After spending the last twenty minutes crying quietly under the covers, William had finally fallen asleep. Silently, Cale remained sitting next to him for quite a while, until he finally turned around to the back and glanced at Edward. The crown prince had not moved from his seat the entire time and was staring out the window, deep in thought.

, Cale spoke up and stood up cautiously, at the same time as he did, the cat also raised its head and looked to the mage at the other end of the room.

, she simply replied and straightened herself as well.

, Cale retorted, but Fengari turned away from him in a huff.

, Cale muttered carefully. Fengari continued to ignore him, but Cale could see her casting a curious glance in his direction. Her bright eyes surrounded by the darkness gave her away.

she finally relented and jumped off the Crown Prince's lap, who in surprise threw his attention to the cat on the ground.

Quietly, Fengari and Cale approached each other until the cat finally made to leap and Cale caught it with both hands. He held her in front of his chest and gently stroked her back as he approached Edward and took a seat in the vacant chair. The crown prince had long since averted his attention, but that didn't bother Cale. He merely wanted to make sure if he needed someone to talk to. For a few minutes, the room remained completely silent, and Cale leaned back as well.

"Thank you for taking care of Will", the crown prince spoke up after quite some time, putting aside all pleasantries. Cale looked down at Fengari, for he did not want Edward to feel he was being watched. But the crown prince didn't seem to care how Cale saw him at the moment. Instead, he squatted in front of him with his legs crossed and leaned his head against the backrest, but his hair blocked a good view of his face. "He'd been crying quite a bit the last few hours."

, Fengari interfered loudly.

"I can't blame him for that. When I lost people who were important to me, then I reacted the same way. It's natural to feel sad about the loss of a loved one."

"Have you ever lost someone so close to you?", the crown prince spoke back.

"Yes. A long time ago. They were like family to me and their deaths I regret to this day", Cale explained in a hushed voice. It was the people from his other lives he was talking about. Including William himself, though he would never relay it that way.

"Sir Freigoud mentioned to me that they were going to go in search of Marion's whereabouts, but he said not to get my hopes up too high. Not that I had them in the first place, even if it would be a dream if he came back alive. Just the thought... feels so surreal that I'm having a hard time grasping the whole thing."

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it might be like for you to live with that uncertainty."

Cale received no response to this statement, but Fengari's purr enlivened the silence. She was becoming more like a real cat, which Cale found fascinating - in a strange way.

"Tell me, Caleb. How did you get through that? That feeling that makes you faint. I got over my mother's death a lot better than Marion's. How did you get through it?", Edward finally threw back and turned his gaze to the mage, who did the same. His face was lit only by the light from the window, but Cale could still see that his eyes were flushed.

In fact, Cale had not remembered at all that Queen Kiana of Sylve had died when Edward was already 6 or 7 years old. Of all the princes, he probably had the best memories of his mother before she ultimately succumbed to her illness. Her funeral was only dimly in Cale's mind, since it had taken place a few months before the attack on Groka. For him, therefore, it was over 300 years ago.

"It's not like you can just turn that feeling off. I was pretty helpless and lost, but it gets better with time, even though you can never completely forget it. You learn to live with the pain until the pain subsides and you remember the nice things."

A nostalgic smile appeared on his face as he recalled past events. But on this point, he was probably anything but helpful. For he had everyone who ever mattered to him by his side again - alive. Even if they didn't possess the memories of the things Cale carried with him. So Cale also prayed that his rebirths would come to an end. Losing everything that was important to him again was something he would not be able to handle.

"I hope you are right", Edward returned, turning his head to the side, seconds later tears running down his cheek. "I wonder how my father is dealing with this. Since the Thormod's statement... he... I haven't seen him this silent in a long time."

"He's in the next room if you want to talk to him."

"Never mind, it's not that urgent", the prince returned quickly, wiping the tear from his face with an elegant movement before bracing his arm on the armrest and resting his head on it in the same move.

"You should get some sleep too, it will do you good", Cale finally began, straightening up again. He lifted Fengari into the air as well, setting her down on the free backrest and caringly placing a hand on the prince's shoulder. Edward did not look up as Cale spoke. "I'm going to go outside for a bit, but I'll be back later if that's all right."

Edward merely nodded. With those words, Cale left the large room and stepped into the hallway, where three soldiers stood in the shadows, as well as Duke Loys of Freigoud standing a few feet away from him. The man quickly turned his attention to Cale, but said nothing.

