The brand's incessant pull was the only indication that morning had come. Outside, the storm was still raging, rattling the window sills, leaving the world dark and unknown. You could tell where every crack and unevenness was, letting the ice-cold air seep through.

  Katharina was shivering even with her thick woolen socks, and Lian walked close behind in hurried steps, as they made their way to the hopefully heated mess hall.

  The thought of the prince surprised her; normally, he barely crossed her mind. But somehow this biting cold made her think of how he had stood there in the chilly dance room, emanating heat.

  She thought for a moment.

  However, almost before she could channel her little spring into thoughts of vibrating molecules in the air, the hallway started to feel warmer. She was about to attribute the sensation to her own growing ability to control her aura, but that thought only lasted for a split second. As she turned the corner right before the mess hall, she planted her face squarely in a warm overcoat covering a large person before her. But contrary to her run-in with Madam R?fna, this person was not clad in black.

  Suddenly, the heat in the air made a lot more sense, a little too much sense, in fact.

  As she carefully looked up, she did not find the face of the Prince; instead, it was Master Ravnsund who looked back down at her, smiling in amusement.

  "?木 ??'? not my little Ω???χ?, almost ??????∞Ω me to the ground once again." Master Ravnsund's speech was much more refined, which made it hard to understand him, but as always, he did not seem mad, just curious and amused. "The two of you are always in ??ナ? a hurry. ψ??° ??χχ are you on your way to breakfast?"

  Lian was quick as ever to pull Katharina back, and together they bowed in apology. Katharina was reminded of that day when she had almost run into Master Ravnsund on the main stair. Back then, she had not understood a word he had said.

  "Yes, Master Ravnsund, we were just on our way to the mess hall." Still bowing, Lian took the word in an attempt to save them from this situation. "We are sorry to have not looked where we were going."

  Completely ignoring their bowing apology, the Master continued, "Come now, I don't bite." There was an unsettling playfulness to his tone, warning that they were about to be roped into something once again. "You can raise your chins."

  Katharina and Lian both carefully looked back up, and to Katharina's utter dismay, there, just a few paces behind the Master, stood the source of the sudden warmth in the air.

  They only locked eyes for a split second, but apparently it was long enough for Master Ravnsund to notice, as he turned to look at the Prince with a growing grin.

  They didn't say anything to each other, but an intrigued expression formed on the Prince's face, as though a whole conversation had played out. Maybe they had known each other for so long that the Prince could tell from a single look what the Master was cooking up.

  "It's been decided," Master Ravnsund spoke in a sudden chipper voice. "The two of you shall have breakfast with his highness and me."

  "Come now, Asbj?rn, don't be so.." But before the Prince could make any objections, Master Ravnsund was already making his way down the hallway. Their brands forced Katharina and Lian to walk along.

  Katharina couldn't help but notice that the Prince had called Master Ravnsund , that had to be his first name, and somewhere in the back of her mind, it made her wonder if she would get to hear the Prince's name.

  They followed Master Ravnsund all the way to a private dining room, perhaps just for his use. Katharina was still surprised at the number of extravagant rooms she had yet to see the inside of.

  The decorations in the room followed the same pattern as the rest of the manor, not quite adhering to anything recognizable to Katharina, and in the center stood a large oval dining table, with eight chairs around, one at each end and three on either side.

  Someone had already prepared two sets of breakfast for the Master and the Prince. Without much chitchat, the men both got seated. Katharina had half expected Master Ravsund to be the one sitting at the head of the table, but instead, he sat at the Prince's left, while the Prince sat at the end.

  Either way, it had left Katharina and Lian standing unsure if they too were supposed to sit, and if so, where?

  Neither of the Masters seemed to pay much attention to the girls; they were already engaged in comfortable banter. Now and then, Katharina could feel the gaze of the Prince wander in her direction, but he didn't provide an answer for the predicament.

  Finally, Master Ravnsund remembered their presence. He looked at them for a moment, smiled with intrigue, and let their brands talk for him. They were pulled to the chairs on the opposite side of the table from Master Ravnsund. Katharina didn't dare sit immediately next to the prince, not because of his status or the brand's opinions, but because of his general odd behavior and their peculiar encounter yesterday.

