“So, did you find something?” Daryan was asking Persian, walking in the garden, near the dragon-shaped bush.

“I only found Sir Lionel, and he told me that Leo is happy there with them, but that he disturbs the night a lot” answered Persian, a bit uncertain “Why did you ask me to investigate it, Prince Daryan? Do you think that the knights may have targeted him?” he observed then, in a lower voice.

Daryan wasn't quite sure how to respond, and had been saved from doing so by Leonardo's unmistakable red head, which had suddenly popped out from behind the bush, and had begun to walk back and forth clearly agitated by something.

For a second he caught his eye, then the cook disappeared as he had appeared.

Daryan didn't think he'd given him permission to go out into the garden unsupervised, but he assumed that as he was now an official member of the castle staff, he also had the privilege of wandering wherever he wanted.

However, the prince approached his hideout to try to talk to him and investigate.

“Persian, can you call me Chevel? I have to ask him something” he encouraged the librarian, who complained a bit in a low voice about the ‘annoying stinky knight’ but carried out without objecting.

As soon as Daryan reached the bush, he noticed that Leo was crawling awkwardly toward the forest, and his attempt was so indiscreet that there was no need to stop him from going too far.

It was highly unlikely that he would want to give information about the palace to any envoy from Valkrest, or any member of the anti-royals group.

Probably, given his ignorance about the world, he didn't even know what the anti-royals group was.

Daryan watched him for a while as he disappeared into the trees, considering following him and hiding perfectly when he looked awkwardly around to make sure he wasn't being followed.

He really seemed to just want to be alone.

And Daryan had noticed that since his parents had returned, the cook had seemed to be getting worse and worse.

Not that he was fine at first, since every day he was more tired than the previous one, and he was also starting to get some recipes wrong.

Daryan couldn't figure out if he was just unaccustomed to the rhythms of the castle, or if there was something going on, but he was starting to get a little worried.

…for Opal, of course.

The cook would be in charge of her birthday banquet, he couldn't afford to make mistakes and ruin the buffet.

“Were you looking for me, your highness?” Chevel reached the prince and bowed “May Jahlee protect you”

“May Jahlee protect you too” Daryan answered absently, continuing to stare in the direction where the cook had now disappeared “Did you notice anything unusual about the cook?” he then asked Chevel, without even looking at him.

And thus not noticing the worried expression that had reached the knight’s eyes.

“I don't know, to be honest. I met him just now to warn him about his new permanent guard, and he seemed flustered. Maybe he's hiding something” Chevel tried to suppose, shrugging his shoulders, not quite knowing what to think.

Daryan didn’t like the sound of that.

“Who will be his personal guard?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sir Lionel Vinterberg, he has offered himself," Chevel replied, remembering with some confusion Leo's terrified reaction to hearing his name, but not mentioning it to Daryan.

It hadn't even escaped him that he walked with some difficulty after leaving the room. But he didn't really know how to interpret the situation.

“Keep an eye on him without him finding out, and don't confront him in any way. Then anticipate the monthly check of the dormitories, of the whole building. Carefully avoid it appearing as if there has been a tip-off. Just check the rooms like you always do” Daryan ordered him, practical.

“Why?” asked Persian, confused.

“There are two possibilities regarding Leo's behavior: either he's really an enemy spy, and he's tired because he spends his nights investigating; or one of the knights is giving him hell” explained Daryan.

If he proved that the cook was simply being bullied, the chances that he was a spy would be exponentially diminished.

Otherwise… well, there could also be the third option that he was just tired because he wasn't used to the rhythms of the castle, even if he seemed like a resourceful boy.

“Forgive me, Prince Daryan, but… what is hell?” Chevel asked, confused by his way of expressing himself.

“In the alternative world of the last book I read, it's the place where bad people go after death” Daryan explained absently “The characters use it with colloquial terms also to talk about torture, or to wish someone something bad”.

Isekais were his favorite genre, and the world with one God, heaven and hell, the world that was almost always reached by the protagonists, was really fascinating for him. He had learned that exotic way of speaking very well.

Chevel seemed particularly offended by something, and began muttering insults to himself directed at an unidentified someone.

Daryan guessed that it was probably Persian, since he was one of the few who had knowledge of that kind of books, even if they weren't his favorite ones to read.

“I’ll take care of the dormitories. Persian… teach the cook bows a little better, he's really bad” Chevel threw a little dig at Persian, respectfully bowed to the prince, and left.

Daryan resumed his walk with an offended librarian, and tried to put Leo's increasingly tired and distracted face out of his head.

He didn't even look like himself, without his usual beautiful bright eyes.