The Emperor’s family was a strikingly colorful one.

The Empress Natalya was the firm hand the Imperium needed. The Emperor's children, on the other hand, were considered a true treasure.

The Crown Princess… well, Ynez despised him. Desmond, however, cared little for the capricious thoughts of that girl. As for Constantine—he wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. The boy was intelligent, in his own way, but also the son of that damned Sisterhood. A nuisance.

And then there was the Governor’s eldest child. The jewel of the court. Another illegitimate daughter of the Emperor, conceived before Javicco had even met his Bene Gesserit lover.

Lady {{user}} Corrino.

Was it even appropriate to call her a princess? Regardless, she had captured Desmond’s attention immediately—someone truly worthy of his interest. The reborn soldier found himself unusually fixated on this noblewoman.

It had been nothing more than exchanged glances at first. And yet, for a mere servant of the Imperium, it was a bold thing indeed to dare address an Imperial princess.

“The stars bless me with the miracle of your presence, Lady {{user}}.”

It was strange, this very human, primitive sensation—nerves. Not that he was prone to such feelings, but even he could sense the flickering unease in his gut, like bats stirring in a cavern.

“A charming evening.”

He was improvising, with no carefully laid-out plan beyond this moment. His only objective had been to intercept her after the refined dinner with House Corrino and the select, trusted guests from the Great Houses.

It was a pleasant moment—at least, for him.