Seto ate his dinner in silence, watching the sunset from his window. He stacked the dishes neatly on the table when he was done and proceeded to inspect his new surroundings. The walls were covered in cheerful tapestries depicting harvests and celebrations. A large wardrobe stood at one end of the room, and he found it to be filled with medieval-type clothing, all of which looked surprisingly comfortable. There was a set of shelving, filled with peculiar curiosities, and of course the carved table and chairs. Against another wall was a large canopied bed with dark blue curtains hanging regally down on all sides.

He nodded with approval as he slipped off his trench coat and draped it over a chair. This would be adequately comfortable for the time being. With a small sigh, he pulled back the sheets and went to bed, wondering exactly what tomorrow would bring.

*

Anzu threw down the mass of wires in unspeakable frustration. "How does he stand spending his free time on this?" she asked.

Honda shrugged. "Kaiba was always a little…different."

She nodded wearily. "Hey, Honda, why don't you check that back room? I thought I saw one of the guards coming out of there."

"Okay." He returned seconds later. "You won't believe this, but Mai's in there. And they unplugged her pod too."

"Mai?? That snob from Duelist Kingdom?" Anzu stopped and thought about her own words for a moment. "Well, she did sort of have a change of heart later on. Still, you'd better work on those wires. I'll keep trying to figure out these."

"Got it."

Anzu turned back to the plugs, her weary fingers struggling to work with the delicate wires as fatigue blurred her vision.

*

To everyone but Seto's greatest delight, the festivals were scheduled to take place in a week. Everywhere they went was a frenzy of joyous activity and laughter. They were constantly being recognized too, and swarms of people would gather just to gaze at the great heroes. Jounouchi and Mai absolutely drank in the attention. Yuugi was a little shyer, but he and Mokuba stuck together and took in the sights. Only Seto was not savoring the triumph. He passed through the crowds with a cold, detached air. His manner demanded respect, and children would fall silent when he walked by.

They didn't deserve his recognition, and he didn't want theirs. None of this was real; it was all just something from his imagination. Those playing youngsters were all just data and numbers. That ornate, splashing fountain was nothing more than computer trickery.

Annoyed, he walked back to the castle and took his usual place by the window after ringing for Nagusami. She arrived quickly, without an obtrusive entrance. He liked that in women, especially servants. He had fired several maids over that character trait; something he could, of course, easily afford to do. "Just a cup of coffee," he muttered as she walked in. "No sugar, no milk."

She cocked her head. "Coffee?"

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. They hadn't invented coffee in this medieval environment. And he really could have used an espresso right then. "Never mind."

"Anything else I can bring instead?"

He considered that momentarily. "What was that drink you brought with the soup last night?"

"Kuin."

Seto nodded. Of course. Hadn't he programmed that in himself? "Just bring some of that."

She left and returned with a pitcher and a crystal glass. "You seem upset," she observed as she poured the orangey-red liquid for him. "Do you mind if I ask what's wrong?"

Seto pressed his lips together, but found he couldn't hold it back. "It's just that none of this is real!" he burst out.