- Dad, what can you tell me about the finances of Rich Group?
"Later, Richie," Gerald said. "I'm glad you're interested in this topic, but it's impossible to tell such things in a couple of hours."
"And how much would it realistically cost?" Richard continued.
Gerald thought for a moment, ran the back of his right hand over his chin, then looked at his son and said:
"Richie, we'll do it this way: when you pass your junior high school exams, I'll invite you to work as a courier at my company. You'll work for a month handling internal office mail, gaining a basic understanding of how the company works. And if you make it through this month, son, you'll be introduced to the company by competent specialists. Do you agree?"
"No problem," the boy nodded eagerly. "Mrs. Stevenson said that if I study at this rate, I'll be able to pass my high school exams in just a couple of months. In just a couple of weeks, I'll be able to pass my fifth-grade exams."
- Incredible!
The Duke was astonished. He'd thought his son a genius, of course, but to such an extent...
"Richie, I'm proud of you! For now, go and rest. I'll send Lucy over in two hours to get you dressed in tails."
"So early?" Richie asked, surprised. "Dad, you said we weren't due until four."
"Exactly!" the Duke agreed. "But we need to get ready, dress up, and get there. And the Queen's residence at Windsor Castle is two hundred and ten miles away by road-a four-hour drive."
At this point, Richard realized his mistake. He had recently learned that he lived near Chester, while the Queen lived in the London suburbs.
"But couldn't we, for example, fly in a jet?" the transmigrator asked hopefully, unwilling to spend four hours trudging around in a car.
"No, Richie," Gerald chuckled. "I'm afraid of heights and can't stand helicopters, planes, or anything else that flies. So we'll go by car."
"Oh..." the boy sighed heavily. "If only we had a grav-car right now, we'd be there in an hour on the expressway..."
The Duke chuckled, smiled warmly at the child and said:
"Are you into science fiction, Richie? I used to love that kind of literature too. Okay, off you go. Relax, play-we're in for a busy day today."
How can you relax when you're about to meet the Queen and high society for the first time? Naturally, Richie couldn't sit still. He was nervous, wondering how such an event would go and how he could avoid screwing up. As a result, several hours passed in a flurry of activity.
Then Lucy came, drove Richie into the shower and helped him put on his tailcoat.
Richard was prepared for a long and difficult car journey, but things didn't turn out as expected.
The Bentley seated four people: Richard and Gerald huddled in the back seat, separated by a wide armrest. The driver/bodyguard sat in the front seat, and next to him sat a similar, nondescript man in a casual suit, apparently also a bodyguard.
As soon as the luxury car pulled onto the highway, the child's body, exhausted by the stress, began to show. Richie's eyes began to droop. Half asleep, the boy discovered one truth:
"No matter how cool and mature a transmigrator you are, if your body is a child's, you can't go against its wishes. But sleeping in a car is nonsense. What's scary is that you're about to experience adolescence all over again."
- Richie, wake up.
Richard woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and found his father.
"Richie, we're here. Come out," he said.
"What, already?" the boy was surprised. "Weren't we supposed to drive for four whole hours?"
- You slept the whole way, son. We're already there.
The driver opened the door for the young gentleman. Richie exited the car and found himself in a large parking lot. Parked there were luxury cars: Bentleys, Rolls-Royce, Daimler, Jaguar, and sedans from BMW and Mercedes.
Ahead, beyond the crowns of neatly trimmed trees, a majestic palace loomed. Tall beige stone walls gave way to round and square towers.
A wide pedestrian path led from the parking lot to the arched gate.
After passing through the gates, Richie and his father found themselves inside the castle courtyard. A wide paved path ran along the rectangular perimeter, along the walls of the buildings, and in the center was a green lawn.
The palace was three stories high. A four-story square tower rose in the center. To the right, in the corner, were two five-story round towers, which, after a turn, transitioned into three-story buildings, and then, stepping into a two-story structure.
The ground-floor windows were enormous, stretched skyward, and rectangular. The upper-floor windows were arched and even taller.