The store had a big sign: SEM’s Bookshop. Books of all kinds and detective novels.

The young boy insisted on knocking, despite no one had answered his previous attempts.

„Mister Sem! Mister Sem!” he shouted for the tenth time.

His voice sounded like a trumpet in the quiet neighborhood, and it was very early in the morning. Lacking an answer, he glued his face to the glass door, trying to see something inside, protecting his eyes from the sun with his hand.

„What’s all this ruckus at this hour? Go away, punk!”

A woman in her early forties had appeared on a balcony across the street, a white cream mask on the face, and the cucumbers slices in her hands.

„I’m looking for Mister Sem,” the boy tried to explain. „We were supposed to meet before he leaves with the morning train. I ordered the latest number of Young Detectives, Inc., the most trendy novel about...”

„Do I look like I care? Go away, or I’ll call the police!” the woman menaced.

Reluctantly, his hands in the pocket of his khaki shorts, he went away, kicking some pebbles furiously. He had a most unruly wheat-blond hair, a pointy nose, and looked no more than fourteen, which was exactly his age.

On his way, he got through d’Ornia’s Central Park, a long strip of greenery that went from the north to the south of the city. He looked prudently around to see if a certain Cariol was out. He had a feud with that particular butcher apprentice who had developed a habit to kick his but for fun, but it was so early that even he wasn’t out yet. It was seven in the morning.

At half-past, he reached the Governor’s residence. To his surprise, all his friends were awake and finishing breakfast. That included his sister Estella, the Schiavon, Frey’r, their guard, Vellantina, his half-brother, Peidro, accompanied by his mother, Veea, Diago’s ex-wife. Finally, in the corner, sulking like a perpetual storm had engulfed the world, was their valet, Sirinn.

„Morning, Ulius!” greeted him Frey’r.

„Where have you been again, you parasite!” asked sourly, his sister, Estella.

The rest just nodded.

„How come you got up so early? Is something wrong? Why are Peidro and Veea here? Don’t they have to open the bakery?”

„You forgot!” Estella accused him. „So typically you! Please, Providence,” she prayed, raising her eyes to the ceiling, “let us meet a bear in our trip, one who’d eat him without choking on his personality!”

„So much brotherly love touches me,” joked Peidro, a tall and solid fifteen years old boy. „We came to say goodbye, kid. You’re leaving for the mountains, remember? The excursion? You’ll be out for the rest of the holiday, at least ten days. Speaking of that, I’ll miss you, sis!”

„I’ll miss you too, Peidro,” Vella replied. „You’re so nicer than I’ve expected. I’m sorry I’ve waited so much to meet you!”

They hugged tenderly.

„You can come to visit as often as you want. I love you as you were my own!” said Veea, hugging Vella and kissing her on her forehead. „You could have been if only Diago could have kept his head cool.”

„You mean if only you have not left him for the elf cook, Toshamiel, breaking his heart?” hissed Vella snake likely, rubbing her head with her sleeve to erase her kiss. „Making mom have mercy and taking him for husband because otherwise such a great warrior would have withered and perished from sorrow?”

„You see, my dear,” replied Veea with mature lecturing superiority, which made Vella look around for a knife, her skin crawling, „I just advanced the inevitable. They were always together, your parents, fighting monsters and all, while I sat home all alone, sad and alone, and...”

„Common mom, that’s water under the bridge,” intervened Peidro. “Let’s go. Dad Tosh is waiting for us to open the bakery, and we risk losing the first customers.”

„So, where have you been, little brother?” asked Estella again.

No one had taught chivalry yet, to Ulius. The next second he was trying to strangle his sister, shouting that they were the same age, that no one had any means to know who was the older one, and if by logic, it was him because he was so much smarter. Frey’r picked him by the collar and raised him in the air like a kitten.

“Dude, that’s not cool!” the Norse exclaimed. “Do you know that I get sick if I see a lady in distress? Our culture considers women the highest treasure...”

„Ulius! Where have you've been? Hurry and eat something! Why are you not pushing them a little, Vellantina?”

Both hands on her hips, their host, the Governor’s Daughter, and the twin queen’s best friend, Missy, looked at them with severity. Unlike her friends, long gone was her wasp waist; she was now on the plumpy side but still nice looking.

„My lady, I’m just the protector, not their nanny. You have all the skills necessary to yell at them if you want, for me, I’ll pass. That said, Ulius, if you ever go away again while I’m sleeping, I’ll break you a leg, capisce?

„That’s the attitude!” congratulated the host. „Haven’t you heard, Ulius? Eat and pack!”

„I’ve eaten a bit of cake before I left,” sighed the boy. „I’ll just go make my bag.”

„Have you done my backpack, Sirinn?” spoke Frey’r after Ulius had left. „I do not want to deprive you of the satisfaction of a job well done. Go pack my luggage. Chop chop.”

„All right, Frey’r,” said Sirinn humbly. „On my way.”

„Mister, or Master Frey’r, for you, please. I do not want to deprive you of learning the correct way to address your betters!”

„Yes, Master Frey’r!” he said, rolling his eyes while exiting. The punishment found for him had been to become the youngsters' servant for the holiday. He founded it less, and at the same time, crueler than he expected.

The host gave them many instructions about how to hike safely, instructions they didn’t need, and then left to make them some sandwiches.

„What’s about all this trip?” asked the Norse. „Not that I mind hiking, I’m just curious.”

„It’s because of Ulius,” sighed Estella. „He’s obsessed with detective stuff. He always has a crisis during the holiday, always toward the end. Two years ago, he suspected the servants of conspiring to steal the jewels. He stalked them in their bathrooms, even the girls, if you can imagine that. I still have the poor girls’ screams in my ears. They’ve all resigned, and Missy cooked for us the rest of the month. Should I mention she’s a terrible cook? We ate only cake, Veea’s, and I put five pounds on me who stuck on for a year. Last year he infiltrated the Coastal embassy to spy on their secrets. Never mind, they are just a tourist attraction nowadays, and they hadn’t a good army for centuries. The Ambassador’s wife almost had a heart attack finding him behind the curtains. It was a huge scandal. So this year, I’ve put a plan into motion, together with dad and moms. We’ll go away for a while, just before his crisis strikes. There is no detective work to be done in the woods. We’ll be leaving just in time; when you see that he begins to sneak out of the house at five in the morning, it’s a terrible sign.”

In the next fifteen to thirty minutes, Missy, Sirinn, and Ulius returned. The first with a lot of packed sandwiches, Sirinn hunched under the weight of a lot of backpacks, and the latter dragging on the floor his own rucksack, who was so full of stuff that only Frey’r was able to pick it up. The City Hall bells sounded eight when they left.