  And as such, they sat with the Prince at the end, Master Ravnsund to his left, Katharina and Lian to the right with a chair of safety between Katharina and the Prince, with Lian furthest away.

  Within a few moments, a light but precise knock announced the arrival of Madam R?fna herself, who, upon entering the room, brandished a look of utter surprise at the presence of Katharina and Lian.

  She was quick to gather herself, pretending as though nothing was out of the ordinary, while delivering the news of the day.

  "I bid good morning to both his highness and Master Ravnsund." She bowed her head and deliberately omitted to acknowledge the girls. "As the masters have ?∞???????χ° noticed, the storm is still ??Ω?∞Ω outdoors. 木????∞???χ°, the manor has ???ナΦψ?χ?? ?木 ??ψψχ??? to ?ナナ???????? any wishes the masters may have."

  From behind Madam R?fna came another knock on the door, which seemed to only surprise the women in the room, as Master Ravnsund merely answered with a calm yes, and the prince, unperturbed, continued to enjoy his porridge.

  Through the door came the woman built as a fridge; it had been a while since Katharina had run into her. And now she stood carrying a large tray filled with bowls and platters just like those that were before the masters.

  She, too, was overwhelmed with surprise at the sight of such unexpected participants at the breakfast table, and even more so at Master Ravnsund's gesture to place the plates before the girls.

  Without obvious fuss, she did as she was told, arranging the extravagant meal before them. However, as soon as her back was turned to the masters, she shot Katharina a dirty look of judgment, as though to say, 'how dare such lowlives as yourself dine with the masters'.

  Katharina just sent a dirty look right back.

  A chuckle came from the prince, as though he could see right through the woman and see their exchange. It made her gather her things quickly and get out of sight. Madam R?fna, too, had finished her update and made for the door, throwing one last concerned look in Katharina's direction, with a warning aura reaching the girls in tendrils.

  And the room went quiet, apart from the clattering of the masters eating.

  Before Katharina now stood a bowl, a platter, and a plate, and next to them lay not a wooden spoon, but a set of matching utensils: a spoon, a fork, and a knife. It had been a long time since she had to use proper table manners, and it almost made her excited to get to eat with regular cutlery again.

  The bowl was filled with a spiced porridge, which was nothing like their usual gray mush. It was a light brownish shade with pieces of white nuts giving a bit of crunch to the otherwise smooth texture. On the side was the platter, which was filled with dried fruits, sausages, and some cheese, meant to be enjoyed with the porridge.

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  Finally, on the plate was a slice of dark bread topped with a red, fruity-looking spread that filled the air with the aroma of freshly-baked bread.

  The sight was mouthwatering; she didn't even know where to begin. She snuck a quick peek at Master Ravnsund, who seemed to be starting with the porridge.

  She sat for a moment contemplating her plan of attack. It had been a long time since she had had such a big meal, and she wasn't sure she could eat it all. Now that she thought about it, the last time she had eaten something like this was back in her old life. The porridge looked delicious, but what she really wanted was the bread.

  The brand did not have any objections to Katharina grabbing the fork and knife and cutting a bite of bread for herself.

  As she placed the little bite on her tongue, what felt like an explosion of taste filled her mouth. The bread tasted like sourdough and rye, a little malty and mostly savory. The spread was not unlike marmalade, but it was not sugary sweet; it was sour and refreshing, mixing well with the heavy bread.

  Katharina's mind flooded with old memories of busy mornings where both she and her boyfriend had forgotten to get groceries, and all there was for breakfast was a mismatch of rye bread and leftovers.

  Nostalgia was pushing tears to her eyes. If this was what a single bite did to her, she wasn't sure she would make it through even half of the meal.

  At the end of the table, Leopold sat frozen in astonishment. Though he could not understand the meaning and words in the visions, the vivid imagery that played out in the girl's mind depicted a life of luxury. She had known so many different spices and ingredients, her diet had not been unlike that of an imperial princess.

