Rei's head come up much like a dogs as he senses the prince heading for the door to his room. Slipping into his boots easily he wipes his fingers on his napkin before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and making his way to the door. His table lay in disarray, an incident with a falling nut leading him into a little game with the rolling parts of his breakfast while he waited. His hand pauses just above the handle of his door. [i]'He stopped. I wonder why. . .'[/i] Unlike the day before where the prince just breezed past, no doubt expecting Rei to fall in line like he did, this time the boy stops in the hall outside the fae's door. Curious, once the prince moves on, Rei waits for him to be out of earshot before slipping silently into the hall.

Careful to make sure Alessandro stays in sight he stalks far behind the prince, observing him on his way, taking in not only the youth but how the servants around him act. [i]'I am finding it hard to figure out what to believe here. I am no master of reading positive emotions, but I can recognize when they are present. As the prince, should they all not at the least have respect for him?'[/i] Seeing mostly down cast and averted gazes Rei remain befuddled until they reach the dinning hall. The boy is seated by the time his bodyguard reaches the doorway.

One glace at the king once more solidifies his thoughts on how much the man seems to hate his own progeny and leaves Rei to wonder about the king as a possible suspect. Slipping into a servant alcove he manages to stay out of sight and observe for a short time, wanting to assess the situation before entering it. His attention is caught by another thing he's never understood. Watching the boy wash his hands he lets his mind fall back to the few times he's seen the action before. It was almost always among rich families. While most poor families would “go out back” and wash up before a meal, the rich seem to feel the need to be almost constantly with clean hands.

Or so he has observed and surmised. In all his reading, he's never had much of an interest in human customs and their reasoning so etiquette books are not something he's acquainted with. After the tense words from Alessandro, Rei decides that standing aside so far from the boy is not a good idea and pretending as if he'd just walked in the door he slides up the the prince's side with expert grace. He stands just off to the right and a little behind the youth's chair, as he has observed this being a respectful position, and after a light bow to both the king and the princess he lets his gaze wander, mapping the room like a good bodyguard.