Chapitre 5: The Imperial Palace
Henry tilted his head.
"A coin toss? But that's a game of chance. It requires luck, not skill."
"The game doesn't really matter, as long as we are in agreement."
Anne was right. If they both agreed, the game could be a skill-based game, game of chance, or something else completely.
Henry sighed. He knew leaving it to chance meant he had no control over the result, but since Anne suggested it, it also meant she would have no complaints if it ended in his favour.
He took the coin from her, after deciding to leave the decision to fate.
"Alright, let's use a coin toss."
"Splendid! I choose heads."
"That makes me tails."
With a flick, the coin soared through the air flipping continuously; and when it reached its maximum height, it started to fall down. But before it reached the ground, Henry caught it and placed it on the back of his palm.
Slowly he rose up his hand to reveal that the outcome of this simple game of chance was tails.
He let out a smile, as he saw Anne's devastated face. She had chosen a game of chance so he wouldn't have control over the result, just to be reminded that it went both ways.
"I guess we're now roommates."
"Housemates." Anne corrected. She couldn't bear the term Henry used to describe their relationship.
"Same thing." He said as he stood up.
Anne tilted her head. "Where are you going?"
"To look for a nice bedroom."
"I'm coming with you."
Henry went deeper inside the large mansion for the first time, with Anne directly behind him.
The Great's family home is in fact a 15-bedroom modern megamansion, that is dubbed "The Imperial Palace" in honor of William "The Emperor" Great.
This unique building had thirty bathrooms, an indoor cinema, a fully-fitted gym, a large indoor swimming pool, a four-lane bowling alley, a twenty-car garage, an outdoor running track and a vast outdoor swimming pool and a six-hole putting green on the roof among many other amenities.
Henry could name whatever he wanted in his dream house, The Imperial Palace had it. When counting the megamansion features, he often found himself repeating some.
"Why is there a pool inside, if there's already one outside?!"
"This is the fifth bathroom I've entered, are you sure I'm not entering the same one?"
"Ah, of course, there's a bowling alley in the house."
"The Imperial Palace? Don't kid me, this is a freaking city!"
Henry had a comment for every room he entered, and Anne found them amusing. Though she knew the more he explored the vast building, the less likely he was going to move out.
Henry finally sat on a chair in the second sitting room he counted.
"I'm tired."
Anne took a seat as well, though she wasn't as exhausted.
"Already? But this is still the first floor."
Henry couldn't help but laugh. He had definitely bitten more than he could chew. Living here would obviously get lonely for anyone. Even a thousand people wouldn't be able to crowd this house.
His eyes widened as he realized something: he hasn't seen any other person here. He turned to Anne.
"Are you the only one that lives here?"
"Yes. Why are you asking?"
"I just noticed I haven't seen any maids or butlers." Henry replied. Even the ones that attended to guests during the funeral were nowhere to be found.
"After William died, I made them stop living here. They only come here when it's time to clean, or to assist in events."
"Why?"
"Because I like the peace and quiet."
"But doesn't it get lonely?"
"It does, but I don't mind being alone."
"Why?"
Instead of replying, Anne got up and walked to a nearby fridge. She brought out two energy drinks and threw one to Henry.
"Come, let me show you the bedrooms. You can explore the rest of the house on your own after." She said.
She led the way and showed him the bedrooms one at a time.
———
"Henry?" She called out.
Halfway through the tour, she noticed he wasn't following her anymore.
"Where did you go?"
A lightbulb flashed in her head. Maybe he had gone to the bedroom she skipped. There was a reason she skipped that bedroom, but she just chose not to tell him.
She reached the room and the door was opened. She was right. She entered to see a stunned Henry, the room was much different from the others.
"Henry?"
"I'm taking this room."
"Absolutely not."
"Why not?"
"Because it's the Master Bedroom."
"That's makes me want it even more. I knew there was something special about it."
"You moron, do I have to spell everything out for you? This was William's room."
"Oh." Henry said, as he looked round the room to confirm but the room looked unused.
"After his death, the cleaning company cleansed the room of every trace of William, that's why it looks like this. When I found out what they did, it was already too late."
Henry sighed, and was about to turn around but some things caught his attention. They were the only things that survived the cleansing, William's personal books.
Henry was certain, at least, one of those books had the answer he was searching for. But before he knew it, Anne dragged him out of the room and closed the door.
Click!
He heard a very familiar sound. Anne locked the door.
"Wait, can I get something from the room?"
"No. You can't touch anything in there."
"Then can I move in. I don't think rendering the master bedroom unusable is a decision I accept." Henry lied. He couldn't care less about the room, he just wanted those books.
"Why do you want the room so much?"
