"There are several secret passageways just like this one all over the castle." Alessio went on with his self-appointed tour, lifting the scepter he had pushed down. "Some lead to certain balconies, some lead outside, and even more lead underground."
Silvan glanced around as Alessio spoke, but he was listening intently. He had no intentions of snooping around the secret passageways, even with Alessio's company. The underground section of the castle had nothing to do with him, he knew what not to do.
He might find out the secret passageway in his room and how to use it, but that was merely for safety's sake. Vampires had the terrifying ability to vanish and reappear in the blink of an eye, it would be so easy for an attack to be carried out.
He wasn't expecting to be attacked, but there was no harm in being prepared for the very worst.
Alessio didn't stick around the secret passageway for much longer, continuing their journey. Soon, they were in an unfamiliar part of the castle.
Silvan couldn't help but feel like most of the castle would be that way to him for at least a few years. It was simply too big.
When Alessio slowed down for a second time and approached a door, Silvan kept his distance, hanging back.
Alessio knocked a second time with a frown, wondering if he should have just dematerialized in directly. Just as he was considering it, the door swung open.
The anger on Luka's face dissipated the moment he saw Alessio standing on the other side of the door. His unabashed excitement dimmed considerably when he looked past Alessio to see Silvan standing a short distance away.
He snagged Alessio's wrist and pulled him into his room, shamelessly closing the door right behind him without inviting Silvan in.
"What a pleasant surprise to have His Highness come visit me," He smiled slightly, still holding on to his wrist.
He was fully dressed, overcoat and cravat in place, his dark red hair neatly gathered up and pinned behind his head.
Alessio pulled his wrist away and took a look around, now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he paid Luka a visit, it was always the other going to the trouble to come to his room. He should try to change that.
"Not quite," He mumbled, sheepish. "I was on a walk with Silvan and then thought to invite you to lunch."
Luka's smile stretched into a grimace, his tone dry. "I'm hurt. And here I was thinking I finally won a visit."
"How about I pay you a visit after lunch?" Alessio quickly offered, knowing well that he was in the wrong. "And will you be coming to lunch?"
Luka had already been informed by Queen Nadia about lunch, it was why he was already fully dressed. He had been thinking about when the perfect time to visit Alessio before lunch would be. But he didn't mention it, looking thoughtful.
"I'll come to lunch as long as you keep to your word." He gave his answer, a sly one at that.
Alessio agreed eagerly, turning to the door. "I still have to finish my walk with Prince Silvan. See you at lunch."
Luka watched him go out, black hair a satin curtain behind him that fell down to his slight waist. He looked past Alessio again to find Silvan staring at him intently, it made him step back and slam the door shut.
Alessio jumped slightly at the suddenness of it, hurrying to Silvan's side. "Sorry to keep you waiting," He apologized politely.
He knew better than to try to make Luka and Silvan get along, he would have to put a separation in the time he spent with them. He would rather not leave Silvan at the mercy of Luka.
Silvan didn't mind, he very much preferred waiting outside. It was far better than the forbidding aura Luka seemed to have around him whenever he was near.
He wasn't quite sure how Alessio did it, because they never turned around, but a short quarter of an hour later, they were back in the hallway where their rooms were located.
"I'll come get you for lunch," Alessio waved him off, slipping into his room.
Silvan didn't go into his room, curiously studying the hallway. It seemed like it was just Alessio staying here alone until he arrived. He walked to the opposite side of the hallway and opened the door, instead of another bedroom like he had been expecting, instead, it was a receiving room.
The next one opened to a study, complete with bookshelves high on the walls. He stepped into the study, pleased to find books so close to his room.
Silvan browsed through some books, not exactly sure what he expected to find. For someone who had always held the belief that Vampires were barbaric, mundane things like books written by Vampires were sometimes jarring.
Just in this small study, there was such a variety of books. Not just books from Vallyn but from faraway nations, with topics on various subjects. It was fascinating.
He read books on the history of his nation, and was taught to read and write as well as basic arithmetic. Previously, his only interests were in his religion, so he read a lot of tomes on the Kallenic Faith.
But right now, he was trying something new, and he had quite a lot of free time on his hands.
There wasn't a lot of time to read right then, so he merely browsed through, reflexively starting out in the section of Vallyn's history.
It was very well detailed, with several thick tomes that were difficult to hold in a single hand. He picked one at random and opened it. It was written in a language he had never seen before, trying to read it was out of the question, and he was certain that he hadn't heard any Vampire speak it yet.
He couldn't even make out the year, maybe he had picked up a tome that was set too far in the past that there was a language divide.
There was no time to check another book, so he returned the one he had taken to its rightful position on the shelves and then returned to his room to wait for Alessio to arrive.