Return of the Great Cat and Mouse Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The Vilhelm Case Part 5


Nearly on the verge of sleep, Dawson gazed up at Watson whose droopy eyes were focused on the maid in front of them.

"Yes, yes. Afterwards I couldn't so much as lift a teacup!" the maid smiled oblivious to her interrogators’ current states of mind.

Trying to hold back a yawn, Watson tried to remain polite.

"Yes Lenore, that was quite an interesting story on how you organized sixty-five tea sets, but where were you on the days of the Offering Festival?"

The silver spotted shepherd tilted her head on her paw, her green eyes looking up at the ceiling in thought.

"The Offering Festival, huh? Hmmm... oh yeah!" her tail instantly wagging.

"On those days, I got days off from cleaning and arranging things in the castle, which is basically my job. I spent most of the time with my family down in the city and celebrated the festival with everyone. Basically what everyone does, you know! In fact last year my family and I-!"

"We get it!" Crisp growled.

"Then perhaps. . . tell us what you did after the festival ended?" Dawson asked, eyeing Crisp with disapproval, but also with slight gratitude.

Still oblivious to the interrogators’ true feelings, she grinned at them.

"Oh! I went back to work. It's only been a couple of days since the King, Queen, and Prince left and I haven't finished doing my duties of cleaning the top floor of the castle as much, and I can't even bare to go into the King and Queen's room right now. . . " Lenore said her eyes trailing off with sadness.

Watson stared at the middle-aged dog sadly.

"Yes, we understand Ms. Lenore."

Lenore looked up at the group, her eyes brightening.

"So? Any more questions? Cause I got a lot to say about-!"

"Ah-! Just one more question I'm afraid!" Dawson quickly interjected and then clearing his throat after his outburst. "What are your thoughts on the prince?"

Lenore's face then quickly turned sour.

"Ugh! You don't know how long I've been waiting to complain about that little brat!" Lenore said, startling the investigators.

"He's an ungrateful boy who never thinks about anyone but himself! He always has his little outbursts and most of the time me and the other maids have had to calm him down, because of his parents’ absences. Worst and foremost, he's a cold little self-righteous, prince who will probably one day, put this whole kingdom at war once he takes the throne! It's a shame he is missing and all, but after all the time he's treated me badly, I'm sort of glad he's gone." Lenore humphed pouting as she crossed her arms like a child.

"Well, how does he treat you?" Crisp asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lenore looked towards Crisp with a glare.

"He treats me terribly! He treats me like a maid!" she huffed.

". . . Um lady, you are a maid. . ." Crisp said eyeing the woman strangely.

"Yes, but he doesn't need to treat me like one!" Lenore stubbornly barked.

Watson dropped his pen and put a hand on his face in exhaustion.

"Thanks for your time Lenore, it's been a pleasure. . . you may now leave." Watson said as politely as he could.

Lenore lit up once more, her tail wagging, and smiled at the three.

"No thank you! Have a nice day!" she nearly sang as she strutted out the room.

Once the group saw the door close, they all groaned.

"Oh man. . . this is more than I can handle. How many more people do we have to talk to?" Crisp complained.

Watson thought for a moment.

"About four more if I'm correct?"

"Ugh that lady talked enough for four people." Crisp growled.

Dawson chuckled.

"Now, now. Better four more than twelve more."

The room's door then opened and Hound, Basil, and Archibald came inside.

"Basil!" Dawson said, looking at the detective perched on Hound's shoulder, surprised at seeing him suddenly.

Watson looked up at Hound, once Hound and Archibald got closer to the group.

"What's happening, Hound?"

"The raven, Toto, is dying. Fast. We must all quicken our pace and hurry to solve this mystery."

"And we just wasted our time, with that maid chick!" Crisp groaned rolling his eyes.

"The water that Delmira had given you and Toto had been poisoned, for sure we know that now." Archibald said.

Watson sighed sadly.

"I wouldn't think that Delmira would do such a thing. . ."

"Maybe. . ." Basil said his eyes trailing to Dawson and Crisp. "Was she found yet?"

Dawson shook his head, causing Basil to frown.

