The princess’s arms and legs showed a delicate ornament. At first, Igor thought that it was painted so, and then he decided that it was a tattoo, only without a bluish tinge, with pure bright colors, like patterns of butterflies or reptiles. Each nail of the princess was a work of art - a lacquer miniature, from which the shoots of patterns twisted on the fingers. Some sort of sari served her as clothing — a motley fabric thrown over the body. The right hand wrist bracelet - a formidable weapon, as Igor already knew.

The body of the princess is almost ripe, but her face and voice are several years behind the body. Tasty hillocks, stretching the fabric in different directions, bristled under the clothes. Below, the clothes went down to the knees, opening the tattoo patterns. The painted legs seemed light as air, and there were no shoes on them. The bare soles were painted bright red; Igor at first thought it was for beauty, but then I realized that they were covered with a protective varnish, thick as rubber. Toenails were painted as exquisitely as on the hands.

The long hair of the princess gleamed with shimmering silk, as on shampoo advertisements. They were saturated bronze-chestnut tint; individual strands glittered with gold and bright colors — purple, scarlet, blue — like a tropical bird. At first, it seemed to Igor that threads of colored silk were woven into his hair. The forehead was framed by a halo of multicolored curls; from them on the temples were tattooed patterns that seemed to be their continuation. In the hair of the princess was a hoop, like Igor, only luxurious, with stones.

All of it glowed with an elusive, elusive beauty. She seemed now a child, now a sweet young one, now a dangerous sorceress. It was felt that she was quite young, and in her there was a curious devil.

“You are in my chambers,” said the princess, looking slyly and frowningly, like children, when they are a little shy. “This is the greatest honor you've ever had.”

“I am flattered,” said Igor, not knowing what to say smarter.

- You are not too kind. So, are you a Kaur spy? Mehorg

- Not.

- Who?

- You will not understand.

- How dare you talk to me like that?

- Sorry. Just ... I'm not used to it. Not used to talking to princesses.

- Is that so? Let it be known to you that at the age of seventeen I graduated from the full course of the Terrestrial, Heavenly and Secret Sciences, which we pass by the age of twenty. My teachers said ... in one word, you can not be afraid that I do not understand something there.

“Now how much do you want?” - Igor wanted to ask, but did not ask.

- Ok, I'll tell you. You see ... You are my hallucination.

“What about? ...” the princess was genuinely amazed. - Are you laughing at me?

- No, no, honestly ... I hit my head, and it seems to me all this - your palaces, soldiers and you ...

“Either you are impudent and ignorant, or ... or the understanding is spoiled.”

- The pioneer?

- Yes. However...

The princess removed the hoop from her head, then from Igor's head.

- Ihvirualgopeudvoaprarvpipischishslaoirvaviekvau?

Igor slammed his eyes so expressively that she had to give him an understanding.

“You really don't understand kaur?”

- Not. You see.

- Hmm. If I am your hallucination, I should have appeared after your delirium began. So?

- Yes. So it was.

- No, it was not so! I existed long before you. Rather, you are my hallucination, although this does not seem to be true.

“Yes, for our part, each of us is right,” Igor admitted.

- Oh well. Suppose I and everything around - your nonsense. Tell me where and why it originated. Where did you live before you started to wander, who you were, what was your name, and so on. And why did you see it was I, and not someone else.

“It was not for nothing that she completed the course of these secret sciences of her own, or whatever they are,” thought Igor.

Sighing, he began to tell. The princess listened to him without interrupting.The more he spoke, the wider her black eyes opened.

“Well, your story is not a bit like the truth,” she said when Igor ran out of a factory. - And this is the only argument in her defense. It was possible to invent and believable. Of course, most likely you are a Kaur spy. But to believe in what you said is at least much more interesting. And I was completely exhausted from boredom in these damned walls ...

- Well, - Igor answered her in tone, - now it's your turn. Tell me your story now.

(“Now, he will surely close up his nose, that I am behaving insultingly,” he thought.)

But the eyes of the princess were so bright that she did not notice a violation of subordination.

- My story is much more boring than yours. My parents, lords of Pandau, sent me here, to Gangiolan. Father thinks I'll be safe here. As for me, it’s better to have bombs from Kaur than hang around in this prison. Day after day - the same person. Maid of honor, valet, soldiers, maid of honor, valet, soldiers ... And no one can talk to anyone properly. Maids of honor are stupid like magpies, albeit from the best of families. I made of them my Rainbow Sweet, but I quickly got tired of nursing her. About soldiers and valets and talk funny. Only books remain ... and you. What is your name, my new slave?

“Igor,” said Igor, “and I am not your slave.”

“Yhorrr,” the princess tried to repeat. - How are you not my slave? If you rebel, I will kill you or give you to the soldiers.

- You will not do either one or the other. And we both know that.

- Why?

“First, you haven't killed anyone yet and hardly ever kill you.” Secondly, you want me to be with you and entertain you.

“You are too smart for the mechanic ... and for the slave,” the princess remarked.

- Smart for ... whom?

- For mehorga and for slave. So, my slave Yihorr ...

She hesitated.

— ?

- Undress.

- What about?

Igor was waiting for this, but still portrayed surprise.

- You are my new slave. Should I examine you? Undress, but quickly!

Her cheeks suddenly turned pink like a wild rose.

At that moment, melodious music began to play, the wall opened, and the strangest company that Igor had seen in his life entered.

These were girls, young and beautiful, looking a little older than the princess. All of them, from the soles to the tips of the hair, were painted with bright, screaming colors, which are called “acidic,” each in its own color. At first, Igor thought that these were mutants or aliens: so smooth and smooth the paint covered the velvety skin and hair, like threads of shiny nylon. The bodies of the girls were shrouded in flowing rainbows — a fabric dyed in all the colors of the spectrum.

- What you need? The frustrated princess asked.

“You told us to come, rainbow lady,” the girls chirped. - In your chambers, to every one ...

- I? Wondered?

- Yes, half an hour ago we received your command that in half an hour to everybody ...

“I don’t remember ... Yihorr, my new slave,” she nodded casually toward Igor. Her cheeks continued to burn.

- Yes, we know. Heavenly lady, are you sure of your safety? - asked the girl, painted in a dazzling green color.

- Are you sure, Green, that you need my confidence? I forgot why I called you. Go away

Bowing, the multicolored company went away. The wall moved back.

- Is this your Rainbow Suite? - asked Igor.

- Yes. I'm sick, I can not see them!

- The paints with which they were coated ... are they washed off?

- Not. Why do you ask? ... Over time, they turn pale, and you need to paint again to restore a bright shade, but the skin color remains for a lifetime.

- Did you think of painting them?

- Yes. This is my Rainbow Suite! This has not been done yet.

- How did the girls react to the fact that they were painted alive, like dolls, and even forever?

- Roared, stupid bold cows ... Why are you so interested in them?

- How do they get married now?