"I understand," Solae said with a glance to Rene. While they were still being monitored by the artificial intelligence, who was polite but far less endearing than Mia, she felt confident that this tier of the process was not being actively recorded and watched by employees of the bank. No elite businessman, shrewd criminal, or paranoid aristocrat would want the confidential data they used to authenticate their identity being reviewed. It not only would be a breach of privacy it would compromise the integrity of their system by letting staff learn the answers to the fourth exam: rapid fire questions.

"Please approach and hold up your hand of choice," the computer ordered simply.

The marquise raised her right hand. Out of the wall extended a robotic arm covered in a porcelain polymer casing. It neared Solae and placed a round knob at the tip of the mechanism against her middle finger. Before either of them could question the machine's intentions a needle too small to perceive had pricked her flesh, drawn blood, and gathered its specimen. There was a soft hiss as an antiseptic was administered to clean the minuscule wound before the a temporary sealant was applied. In Solae's opinion this was the very definition of excess but she could appreciate how a person with more wealth than they knew how to spend would be insistent at 'treatment' for this test.

"Thank you for your compliance. Please place both hands in the blue circles you see on the screen before you," the computer ordered as the robotic arm retracted and retreated back into the wall for presumed analysis against their records. The kiosk's large blank screen was illuminated by two large digitally drawn circles equidistant from each other and the edges of the surface. She drew in a deep breath and lowered both hands as directly. This made her much more nervous than the blood draw. Solae couldn't quite conceive how her parents might have been able to discreetly obtain a scan of the unique ridges, lines, and grooves of her hands for vault access. Just as she was started to feel a tug of doubt the blue rings turned a pleasant shade of green indicative of a match.

"Thank you for your compliance," the computer stated again. Again Solae glanced at Rene. This must be a statement that passively acknowledged she had not failed yet. As encouraging to have a more direct reassurance that they weren't about to be forcibly detained or ejected, she had no choice but to accept these were circumstances she could not change. "Please remove your hands from the apparatus and remain still while the body scan is initiated. This will take approximately two minutes to complete."

The next one-hundred-twenty seconds seemed to stretch on for an eternity. They had far worse time crunches with their lives on the line and longer periods in space with nothing to do except sleep and stare at the stars, but it was knowing how much was on the line that had Solae on constant edge. The truth of her parents, of herself, and even Rene's past and future lay beyond whatever kernel of knowledge she'd be given to lead her to her parent's personal vault. Ten had offered her liquor the night prior to calm her nerves and she had declined. It was a decision she now regretted deeply.

"Thank you for your compliance. We will proceed with the verbal verification via questionnaire. You will have ten seconds in which to answer five security questions chosen for the box registered to your name. Please confirm you are ready to continue."

"I'm ready," Solae said firmly. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable she reasoned. Either she had all the answers already or she did not; there would be no epiphany if she procrastinated.

"Question 1: What is the name the favorite song of Alyosha Falia?" the computer commanded.

"The Truth of the Sun," Solae quickly answered. Her late father had several he counted among his favorites but this one in particular he said reminded him of her and her mother. It was a tune well over a century old have had two separate refrains with metaphors that very nearly described the color of her and her mother's hair.

"Question 2: How many miscarriages did Selene Falia have before successfully carrying Solae Falia to term?"

"Two," the marquise answered more softly. Science, medicine, and technology as a whole had made numerous magnificent leaps over the last millennia. Commoners often believed that anything they could imagine was possible now especially if one was affluent enough to make dreams become reality. There were no absolutes and guarantees for even the imperial line. Noblewoman could be implanted with fertilized embryos and still lose their children; not even the most accomplished specialist could promise success. The universe had not yielded all its secrets. Needless to say, miscarriages were never disclosed to anyone not in the immediate family who needed to know.

"Question 3: What is Selene Falia's favorite color?"

"Red," Solae replied feeling buoyed. Her mother had always worn white even in the courts unless dress etiquette required otherwise. She had never explicitly told her daughter why she always wore white over red, but her excuse was that red was herself and white was what she chose to show; it would be foolish to be overly honest with society. On another occasion she claimed only a marquise or duchess could keep so many garments impeccably pristine white like freshly fallen snow.

"Question 4: Who was the first suitor proposed for Solae Falia when she was six months old?"

"Glenn Lande," was the slower answer. Her parents had joked about this. Unfortunately Glenn Lande was not of an appropriate status for their consideration, and they had no intentions of betrothing their infant to another. The Viscount that had made the offer was severely disappointed he could not use a long engagement and eventual marriage to climb a few rungs of the aristocracy.

"Question 5: What was Alyosha Falia's first pet?"

"A potted plant," Solae ventured, unsure of what the type of plant was as it had never been described to her.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Your identity has been authenticated," the computer announced with a programmed lift in tone so as to sound mildly congratulatory. "Here is your security box," it declared as a slot opened in the floor and a box no more than twelve inches by twelve inches and six inches thick was lifted upwards onto a small oval-shaped table that formed underneath from similarly hidden components.

Solae paused as she stared at the ornate golden container. There was no lock of any code but she was frozen in anticipation of what may be awaiting her. Irrationally afraid that the computer would declare they had a limited amount of time to spend in the room, she swung back the top hinge quickly. A small hand-written ledger titled 'Falia' and nothing more was tucked inside. This is what Ten had predicted. He had maintained that her parents would not have entrusted her inheritance in any bank, no matter how acclaimed, and instead they would find a clue leading them to the destination they truly sought. He was right. "We should wait to read this when we get back," she whispered as she stared at it but did not reach in much less flip through the pages to see what might be inscribed between the thick bindings.