"What did you discover upon your interrogations?"

"We only managed to talk to two people who know what's going on so far. . . We actually didn't learn anything really useful I'm afraid. . ." Watson said shamefaced.

Hound, Basil, and Archibald eyed each other.

"We'll be the judge of that. Tell us everything they have said."

OoOoOoOoO

"Really you two. . . I doubt we'll find anything in the King and Queen's room. I've been in there searching myself after their deaths, but nothing is out of the ordinary." Archibald frowned, following Hound up the stairs.

"I'd still like to err on the side of caution. We can't afford to miss anything." Hound said, while Basil nodded as he sat on his shoulder smoking his pipe.

"And according to what Dawson and the others said about their conversation with a maid, the top floor of the castle has yet to be touched by any palace staff. Therefore the King and Queen's room is in the same condition as it was before they left on their official business. There is likely at least one clue for us." Basil said.

Archibald sighed as the three made their way to the top of the steps and walked down the long furnished hallway.

"Well I suppose so, you two are the experts. . ." he said wearily.

"Indeed." Basil said bluntly.

As the group continued to walk down the long hallway, Basil eyed the prince’s bedroom door as they walked toward the bigger door at the end of the hallway.

The three then opened the large door and entered the room slowly and immediately eyed the room.

Basil noted it was furnished in a somewhat similar style as the prince's furnished room, but it contained a larger bed and the room was twice the size of Prince Vilhelm's. He looked up at the room's ceiling and saw the same painted landscape that Vilhelm’s ceiling had.

'Curious. . .'  Basil thought his eyebrow raised as he studied the artwork.

Hound chuckled as he looked around.

"The maids haven't cleaned yet, but still need to? The place is plenty clean already."

Archibald smiled weakly.

"Yes, our maids here take their cleaning very seriously. . ."

"I can see why you didn't think there would be any use coming. At first glance the place has nothing that looks out of the ordinary, even though this is the first I've been in the royal's room." Hound murmured, his eyes scanning everything.

Basil climbed down Hound's shoulder with grace and landed on the floor.

"How's the weather down there?" Hound teased.

Basil glared up at him with a smirk.

"A lot more clearer down here than up there I'm afraid. I think I've found something."

Hound and Archibald's eyes lit up in surprise.

"What? Already?!" Archibald asked crouching down to try to see Basil's view.

"I believe so. Look there. Do you see that shimmer of light under that large dresser?"

Hound joined Archibald in his crouched position in order to see, but frowned.

"I'm afraid I can't see anything from here."

"Me neither." Archibald said, awkwardly lying on his stomach in an attempt to see the light.

"Ah. . . and here you were teasing about my height a while ago." snorted Basil.

Sitting up, Hound raised both his hands in surrender.

"You've proven me wrong, greatest detective in all mousedom." Hound playfully stated, only causing Archibald to roll his eyes at the two.

"That aside, are you sure you see light under there, correct?" the royal tutor asked Basil.

"Without a doubt."

Archibald then got up.

"I wonder. . .  could it be the King and Queen's secret room? Whoa. . . never thought I would actually discover it like this."

"We need to get inside. There must be something in there that could help us." Basil said.

Hound stood up and walked toward the dresser in question, and tried to move it out of the way, but it wouldn't budge.

"Won't move. Must need to push or pull something in order for it to open. Typical." Hound said his eyes rolling, while he smiled a bit.

". . . So then we. . .?" Archibald inquired hesitantly.

Before Hound could breathe it out, Basil immediately walked toward the dresser and started to slide his hand along the wooden bottom.

"Feel around you two. Not just on the dresser but anywhere else in this room. Hopefully for our sakes, a lever and or switch is even in this room. . ." Basil frowned.

OoOoOoOoO

"Hang in there birdbrain." Muta said surprisingly softly as he looked down at the trembling raven on the bed.

Muta then looked towards Baron who was sitting at a table, staring down at the open dairy in front of him, while Haru stood on the table crouching down to look at it herself.

"Not to be pushy or anything guys, but find anything useful yet?" Muta asked.

"No." Haru winced.

Baron frowned.

"Only so far a regular diary with seemingly normal entries."