Henry became quiet. He had chosen to give Anne the benefit of doubt, but that didn't mean he could trust her yet. If Anne found out about the books, he didn't know what she would do.
"I feel it would help me understand why William entrusted me with half of his legacy."
Anne sighed. Henry's greediness was more than she had imagined. How many of her father's things would he need to take before he'll be satisfied?
The annoying thing was that she hardly had a choice on the matter, because he owned half the house and had a valid reason for wanting the bedroom. She had three options: take the room for herself, hand him the keycard or challenge his ownership.
She wanted neither, so she thought of a fourth option: Hide the keycard in her room and feel bad for oppressing his ownership.
Henry realized she wouldn't accept any reason he could give, so he chose to fight.
"I challenge your ownership. Let's play a game, winner gets the bedroom."
Anne stopped in her tracks, and turned to face him. "I refuse."
"You can't refuse a challenge."
"Why not?"
"Because there are rules."
"No. There is only one: The game doesn't really matter, as long as we are in agreement."
"Then let's make another rule: You can't refuse a challenge." Henry proposed.
Anne considered Henry's proposal. There was only one way she was going to accept this rule.
"I will accept that rule, if you accept this third rule: The challenged gets to choose what the game is."
Henry couldn't do such a thing. It was synonymous to digging his own grave. What he could do, was compromise.
"I can't accept that rule, but I would let you choose the game only for this challenge."
"I also can't accept your proposal."
Anne was thinking about future battles, so Henry thought of a deal that held value over time.
"What about this: We both get a limited number of times we can choose the game whenever we get challenged."
Henry suggested, and Anne eyes widened. This was exactly what she was looking for. It wouldn't affect her too much whenever she challenges him, and it would help her when she gets challenged.
"We each get five rights to choose games."
"Two game rights each." Henry countered. Five games rights was just too much.
"Three."
"Agreed."
"But what happens when it finishes?" Anne asked. Three is a very limited number.
"Let's make a fourth rule that allows us to challenge each other for more game rights."
"I agree, though we can only challenge for two at a time. If not, we might take advantage and ask for an unlimited number of game rights."
Henry took a deep breath. "Now that everything is settled. I challenge you for William's Room."
Anne smiled. "I'm using my first game right."
"So what are you choosing?"
"I hope you can swim?" Anne asked with a grin.
———
Henry took a shower and got into a speedo. He walked to the indoor pool and was mesmerized once more. It was as large as an average high school's pool.
He heard footsteps and turned around to see Anne walking towards him. She had also taken her bath, but instead of a tight-fitting brief, she wore a one-piece that embraced all her curves.
Maybe it was because of her wet reddish brown hair, her pale pretty face or her blessed slim figure; Henry had no choice but to acknowledge that she was a beautiful woman, but that was all. He didn't feel anything move in his chest or swimwear.
She laid her eyes on Henry and she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous and confused as to why.
Was it because she was wearing such a revealing swimsuit? Or was it because his eyes were focused on her? Or was it because of his rock-hard abs and sturdy biceps, that she noticed the moment she saw him?
She hated him for invading her life and home. But even with the intense feeling of dislike she felt towards him, she had to admit he was well-built. His muscles weren't excessive that it showed through the suit he previously wore, but they were very far from average.
"I'm starting to think I made a mistake choosing a sport. I never took you for the athletic type." She said and he took a glance at his powerful biceps. He couldn't remember the last time he worked out.
"I don't actually do sports or work out." Henry replied.
Anne couldn't believe what she heard, but she could somehow tell he was telling the truth.
"Then how did you get to have such a great body?"
"I mostly worked at construction sites, and the jobs I did included a lot of manual labour."
"I see."
She was glad, she still had the advantage. Henry might have the body of an Olympic gold medalist, but he lacked the experience — something she had more than enough of.
"Alright. Let's get this over with." Henry said and Anne couldn't agree more. She set the timer and they took their positions.
This battle was a simple race, with a single simple rule: The first person that swims to the other end of the pool wins.
RING!
The bell rung and they both dove into the pool. Neither of them used any well-known basic stroke.
Henry tore through the water with excessive force and speed, as he propelled himself with his muscular hands and legs in no specific manner. He didn't use a defined swimming stroke, but it didn't matter because he was winning.
Anne moved through the water as agile as a fish. Her body moved in a graceful wavy fashion and her feet acted like fins, effectively propelling her forward; her hands were stretched and held together in her front to make her streamlined, successfully increasing her speed. She also didn't use a basic stroke, but this her unique way of swimming held this pool's fastest record.
It was a battle between elegance and brute force, and the latter was in the lead.
Henry finally touched the pool's tiled wall. He rose his head out of the water and turned to his sides to see nobody.
He was the first.
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