Out of the corner of his eyes he catches sight of Alessandro ruffling his servant's hair and a new question pops into his head over it. [i]'I believe he really likes his squire. He is. . . .Affectionate I think is the word. He shows kindness due to some feeling, some gentle, kind feeling inside. It is what I have read about in those books about love and friendship'[/i] He glances at the prince. [i]'I know we share a mutual interest in one another, finding the other interesting and the like, but I have little understanding of how our views of one another differ. I want to protect him, not just for the pay but also for my own personal reasons, and he wants me around, protecting him and those he cares about. . .'[/i]

Looking at his hands, still stained with blood, and his brow furrows ever so slightly. [i]'He protects. . . .Those he cares about. . .He warned me against hurting this boy upon our first meeting. He cares for him, and he. . . .'[/i] His thoughts tumble round and round, trying to make sense of things. Before he can even begin to fight his way through the solid bloody stamp on his soul to begin exploring the idea of affection directed at him the prince is moving and without a word Rei is on his feet, his mind and body back in the world so they can do their job properly. His swirling thoughts are immediately shut down, locked away, to be perused later should he feel them important enough to revisit.

Nodding at the offer to return to the old man's personal library the following day the small male remains carefully out of the way as Peter does his best to help the prince move about. [i]'Sometimes too many helping hands simply ends with more harm than good'[/i] he reasons, moving ahead of the prince and keeping an eye out for any new dangers. He must look rather menacing as he does this as many a servant chooses to either turn and go the other way quickly or skirt the halls as they pass. He doesn't mean to frighten them but Rei knows his craft. Despite the danger seemingly having passed he knows that an assassin, a good one, could very well be in the castle now.

[i]'Using the men as a diversion, no one would think it possible to get onto the grounds now that an attack has happened, heightened security and all, however if they got here before hand then it is completely possible for them to be laying in wait to act now that everyone thinks that the attack is over. . . .'[/i] He doesn't sense anybody nearby, but he remains on high alert as they slip into the prince's room. He checks every corner, both visibly and magically, for any sign of danger. He wanders about the room while Alessandro converses with his manservant and gets comfortable in the bed. At the window he surveys the grounds, eyes keen, his other senses tuned towards danger for several seconds before pulling back, snapping the shutters closed.

The red headed youth eventually leaves and Rei moves closer to the bed. He wants to tell the man that he will likely spend the evening in this room to keep a closer eye on the prince however the man has something very confusing to say before he has the chance to speak up. Tilting his head slightly to the side he looks at Alessandro, both confused and understanding at the same time. Crawling carefully on to the foot of the prince's bed he continues looking at the man, trying to find words for his thoughts. “I. . . .Do not have pride Alessandro. I do not operate off of shame or pride. They get in the way, make one foolhardy or cocky. I feel no shame for you having stepped between me and my target.”

He takes another long moment, his eyes moving about the room as he tries to form his question. “I am however. . . .Confused.” his eyes fall back on to Alessandro, deciding to be forward. “I am curious as to just why you did it. I take from your words you did not think me incapable, and that you responded perhaps on automatic. However, that still leaves my question of why? Why did you feel the urge to defend me?” He gestures towards the door. “I understand that, for the youth, he is someone you have feelings for. You are bound to him, have affection for him, as your friend however I. . .” He points to himself. “I am a man who tried to kill you, who now defends your life for reasons even I do not understand. I am nobody to you, so why. . .”

The door opens and Peter's head peeks in. It's clear he did not hear the part about Rei trying to kill the prince however he can tell that the strange boy is talking about something and doesn't want to interrupt. Rei's eyes go to him anyways as he shuffles in, a tray in either hand. Rei looks curiously at them. One is smallish and holds tea. The other is larger and looks like the one that was dropped off at his room for breakfast. In a quiet voice he murmurs, “I found this outside your room. Seem the maid sent to drop it off didn't quite make it inside your room to deliver it. . .” In truth, she was told to leave it inside the room if Rei was not there, however she had not been able to find the courage and instead left it outside his door.