After his victory in Port de la Montagne, attention for Neo Lapon had waned again. He wandered listlessly through the town, and disgusted by the executions, he visited the local market.
As he strolled between the stalls, he was closely watched by a young woman with a gipsy appearance.
After about ten minutes, she decided to make her move and went to the stall where Neo was standing. Their eyes met, and he shyly looked away from her.
"Can I help you with anything?" the woman asked. "Not really, I'm just trying to fill my time." "Filling my time?" "I have an appointment at the palace later." "So you don't have much time?" "If you want, you can come with me."
Meanwhile, the meeting between Neo and the young woman was closely watched by someone who wished to remain anonymous.
And so Neo and the woman walked together toward the palace. She introduced herself as Josy von Leuchtenberg and explained that she was going to a palace ball that evening but didn't yet have a partner. Neo didn't have to think long about that invitation, and they arranged to meet later that evening.
Neo had been invited back by her highness Liberty. She had invited him to take Nobel's place and form a triumvirate with her and Cross. Nobel had completely fallen from grace with his policies of terror. Neo saw the possibilities and agreed. "Okay, then I'll see you tonight at the ball where we'll announce this. And, uh, maybe you should do some research on a certain lady you met today." Liberty winked at him.
That evening, Neo hadn't done much research, but at the ball, he had eyes only for Josy. He'd even forgotten that there was an announcement coming up.