Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the fact that the cook we were looking for from Tereau must be a sign of good faith, right?

I was having trouble believing that fact as I sat eagerly waiting in the guest room here in Hazel.

My sister, Ace, and King Fred were all on another side of the room, talking in hushed voices. They were still talking about politics, judging from my sister’s bored look as if she was being tortured.

Meanwhile, I sat on a couch with Viex and Custard while Chace sat on the other end of the seat. From time to time, I caught him stealing glances in my direction.

Ever since last night, we haven’t spoken to one another. Granted, I was mad at him for keeping secrets from me, but who could blame my reaction? He was with me the entire time when we were still looking for clues as to Kellar’s whereabouts when he already had it the whole time.

If Ace hadn’t requested it of him, I doubt that he might even reveal it.

Frankly, his reasoning was justifiable, but as his friend, it still hurts. Which now makes me doubt him a bit. I mean, what else is he keeping from us about Kellar?

Custard, the wolf sitting between us, crawled closer to me and rested his head on my other lap that Viex wasn’t occupying. When I began to pet Custard’s head, his tail wiggled back and forth and continuously hit Chace’s face.

“Hey-” The moment Chace opened his mouth, Custard’s tail entered. This surprised the spirit wolf as well because he let out a yelp and looked back. Chace pushed Custard’s tail away and pulled a napkin from his shirt pocket, and began wiping his mouth. I chuckled at the scenario because of how silly it was.

Chace caught my laughter and turned to me. As soon as he did, my laughter died because I had no clue what I would say to him. Yes, I am still disappointed in him, but I don’t think I can stay mad at someone for a long time - except for the late king Ferius.

“Stella, I’m sorry.” He blurted out. His brows were drawn together worriedly as he addressed me. “I was merely granting Kellar’s wishes. I know how important he is to you, but he is my friend. I am equally as devastated as you when he disappeared. And that’s the truth.”

His eyes were steady and calm as he said those words. His lips didn’t quiver and his powers never leaked, which is something that happens when he becomes emotionally distressed.

This is why I know that he was telling the truth.

“I know,” I said. “But it still doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me. But,” I slumped on the couch and gazed up at the golden metallic curls of the chandelier. I continued, “it doesn’t mean that I hate you or can stay mad at you forever. Just like that idiot who ran away without a word.” As I ended, I turned to Chace with a tiny smile on my face.

A stunned look crossed his face before he began to relax and mirrored my expression, “I see,” He smiled. “Thank you, Stella.”

“That will cost you a favor as a crown prince or a king, okay?”

Chace chuckled at my demand, “Stella, you can have as much favor as you want from me. All you need to do is ask.”

I smirked, “I believe that you are going to regret saying those words one day, Chace.”

The crack of the door opening made us turn our attention to the incoming visitor. Queen Sophie, Fred’s wife, came in with a huge smile on her face. “Rose!” She yelled out and ran for my sister.

My sister, looking relieved as hell that she could finally escape the political conversation, left her husband’s side and ran for Sophie. Ace didn’t seem too happy about the space that my sister left, but Fred, on the other hand, looked thrilled as he watched them together.

“It’s been a while. How are you?” Sophie asks.

“Pretty hectic. The kids are becoming mischievous every day.” My sister replied.

“Ah, motherhood. Something that I don’t think I’ll be ready for.” Sophie chuckled. “Speaking of which, I heard that you guys are asking about our new chef?” Sophie gestured at the door, where a burly old man began to walk in. His long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, and I could already see streaks of white among them from old age.

When his gaze fell onto Rose and Ace, he must have recognized them both as the king and queen of Gija because he immediately lowered his head. “Your highnesses, I have brought pastries that King Fred ordered. I hope that it will satisfy you.”

“Pastries!? Where?!” My sister and I asked simultaneously as I got on my feet. When a tray came in, Rose and I dashed towards it and admired the layers of different mini cakes and macaroons arranged neatly on the tray.

I noticed how Ace leered at Fred with his arms crossed. “You know that this would happen, and you still ordered pastries?” Fred didn’t answer. He just chuckled lightly before turning his back to Ace and continuing to sip his tea. The gesture didn’t go well with Ace because it only infuriated him. “Hey!” He yelled at King Fred’s back.

“They all look so good.” I managed a whisper as I looked up at Sophie. “Is this really for us?”

Sophie smiled warmly. “Of course. Help yourself.”

My sister was already stuffing her mouth before Sophie even gave us the go signal. She grabbed another plate and handed it to me. “Stella, try the blue macaroon. It’s amazing.” She said and fed me a blue macaroon when I opened my mouth. The sweet and tangy taste seemed to melt on my tongue and left a cool and icy feeling in my taste buds.

