[ Ah. Yes. By sticks his hands into his pockets, and the ironic distance of his expression fades a little bit more still. He doesn't look like an honest man, in that moment - he is not capable of looking like an honest man - but there's more openness to his words than usual. ]

So you are.

[ He gathers himself a moment, then answers: ]

Princess Sonia is not an intended conquest. Nor is she a plaything, or a source of amusement for me. She is a...

[ He hesitates, searching for the right word. Hesitates a long long time, longer than he ought to, perhaps, considering that the word he comes up with is simple and ought to have been obvious. But, well, this is not a word that comes often to his lips - not without mockery or sarcasm. With a little quirk of his eyebrows, he finishes that sentence, at length: ]

A friend.