“Anybody got a screwdriver?” I ask.
This robot seems pretty well designed, and I don’t think we can open it safely without the right tools.
“You should be able to find the opening in the back,” Abhi says.
I move it around while DARIUS and ESMERALDA are busy making phone calls to people on the balcony. 'KC' is written on the back under the neck, but I find the opening there as he said.
“There’s one in that case,” the Prince says, pointing with his cane to a box on the table. How practical.
I open the case and find a number of useful tools, including a cross-head screwdriver of the perfect size.
Is he a fan of construction? Isn’t he a bit old? I open the robot effortlessly. How convenient that the perfect screwdriver to open the hotel’s cleaning robot is here.
Looking more closely at the suspicious screwdriver, I notice that the same 'KC' is engraved on it.
What is the old man hiding? I take my smartphone out of my bra and type 'KC robot' into the search bar.
'KC (company)
Kingdom’s Castle or KC is a technology company founded in 1991. It designs and manufactures home appliances such as vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, hand dryers, bladeless fans, heaters, hair dryers, and robots. As of February 2018, KC had more than 12,000 employees worldwide [7]. In January 2019, it was announced that KC would be moving its headquarters to […]. To date, the identity of KC’s CEO is still a mystery, but rumours […]'
It begins to make sense. “I’m going to the toilet,” I speak.
“You’ve barely started,” the client, sitting on the edge of his chair, stares fearfully into my eyes from the top of his cane. I can see the reflection of my bewildered face over his shoulder in the large window.
“Are you not going to let a woman use the toilet?” I ask. “What if I mess up and break it even more?”
He sighs and leans back in the chair. “Fine, but be quick.”
I go to the bathroom and start pouring water to hide my voice from him. “Schwa to Abhi.”
“5/5.”
“I need you to find out who the client is by any means necessary. I have a lead: look up KC. The robot is a Kingdom’s Castle, and the client’s code name is ‘His Highness the Prince.’” I say in one breath.
“I’m on it.”
My excitement makes sense. This mysterious old man had all the tools necessary to open a very specific high-tech robot. Besides, he was facing us when it attacked our backs, so he must have seen it coming, but he didn’t say anything.
What does that mean?
With all these questions in my head, I cut the water and put my hand on the door handle, while I hear the old man screaming from the living room.
“IT’S YOU!” He yells.
“SCHWA! VERY STRONG HEAT SIGNAL FROM THE ROBOT! GET OUT OF HERE ASAP!”
BOOM!
…
EPISODE 2: EMERALD
This company is my entire life. I have dedicated so much time to building it that I have neglected everything I hold dear—my wife, my friends, and above all, my son. I affectionately called him my ‘Prince.’
“Dad, if I’m the prince, doesn’t that make you the king?” he once asked me with his beautiful smile. When he was a child, he would visit my office every week, sitting on my lap and quietly drawing while I worked.
“No, I’m nothing like that,” I replied. “You see, the kingdom represents the family, and the castle symbolizes the home. That’s why I named this home furniture company the Kingdom’s Castle.”
It was perhaps the most meaningful conversation I ever had with him.
Naively, I believed he was such a mature child that he would understand everything.
I proudly hung his artwork on the wall as soon as he left—a vivid depiction of a medieval castle surrounded by water, where the sun illuminated the king, queen, and prince, all happily smiling at each other.
Yet, the following morning, the king and queen divorced.
Despite this, I continued to call him the Prince during the brief moments we met. I believe that’s when he began to resent me. He spent every other week with me in my vast, empty house, surrounded by three robots that outperformed me in every aspect of my work. One fateful night, while I was away as usual, he smashed all three robots to send me a message.
The next morning, I replaced them with three more. However, when he turned sixteen, he left and never returned. The years went by without a word from him. I had little time to reach out, and fear held me back. Then, one day, when he was twenty-five, he walked into my office.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked awkwardly.
“Hi… Nothing, as you can see.”
“Indeed, nothing has changed here in ten years, except for the colour of the facade…”
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No—Uh, I mean, yes, maybe. I’m getting married, and I thought you should know. That’s why I came here.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. What’s her name?”
“She is an old friend from art school. Her name is Spanish for emerald.” He showed me a picture of the two of them on his mobile phone.
“She truly has beautiful, jewel-like green eyes… I’m genuinely happy for both of you.”
“Also, this is our new address. I’ll keep you updated with the dates and everything.”
And just like that, he left. I was truly happy for them, so the next morning, I sent them our latest and trendiest robot model.
Little did I know that robot had been maliciously hacked, possibly by our competitors.
Despite my best efforts to remain anonymous and keep my family safe from such threats, they had finally found me.
The robot went on a killing spree, mercilessly ending the life of my son before self-destructing.
A few months later, the death threats began, plaguing me almost every week for three years, until a few days ago when they offered to meet me at this very hotel.
Intrigued by the identity of the mastermind behind these heinous acts, coupled with a slight desire for revenge, I made contact with an underground bodyguard company.
In honour of my son, they assigned me the code name “the Prince.”
I’ve planted a bomb within the hotel’s robot, and once our assailant reveals themselves, I will be the one to press the detonator.
However, a contemptuous voice breaks me out of my daydream, shattering the silence.
“We’re finally alone, old man,” the blonde woman and her imposing boyfriend had taken advantage of DIANA’s absence and ARTEMIS’s bathroom break. They had moved from the balcony to the couch, directly in front of me.
“What are you waiting for? The robot won’t open by itself,” I nonchalantly remark.
“Oh, I couldn’t care less about the robot. You still have no idea who I am, do you?” With those words, she removes her glasses, revealing captivating, jewel-like green eyes.
I should have anticipated this. Instantly recognizing her, anger surges within me, and I rise from my seat, pointing my cane directly at her face.
“It’s you!” I exclaim with venom.
“Yes, it’s me!” she smirks. “I’ve been eagerly waiting for this moment to finally confront you, and I’m going to make you pay for…”
This witch approached my son with the intention to kill him! And now, she seeks to end my life as well! Determined, I press the detonator at the tip of my cane without a moment’s hesitation. The robot lying a few metres away will also be consumed by the explosion, but it no longer matters to me.
Biiiiiiiiiip.
” … crimes… What?” she stands up, confusion etched across her face. Suddenly, the temperature of the exposed robot skyrockets within a second. In a cataclysmic blast, it erupts into a searing rain of razor-sharp plastic.
“Hasta la vista!” I proudly declare as the force of the explosion propels me back into my chair. Shielding my head with my arms, I realize that now was probably not the most opportune moment to practise my Spanish.
“Duck!” ARTEMIS’s voice rings out, but I curse silently as I anticipate that fool’s interference.
“DARIUS!” ESMERALDA shouts at the same moment. The behemoth throws her behind the sofa, shielding her from the deflagration.
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