Silva ran for awhile, knowing full well that he was being a bit immature. Still he felt he had to make his resistance clear.

The area he ran towards felt a bit familiar but he couldn’t place it. Finally he realized it was the prison he was locked in for an afternoon.

He felt a bit of nostalgia. He couldn’t help missing the place.

"Ah! You are the friend of the king right?" A guard stationed at the exterior says nodding towards Silva. "Again our greatest apologies for that situation."

"Oh, no problem. It was my own fault. Just trying to connect hearts." Silva shrugs with a smile. "Still I appreciated the hospitality."

The guard almost choked when hearing Silva’s words. Can you really call a short stay in a cell ‘hospitality’?

"Right did you want to come inside?" The guard asked curious why Silva had come to such a place.

"Hmm, I am curious about the chef here. And I want to thank the guard who was posted on my cell."

"Thank… I… I see." The guard says utterly confused by Silva at this point. "Please, come on in."

Unbolting the large metal grate door he waved Silva inside the prison fort.

"Thank you." Silva nods with a smile.

Walking into the prison voluntarily was surely better than his previous visit. The guards in the area all looked at him strangely but no one was disrespectful. They seem to be good at their work. Silva thanked each of them as he passes them. They weren’t sure how to respond so they lightly nod in return.

He was lead by one of the men towards the kitchen area.

Inside the dingy dark kitchen fires and shouts roared. It sounded more like a torture chamber than a kitchen.

Groups of weaker prisoners skinned potatoes and diced onions while bulkier ones flipped meat and stirred at massive pots.

"Who’s interrupting? We are about to get hit by the lunch rush. We don’t have time to dawdle." The chef in charge scowls glancing in the direction of the open door.

"AH… This noble visitor is a friend of…"

"It’s ok. I don’t want to take up to much time. I just wished to thank you for the meal. I only had one but I found it very delicious."

"You… I see. You are welcome. Come back anytime." The chef smirks tipping his hat at Silva.

"I will." Silva agrees with a nod.

The chef hadn’t expected the response forcing him to laugh. "Right, keep peeling. Didn’t you hear that. He said our food was delicious so we had better keep it up."

"YES CHEF!" The group of prisoners with budding, yet still teary-eyed, grins reply doubling their speed.

Leaving the kitchen area towards where Silva’s guard was stationed for the day they began to pass other cells.

Most were empty with few containing wily drunks or over-confident adventurers. He also spotted a few of the assassins who had attempted on his life only a few days earlier.

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The two passed a shackled girl holding a broom and listlessly sweeping. She seemed to have not even a touch of life in her eyes. If not for her movements with the broom Silva would have believed she was dead.

Even after they passed, he couldn’t get her out of his head. There wasn’t an attraction of any kind he simply wondered what had put her in such a state. Thinking back she was indeed amongst the group who was arrested attempting to assassinate him. He should hate her but there was no such feeling. More than anything he pitied her.

"It’s you…?" The guard stationed in the block says with widened eyes. "What are you…?"

"I wanted to thank you for your hard work." Silva explains with a smile.

"Tha…. You’re welcome?" The guard returns with confusion. He glances at the man escorting Silva but he offers no assistance. "Well I was about to take my break so do you want to…"

"The king! The king has arrived. He’s looking for Silva!" A guard suddenly announces rushing up to the three.

"Who’s Silva?"

"I am." Silva confirms raising a hand. "Damn, they caught up quicker than I expected."

"You are? Then hurry, hurry. The king is looking for you at the entrance."

"Mmmm…" Silva groans following the guard.

At the entrance indeed Philip was lined up with Misty and a row of women.

"Good work young miss." Philip says nodding to the smug Misty.

"I told you I could do it." Misty smirks stepping up beside Silva happily and handing him the thick Budge. "This is too heavy. You have to carry it."

"Ugh…" Silva sighs gripping the tail of the fish.

"Ahm, Sir are you the friend of his majesty? It would be an honor to serve you. I actually know of several recipes with Budge as the foundation. I would be happy to serve them to you." A pretty maid says stepping up and batting her eye lashes.

"Oh! I am a good cook as well. And cleaning is a breeze for me." Another says, unwilling to let the first girl steal the limelight.

"Me too! And my boobs are definitely bigger than those two!" A third says while thrusting her chest out proudly. The first two bitterly scowl at the girl.

"Uuu…" Silva mumbles looking at the bright eyed girls who attempt to gain his attention relentlessly. They all looked like healthy hardworking girls. Each probably came from a lower noble family, or had sucumb to illness in their youth making them undesirable for marriage.

They all jostled with eachother playfully vying for the spot in the formation closest to Silva.

Silva however couldn’t get a different face out of his mind.

"Hold this." Silva says, handing the fish to Philip who stood at the side watching the scene happily.

Again Silva ran towards the prison before returning with the dead eyed girl.

"I choose this girl. Is it a problem?" He asks looking at Philip.

"Her…" He asks, his words were mirrored by the maids who jostled for the position. "Wasn’t she one of those that were arrested that night?"

"Oh? One of the assassins who responded to my call?" Misty asks with a innocent grin. "I don’t really get it but if she can keep the place clean its fine."

"Were you stricken by her during the attack?" Philip asks with a coy grin.

Silva shakes his head at the theory. "No, I didn’t see any of the assassins during the attack. They never got close enough. I’m just curious about this girl. And I saw her cleaning in the prison so the idea came to mind. I am the reason she is in prison, correct? Does that mean I can forgive her and have her released?"

"Hmph." Philip laughs rolling his eyes. "Yes. That would be fine. I trust your decision."

He then turns to the maids who looked somewhat pitiful. "I’m sorry girls. He’s a hard to please person. Think little of it, I will tell the chefs to prepare a cake for you tonight as consolation."

Their disappointed faces lit up at the word of ‘cake’.

As for the former prisoner, she who was released from her shackles wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. Who were these strange people. Why was she being released? She had already resigned herself to die in prison. It would be a relief, but now even that route was stolen from her.

She was bitter, but also somewhat happy. But she couldn’t figure out the latter.

"Hey Silva." Philip says putting a hand to his chin as if coming up with an entirely new ploy. "Would you be interested in expanding your property?"

"What? Not really... Why? How?"