  "Is the cheese not to your liking?" The playful voice of Asbj?rn reminded him that he had been in the middle of trying the assortment of cheeses on his platter, and now sat with a half-eaten bite on his fork, hovering somewhere between his mouth and the porridge.

  Leopold couldn't help but shoot his friend a side glare. Asbj?rn had been plotting something like this ever since their participation in yesterday's lesson. It had been a fun and ridiculous endeavor; normally, Leopold would never have agreed to put himself on display like that, especially not in front of mere slaves.

  However, his friend was aware of his interest in the blond girl, and really, the whole excuse of having Leopold participate in business was just an invitation in disguise to be more at the manor and allow him to dig into the mystery of this girl.

  Now, every time he saw her, her Empirian was getting better, and with it, her thoughts were changing; slowly, the flow of her mind was bending to the rules of the language, and it was no longer impossible to gather fragments. Just like now, where memories which were so vividly strong that clear images played like reality in her mind came to the surface, and he was able to pick them out.

  He ate the remaining bite of cheese; it was rather ordinary, and so was the rest of the meal.

  But he could tell that in the girl's eyes, this ordinary meal was of extraordinary significance.

  She wielded her cutlery, not clumsily like he had expected, but as someone who had grown up around fine dining.

  As she neatly cut a piece of sausage and bit into it, a new memory washed over her.

  In her mind, a scene unfolded; there were people lined up in front of a peculiar-looking stall, all of them dressed in the oddest of fashions, carrying bags, and some carrying books.

  In the stall stood a man who was dishing out plates of paper with an exotic dish that in the girl's memory was named 'kradser'.

  Leopold had never heard of such a dish, but what he found most interesting about the vision was the people. Their clothes, the books they were carrying, as though a whole library had been emptied and given to all and any who wanted one.

  Among all the places he had visited, nothing had ever come close to this. Even the places he had only read about, none were depicted with riches so readily distributed among the common people.

  Leopold wanted to ask all these questions that were piling up; he wanted to pry open her mind and uncover this wondrous world she was dreaming up.

  Somewhere in the back of his own mind, a small voice was telling him that maybe this was all something the girl imagined, and not a memory at all. Maybe this was her delusion, her escape from her own sad existence.

  At some point, the girl noticed his staring, and her thoughts returned from her past to circle in undecipherable speculations in that foreign language of hers. Now and then, the image of Leopold's own face appeared. He had ruined the moment by being too obvious in his observations.

  The girl was doing her utmost to avoid his gaze, focusing with stiff eyes on the porridge before her.

  He returned to meaningless conversation with Asbj?rn, who, as always, had something interesting to tell. But even to his friend, his observant eyes had been noticed.

  "So my little gamble." As naturally as though they were old friends, Asbj?rn had broken the barrier between them and invited conversation with these two slaves. "You seem rather used to proper table manners. Did you grow up around nobility?"

  She hesitated for a moment, clearly not entirely sure what the subject of the question was. As a helping gesture, Asbj?rn lifted his hand and showed the fork and knife he was holding.

  "You eat well, with a knife and a fork."

  The simplification of words created an understanding.

  "Oh yes-e, thank you, Master Ravnsund."

  She did not elaborate further, merely returned to her now hesitant nibble at the porridge.

  "Where did you grow up?" Asbj?rn was not one to give up so easily; if he had been, he would not have gotten this far in business at such an early age.

  Still not understanding, the girl looked to her friend, and now all eyes rested on the brown-haired girl. Leopold had almost forgotten that she was here as well; she was ordinary clumsy with her fork, and clearly from a low birth. But somehow that made her stand out in their little gathering, the only one who was not someone special.

  In a whispering voice, she managed to explain to the blond girl what the meaning of the question was. Leopold was impressed by his friend's patience with these two; he could just as easily have used 'the voice' and demanded an answer.

  Without meeting Asbj?rn's eyes, the girl stammered her way through an explanation, which mostly focused on avoiding the truth.

  "I-e come from far away, in the north."

