Leo felt the chair shift, and hastened to stand at attention, ready to welcome the princess.

It was all perfectly prepared.

“Percy, you come too!” the princess encouraged the tutor to follow her, but he seemed reticent.

“No, princess, I don't want to disturb, I have to reorganize some documents” he tried to dissuade her, but Opal always got what she wanted.

"Are you leaving me alone with the cook who could be a spy?" She asked innocently.

Leo heard a long silence, then Opal went out onto the balcony dragging a reluctant but now convinced Persian, who gave Leo a dirty look, just to make him understand, in case he hadn't already grasped the concept, that he didn't trust him.

Leo had fully grasped the concept, but he smiled amicably.

“Oh, are you done? How did it go?” he asked, pretending not to have heard anything, and moving the chair of the princess to accommodate her, like a true gentleman.

She sat down satisfied, and motioned for Persian to take a seat in front of her.

Sighing, the librarian did, and watched the sweets elegantly placed as if they were small bombs ready to explode.

“Let's put aside the pleasantries and start the meal! It's all too inviting!” the princess raised her hand to take a cookie, but Persian cut her off.

“Wait a moment, the cook should taste first” he encouraged Leo to be the first to favor.

Leo had tasted it while he was cooking, but he didn't mind an encore.

“Of course! Princess, you decide what you want me to taste” he pointed to the various sweets, to show that he clearly had nothing to hide.

Opal watched carefully, then selected the largest cookie, the most tempting muffin, and the piece of strawberry cake with the most cream.

“The best pieces for the best cook. Hoping that he will stay here for a long time!” the princess handed him the sweets with a brilliant smile, like a gem.

And Leo's very first thought was that she was really kind, lovable, and unselfish.

His second thought, perhaps more cynical but also more realistic in that situation, was that she was also extremely smart.

Because by giving up the best pieces she was not only ingratiating herself with Leo (and was successful in doing so), but it was also more likely that if he had poisoned something, he would poison the very best pieces, in the belief that the girl would keep them to herself.

...or maybe Leo was just being paranoid, which was very likely.

However, he had absolutely nothing to fear, and ate everything with attention and relish, after thanking the princess a thousand times.

“I have never seen this type of pie... it looks really soft” Persian commented, observing the muffins with curiosity.

“Taste it too! It's a shame not to share such good food! Mmmmm, these cookies are delicious!” the princess, having ascertained that she was not in danger, began to eat with gusto, and with each bite she seemed to light up.

“I don't know, it's rude to eat the same food as you, princess” Persian tried to object, very uncomfortable.

Leo couldn’t understand why everyone in that world was so obsessed with not eating food destined for royals. It was food, there was a lot of it, it wasn't that particular, or blessed, or anything else.

In fact, sharing a meal was a great way to enjoy each other's company, and to talk. Persian and Opal seemed on good terms, and the former was clearly no ordinary servant. It was noticeable by the way he tried to object. So why be so conservative?!

Well, Leo would always and forever eat everything they offered him.

Free food can never be refused!

“Nonsense! I'm offering it to you! Oh, by the way, I have to call Dary too! I bet he would love these cookies! Wait for me here, I'll be right back” before anyone could object (and Persian and Leo both wanted to object a lot), the princess stood up, and lifting her long purple dress a little, she ran out of the balcony and then out of the library, to go call the brother.

“Princess!” Persian tried to call her back, but it was already too late.

He sighed, and sat back down, dejected.

Absently he picked up a muffin.

And then he immediately let go of it, remembering that Leo was still there, watching him for lack of anything else to do.

Their eyes met, Leo smiled friendly, and Persian blushed, and immediately stood up, embarrassed.

“I should go and arrange some papers!” he exclaimed in a high tone, trying to escape from the situation.

“The princess, however, asked to wait for her. It would be rude not to be found here once back” Leo pointed out to him. He was looking for a way to introduce the Lumai topic without being suspicious, now that they were finally alone, and he couldn’t afford Persian to go away.

“Uh... well… yes, but... uh…” without many objections, Persian sat down again, but did everything to avoid Leo's gaze, who in the end, not holding up the awkward silence, obviously spoke out of turn.

“So... you are also from Lumai?” he asked, to make conversation and introduce the topic in the least discreet way in the world.

Persian jumped, and looked at him suspiciously.

“And how do you know?” he asked, worried.

It had never actually been said explicitly.

Leo could say that he found out from the greetings he had exchanged with the prince, and there would be nothing wrong with it, but he had to appear harmless, and harmless, in that world of conspiracies and suspicions like the Game of Thrones, meant stupid and not at all perceptive.

“Oh, well, Chevel told me” he lied, a little embarrassed.

“Tsk, Chevel, I should have known… he is so silent but when it comes to saying my business he is on the front line! What else did he say about me?!” triggered by the mention of the knight, Persian began to speak without any filter.

Leo made a mental note to pass something to eat to Chevel to thank him for his unconscious help. The rivalry between the two could really help him.

“Nothing special, don't worry. Except you are from Lumai, and he wanted to stop you this morning. Oh, and that you’re the librarian” Leo explained, this time telling the plain and simple truth.

Well, except that Persian was from Lumai, because Chevel didn't say it, but whatever.

“He is always protective of Prince Daryan, how could I’ve known there was a suspicious stranger in a meeting with him? It is normal that I ignored his attempts to stop me, it was an urgent matter!” Persian tried to justify himself, irritated. Then he realized he had just called his interlocutor a suspicious stranger, and blushed.

“No offense! Not that I consider you suspicious, I just meant…” he tried to justify himself, but Leo shook his head.

“Oh, no, I understand that I am a stranger and suspicious, but the truth is that I just want to cook nice dishes, be useful, and raise some money for my family. You know, I'm from the Estovani district, the drought has really made our lives hard” he said, melodramatically, in a confidential tone.

