Chapter 736: '-Éclair plotted the excursion.'

"I-Igna?" 

"I see no reason why you should cower," he scanned top to bottom, a slight shake of her hand and rapid breathing, "-we're friends, are we not?" his shadow loomed atop, "-unless there's something you ought to say."

"N-nothing, I was just on a little walk, that is all," she amusedly returned in a fit of panic, "-a little walk, nothing major."

"How very interesting," he shuffled to her side, "-Gophy and I recently met. My companions are ready for their next toy, how great would it be for you to visit them."

"Far enough, sir," fired a man across the table, "-intimidation has never solved anything."

"Look at you," the gaze swapped, "-a gentleman through and through, I see the overcoat and hat aren't much to scowl at. They are made from the finest material," he side-glanced Malley, "-no wonder the lady would be interested."

"Igna, enough, please," blond hair shimmered in the interior's amber lights, "-she's moved on, I should follow suit. Don't do what I think…"

"Cousin," he smiled maliciously, "-the little indiscretion isn't your to worry about. Remember what I said on the trip long ago, I explicitly warned thee from getting attached – the pain you caused is always a mess to solve," he skipped to the prince's lowered head, "-hold thy gaze straight," the index lifted the clean-shaven chin, "-no matter what happens, the more trouble is thrown, I'll be there to dig thee out. We're family, never forget."

"Cousin…" tears down a man's face had equal, if not, more impact than a lady in tears, especially if the former be sincerely honest, "-thank you," he said holding his head to the ceiling, "-I'm not crying."

"Honestly," exhaled Igna, "-Alta, Éclair, please escort Julius to the window table, I have a business to attend to," the warm expression dissipated. 

"Malley, I understand why one would choose to run after the state he had grown into. I get the point of view, yet, the way you went about trying to rekindle his heart and soul was wrong. Does thy vein flow with idiocy or blood?"

"Excuse me," white tissues bundled out a closed fist, "-I may not know the relationship you have with Malley, the maliciousness is truly unbefitting a noble. I'm sure you know better," he stood, skipped over closed confined seat and table, rose a hand to grasp Igna's shoulder, "-you deserve wor-"

"Silence," thundered across, the room shook, the man froze, "-I prefer weaklings not to stain my suit," he smirked, "-FALL TO THE GROUND," the body fully prostrated, "-tell me, what's your name."

"Igna, no," whimpered Malley.

"You'd better keep thy mouth shut," gritted he unforgivingly, "-don't forget your place, if not for him, you'd have been left to die. Either sit down and watch or I'll kill him first and sentence thee to live in the company of my companions. Love, people, anything can be replaced – shouldn't be hard to have my cousin easily swayed into hating thy guts, especially if he knew you bore a child from another," he murmured closer.

"The child is his," she said softly, gaze to the suffocating date-partner, "-tis Julius's offspring."

"And?" he leaned, tilted the head ominously, "-my word is what's necessary. The child can be taken care of easily, I mean, his mother is here enjoying lunch while the babe is missing. What isn't known will forever remain unknown. Besides," he lunged and pinched her chin, "-I'm a man of different personas. Unluckily for you, I'm in a right mood today," the suit-jacket lifted to show Tharis, "-this isn't intimidation, rather, a fact. You've crossed Julius and his family, the prince was left to suffer – I'll partly take the blame, however, what of you, his lover who's decided to abandon him in where he needed the most help?" 

"S-Stop it," she exclaimed, "-enough, Igna, I'm sorry. Lady Elvira should know the truth," her eyes fluttered upward, "-look," she grasped his collar and pulled, "-look damn it, look, do my eyes lie. I love Julius more than anything I could ever imagine, he saved me and gave me a nice life, how ungrateful do you think I am. A lowly priestess found bliss in the company of another, how about that," she yelled, "-I LOVE HIM, DAMN IT, I LOVE HIM!" 

"Y-you d-do?" 

"Julius…" she gasped, "-why?" 

"I'm sorry," he jumped into a tight embrace, "-I'm sorry I caused so much pain, I was lost and desolate. The many times you tried to console me, I heard but chose self-pity. I lost sight of what was important, I'm sorry, so sorry." 

"I-Igna?" her warm tears landed atop the prince's shoulder.

"Get up," shifted to the man, "-agent for Phantom?"

"Yes sire," he gave a salute, "-Blue, at your service."

"W-wait, wait, wait," the embrace eased, "-Igna, tell me, was the killing intent true?"

"Obviously," he firmed her question in action, "-I wasn't mad, rather, annoyed. The clues stacked one after the other, the willingness to carry phone propriety of Phantom, the conversation at the market which I remind were based on 'master and servent', didn't match the painted picture. The coat," referenced to the previous encounter, "-a crude interruption was the clue I needed. Subconsciously or not, the body reacted to protect the nature of the separation. The previous statement, 'intimidation has never solved anything,' was in its way, another lead. Fear for one's life isn't worth much when one has already faced death; thus, the babe."

"Correct," the party shifted to a bigger table, the prince waited impatiently for her side of the story. 

"Welcome to Casey's," said a slightly frightened attendant.

"Might we order today's special?" inquired Éclair.

"Today's special?" whispered Alta curiously, "-know something I don't?"

"Yeah," he replied, "-apparently the man who makes the meals here is top-class. A graduate from Leko's academy a few years ago."

"Will that be all?"

"Yes." 

"Éclair, I heard you mention Leko…" the stare narrowed.