“This is good! What is this!?” I looked towards that chef and asked him.

The Chef smiled. “I placed cooling potions in the batter. When I heard that the ice princess and prince of Gija were coming, I created that batch specifically for the two of you. I may be a chef, but I am still a wizard.” He grinned.

Still stuffing her mouth with dessert, Rose says, “That’s awesome. Want to ditch Hazel and move to Gija?”

“This isn’t the time, honey.” Ace moved the cart away from her so he could adequately talk to the chef. “What’s your name?” He asked him.

“Zereif Flint.” The chef introduced himself and bowed.

“Zereif,” Ace repeated himself. “I have a few questions to ask you if you don’t mind. And I want you to swear that whatever I am going to ask, you would keep this to yourself. Can you do that?”

Seeing the intent look on Ace’s face, Zeiref nodded grimly. “Yes, your highness.” He bowed.

“You know this person, right?” Ace jerked his thumb in my direction just as I was hoarding the blue-colored macaroons on the plate since I noticed that Chace was also targeting those.

Zereif turned his gaze towards me and studied my face. A slow smile began to appear on his lips. “Of course. She’s the little lady that Prince Kellar used to steal food for. Seeing you well and healthy somehow makes me happy.”

For some reason, I began to blush. I raised my foot and dropped it on Chace’s foot when I saw him trying to steal some macaroon from my plate before looking back at Zereif. “So you knew,” I said. “That means that you purposely allowed him to steal food from you. Thank you. No wonder your pastries give me a warm and nostalgic feeling.”

“Now that it is settled,” Ace began to continue. “We heard from Prince Chace that Kellar used to visit you.”

Zereif’s face began to brighten. “Prince Kellar? Yes, he does. But it’s been a while since he came to visit. How is he doing?”

That question alone brought a lot of concern from us that even my sister and I cast each other a worried glance.

“Mr. Zereif, that’s what we came here to ask of you. Since you were the person Prince Kellar mostly visits, we wondered if you have any idea where he might have gone.” Chace asked.

Zereif seemed puzzled at his question. “Isn’t he in Gija?” He wondered with a tilt of his head. The confused look on his face didn’t seem like he was joking. He truly believed that Kellar was still with us.

“Zereif,” My sister finally stopped eating so she could speak with the chef. “I’m truly sorry if you are unaware of this, but Kellar hasn’t been living with us for four years now. And he is missing.” Zereif looked taken aback by the news, but instead of looking shock, he look more confused than ever. “Which is why we are asking you,” my sister continued. “Since you are the person that he visits a lot, we were wondering if you have any clue as to where he is.”

“Four years ago…” Zereif trailed off. “During that period, he rarely visits me. I can remember him appearing at my doorstep and asking how I was just twice.”

“No way,” Chace argued. “Twice? Maybe you remembered it wrong because I could remember that Kellar would go to Hazel almost every week around that time. At least that’s what he told me that he would do.”

Zerief shook his head. “I’m sorry, Prince Chace, but it is the truth. He rarely came.”

Everyone in the room exchanged glances as it seemed like we were stuck in the air with no clue how we would proceed with this.

“If what Ice brat and cook here say are true, then that means that the missing idiot came here for a different reason. That, or he went elsewhere.” Ace rubbed his chin as he wracked his brain for any possible solution.

But I was still stuck hanging on the words the Zereif said earlier. I don’t know if I had just misinterpreted him or not, but it’s better that I ask while we were here. “Mr. Zereif, when you said ‘a while,’ were you confused about the timeframe?”

Zereif began to scratch his head in wonder. “I’m not sure, Princess. I think it may have affected my memory with my old age.”

“Then, can you tell me the last time that you’ve seen Kellar? Can you remember?” I continued to push him.

Zereif closed his eyes and fought hard to recall. “I can’t give you the exact date, but I could give you an approximation. But if what you said is true, then maybe I must be mistaken.”

“Forget what you heard from us a while back and tell us what you remember.” Ace insisted.

“Alright.” Zereif nodded. “Just before I was summoned to the palace, a young man came to my place to stop by. He has the same black hair and crystalline red eyes that I could never forget. I could hardly recognize him because of how he had grown. He was looking strong and healthy that I believe that the king and queen of Gija must be taking good care of him.”

“Wait just a moment.” It was King Fred’s turn to speak. “That timeframe that you just mentioned, it was just recent, wasn’t it? The time that I summoned you to the palace?”

Zereif nodded. “Yes, sire. The time when Prince Kellar last visited me was about three months ago.”