"How long have you been on your feet, Duke of Freigoud?", Cale began the conversation and approached the broad man, who stood guard in his usual position. There was no mistaking the resemblance to Ben.

"A while", he evaded a specific comment.

"How about we join Sir Venlan and take a little break? It's been a long day."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I intend to stay awake all night."

"Are you sure? Your three soldiers in the shadows should be able to cover for you for a few hours, and in case of emergency, I will be there as well. I would feel it if someone approached without permission and if I see it right, the room where Sir Venlan is staying is just down the hall", Cale returned cautiously, gesturing with his hand toward the door in which Julius Venlan was currently sleeping. Cale didn't know the palace very well, but this area had many bedrooms next to each other, presumably for guests or possibly even their private chambers. "And King Leonhardt needs some time. So it won't do anyone any good if you force yourselves to stand guard."

Sir Freigoud hesitated for a moment and returned Cale's gaze expressionlessly. While Cale could not judge how close the Duke and Prince Marion were, they were certainly no strangers to each other. It's quite possible that he had increased contact with the fake prince in recent years as he came of age and took on more of the royal family's public relations work.

"You are probably right. Two to three hours of sleep doesn't sound bad", he finally returned, loosening his stance. A moment later, he directed his gaze upward. "You're in command up to there."

"Very well, sir", the voice returned, but nothing else could be discerned besides it.

"Join me for some tea, High-Magician Leuen", the king's right hand added. Cale merely nodded and followed the Duke down the hall. Carefully, Loys opened the door and allowed his guest to enter before gesturing to the seating area. Wordlessly, Cale took a seat on it and took a quick glance around the corner, where a plain bed was located. The room seemed to be used mostly by employees, for they were not as nobly furnished as the other room or the hall itself.

Sir Freigoud activated the fire crystal next door and let the water simmer in the pot while he gathered two cups, some sugar and honey, and some tea bags on a tray. After a good two minutes, he also came to the table and put everything down, which is why Cale politely thanked him. Finally, the two men sat across from each other and mixed their tea, while the third man seemed to be sleeping peacefully next door.

"I wanted to personally thank you. For everything you have done for us. For Sylve, for the Royal Family and also for the safety of Prince William and my son Benjamin. You probably don't know how much I appreciate this, High-Magician Leuen."

"If you don't mind, you're welcome to call me Caleb as well", Cale replied with a faint smile, leaning back. "It's a natural thing for me, both referring to Sylve and to William and Ben. They are my friends and I hold them both in high regard."

"That's good to hear. Benjamin has told me a lot about the trip in the last few days, with most of his stories coming from his time with you and his stay in Exarion", Duke of Freigoud told me before taking a sip and adding some honey shortly after. "Ah, you're welcome to call me Loys, too. I know it's strange to call a high noble like me by my first name, but a friend of Benjamin's is a friend of the family."

"I'm honored", Cale replied. "The word 'family' means a lot to me."

"I have been told that you are from Groka and that you joined the Magistrat after the attack", Loys returned, his eyes looking skeptically at Cale, though Cale couldn't really judge why.

"That has indeed been the case. I left for Altona a few days after the attack."

"Alone?"

"Alone, yes."

"How did you manage that? Weren't you afraid? Wasn't it dangerous?"

"Not really. I'm good at assessing danger."

"Weren't you a kid back then? If I remember correctly, you were only twenty-two?"

For a moment, Cale's brain stopped working. So his strange feeling was not unfounded. Sir Freigoud knew something, and the little details would be Cale's undoing. But, then why didn't it bother him that much? Perhaps because he had already told Ninett Merensen the truth? Or had he simply resigned himself to this part of his life being a mystery to others? Was this what he had always secretly wished for? That there were people who knew the truth?

Audibly, Cale sighed, causing Sir Freigoud to give him a surprised look.

"Did Ben tell you about this?"

"No. In fact, we've known about it for quite a while. We had just wondered why a child went to the Magistrat unaccompanied by an adult and later turned out to be a High-Magician. Did you know you were a magician even then?"

"Yes, I was aware of that."

"Is that somehow a secret ability that High-Magicians possess?", surprisingly Julius Venlan now spoke up as well. Cale already suspected that he had awakened when he entered the room, but had deliberately not stirred.

"No."

