Hinesia walked beside me, her heels clicking softly. Her white dress shimmered subtly under the streetlights. Honestly, she is a very beautiful woman. She caught me staring and smirked.
"If you keep looking at me like that, people will think we're on a date."
"We're literally walking back to the same hotel after dinner. That's the definition of a date."
She laughed softly and we kept walking. I could still feel the wine lingering in my system. For the first time in weeks, I felt almost… human again, even though I'm an actual human and not a Fluxer...
Of course, that peace lasted all of five minutes.
As we reached the front steps of the hotel, I noticed three figures standing at the entrance.
Verdamona, Xaessiarerich and Thales had arrived.
The receptionists looked like they were about to faint from formality. Every movement was careful, the way priests would behave if a deity walked in unannounced. Which wasn't far from the truth, considering who Thales and Xaessia were.
Thales is one of the heirs of the House of Erdict. Xaessia stood beside him, who is the twin sister of the heir of Argemenes, my twin. She saw us and narrowed her eyes at me
".When did you get even more tanned?"
I blinked, then laughed. "What?"
"You look like an Egyptian. Did you fall asleep in the desert sun or something?"
Hinesia snorted before I could reply. "You're not wrong."
"Traitor," I muttered under my breath.
Xaessia tilted her head. "No, really. Last time I saw you, you looked different. Now you look darker. Obviously our body constitution makes our skin like this to withstand hot temperatures but still..."
I sighed. "I trained, Xaessia. Sunlight exists, you know."
Before I could dig myself a deeper hole, Hinesia stepped forward gracefully and introduced herself.
"Hinesia Ahmose Rameses, first daughter of the House of Rameses."
That got their attention instantly.
Thales' eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering before he smiled.
"So we meet again. Spring Ceremony at the Great Pyramid, wasn't it?"
Hinesia's lips curved faintly. "You remember."
"How could I forget? You caused quite the impression. The Rameses line always does."
Her expression didn't change but I could tell she was amused. She always did enjoy catching people off guard. Xaessia stepped in smoothly.
"Well then, since introductions are going around, I'm Xaessiarerich Argemenes of the House of Argemenes. And this," she gestured elegantly to the tall girl beside her, "is Verdamona Alaric."
And that's when Hinesia froze.
She didn't show it — not obviously — but I knew her too well. Her smile faltered for just a second. I followed her gaze, and Verdamona was… impossible to ignore.
She was exactly as she remembered her from the archives of Masquerade of Dreams Shattered. Seeing her here, breathing, alive in front of her felt different. It's obvious because I felt the same way
Her hair was gold. Her crystalline blue eyes looked both gentle and terrifying. She radiated that strange blend of warmth and danger. Hinesia was trying very hard not to look starstruck. She kept her composure, but her shoulders were a fraction tenser. I almost wanted to laugh. The mighty Hinesia Rameses was fangirling on the inside.
I cleared my throat.
"Verdamona. Didn't expect to see you here."
She smiled faintly. "Fate likes strange reunions. Thales told me to join."
Xaessia crossed her arms. "Don't get too dramatic. We just happen to be staying at the same hotel."
"Sure. Coincidence."
And that's when I realized something ridiculous. I was taller than all of them by a good few centimeters. Standing there in front of Xaessia, Verdamona, Thales, and Hinesia, I felt like someone who hadn't adjusted his scale settings. It was almost funny. Hinesia must've noticed the grin tugging at my lips because she whispered, "What?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about something."
Xaessia gave me a suspicious look. "You're weird."
The air around us was starting to draw too much attention. I decided to cut it short before the receptionists fainted from reverence.
"Alright. It's late. We'll talk tomorrow. For now, let's all get some rest."
Xaessia pouted lightly. "But I haven't eaten dinner yet."
"Your problem. I already did."
She rolled her eyes. "Typical."
The receptionists, looking both nervous and honored, quickly handed them their room keycards. Hinesia reached for her small purse and spoke softly to the front desk.
"It's alright, I already booked their rooms days ago. Confirm under my reservation."
The receptionist checked, then bowed so deeply I thought she might hit the counter.
"Yes, Lady Rameses. Everything is prepared."
Xaessia blinked. "You already booked for us?"
Hinesia shrugged elegantly. "I had a feeling. I booked for all of you but I didn't expect Miss Verdamona to be here. Oh well, booking one more room won't hurt."
Of course she did. Hinesia's instincts were always three steps ahead of logic. After all, our plan was already in motion.
Thales smiled faintly. "Then we owe you gratitude once again, Lady Rameses."
