Kiri leaves him in charge of everything and takes Aleko with her. She's closer with Aleko, but Jayce has initiative that Aleko doesn't and is less averse to the idea of running Ardelay business in her absence. Aleko can also draw; he has sketches of the missing prince and can make more.
They cross Soche-Tas, in their own carriage but as part of a merchant convoy that knows the way.
On the far side of Soche-Tas is the little country of Thiyec. Thiyec usually has improbably good weather. People who are less wedded to the culture of Welce than most talk about retiring there.
Thiyec has been getting plenty of rain.
They break off from the convoy and start showing the missing prince's picture to people. People in Thiyec consider nudity no more a remarkable fashion decision than hat-wearing, and it's not a terribly comfortable trip - it doesn't help that only about forty percent of Thiyec's population speaks any Soechin, Kiri's the only one who ever learned Soechin, and nobody in their party knows a lick of Thiyecine.
But eventually, there is a knock on a particular door.
Loel flops into his own bed on the kitchen floor and goes straight to sleep - although first he stands just outside the kitchen door and convinces all the water on his body and in his shoes and shorts to depart these locations in favour of the ground.
There is the kitchen, and there is Loel, curled up in his blanket nest but firmly awake. He smiles when he sees her.
She relaxes when she sees him. And steps closer so if he has anything to "tell" her, he can do it without waking Aleko.
In that case, she is welcome to his memories of the whole event, as clearly as he can remember them for her. Which is pretty damn clear.
"It'll be about a week getting back," says Kiri. "Once we've got you where you're going I need to head back to the palace and cough up whatever the story is - it doesn't even necessarily have to include your identity, if you want to hide particularly thoroughly."
"...I think I'd like that a lot better than the alternative," he says. "I can just be Loel obviously-Lalindar, who you found in Thiyec in the middle of a misplaced rainstorm. No missing princes involved."
She nods. "You're a little recognizable. We found your house in the rainstorm in question with Aleko's sketches five years out of date to show to people. But if you don't keep too many servants, and don't travel, you could probably avoid showing yourself in person for at least a while. I'd offer to be your messenger, but it would look suspicious for one prime to be the only public face of another - the Frothens know me well enough not to count on it being a bid for power, but Auney doesn't, to say nothing of the missing Serlast if they ever turn up."
"Do that many people know what I look like? I wouldn't think so," he says. "As long as I don't come to the palace, which I'm not exactly planning to..." He shrugs.
"If someone describes a distant Lalindar cousin who has been out of the country but speaks native Welchin and has fluffy dark hair, thus and such a skin tone, and these descriptions filter to the palace...? I think there would be more suspicion than you'd like."
"I'm also not planning to keep any servants," he says. "But I guess I see your point. I don't know, though, I can't be the only Lalindar who looks like me. Mother has other relatives."
"There are other Lalindars, but by and large they haven't been out of the country - in an approximately northerly direction - and they aren't your age - and all it would take would be a surprise visit from someone who's met you."
"I would, in fact, seriously advise that you do. There's plenty of water around the estate, but not an actual moat."
"Then do. If you don't want to do it yourself with magic - if you want it lined with stones or what have you - I can recommend a contractor." She downs the last bite of her breakfast. "Shall we go collect the horses and the carriage?"
"Sure," he says. "I wanna pack some things, but it shouldn't take long; would it make sense for you guys to get your carriage and come back for me and my things?"
"I got it," says Aleko. "Doesn't have to be a two-person job." He gets up, fixes something that aesthetically offends him about Kiri's hair, and heads out.
Loel packs some things. He's very quick about it - no time spent dithering about what to bring and what to leave.