Tursed my worid upside down

Egor and Klaus came to Jiro's office before dawn.

"This is madness," Uncle was indignant. "You heard Vitos' story, right? Your mother is not herself. Why waste time meeting with someone who is unlikely to tell you anything intelligible? Understand, our time is running out. It's time to act."

"Uncle," Klaus answered calmly. "I did not give you my promise. Until I see my mother, do not count on my help!"

"Why are you so stubborn? It is difficult to get into the estate unnoticed. It will take a lot of time, which, I repeat, we do not have!"

"So, there is still a way to get there secretly?" the prince continued to insist, ignoring everything else.

"I do not know how else to convince you," Jiro answered, heavily sinking into a chair.

"Don't waste time, my decision will not change anyway. If you want my support, then hurry up and tell me how to get to my mother."

"A stubborn boy. You know, August was like that too, and what happened to him now? He's dead, if you've forgotten, and all because he didn't think straight and went straight ahead!"

"Uncle, I also mourned my brother's death, but it won't help us now. I won't change my mind. So, professor," he turned his head to Skotsky, who had been silently watching the family squabble all this time, "did you bring the map?"

"Yes, Your Highness, but I ask you once again..."

"So, I intend to set out today" Klaus interrupted him mid-sentence. "Uncle, you will give us horses," the prince continued, taking and unfolding the map, "the journey is not short."

"Well, if you have decided everything and there is no point in trying to convince you, then at least listen to my advice."

"I can do that, but I can't promise that I'll follow everyone's orders."

"So," Jiro began, "you must leave the estate secretly. Your father will probably soon find out that you were with me, if he doesn't already know. I told you what he wants from me, and if he finds out that you've safely left my house, it will be a big problem for me. If you leave at night, I think I can give you a couple of people, but no more, otherwise you'll attract attention."

"I'll go with Egor. It will be faster."

"Are you sure?" Jiro looked at Egor and turned back to Klaus. "I understand, youth, hormones, but think with your head for a little while, what can your bed slave offer on the road, besides you know what?"

"Firstly, Egor is useful, but not in the way you think. I do not intend to reveal his talents, at least until we conclude an alliance, if we conclude one at all. Secondly, when choosing him, I think exclusively with my head, and not with hormones, as you, Uncle, deigned to express yourself."

"Okay, do as you see fit," he sighed.

Then everyone, except Egor, discussed the road, bypasses and a secret passage to the prince's mother's estate. As it turned out, the professor often visits there and developed this route himself, just as he himself (or rather, with the hands of the slaves of his friends who remained in Isorobia) made an underground entrance, which will lead the young people directly to the underground chambers of the estate.

Having checked the route several times, having considered possible obstacles, the men went their separate ways, and Klaus and Egor returned to their room to have breakfast.

The sun was at its zenith and two young men, the prince and his personal slave, were slowly walking towards the stables.

"I told you I've never ridden a horse," Egor nervously addressed Klaus when they approached the stall of a powerful black horse.

"It's not as difficult as you think. The main thing is not to be afraid and everything will work out."

"Hey, boy," the prince called out to one of the assistants of the head groom, "we need a well-trained and calm horse. Prepare it."

The poor slave was so frightened by His Highness's request that he first fell in a low bow, then stood up, looked around nervously and fell again.

"Stop bowing already. We don't have much time. Prepare him, - Klaus pointed to the black horse," and the calm horse, lead them out. I hope you can handle it quickly?

"Yes, Your Highness, it will be done," the boy answered and quickly got down to business. A couple more guys came to his aid, and Klaus and Egor went out into the fresh air.

"Maybe we should walk, like before?"

"Do you know how long it will take us?"

"Klaus, I don't think it's a good idea to go to such a dangerous place together. What if someone attacks us again?"

"I can easily handle a couple dozen ordinary soldiers, and if there are magicians among them, then I have you," the prince smiled encouragingly.

"Actually, I'm not sure that I will be of much use," Egor said very quietly with a reddened face.

Riding lessons became torture for Egor. No matter how hard he tried to show his fearlessness to the horse, he couldn't do it. The young man managed to get into the saddle only on the fifth try and that was thanks to Klaus's help.

"Hold on tight! She'll…."

Before the prince could finish speaking, the horse reared up and Yegor flew down. It was painful. Falling on his back from such a height paralyzed the boy's body for a few seconds.

"How are you?" Klaus sat down next to him, worried. "Hey, I asked for the calmest horse," he yelled at the groom boy.

"Your Highness, but this is the calmest mare," the boy said in a pleading voice and fell to his knees again.

