Lena
"Brother!" Ferry Goldbird smiled as he hugged his brother. "It's been too long. A pleasure to see you!"
"Hm." Lena's father nodded and returned the hug just as warmly. "You're right, brother. It had been too long since we saw each other. Personally. I'm probably the last?"
Despite the damage, Burgstadt had arrived safely at the city's harbor. However, not at the usual parking space, as the steam engines were defective and finally failed. They only made it as far as this parking space, which was intended for wealthy merchant ships and special guests from other cities. Therefore, the walk was magnificent, but less radiant than Lena was used to.
"Certainly." Ferry nodded, let go of his brother, and looked at Lena. "Dear child! You're getting prettier and prettier!"
"Thank you, uncle." Lena also let herself be hugged. The hug felt no different than when her father hugged her. In the end, uncle and father were the same person. Sometimes Lena wondered if the clones also shared the soul. They were too similar.
It was almost eerie. "Oh!" Lena pointed to the soldier who stood motionless behind her. "This is Samuel... eh... Cold! My bodyguard."
Smiling, the ruler among rulers turned to the young man. "Samuel Cold. Yes, I have read your file. Welcome."
"Thank you, sir," replied the soldier. His voice sounded scratchy with nervousness. But Ferry no longer paid attention to him. He greeted the old butler just as warmly as he had greeted his brother and Lena before.
Bao Wang, on the other hand, smiled casually, but he otherwise reacted exactly as one would expect from an excellent butler. "How nice to see you, sir. Even if the circumstances have changed somewhat."
"Ah! My home is yours!" Ferry laughed. "Your room is waiting for you. No need for too many formalities!"
"Of course, sir. Thank you very much!" Wang replied and nodded. "You are too kind. As always."
"Brother! Do you want to steal the butler from me!" cried Sofian. Lena's father nudged Ferry brotherly with his elbow. "Not that he wants to stay here in the end! He is irreplaceable for me!"
"Not at all!" Ferry laughed too. An identical laugh. Identical movements. Identical voice. "I have good staff. Well, brother? Our brothers are waiting! Lena? Dear? Do you know the way to your room? My servants are currently preparing a room for your bodyguard. Mr. Cold? You will get a small, adequate room opposite my precious niece."
"Thank you, sir!" The soldier saluted awkwardly and Lena suppressed her laughter.
Poor thing! The thanks would have been enough! She could almost feel his nervousness. But something else quickly extinguished her laughter. The room opposite hers? This was a small chamber in which decorations were kept for the few holidays of the country. Lena had made a lot of those as a small child.
She and her father had always used the room as a storage room, as the room was narrow and only had a tiny window. How big was it? 15cm by 15cm?
Had her uncle meant this room and had it converted into a bedroom?
"Lena?" Her uncle winked at her. "I had your handicrafts moved to another room. I have to borrow your father now. Oh! And Mina is looking forward to seeing you here. Please visit her later."
"Gladly." So it was the storage room. Hadn't even cleaners stored cleaning products there? Smelly cleaning products? Since Lena and her father were not here very often? Maybe a month a year? Altogether?
The foul-smelling storage room... Hopefully, the smell of the cleaning products is no longer there.
She looked after her father and uncle. The two moved identically. Every movement, every step.
"Well, dear! Mr. Cold?" The butler cleared his throat. "Shall we go? Mr. Cold? Are you excited? You are here for the first time. The seat of government resembles a maze. It's better never to wander around alone until you know your way around."
"My job is to follow Miss Goldbird. Not to wander around", Samuel replied.
Lena smiled. "I would be curious. I WOULD want to wander around. This place is probably the safest in the country. What is supposed to happen to me here?"
Samuel just nodded. "Of course."
The three walked along the long, glass corridors until they reached the actual estate. Personnel hurried past them everywhere. The corridors offered a wonderful sight. Magnificent corridors, in which glittering chandeliers hung, and whose tapestries were made of fine fabric. There were high windows. Red carpets. Golden stucco. Light bulbs that bathed everything in warm light. Here and there hung a painting. Portraits of all the clones who had ruled so far. A photograph of Elrik Goldbird and oil paintings from times gone by.
Lena particularly liked the painting of a bridge that led over a dreamy water lily pond, as well as the picture of a lady wrapped in gold. She stopped briefly in front of both paintings to look at them.
A serving cart on which vases stood drove past them. The car was pushed by a bronze-colored robot. On closer inspection, you could see that the figure was part of the serving trolley. Gears rattled softly as the serving trolley rolled into another hallway.
It took a while for Lena to reach her room. However, she stopped in front of the opposite room. "That should be your room", she said to her bodyguard. She felt uncomfortable about it. A guilty conscience gnawed at her.
The former storage room was very narrow. However, she did not know what kind of premises the young man had lived in before. Still, she didn't want to ‘storage’ him there, like a broom. Or cleaning products.
"Thank you." Samuel smiled.
"Well, your luggage should already be in it!" Mr. Wang patted the soldiers on the shoulder. "Unpack in peace, my boy. We will do the same. My room is located at the end of the hallway if you need something or have questions. Sweetie?" He stroked Lena's fine hair, then he gave her a candy. "Rest. And don't tease the boy! He's a good guy!"
"I won‘t." Tease? Why should I do this?
Smiling, the butler also gave the bodyguard one of the candies he was carrying, then he left the two alone.
"I'm sorry", Lena murmured to her bodyguard as she watched Bao Wang go.
"What exactly?" Samuel raised his eyebrows.
"The room!" She pointed to the chamber. "That used to be a storage room. The room is not very big."
"Ah! Thank you, miss." Samuel grinned. "It will certainly be sufficient. Rest. If something's going on, I'm in... my new room."
"Fine." With a guilty conscience, she watched as the bodyguard went into the former storage room. She saw a simple bed and a narrow closet, as well as a wall shelf. And the ridiculously tiny window. Nothing more. The young man's suitcase stood in front of his bed and took up a lot of space.
He turned to her. Smiling. "I have a window! Awesome! A real window that faces OUTSIDE." He looked briefly through his new, glassy happiness. "Just the view is... Are these garbage cans?"
"I'm really sorry", Lena grumbled. "My uncle probably wanted you to be close to me, otherwise he would have given you a better room. It's almost silly. What is to happen to me here?"
"You could be attacked by a broom?" He reached somewhere and then took out a broom. Lena grimaced.
"It was probably forgotten there."
"A magnificent weapon! I will do my best to protect you with it!" The soldier tried to look carefree. "I'll unpack then."
"Good. Me too..." Sighing, Lena turned around and opened the door to her room. A spacious apartment, compared to the storage room.
