faced off with a SS-class Youkai and lived, to much of her amazement.

  Getting back to the problem at hand, Tina debated if she should acknowledge the person. She glanced over her shoulder to see if they were standing in plain sight. They weren’t. She could easily slip into her room and go straight to bed, she told herself. She reached out to the door knob when the person - a male from how deep his voice was - spoke, “There hasn’t been anyone representing that house in almost a decade, now.”

  Tina stopped and turned around to face the speaker. She watched as the person stepped into the dim light of the nearby gas lamp. She ran her eyes over him, trying to take in the small details. It was hard to make certain details, but she did managed to see a pair of tried, but alert green eyes and what look to be brown hair with strands of blond or gold glimmer in the fire light. He was nearly a foot taller then her and he crossed his arms over his chest. He wore dark clothes, allowing him to blend with the shadows of the hallway. At his hip, a sword of some kind rested in its sheath.

  She debated on answering him or not. The decision was taken out of her hands when he asked, “I’m Remus, son of Apollo, the vessel House and Heir of Lunar, A member of the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall.” He bowed to her.

  “I am Valentina,” She started, “The Vessel House of Armstrong, a member of the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall.” She curtsied.

  “So, Lady Valentina,” Remus said, walking toward her, “May I ask why you didn’t introduced yourself to the Court and the Acting of House, last night?”

  Tina smirked, “You may ask and you already did.” She blinked, innocently. Remus let out a soft chuckle. “However, I arrived late last night and didn’t see the need to do it, just yet.” She cocked a shoulder up, “Plus, I find it easier to move in the shadows if my face is not well known.”

  Remus smiled at her. An understanding glint in his eyes and he said, “I do know the feeling. However, it is required by the Court and our family Matriarch for us to introduce ourselves to the Court of Camelot and our acting head of house, General Genesis.”

  That name sent a pang of an emotion through Tina that she didn’t want to identify. According to Ralph and Tristan, that was her older brother. Now, she would have to let him know that she was in Camelot. She pushed away those thoughts before that train could leave the station.

  “Thank you for informing of that,” Tina stated, “And I will be doing that at a decent hour.” She paused, thinking exactly how she related to him. “I do have a question.”

  “What is that?” He cocked his head to the side like a curious puppy.

  “How exactly are we related?” She asked, “I’m curious.”

  “Who are your parents?” he questioned.

  “I don’t know them,” she lied, “I was raised my grandmother, Nami.”

  Remus nodded before he spoke, “I think Nami of House Armstrong is the Great Aunt of Genesis and I am his second cousin, on his father’s side of the family.”

  Tina nodded in understanding. Remus would be her second cousin, but she voiced, “So, we are third cousins.”

  “Yes, I do believe we are…oh fuck,” Remus started then he paled from what Tina could tell in the gas lamp, “My apologize, my lady, but are you unwed?”

  “Yes,” she trailed off, cocking an eyebrow, “You may speak freely in front of me. I don’t judge on your language. My language is just as bad.”

  “I hope Lady Freya never finds that you are unwed,” Remus commented, “She has been on a kick, lately. Majority of us - her grandkids - are coming of marrying age. She has been working some miracles and set up a few marriage agreements. Our cousin, Jacob, got snagged in one. He has to travel to the southern tip of the country to retrieve his bride to be. According to our cousin, Rosemary, Lady Freya has been trying to get Genesis’ younger sister, Valentina, to come home to marry her off, as well, but haven’t been able to find a match just yet for her, but I do fear she maybe married off to the Hidden Bark Village as part of a treaty the White Hall House has with them. The renewal of that treaty is coming up soon.”

  “Oh, shit,” Tina breathed, blood draining from her face. She knew some families try to keep the power within a family, often marrying third or fourth cousins to each other. However, she didn’t think her cover story she was in the process of creating would put in the path of a possible marriage agreement with Remus if this Lady Freya ever found out. It did shine some light on a possible reason why the matriarch of House White Hall would hire a ninja to bring Tina to the Estate. If Lady Freya was trying to set up various marriage agreements, she had her sets on Tina and her future as a married woman.

  “So far, Freya hasn’t got her claws in me for a marriage contract,” Remus explained, “Genesis has his reputation working for him.”

