***

The kitchens were precisely where Earnest had told him, at the end of a large field, which appeared to be reserved for letting the horses roam free. A few stable boys were shouting at each other, getting themselves and the animals in their care ready for the day. They paid Lawrence no attention, though a couple of them glanced at him from afar.

Good thing that he’d waken early and well before breakfast and his first lessons. The grounds seemed larger here, though walls were protecting them from all sides. Behind them, he could see the mountains, tall, snowy, unforgiving. One could only imagine the chasm stretching behind the walls. Lawrence experienced a strange sensation of being trapped, even more so than in his small room. If Earnest never got out of Veridien, what about the others? Or the horses? Was that enclosure the only version of freedom they knew?

An impressive one-floor red-bricked building housed the kitchens. Lawrence counted three chimneys and examined the façade briefly. A bit more austere and it could have counted as its monastic counterpart. However, the moment he stepped through the front door, he was greeted by the sight of modern appliances, stainless steel countertops, and an atmosphere that could easily compete with any high-end restaurant in the land.

Everyone from the chef bellowing his demands to the last kitchen helper moved as if guided by a graceful, elaborate choreography. The smells made Lawrence’s nostrils flare and reminded his stomach that it would be better if he didn’t skip breakfast the way he had dinner the previous evening.

Tiny plates were arranged on a long countertop, and a short, energetic young woman wearing immaculate white clothes and a cap that hid all her hair, counted them, moving her lips fast.

“Sorry,” Lawrence said, hating that he was interrupting her counting.

She stared at him in obvious shock. Unlike Earnest, however, she frowned. “What are you doing here? No students are allowed in the kitchens.”

If that was a rule set in stone, Lawrence didn’t know, and he was sticking to it. “I wanted to return this.”

She stared at the pot in his hands. “Did Bastien forget to tell you someone would get it from your room?”

So, he was exactly where he was supposed to.

“No,” he said smoothly. “I wanted, however, to give my compliments to the cook.”

The young lady narrowed her dark eyes. Her Mediterranean complexion made her an exotic addition to Veridien, but Lawrence was very much aware how out of place he looked, so who was he to judge? Bastien hadn’t lied when saying that he had friends here; the young woman obviously didn’t consider the Sun King her better or some similar nonsense.

“We have a chef here, not a cook,” she said, turning upside down what he thought of her. She appeared to be just as full of herself as many others at Veridien, be them students or personnel. “And I won’t disturb him for such nonsense. Shoo, Lawrence. Breakfast is about to be served.”

“It’s a bit unfair that you know my name, but I don’t know yours.” If he’d hoped he’d make friends among the invisible people at Veridien, he hadn’t started on the right foot at all.

“It’s Esperanza. Happy now? I have a breakfast to organize and a tight schedule.” She put her hands on her hips and gave him a hard stare.

“I could help.”

She grinned. It made her look younger and far less stern. “That’s why he calls you knight-errant. Don’t even think about it. Leave now before anyone notices you.” This time, like Earnest, Esperanza stole a nervous glance at her colleagues.

Lawrence placed the parcel on the edge of the countertop and Esperanza grabbed and made it disappear underneath. She went back at counting the plates, letting him know he was dismissed.

***

Ali spotted him from afar and waved at him. He was at the same table as the day before, which meant that Lawrence would be able to observe the Golden Circle’s moves better than before when he didn’t know who was who.

“Lawrence!” Ali shouted, making several heads turn in his direction. “Come! You won’t believe what happened to me!”

He’d promised himself that he wouldn’t look for Bastien with his eyes from the moment he set foot inside the refectory, but apparently, he was no longer in charge of his own volition. His eyes fell on the beautiful face that had appeared, briefly, in his dreams the night before. Bastien was staring directly at him, his expression giving nothing away.

An unpleasant and unfamiliar sensation made its way into his chest. His purpose here wasn’t to get close to Bastien that way. He had made a mistake, a stupid mistake, and now Bastien most likely despised him—

“Oh, I see,” Ali’s voice brought him back to reality.

Since he hadn’t stopped walking while staring at Bastien, dumbstruck and confused, he had managed somehow to reach Ali’s table. And his, presumably.

“I heard that you met the Golden Circle last night,” Ali said, pursing his lips so hard he looked like a dry prune.

“And I met your twin brother last night. Evening,” Lawrence added, “it was only eight.”

“So? Who’s prettier?” Ali asked, batting his eyelashes.

“Seriously,” Lawrence said with a grunt. “You could’ve told me. Do you also enjoy jumping on people from tall bookshelves?”

Ali seemed to consider. “Not really, no.”

“How come your brother is part of the Golden Circle and you’re not?”

He would not look. He’d made a promise to himself. Talking to Ali should provide enough of a distraction that he wouldn’t meet Bastien’s eyes again. The kiss had been a mistake.

“I’m a free spirit,” Ali said promptly. “Since I committed the terrible sin of truancy, I was sentenced to a good session of reflection and regret.”

“What do you mean?” Lawrence frowned, focusing on Ali’s face so he wouldn’t even feel tempted to look elsewhere.

“What could I possibly mean?” Ali asked, brandishing a teaspoon with theatrical flair. “Supervised study. Well, that’s the official name. I call it a cruel and unusual punishment. But enough about my dull life. You got to know our best and brightest. What’s your opinion of them?”

Lawrence shrugged. “A pretentious bunch, if you’re asking me.”

His evaluation of the Golden Circle seemed to please Ali. The servers were already moving around, arranging breakfast dishes on the tables.

“I heard Bastien protected you like a lioness would protect her cub.”

“I… have no idea what you mean.”

A warm hand came to rest on his shoulder. He did a double-take when he saw Esperanza. She smiled at him, and her hand lingered. “A bit of extra, just for you.”

“Hey,” Ali called out. “What’s this, Espe? Double ratios for the new boy? And I thought we were friends. Come on, I’ve been such an angel lately.”

“Maybe while you were asleep, you little devil,” she said breezily, moving away with a large tray which she handled with grace and competence before Lawrence could thank her.

Ali’s eyes had grown wide and now were examining him with renewed interest.

“You could have some of mine,” Lawrence said, pushing the beautifully-arranged plate with cold cuts and cheese toward Ali.

“No, no, I couldn’t,” Ali said, putting his hands up. He leaned slightly forward. “I don’t want to risk the Princeps’s wrath. Such favoritisms, however, come with strings attached. You should be careful, Sleeper. Also, breakfast is the only meal of the day when we eat like kings. Bon appétit.”

He risked a glance at Bastien’s table, thinking that the leader of the Golden Circle must already be too captivated by his friends and their shared conversation to pay him any mind. But Bastien was still looking his way, and this time, he raised his coffee cup in salute. For lack of a better response, Lawrence raised his as well and took a sip. It was strong and bitter, but it made him feel better, just like Bastien’s soft smile.

***