"Not at all," she said. "Consider it a welcome."
Verdamona, quiet the whole time, inclined her head respectfully. "Thank you."
I watched them all for a second, realizing how absurdly powerful our group was, all checking into the same luxury hotel in Rome like some kind of divine field trip.
"Alright," I said finally, glancing at Hinesia. "Let's go. We've had a long day."
"Agreed."
We turned and walked toward the elevators. As the elevator doors slid open, I caught one last glimpse of them in the reflection. Hinesia stepped inside beside me, pressing the button for our floor. The doors closed, sealing us in. The hum of the elevator filled the silence. It was just me and Hinesia now, with the faint background music playing through the polished speakers above. She still looked a little giddy.
"Verdamona's way more beautiful in person. I swear, back when I was still in the game, I modeled my avatar's outfit after her default skin."
I leaned against the mirrored wall of the elevator, smirking. "You? Fangirling over Verdamona? That's new."
Hinesia gasped dramatically and jabbed me with her elbow.
"Excuse you, who wouldn't? She's basically the face of the entire MoDS franchise.. You saw her, right?"
I chuckled, trying not to outright laugh at her excitement. She was usually so composed, so queenly, like someone born to sit on a throne of gold and expect people to kneel. Seeing her this animated was… honestly kind of adorable.
"You sound like a fan meeting her idol."
"Maybe I am. You wouldn't understand. You didn't grind through MoDS for twelve hours straight just to unlock Verdamona's event route endings."
"Oh, believe me, I understand obsession," I replied dryly, thinking back to how many sleepless nights I'd spent perfecting my plans earlier.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened to a carpeted hallway with cream-gold lighting that gave off a soft, luxury glow. We walked out side by side, our footsteps muffled against the plush floor. Hinesia's energy hadn't faded one bit.
"You know, if Verdamona looks that flawless in a casual outfit, imagine what she looks like in her full Masquerade gown—"
"You're thinking about her gowns now?"
"I'm an artist of appreciation, Phaser. You should try it sometime."
"Right," I said, chuckling as we reached our rooms which were side by side. I swiped my card and just as the lock clicked, I noticed Hinesia wasn't moving.
"Aren't you going to your room?"
She blinked, feigning innocence. She leaned in close, her perfume hitting my nose.
"Oh, no. I'm sleeping in yours tonight."
"Excuse me?"
Her smile turned mischievous. "We're not done with what we were doing before dinner. We only stopped after an hour because someone got hungry."
I sighed, already seeing where this was going.
"You're not normal, you know that?"
"Maybe," she said, pretending to stumble a bit. "Oops, look, I might be a little… dizzy from the wine."
"Oh yeah, you're totally drunk," I deadpanned, watching her exaggerated sway. "You only had one glass."
She grinned, still pretending to lose balance as she leaned on me. I rolled my eyes, but I didn't push her off.
"Fine, come on."
As soon as we entered my room, she dropped the act. I shut the door behind us, and before she could say anything else, I hooked an arm around her waist and lifted her with ease. She squeaked—actually squeaked—and then laughed as I tossed her gently onto the bed.
"Goodnight, Your Highness," I said, smirking as she landed in a bundle of pillows and silk sheets.
Hinesia pouted, clutching the blanket.
"You're no fun."
"I'm plenty of fun," I said, taking my laptop from the desk. "Just in different ways. And you should control your lust, woman."
I plopped down onto the couch across the room, flipping the screen open. The glow from it lit up the dark room, highlighting the silver streaks of moonlight seeping through the window curtains. The suite was spacious enough that my typing barely disturbed her. I could hear her shifting under the sheets, sighing, muttering something about "nerds and historians."
Meanwhile, my focus drifted back to what I'd been reading earlier. It's about he Roman Empire's inner framework like the House of Augustus, the Senate structure and the country states under the empire. Hinesia's voice broke my thoughts after a few minutes.
"You're researching again, aren't you?"
I didn't look up. "Guilty as charged."
She sighed dramatically, pulling the sheets over her face.
"You're going bore yourself to death before the night even starts."
"Maybe. But at least I'll die informed. Also, the night started hours ago"
"Dork," she mumbled from under the blanket.
"Go to bed, Princess of Egypt," I shot back without missing a beat.
"Touché," she muttered sleepily.
And with that, the room fell into a comfortable silence. Hinesia eventually fell asleep as I scrolled through another page about the Imperatrix, the Living Sun herself. Somewhere between the weight of history and the warmth of the present, I found myself smiling.
Yeah… life in Altera Earth was only getting more interesting. I don't regret coming to this world.