Sneak into her room at night

"My chambers," Alice says coming up with a plan. "The place I consider my most sacred sanctum. Tonight, sneak into it and wake me from my slumber as proof that you managed to bypass the palace's security measures. Obviously, if you are caught, I will deny any involvement, and you will be put to **** without a trial. Is that clear?"

A part of her was curious why she was suggesting such an audacious plan. After all, if his words are true, he could easily end her in her sleep, and now here she was, inviting the fox into the henhouse? Was it pride, or something else entirely that was fueling her? Plus, never has a man stepped foot into her chambers, not even her father or Finley. It would definitely be a new experience for her, to be so ****. Still, that's only if Kuro succeeds, and that's no small feat. Even so, a small part of her was eager for him to prove his worthiness, for him to step quietly into her room, where no one else can hear...

"A bit of a boring assignment, but I suppose it will serve as a decent demonstration," he replies. The palace would be a challenge, even for someone of his caliber. Knights roamed the halls on patrol, and though their skills aren't equivalent to their ancestors, just the sheer number alone was daunting. That, combined with the difficulty of either bypassing the main gate or scaling the walls and crossing the moat made for a very intricate puzzle that would need to be solved. Plus, even once he got in, he wouldn't actually know which room belonged to princess Alice anyways, so he'd be **** to either search the place top to bottom, or eavesdrop to get the information he needed. All in all, it was a tough ask, but it would certainly prove his skills beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"I agree with boring, but I can't exactly have you offing someone during a test run, now can I? Alice jokes morbidly. "If you can get into my room when security is at its tightest without being noticed, I'll take that as proof that you're as capable as you say you are. And I will repeat this one more time: do not harm anyone. No castle guards, no servants, no one."

"Of course, I try my best not to get on the bad sides of royals such as yourself," Kuro replied. "No deaths, no discovery, fetching a quill. Sounds simple enough. Any other special instructions? Want me to deliver you some flowers as well?"

"No, that will be all," Alice answers curtly. "As far as payment goes-"

"Won't be necessary. You can pay me when you're actually hiring me for a hit," Kuro interrupted. "This is just a test, you said so yourself, right?"

Now it was Alice's turn to be taken aback. "Huh? A test this may be, but you're still risking your life, are you not? Yet you're willing to do this for free?" Alice asked, confused.

"Bah, it's not as big of a risk as you imagine. Worst case scenario: I get caught and escape like a coward, and you'll have to find another assassin. Realistically though, that won't happen. So no, I won't need your money for something so simple. Save it for a big job, maybe one of your brothers?" Kuro joked, though his eyes were dead serious.

"...If you say so, then so be it. I'm not foolish or prideful enough to reject charity," Alice acquiesces. "Then I hope to hear good news tonight. Don't worry, I'm a light sleeper, so a nudge should be more than enough to wake me up."

Negotiations done, Kuro gets up, allowing Alice to leave the corner. By the time she pushed her way out and turned to say goodbye, the Easterner was already gone.