  Asbj?rn tilted his head, swirling the spoon in his porridge with idle curiosity.

  "Oh? The north, you say? That's quite a vague answer, my little gamble."

  He listed off a few places, his tone half play, half test. "Far north as in Hoejland? The icy coasts of East Granvak? Or perhaps one of the villages beyond the frozen mountains of Nissenheim?"

  The girl's face stared blankly ahead; the names meant nothing to her. She hesitated, her fork paused halfway between plate and mouth.

  Leopold watched her closely, tracing every flicker of hesitation.

  "Yes-e, Master Ravnsund. One of those. It was a place north."

  Her mind was annoyingly good at focusing solely on finding the correct words in Empirian, thereby not actually divulging anything useful. If Leopold could just find the right questions to ask, he knew that she, like everybody else, would give herself away by thinking of the truth before lying through her teeth.

  "You traveled here by sea then, I presume?" Leopold kept his voice normal; the use of aura was still not necessary. But his sudden intrusion in the conversation still startled the girl.

  Her face stayed hidden under her thick golden bangs, while she sheepishly answered. "Yes-e, your highness."

  Nothing of any journey played in her mind; it was impossible to tell if she was lying, and with her face covered like that, even normal means of measuring her truthfulness were hopeless.

  "Was it a large ship?" Asbj?rn had, to some degree, understood Leopold's intent in getting her to talk about little things with simple questions that required simple answers of 'yes' and 'no'. Though his friend assumed it was to help with the language barrier, as he was not aware of Leopold's ploy or ability to trick her mind.

  Having Asbj?rn steer the conversation allowed Leopold to lean back and observe. The questions kept rolling, and her mind stayed focused on understanding, using bites and slowly chewing her food as excuses to draw out time.

  Every time a new, surprising answer came, Leopold wanted more and more to see the expressions she made, know if what she told had any semblance to truth.

  "Do you hail from a wealthy family?" Asbj?rn asked, confusion followed, before the brunette explained.

  "No, Master." Her mind showed images of people and aura instruments which Leopold had never seen; it was impossible to know what it all meant.

  If she would just turn her face, let her expression give her away.

  "If you would simply look this way." Leopold had not meant to say anything; the thought had slipped from his tongue all on its own, and though his voice was barely a whisper, the aura in the words made it ring like a shout.

  As their eyes met, so did their auras.

  Katharina manifested a protective barrier around herself, ready to fight off whatever this Prince was about to throw in her direction, unsure of why she was even looking up, when she had so vehemently kept her head down all this time.

  Leopold sat staring in his self-inflicted surprise, suddenly incapable of reading anything of this defiant girl, who stared ever unflinchingly back at him. The thrill was enormous, and it sent ripples through his aura that came back bouncing off her iron-clad resilience.

  Luckily, Asbj?rn pretended not to have heard the unwarranted use of 'the voice' on one of his gems, and elegantly steered the conversation back to whatever tasks he had today, inquiring if Leopold had any wishes for entertainment, and soon both of the girls were dismissed, and the empty breakfast plate carried away.

  The storm raged on for the entirety of the day and till nightfall.

  Wind howled around the manor's tall chimneys, drowning out the low hum of gossip that had begun to spread among the servants.

  A long stay for the Master was not common, and many were intrigued by the Prince, who was caught here with them. Many whispered of a better life if they could charm their way to serve such a powerful man, if only their paths would cross in the hall.

  The woman he had brought, Sabuh, had been quick to settle herself high in the social hierarchy, as someone of special importance.

  She was not part of the wallflower group where the other new interesting girls were collected, the blond foreigner, the returnee.

  Some speculated that Madam R?fna was trying to make an elite of exotic misfits.

  When the evening finally grew quiet, as everyone crept into bed, at opposite ends of the manor, two people lay awake after the rest had fallen into slumber, thinking of the odd encounter of today.

  Katharina wondered what the Prince had wanted from her, why he had commanded her to look.

  And Leopold wondered what he had wanted from the blond girl, why his subconscious had made him speak, when all he intended to do was observe.