-Kashion-
After speaking with Evlina, they picked up Oren and Lina. Now they were on their way to the room Kashion wanted to show Prior. She already knew the library—but this room would surely impress her too.
He wanted her to see that life in the palace wasn't boring or overly restrictive.
Earlier, he had briefly been afraid she might hesitate again when Evlina mentioned that she might never leave Earth. He didn't want her to feel trapped.
He himself had never even been to space. As a child, he had dreamed of at least flying into orbit and seeing Earth from above. Or traveling to the Moon—or even taking a short trip to Mars.
But it had always been forbidden for the royal family. What if something happened and they couldn't return? His parents had always told him that being king meant serving the people—and that required sacrifice.
Still, there were moments when he wished he could simply go to space. In that regard, he almost envied Prior. She must have seen so much.
Finally, they arrived at the door.
Prior looked curious. He hadn't told her what the room was. He was excited to see her reaction.
He opened the door and let her step inside.
-Prior-
Prior was curious. Kashion hadn't revealed where they were going. He looked so mysterious.
She had already noticed that the room must be quite large—there weren't many doors along this side of the corridor.
She stepped inside and had to take in everything first. The floor was wooden, creaking slightly beneath her steps. Large windows let sunlight stream in. In the center of the room, she noticed tables—and along the walls, shelves filled with boxes or crates.
She walked further inside. At the far end, there was something like a small sports field. Sports weren't exactly her passion.
"What kind of room is this?" she finally asked.
Kashion grinned. "This is our game room."
"Game room?"
He nodded. "There's more than just Cheqi."
He walked further in and stopped by one of the tables. "This is a billiards table." Then he pointed to another table. "And over there, you can play table football."
Prior was impressed. A room like this in the palace!
"And what are all those boxes on the shelves?"
Kashion smiled. "Now we're getting to the best part. Come."
He walked over to a shelf, and Prior followed. She saw all sorts of different names and titles on the boxes.
"These are board games," he explained.
"Board games?"
He grinned. "Yes. Earth has a long history of them. Many were lost over the centuries, but people keep trying to restore and recreate them."
There was nothing like that on Saturn. There was Cheqi—and a few similar virtual games.
"Are they variations of Cheqi?" she asked.
Kashion shook his head. "They're all completely different. Many are strategy games, but they come in all kinds of themes and styles. I'm sure you'll enjoy them."
-Kashion-
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"So we can play these together?"
He nodded.
"Do you want to try one now, or would you rather try billiards?"
She seemed to think, then glanced at Oren and Lina, who had stayed further back.
"What do you feel like?" she asked them.
"Please not board games," Oren replied.
"I vote for billiards," Lina said.
"Then billiards it is," Kashion said, walking to the table. When Prior stood beside him, he asked, "Do you know how to play?"
She shook her head. Perfect. He smiled. Then he could teach her.
He picked up a cue and showed her how to hold it and how to strike the balls. When she hesitated, he offered to guide her for the first few tries.
He stood behind her, placed his hand over hers on the cue, and showed her how to aim.
-Prior-
Kashion's closeness made her nervous again. How was she supposed to aim properly when he was not only close—but actually holding her hand?
Yet he seemed completely calm and hit the balls just as he had explained. He gave her a few tips, and gradually she improved, becoming more accurate even on her own.
They played a few rounds as a team against Lina and Oren. It was genuinely fun—and a welcome break from all the tension.
She let her gaze wander around the room. There was so much she could do here.
She noticed Kashion watching her. She looked at him—he seemed happy. He smiled.
Then he glanced at his messenger. "I'm really sorry," he said. "But I still have a few things to take care of before the test. Prior, I'll pick you up at five."
She was glad she would be there for the test—even if she wasn't convinced it would go well.
"Oren, you're coming with me. Lina, could you take Prior back?" Kashion asked.
Lina nodded. "Of course."
He left with Oren, and Prior watched him go.
Lina laughed. "You two are cute together."
Prior laughed and stuck out her tongue. "So are you."
Lina blushed slightly, then sighed. "I'm still not sure how he feels about me."
Prior walked over and put an arm around her. "You'll find out soon enough."
-Kashion-
Later, Kashion picked up Prior, and they arrived at the test site with the others.
It was an open field not far from the palace—but far enough to ensure safety. They stood on green grass. The weather was almost perfect, though a light wind blew. Kashion hoped it wouldn't interfere.
Representatives from the other realms were also present.
Count Kashk Rutz looked mildly amused and kept remarking to someone that he was certain the test would fail.
Kashion was irritated by everyone's doubt.
Earlier, he had spoken with the scientists, and they had at least some good news: they had managed to create an extremely stable magnetic field in the drone's propulsion system using dysprosium.
They were cautious—but he had seen hope in their eyes.
The drone wasn't very large—no human could fit inside. It looked more like a miniature spacecraft and was remotely controlled.
Because of the risk of explosion, they had to stand at a safe distance and observe.
Prior stood on his left, Rein on his right.
"Showtime," Rein said.
Kashion shook his head. "Can't you be serious for once?"
Rein laughed and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Trust me, I'm nervous too. There's good dysprosium from Feuerfelder in there."
Kashion rolled his eyes—but yes, a successful test would benefit both their realms.
Not far away, the scientists were finishing their final calculations.
"What do I get if this goes well?" Kashion asked Prior playfully.
"Saturn's rings?" she replied sarcastically.
He shook his head. "Not enough." He pretended to think, then leaned closer. "How about a kiss?"
She rolled her eyes, clicked her tongue, and playfully hit his arm.
He laughed.
But inside, he was tense.
If this worked, it would be a breakthrough. The negotiations would be practically secured.
If it failed… he would have to rely on trust—and his allies.
-Prior-
Prior was nervous. She looked around, but no one paid them special attention. Most people were engaged in conversations or focused on the scientists and the drone.
She knew Kashion was trying to appear relaxed—but she could see the tension in his shoulders and hands.
She hoped the test would go well—for his sake.
Quietly, she made herself a promise: if the test succeeded, she would actually kiss him.
But she wasn't convinced at all.
Professor Nara began to speak, giving a short introduction. She explained that the laboratory results had been surprisingly promising—they had achieved an extremely stable magnetic field in the propulsion system.
Prior remembered the numbers she had seen.
Was that stability too high? Too strong—too rigid? What if the magnetic tension couldn't be regulated and reacted unpredictably?
Then she heard the countdown begin.
The conversations died down. Silence fell.
The drone was about to launch. They would measure thrust and propulsion performance.
Then, with a hissing sound, the drone lifted off.
Prior followed it with her eyes. The launch was smooth—it accelerated rapidly. It was fast.
"Already 5% more thrust than a standard drive!" someone from the scientists called out—Tin, perhaps.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the drone. Keep flying, she thought.
"10%!"
"In a few seconds it'll reach suborbital altitude!" someone shouted.
And then—
A bright flash lit up the sky.
A loud bang followed.
Silence.
Then a voice said:
"Exploded. Test failed."