"I apologize, the chef on duty graduated from the academy. Above-average throughout the career," a character sheet slid across the table, "-he's also a part-time tutor. It would be wise to judge his personality through the meal." Silence settled, the lady in question returned to her seat, a flush-redness remained on her cheeks. The prince took no qualm to interlocked their fingers and pat her hands, "-tell me what happened."

"I had a cryptic pregnancy. Lady Elvira discovered my condition on a visit we paid her. Said the stress wouldn't be good and told me to distance myself from you. Shames me to admit, I was relieved to run – seeing you in such a state made me want to commit some unspeakable acts. I rather not relive the memories. Blue, the man Igna boldly slammed to the floor was actually a bodyguard assigned. He bought me this ring as a keepsake."

"In other words, I'm going to become a dad?"

"You already are a dad," she smiled, "-I gave birth a few months ago. The babe's at home. I received a message from Éclair telling me to head for Castle Garsley, no idea why."

"I see," sighed Igna, "-Éclair plotted the excursion. Thank you."

"Mention not, master." Lunch arrived on a hot platter, the chef, tall and fair-skinned, slid expertly across the pizza in slices, "-meal is served," he nodded and left. For a special, the menu didn't lie, the food deliciously steamed. Before long, the table dove into the pleasures of boiling hot, biting through melted cheese. 

Bell rung, "-master, we'll head on to Rosespire. I've asked for transport to be arranged," the door hung ajar.

"No need to trouble thyself," replied he, "-I'll take the expressway. See you tomorrow," the shiny steed drove into view, doors opened, and the party eased to his lonesome. '-Julius and Malley seem to have made up,' turned on his heels.

"Have you forgotten something?" inquired the keeper.

"Might I have a few words with the chef?"

"Sure, head on to the back, I give 20 minutes before the tables start to fill."

"Understood," a dive into a clean white interior brought nostalgia, '-the alchemist of cooking,' he thought to himself, '-who would have guessed the climb from such a profession.'

"Excuse me?" 

"Pardon the intrusion," he ambled to the cooking station, shy of which stood a stone-brick oven, "-my name's Igna, I was a student under Chef Leko."

"A fellow chef. The name's Bryan," he pulled tightly onto a fiery red bandana, "-chef Leko, it's a shame what happened. He taught me much, how can I be of help?"

"I felt curious as to what happened to the academy. Information is rather scarce."

"The wife took over," they soon shifted to the back alley, "-seems like the prestige's managed to stay. No idea why the frenzy of cooking has taken the world by storm. What about you, why interested in her affairs?"

"I said it before, I'm curious."

"Let me give you a word of warning, the academy is on its way to self-destruction. The lady has signed contracts with Kura's Trading Corp. Most of my elite students are sent to Alphia on orders from the Kura, which doesn't sit well in my stomach. Some I heard have scored employment at renowned hotels, others, silent. Whatever she's plotting is bad, well, coming from a chef who ran from the academy, take it with a grain of salt. I'll be off, the restaurant's about to be full."

"I appreciate the information, Bryan."

"Call me anytime," he chuckled, "-I'll be sure to help out."

'Call me anytime he says,' a stroll gave onto the foliage-covered street, '-interesting fellow.' 

One memorial to another, flowers around the church bloomed and were prettier, '-I'm surprised the priest remembered. I've made it back,' he stood before the gravestones, '-and on time I might add. Feels like we're back to how it started. Ten years truly does change one's perspective. The festive month, I'm ready for the long-awaited vacation.' Respect paid, the church's archway faced north, the slopes of the hill, covered by buildings, paid no heed to the raging sun. 

The journey back began at a bus station, the latter located east of the town. He took the one headed to Gisel Station, built farther to the west after the ex-noble district. There, upon reaching the station, the mix of stone bricks and metal ceiling didn't aid in the ways of heat. Trains waited patiently, the central station of Dorchester had tracks sprawling across the province, hosting even a weekly trip to Arda through the north-western canals.

'It says to take the train to Riverwood station.' Signposts were welcomed, however, not much useful. At wit's end, '-help desk,' written across in sharply painted letters. The cabinet, small and stuffy, held station workers, "-can I help you?" they asked.

"Riverwood," they restated, "-head on down and turn to the right, it should be on line 05. Hurry, leaves in about five minutes. Many plights later, upon crossing a tall beam holding a clock, he climbed on board the wagon reading, '-first-class.' In here, passengers were of the wealthy demography and often empty. No luggage meant an easier time, '-01, 02, 03,' read a bronze plate. 

"Good day, sir."

"Good day, my lady," he tipped his head and shuffled to the window seat, before which sat a stuffy dressed figure keeping her head inside a hardcover book. A few minutes later, the cabin reopened to welcome a warmly dressed gentleman, her visage flushed and they immediately locked into a tender embrace.

"Sorry, you had to wait, darling."

"No, I'll wait, no matter the quandary."

"Please, is it much to ask for thy intimate time to be shared intimately?"

"I apologize, sir," said the gentleman, "-we have been apart for so long. The excitement of eloping is invigorating."

"As he says," said the lady, "-we're in quite the predicament. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"There's nothing to apologize for," he replied courteously, "-I only said so since intimate moments are to be shared privately and not open to a stranger. I'll arrange for a new cabin if thee wishes for more private time." 

"No, don't strain thyself on our account," said the man smiling wholeheartedly. 

"No issue, I promise," said Igna, "-I'll look for another cabin, take care." *Sniff,* the entrance shut, '-I've smelled that before,' he glanced through the window, '-weird.'