"You're awake?", Loys said at the same time, turning around to the back. His colleague straightened up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. From the looks of it, he must not have slept long.

"You underestimate the noise of your footsteps, my friend", he returned mockingly. "Caleb, to be honest, we always tread you High-Magicians very carefully. You're powerful enough to wipe out all of Bellator if you wanted to."

"Well, I don't deny that at all. Whereas not every High-Magician is capable of doing that. We do carry a lot of mana and the Igrikum, but not all of us are capable of such a large area attack", Cale threw back dryly, straightening up. Both men gave him a thoughtful look, but Cale merely went back to the pot and got a refill for his tea.

"Which doesn't include you, though, does it? I had Benjamin telling me what you had done then after the fight with Miguel Heriog", Loys raised a moment later. "You could feel the tremor all the way here to Bellator, did you know that?"

Surprised, Cale paused in his movement and looked up at Duke. He had been aware that this performance with his mana was probably the most violent and stupid thing he had ever done. But the tremor had been felt not only throughout Altona, but also in Sylve?

"No, I wasn't aware of that. I hope Ben also told you that I was just showcasing my skills and not actually attacking anyone. I wouldn't do something like that for no reason. None of us High-Magicians, to be precise."

"We're aware of that somewhere, even if the news surprised us at first", Sir Freigoud quickly admitted, while Cale refilled his cup and offered him a refill as well. "I didn't get the impression after the incident in Kutam that you were eager to present your skills to the public. Considering you asked us to lie to the residents."

"Time's probably up", Cale replied, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "I don't think I've ever thanked you directly for keeping my identity on the outside. Thank you."

"It was the least we could do", Loys returned, before glancing at Julius. "Would you like some tea too?"

"No, it's too bitter for me. But thank you for the offer."

"Would you like to taste some tea from Frignez? I fell in love with the variety when I was in Norgram and I can recommend it to anyone", Cale spoke up, making a small cloth bag full of tea leaves appear in his hand that he had brought back from Frignez back then. It was the favorite variety of Aletta, whom he had the privilege of meeting in his first life and had loved ever since that day.

"Tea from Frignez?"

"Yes. It's usually served with a mild cake", Cale explained with a smile, thinking of the first time he had baked with Henry back then. Many of the cakes from Sylve were also popular in the cold north, especially the recipes from the province of Pistori. "Which I'm afraid I can't offer you at the moment."

"If you ask me like that, I would indeed like to try it sometime", Julius confirmed and stood up, while Cale turned his attention to the tea.

Setting the finished cup down in front of Julius, the consultant politely thanked him and cautiously took a sip before pausing in surprise and looking down at the tea.

"Good, isn't it?"

"Surprisingly good. I can't tell what it tastes like, but it's very tasty."

"That are medicinal herbs, though I can't tell you exactly what herbs are mixed in", Cale explained with amusement, before Julius passed the cup to Loys, inviting him to try it as well. From the look on Loys' face, Cale could tell that it tasted the same to him.

"Can I ask you something, Caleb?", Julius finally spoke up.

"Of course."

"How does someone like you, a five-year-old orphan from Groka, become such a powerful High-Magician?"

"As with all people, with self-discipline. I've been dealing with magic for half my life, and with a lot of practice, you simply get better. Even though I can't say why I, of all people, became a 3rd stage mage."

"Was your mother a mage?"

"She knew some, minor tricks, but not particularly much. But I don't remember much about her", Cale tried to dodge the question. To the outside world, Olivia Leuen was just a young mother who took care of the household and the fields. "I developed the interest over time all by myself."

"And your father, as far as I know, he was a soldier. Did you learn swordsmanship from him?"

"When I was five?", Cale threw back, turning his gaze on Loys. "I don't think any father would put a sword in his child's hand at the age of five."

"At that age, after all, the sword is almost bigger than the child", Loys countered with amusement, and by all appearances had Ben to think about. "Then how did it come about that you became swordmaster?"

"Life sometimes forces you to change things. When magic couldn't help me anymore, that's when I was forced to switch to the usual weapons and one thing eventually led to another."

"Your life story... I would like to hear it."

"I wouldn't want to inflict that much brutality on you before bedtime. It would only give you nightmares", Cale threw back mockingly, and Loys grinned as well, but Julius, on the other hand, continued to look at him calmly.

"Caleb", he spoke up quietly. "How long have you known about the problem with the Thormods?"