In the serene silence of her office, Princess Lily sat alone at the wide ebony table, a chessboard laid out before her like the old friend it was.
The pieces were carved from dark jade and pale ivory, and their surfaces were worn smooth by decades of solitary play. She moved a black knight forward, then leaned back in her chair, her red eyes narrowing as she studied the board.
Two days had passed since Benjamin Mark's sudden evolution… Two days since the golden light had flared through the castle almost like a second sun, but Princess Lily still could not make sense of it.
"Evolving so soon…" she murmured in the empty room. "I believed he was fairly transmigrated here weeks ago. Should we be worried?"
But her question hung there unanswered.
Then Princess Lily sighed and advanced a pawn, anticipating her own counter-move already, before her ornate door opened without warning.
"Good morning, Oba-chan!"