  “Oh?” Tina said, “What has he done?”

  “Being an explosive asshole,” Remus stated as a full blown grin bloom across his face. “If you had heard some of the stories I have heard, you would understand.”

  Tina placed a hand on her hip. An amused smile danced upon her lips. She glanced at the closed door beside her. She knew there were a room similar to a living room. Maybe she could get a few stories from him about Genesis. She did have a spark of curious of wanting to know her possible older brother. However, a yawn broke through her defenses and she covered her mouth. She heard the lure of her bed calling for her. A soft pair of footsteps echoed from behind Tina. She glanced over her shoulder to see a man moving past her and Remus, heading to the door at the far end of the hall. She tossed her gaze at Remus who looked highly amused.

  “I feel sorry for that poor bloke,” he started, “He apparently, is the butler to Genesis while he staying in the main House Suit instead in his usually chambers.”

  “Why do you say that?” she questioned, peering around Remus as the butler knocked the door before he let himself in.

  “However, it appears I have kept you from retiring for the night,” he stated with a knowing look. “If you ever want a follow night wander, please, let me know. I may be up for an adventure.”

  Tina let out a giggle before she yawned again. She didn’t realized she was that tired. She blinked back tears. She addressed Remus, “Perhaps I will, Remus. This is my first time at Camelot, so my chances of being lost are high.”

  “I will escort you around to the best of my knowledge,” Remus agreed. “Have a good nap.”

  Tina reached for the door knob and pushed the door open. She strolled in and shut the door after her. Or that was her intention when a gun shot rang out, followed by the sound of crashing glass. She spun on her heel. Her heart jumped into her throat. Her eyes widened as she peered down the hall. She glanced at Remus who also looked alarmed. She dropped her bag, just inside the door. It landed with a soft thudded.

  Tina pushed past her possible cousin aside and rushed down the hall. She didn’t bother knocking as she burst through the door. Her eyes scanned the main room and saw nobody was in there. She reached out with her spiritual awareness, finding the two presences in a room off the main one and a third right behind her. She knew Remus was the one behind her. She quickly spotted the one room that was housing the presences. Of course, it had to be the only closed door. She stormed over to it and threw the door open.

  Tina gapped for a second or two as she took in the man standing beside the bed, wearing only his pants. His hair color was the same shade as hers. Tina watched as his eyes darted over to meet hers. His eyes were familiar. She pulled her eyes away from his. It didn’t take a genius to figure it that was Genesis, her without a doubt, now, older brother.

  She schooled her expression as she spotted the gun in his fist, pointing at the butler, and a shattered glass window. Her expression darkened before she stormed over. Tina reached up and took the gun away from Genesis, stating in angry tone, “Didn’t your parents teach you anything about firearm safety?” Genesis opened his mouth. Tina held up a hand, “I don’t want to hear your excuses! Pointing a gun at a man who was given the job to wake your grumpy ass is unacceptable and highly irresponsible!” she narrowed her eyes at the General, “Aren’t you supposed to be some sort of General?” He blinked at her. “Well?”

  “Yes, my lady, he is the General of Fire Brigade,” The Butler replied for Genesis. “And are you?”

  “I am Lady Valentina of the House of Armstrong, granddaughter of Lady Nami of House Armstrong, Vessel to the White Hall Household,” Tina rattled off, trying to remember exactly the words were appropriate to introduce herself as.

  “I wasn’t aware my Great Aunt had a granddaughter,” Genesis spoke in a rough tone.

  “Now, you do,” Tina snapped. She tossed the gun onto the bed. She turned away, “Now, try to keep it down. Some of us are just now going to bed.” She rushed away, slipping past Remus who stood in the doorway. She reached the door leading to the hallway before she broke out into a spirit. She arrived at the door with the Armstrong House symbol. She opened it, twirled inside, and shut it with a loud bang.

  https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08MBFS53L . The Paperback is available for purchase: . I am working on a Hardcover edition, which I am hoping to have out by the end of February 2025, as long as there is no trouble. If you want an autographic copy of the book, please check out the link to my etsy shop where you can get an autographic copy with a bookmark.

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