"Klaus, it's all right. Even the ponies didn't love me as a child. It's not the boy's fault. It seems that I'm even more useless than I thought," Egor said, struggling to get up.

"We don't have time to look for an animal that will love you," the prince said with annoyance. "We'll have to use one horse. I think this black stallion will take us there easily."

Klaus quickly and gracefully saddled his horse and extended his hand to Egor.

"Let's try to see if I'll fly off the horse with you," the prince smiled.

"I'm not sure..."

"Do you see any other options?" Klaus asked, but as soon as Egor opened his mouth to answer, he stopped him with a gesture of his hand and extended it to the young man again. "If you suggest walking, then don't bother."

Egor sighed and extended his hand to the prince, who sat him down in front of him. The boy felt Klaus's strong chest against his back and instinctively tried to move away from him, until the prince pulled him back in displeasure, pressing him even tighter to himself.

"If you fidget, you won't be able to control the horse properly. Sit still and lean on me. That way, I'll be able to fend off an unexpected attack without interference if we meet anyone on the way."

Egor did as he was told. The horse was only slightly indignant, but the prince's strong hands quickly returned the lead, causing Klaus's entire body to tense up, and Egor felt like he had been struck by an electric shock.

"This will be a long ride," Egor thought, fighting the urge to move away from the prince. "I hope I can withstand such closeness and not give in to my base desires."

After unsuccessful attempts to teach Egor to ride, at Jiro's invitation, the young people went to dine in the common room, where several high-born guests were present. Egor, as usual, stood by the wall and looked with envy at the steaming, aromatic meat, hot bread and vegetables that were groaning on the table.

The dinner was almost over, when suddenly Egor noticed something was wrong. Klaus put his empty glass on the table and bowed his head, then tried to get up and fell. The young man, not realizing his actions, jumped up and ran to the prince. The guests rose from their seats, gasping and groaning.

"He was poisoned!" a stocky man, hung with gold chains, expressed his guess. "The crown prince was poisoned!"

"No need to panic, gentlemen," Jiro said calmly, moving towards the prince, whom Egor was shaking by the shoulders in despair. "Call a doctor, immediately!"

Klaus's guards surrounded him from all sides, allowing only their true master to approach. No one touched Egor, allowing him to sit on the floor and lay the prince's head on his lap. Klaus looked as if he was simply sleeping.

"Let me through!" Egor realized that he was a healer, breaking through the high-born onlookers. He felt the patient's pulse, opened his eyes, mouth, checked for fever, and only then straightened up, addressing Jiro, but so that everyone present could hear him. "Your Highness shows no signs of poisoning. Most likely, the cause of his illness is something else. Right now, I can't say what exactly. Take the prince to his room, where I will conduct the necessary examinations."

Having waited for Jiro's orders, slaves in gray robes entered the hall with a stretcher.

"You," the king's brother pointed his finger at the lost Egor, "will guard my nephew in his chambers. Do not let anyone in there."

"Yes, sir," the young man said uncertainly, getting up from the floor and following the stretcher.

The doctor never came. Klaus was unconscious. Egor sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the prince's head. He had absolutely no idea what to do. Everything was repeating itself. Again Klaus was unconscious. Again this sharp, tearing anxiety was tormenting Egor. How could this have happened? While he was immersed in his thoughts and torments, the door opened slightly, and Jiro entered the room.

"Still asleep?" he asked calmly?

"Where is the doctor? He said that Klaus was sick! Why didn't he come?"

"Calm down, boy. Klaus just drank a sleeping pill that I personally added to his wine. He'll wake up soon."

"But why?" Egor asked, shocked.

"I think my nephew filled you in on all the details?" After waiting for an uncertain nod, Jiro continued "What do you think will happen to me if my brother finds out that I let his son go?"

"As far as I understood from Klaus's story, the king wants his son dead, which he practically told you directly."

"That's right."

"So you created this commotion in the hall so that the nobles could see how the prince fell. So that they would think that the prince was sick. Then there would be no questions about why he doesn't go to receptions and doesn't show up on the estate's territory."

"Well done, smart boy. And it will also give the king a reason to think that I could somehow influence the sudden illness."

"Why didn't you warn me about your plan?"

"Are you so confident in your acting skills? I'm not used to taking risks, so I do everything for sure. How did you sleep?" he turned to Klaus, who had barely stirred.

"I thought that you were really going to kill me, Uncle."

"Not this time, dear Klaus, not this time," and a malicious smile blossomed on Jiro's face, but perhaps Egor only imagined it against the background of the words spoken.