Persian put a hand to his mouth, shocked.

“Oh dear! I'm so sorry! Estovani's drought was a severe blow to the kingdom. Haven't you moved further west?” He asked, worried.

“We tried, but the money was tight, and everyone was trying to move, so we thought it was safer to stay there. But it was tough. That’s why I really hope to be able to settle here, and maybe bring the rest of my family, when the situation is more stable” he explained, trying to be optimist, as if he were talking to an old friend.

All of you are probably wondering why Leo is suddenly so confident and knowledgeable about Lumai's lore, and to give you a satisfactory answer, I think it is appropriate to take a step back.

Because when Leo was on his way to the balcony to set the table, it hadn't been a mistake to bump into a shelf and drop all the books.

Oh, no, not at all!

He made use of it to take the most recent and interesting volume of Lumai's history, and while Persian questioned the princess, Leo had taken advantage of being out of sight to read a little and get an education.

He had discovered the names of the districts, and about the drought, and they were extremely up-to-date books, because it seemed that much of the information came from the goddess of foresight herself.

“May Laasya make it possible” Persian wished him, in a tone of participation.

“I hope so. Unfortunately, I have not quite grasped the enunciations of the temple, and not knowing how to read does not help” Leo sighed, and built up some more backstory around him.

After all, a poor fellow would not have been able to read, realistically. And he could get away with a lot of things by saying right away that he didn't have this ability.

…if one day his lies came out, he would be really screwed, because objectively, from the outside, he really looked like a spy who came from a hostile realm to poison the royal family or get information.

But hey, you survive as you can, and Leo can't, he's inexperienced!

He’s not OP like almost all the protagonists of isekais. Or, at least, he’s not OP in a standard way.

But he is good with his tongue… in the sense that he is good at talking.

“Well, the drought should last a few more years, the precise time should be written in Lumai's updated guide. If you wait a second I'll go look for it” proposed Persian, who in the chat had completely abandoned the hostile demeanor, and had started to fiddle with the muffin he still feared to eat.

Leo tried not to sound alarmed, since if Persian had looked for that book it would take him little time to realize that it was hidden in the food cart, and he would certainly have put two and two together as he seemed a bit naive but intelligent.

Instead, Leo pretended to be honored by the interest, but in the meantime, he sought an excuse to prevent him from looking right at that moment.

“Wow, it would be great to hear the goddess's predictions…” he admitted, bowing his head in respect “… but I would never want to bother you for me. Why don't you enjoy tea time first. I made several muffins” he encouraged him to try the muffin he had been eyeing before.

“Well, I suppose if the princess insisted I can…” now that their relationship had gotten to the next level (or at least it would have if Leo had ended up in a video game, but he ended up in a book so this remains a metaphor), Persian seemed less reluctant to taste Leo’s food, and was convinced to take the first bite.

And his eyes lit up as if he had a divine blessing.

Could Leo have magical powers?

Nah, it was just talent, modestly.

“Is it to your liking?” he asked, hopeful but already aware that the answer would be positive, eh eh.

“It's… admirable. Where did you learn to cook like this? It has an extremely refined taste. I don't think I've ever eaten anything like it!” Persian complimented him, looking at Leo with different eyes.

But he had raised a somewhat difficult question.

Because indeed, if Leo was a poor fellow who couldn't read, how had he learned all those elaborate recipes?

“Well…” Leo began to respond with the usual story of the orphan who had learned to cook to feed the six brothers and one sister, in the hope that by making him sorry he would not have insisted on any details, but was rescued by the return of the princess who was dragging a very reluctant Prince Daryan.

“You have to taste the cookies! They are the best in the world!” the princess was saying.

Both Leo and Persian stood to attention, alarmed by the arrival of the prince for very similar reasons.

And probably the guilty look was evident in their eyes, because the man looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

“What are you two doing together? Persian, I told you to…” he didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was obvious ‘You shouldn't have interacted with the cook’.

Leo feigned ignorance, and looked at the prince confused.

Persian turned red like a pepper.

“I didn't say anything! I have not revealed any information” he justified himself in a high tone.

“He’s right, your majesty, it was I who started the conversation. I learned that the Lord was a fellow Lumai denizen, and I couldn’t hold back from sharing silly details about my old life. I apologize if I was out of line” Leo pulled out his more refined vocabulary.

Daryan didn't seem convinced at all.

“Never mind. Did you taste everything before giving it to my sister?” he asked, changing the subject and observing the various sweets.

“Yup! I personally chose what to make him taste! Now sit down and eat a cookie! Maybe they could become your favorite food!” Opal encouraged him, sitting down and starting to eat the cake, to leave more cookies for her brother.

Daryan looked at the various shapes with little conviction, then took the less appetizing one, and brought it to his mouth.

For some reason, Leo was really eager to know his opinion, but the prince gave him no satisfaction.

For a moment he seemed speechless, almost admired, but it lasted a few seconds, because he soon became impassive, and shrugged.

“It doesn't seem like anything special” he commented.

Leo gritted his teeth, trying not to object, and accepting the criticism.

“You are a big liar, but oh well. Taste the rest too!” encouraged his sister, not believing him even for a moment.

“If you allow, your majesty, these pies are really delicious” Persian advised him. Without hesitation he had already taken another muffin, of the second type.

Daryan rolled his eyes, but didn't comment, and tasted.

Leo stood in a corner while the three ate quietly, and performed his role as butler very well, trying to be as invisible and correct as possible.

But it did not escape him that, to the detriment of his words, the prince had taken five biscuits, and had almost smiled, eating the last one.

Gradually, Leo was beginning to breach the walls of the castle... and its inhabitants.