The bowl labeled with Luna’s name contained a mix of meat, vegetables, and a grain that looked like rice, all cooked. It wasn’t too different from what I cooked for her when we ran out of her normal food. A sniff didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary, so I dumped it into her food bowl, and she dug in with a happy little sound.

I took my plate to the long dining table. It could seat twelve easily, but I hadn’t found a smaller breakfast table, so I sat at the end and pretended I wasn’t uncomfortable. The padded chairs were white, which was just asking for trouble, but they went with the pale wood of the table.

I couldn’t believe Torran had a young nephew stay with him often and the cushions were still pristine. Maybe Valoffs had figured out some miraculous anti-staining technology.

My plate was a mix of unfamiliar fruits, nuts, and what I assumed was cheese. Another note had been tucked half under the plate. When I drew it out, I realized that it was a guide to everything included, written in Common in the same neat hand. There were even tasting notes that included things like sweet, bitter, and spicy, along with a recommended eating order.

Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure I was comfortable with Valovian food.

I finished everything on my plate. It wasn’t all exactly to my taste, but none of it was terrible and I appreciated the work someone had done on my behalf.

I left Luna to continue enjoying her food and carried our plates to the sink in the butler’s pantry. Anja and Eli had been unable to find a sanitizer after dinner last night, so they’d washed the dishes by hand. I did the same this morning, then carefully balanced the plate and bowl next to the sink to dry. Once I found Torran, I’d ask him to give me a proper tour.

More food had been left out on the kitchen island, with the same Common labels that explained what it was. Torran needed to give his staff a raise.

“Where is everyone?” I asked over the comm.

Eli was the first to respond. “Good morning, lazybones. Some of us are earning our keep while you get your beauty rest.”

The comm caught Lexi’s snort. “I saw you ‘earning your keep’ in the gym earlier. It looked a lot like flirting.”

“You sure you want to go there, Lex?” Eli taunted. “Because I saw—”

“Children, focus,” I said.

“Kee is out at the transport with Varro,” Eli said. “Anja and I are in the war room with Chira and Havil, going over surveillance footage. Lexi had to take a walk to clear her head after a certain someone who shall not be named got under her skin while they were discussing ways into the building you apparently visited last night.”