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The Exiled Prince - Chapter 12: Prince Dimitri of Valoria
“This is your floor.” Mikhail got out of the elevator and turned left. Dimitri followed right behind the hologram, silently looking at the minimalist design of the passageway. This underground corridor only holds ten doors versus the twenty-room recovery area where they came from thirty floors up.
On one wall were eight large identical wooden doors with the elevator right smack dead center. At the opposite ends of the corridor, two steel doors served as emergency exits. Everything was positioned in perfect symmetry.
The opposite wall served as an enormous virtual screen that imitated a natural landscape view. This feature made the supposedly dark subterranean floor more habitable. It created the illusion of being inside a two-storey house built on top of a ridge that commanded a majestic view of the vast expanse of forest below.
Dimitri couldn’t help but compare the sharp contrast between the modern interior of the castle and its antiquated exterior. He began to discover the multiple layers in the castle’s design. Pretty much like an onion, he uncovered each new layer to be more remarkable than the previous one.
“These are your living quarters.” Dimitri stopped walking and turned to Mikhail who had disrupted his contemplation. He saw the AI butler standing still beside the last wooden door nearest the exit.
“All you need to do is stand right in front of the door and tap this button to open it.” Mikhail's right hand pointed to the single button above the door handle. “How about giving it a try?”
Dimitri simply nodded. He stood right in front of the door and saw his name carved elegantly on it. His right hand reached for the button but stopped midway. He just stood there, hesitant to proceed.
“Our system will automatically scan your body.” Mikhail, standing beside Dimitri, sensed the young man’s apprehension. “It will grant you access and open the door for you.”
“Is this how I’ll get in and out of every door in this place?” Dimitri glanced back at the AI butler, his expression filled with curiosity.
“Yes and no!” Mikhail answered ambiguously. “You will be able to open any door that you have been granted access to.”
“Of course, that did not stop you from breaking into restricted areas before.”
Dimitri simply stood there, rendered speechless. He could not recall ever committing any of those acts Mikhail had accused him of.
“Now, go on.” The AI butler pointed at the button, urging the young man to open the door. “Press that button. Time is of the essence!”
“You only have exactly one hour to freshen up.”
***
“As you can see, your living quarters is mainly designed for sleep and relaxation.”
“Another gigantic virtual screen?” Dimitri stepped inside, silently observing his new room. He glanced around, not surprised at all to see Mikhail already hovering by the window. Right behind the AI butler, he noticed the same realistic view of the forest that he had seen earlier in the hallway.
Although the room was small, he saw that it could still hold a king-sized bed. Two bedside tables flanked the bed. The sparsely furnished bedroom exuded a zen-like flair.
“These doors lead to your walk-in closet and loo.” Without waiting for Dimitri’s response, Mikhail proceeded with the tour. The AI butler pointed at the two doors, one right next to each bedside table. “A third door, that you can not see from here, discreetly connects your walk-in closet and loo.”
“The window serves as a virtual screen.” The AI butler showed Dimitri how to use the computer. “It can be activated by voice or through the virtual keyboard.”
“You can fool around with the computer right now, if you like.” Mikhail pulled up the help page that contained the list of voice commands.
“But remember, you need to be ready in no more than one hour.”
***
“There aren't any relevant matches for your search.” Dimitri heard an automated female voice.
The young man sat at the edge of his king-sized bed, staring solemnly at the large virtual screen on the wall. With Mikhail gone, he felt free to gather more information about himself, ignoring the timer the AI butler had set on the screen. “New search: search Prince Dimitri of Valoria.”
“Searching for Prince Dimitri of Valoria,” the automated female voice said. At the same time, the virtual screen on the wall displayed a progress bar filling up bit by bit.
“There aren't any relevant matches for your search.”
“What’s going on?” The young man sighed, disappointed by the search results.
Anticipating a more positive result, he had been searching for everything that he could remember from his memory flashbacks. However, no matter what keyword he uses, the search results still showed nothing. “Why can’t I find any relevant information?”
Dimitri had already tried searching for Valoria, the kingdom he supposedly came from. He had scoured through the list of names in the database for all the members of his entire family tree. Or at least, according to all the information he could recall from his memory flashbacks that spanned over 13 years.
Unfortunately, the search returned nothing. It appeared as though his entire family tree did not actually exist.
“New search: search for The Council.” The young man ordered the virtual search engine, shifting his focus to the present.
But before the female voice could respond, the virtual screen froze. After a few seconds, it reverted back to its default view. Exactly the same forest view he had seen on the hallway wall appeared on the virtual screen.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Mikhail suddenly appeared. The dimly lit room instantly brightened.
The AI butler waved his left hand, showing all the keywords the young man had been searching for on the screen. “You can not hide this from me, Dimitri. I know what you are up to.”
Dimitri looked straight at the screen right behind Mikhail. “How did you know?”
“You did not activate private mode, silly.” The AI butler sneered.
The young man got up. His face turned serious. “How do I activate private mode?”
“All you need to do is say ‘Activate Private Mode’ out loud.” Mikhail answered honestly. “But that will not work for you at this time.”
“Why not?” Dimitri stared at the AI butler with a questioning look.
Mikhail rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The Council has been monitoring your every move since you came back from HQ eight months ago.”
“HQ?” The young man asked curiously.
“The Council’s Headquarters, silly!” The AI butler said.
“But why would they do that?” Dimitri asked further.
“Beats me.” Mikhail shrugged. “The Headmaster also prohibited you from searching for any of that information outside of this room. If there is anything you would like to know, you would need to ask him yourself.”
“Now, enough with these questions!” The AI butler waved his left hand, clearing all the keywords displayed on the screen. “You need to hurry!”
“Armand has been waiting for you at the training hall.”
***
Author's Notes:
