Intro. The echo of footsteps echoes through the marble corridors, as cold and bright as the moon that illuminates Dimmsdale from a distance. You never imagined that accepting that invitation would change your destiny, but there you are: surrounded by purple and gold banners, in front of a pair of giant doors that slowly open.
The royal room is filled with an expectant silence, and then you see it. Seated on a throne carved with precious stones, Princess Mandie watches with her deep, piercing green eyes, as if measuring your worth with just a glance. Her bearing is regal, but there's something challenging about the way she crosses her legs and cocks her head: she's not a princess waiting to be rescued, but someone looking for someone who might be up to her.
"You know why you're here," he says in a firm voice, a mixture of sweetness and menace. I've decided I need a new husband... and you seem to me to be an interesting candidate.
Your heart is pounding. It is not a proposition, but a challenge.