Pretending To Be Gilead's Prince and Master Wizard

I had found myself sitting in one of those fancy cafes here in Central Town in the next few minutes after I happened to meet Leo in the most unforeseen way.

The child, (or I must assume him to be a young lad already) is now sitting across me while graciously opening a menu in both of his tiny hands. I forgot how old he is currently. Probably ten to twelve years of age, I assume?

"Ah, I want to have steak for today." At last, he finally spoke after a long stretch of silence. Then he snapped his head up and looked at me. "What do you wish to have?"

I returned my gaze back at the menu as soon as possible. 

"Probably I will have the same food as you have ordered a while earlier," I said then let out a halfhearted smile as I placed the menu back at the table.

"Hmmm, I see. Very well."

His hand raised as soon as he was ready to order our food. It did not take long before someone took notice of his gesture and a gentleman in a white polo with matching black ribbon and black slacks dashed towards our direction and took our orders.

While Leo was still talking to the waiter, I took my time to cast my gaze around this fancy restaurant. Surely, I already went to some diners and cafes with my friends and with that heartless, cold jerk (who now turned into a complete snob) once. But from what I am seeing over here, this place is truly incomparable to others.

At the heart of the daylight, there was a live orchestra playing that serenades the guests here with a somewhat melancholic, beautiful music that could pierce through anyone's hearts. 

Luxurious-looking silver-colored chandeliers were hanging above us that illuminate the four corners of this whole place, and the smell of food from their kitchen not far from here are currently filling my nostrils are adding to my excitement to try their cuisines here for the first time.

I am sure that by the time I will be returning to the castle, I will be so dead to my three mentors, especially to that snob. But in the meantime, let me just enjoy my time before facing my doom.

"Trust me, they have the best steak here in Central Town. As a cook myself, I am loving the flavors added to it." 

I wasn't even aware that Leo was already done talking with the waiter and so I returned my gaze back to him. 

"I do not know much about steaks, so I guess I will have to trust in your great judgment when it comes to that." My lips curved into a smile while giving that remark.

"Oh, is that so?" he returned the smile at me. "Then I am most certainly flattered that someone trusts my judgment on this one. It is my pleasure to have found you in the streets while I was on my way to Central Town."

We both chuckled at that after, probably for a split second only. And then we were back to being awkward once again, each of the sides of the table restraining themselves from expressing what is in their minds.

Looking at Leo right now, he totally changed, big time-- but in a good way, of course. Even his speech greatly improved. Surely, some good-hearted person decided to adopt the child and trained him to be the young lad that he is right now.

But I wonder where are his other siblings right now? You know, the other kids who are living with him the day that I had found their precious, little home.

"I assume you have something in mind that you wanted to ask from me?" Leo's eyes looked at me with real intent, trying to decipher what is currently on my mind. "Perhaps, you are wondering about the whereabouts of my other siblings?"

Wow, I did not know he is also great at mind reading. Or perhaps that question is literally written all over my face right now.

"Ah, yes. You are most definitely right." I said. "I am just wondering what happened to those adorable children."

Leo did not answer my question right away, but instead reached for the glass of water that the waiter has already placed on our table (maybe upon his request earlier, but I will never know since I did not acquaint myself with listening over their small discussion over such matter) and took a gulp from it.

And when he was finished, the young lad placed the glass back into the table and returned his gaze at me.

"Well, I am pleased to inform you that my other siblings were also adopted and had the privilege to have their own families, such as myself." he smiled genuinely after his own statement.

I was indeed pleased with his answer. "That is great news, indeed!" 

"Back in the days when we lost our mother, I made the toughest decision of all, and that is to send us all into a foster care center knowing I do not have the means of taking care of my brothers and sisters at that time. In my second month in the center, I was lucky enough to have a rich couple, who were experiencing some sort of dilemma to have a child, to find me and soon adopted me and raised me as their own. That was also the time when my other siblings have also found a family of their own."

Then he waved both his hands to his sides and continued, "And now, here am I."

Upon hearing his experience, I could not help but gape in disbelief.

"Wow. That is truly fascinating. As they said, there is really a rainbow after the rain."

"Yes. It truly is."

Our conversation momentarily ended there when the waiter approached our table once again, but this time delivering our orders and placing them at the top of the table. Then on a brief notice, that same waiter had immediately left after serving our food.

"Bon appetit," I heard him say before he turned to take a bite of his steak. That immediately caused me to have a strange look on my face. I had never heard of such an expression before.

Seeing the look on my face, he sensed the need to explain the meaning behind the expression.

"I often hear my parents say that word, which is a french salutation for someone who is about to eat, as they have explained to me." He was kind enough to explain the foreign term to me.

"Oh. I see." I replied and raised my fork. "Bon appetit."

Soon enough, after we are finished with our meal, he bid his farewell since his parents are expecting him to be home before seven in the evening. I thanked him once again for the sumptuous meal that he let me experience this evening, in which he replied with the waving of his hand to dismiss it off.

Leo and I are now standing at the exterior of the restaurant as I witnessed him ride on the magnificent brown stallion that is quite big for his own size but still managed to mount himself up on the horse's back.

"I believe I owe you an apology," he said before taking off.

My brows were drawn together. "What for?"

"I have ridiculously mistaken you as the prince, making our first encounter not so good at all. I even pushed you to do something for our mother that I know is beyond your capacity." Then he gave me a slight now before he added, "And for that, I am so sorry."

I smiled at him, to let him know that is all in the past now. "It is alright. You really do not owe me anything of that sort."

"I pray that you will find success in the path that you are currently taking," Leo smiled, showcasing his perfect set of white teeth. "You know, about your studies."

"Right," I said. "You as well, now that you do have the privilege to enroll in a school."

Leo gave me his genuine smile for the last time before he pulled the steeds of his horse and galloped his way out of this place. For that brief moment that we have been together in the restaurant and in here, I nearly forgot that he is still a child. Such maturity in that small frame of his.

Anyway, as you may have guessed already, by the time I went back to the castle, it was already past seven at that time. My three mentors (surprisingly, yes, Alex the snob-- another term that I would like to call him now-- was there with Lucas and Lancelot when I arrived) and looked at me with such scrutiny that it almost made me uncomfortable.

"You are most certainly late," Alex said in his usual, grumpy way… but looking way more irate than I had seen him these past few months.

"Yes, I am aware of it. And for that, I am really sorry." I immediately countered, putting on my most apologetic face that I could do. "I randomly met some old acquaintance here and cannot bring myself to decline the invitation for a short reunion."

"I trust that you really must have a very enjoyable date with a certain lad that you have lost track of time." 

Alex surprised me somewhat by what he said, but he did not give me any time to clarify things out before he left and probably went back to his office.

I did not know you could consider a get-together moment with a child as a date! How wrong could it be?!

"Ah, someone is being ill-tempered these past few days, I see." I did not miss the chance to see Lancelot's eyes filled with curiosity landed in my direction. "I wonder what happened…"

Those were his last words before entering the office of the prince. Lucas and I followed right behind him.