"Read out what you're looking at, I'm anxious just watching birdbrain over here, may as well be a part of what you're doing." Muta said as nonchalant as possible for him.

Baron flipped a page and Haru read aloud.



Once again, my parents gave me another broken promise.

They always tell me that we will do something and in the end, they are too busy.

They always put their royal duties before me and never consider my feelings. I'm getting very upset about that more than ever now.

Archibald kept on scolding me that my parents are always hard at work to make their subjects happy. I understand that, but what upsets me is they don't put that same effort into making me happy.

I hardly see them anymore these days.

Ever since I turned 8, they put their complete faith in Archibald into taking care of me and teaching me things and focused solely on their work and forgot about me. They expect him to do the work a governess would do, but completely forgot that Archibald is just my tutor.

I miss the days when I was younger. When I was very dependent on my parents. Back then it seemed like we were inseparable. Now it seems like I only get to see them during dinner and bedtime when they kiss me goodnight, but they have been doing that less frequently and I think they aren't going to even bother telling me goodnight soon. I better prepare myself for that possibility. - V



Haru eyes sadden.

"Poor kid." she murmured.

"What a shame." Baron added.

Muta frowned.

"Is this the same prince, who everyone is saying is evil? Pfft, sounds just like a kid who just wants his parents attention."

Baron then read aloud another passage.



Another day, and once more, my parents are too busy for me.

I tried asking my parents for all of us to, for once, eat breakfast or lunch together. They actually said we would. But of course they didn't come around breakfast or lunch. Why do I bother anymore?

I guess I showed how upset I was cause, Archibald, while in the middle of a lesson, just stopped the lesson suddenly.

Once I left the library, I guess I got a bit too fed up, because apparently, I ended up crying and breaking down right there in the hallway.

Jeez, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was a bit too emotional around then or I just thought I would be able to get my parents’ attention if I threw another one of my ‘famous’ tantrums. But instead of getting my parents’ attention, like always, I got the maids’ instead.

Before I knew it I was surrounded by them all, as they frantically tried to calm me down.

"Calm him! And don't alert the King and Queen. They shouldn't be bothered by this now." said Lady Divine as she glared down at me writhing on the floor.

"Please behave yourself young prince!" one of the maids said trying to steady my kicking legs.

"Nein! I want my parents, not you old hags!" I remember wailing, as I continued to kick and thrash.

"O-Old hags? Don't call us that you little brat!" one of the maids, Lenore said.

"What a foul mouth for a prince! But that's to be expected from a mutt!" another maid growled, pinning my kicking legs, while a couple of other maids pinned my arms.

"W-What’s going o-on here?"

Recognizing that stutter and soft voice, I looked up to see Kunz walking up to us.

Lady Divine immediately approached him.

"He's throwing one of his tantrums again. But this is one of his worst yet." she said to Kunz who sighed sadly.

"You s-shouldn't have to p-pin him down like th-that. Tantrum or n-not, I don't think his p-p-parents will be pleased with the wa-way we're rough handling h-him right n-now." he said. "Y-You all are e-exused. I-I can handle it f-from h-here."

Lady Divine crossed her arms at Kunz.

"Fine. Come girls, leave him."

All the maids let go of me and followed Lady Divine out of the hallway, leaving me and Kunz alone.

Kunz then sighed and looked down at me, with a cold stare.

"Get up. Your dinner should be ready." he said sternly not stuttering.

Since growing up with Kunz, I knew he doesn't stutter when he is very serious or angry, I knew better than disobeying and listened. After all, he doesn't like me. I'm a disappointment to the royal family, just like everyone else thinks. Because I'm just a mutt in their eyes. - V



Haru frowned, once Baron stopped reading.

"What's wrong with him being a mutt? What does that have to do with anything?" she asked.

"Don't tell me that they have a racist thing with dogs here?" she winced.

"Of course they do Chicky. Everyone just has to have a reason to put someone down in any way." Muta said.

"But that doesn't make sense. I saw more mixed breed dogs in this Kingdom than ones that look purebred. Why would they look down upon the majority population?" Haru asked.

"I think I'm beginning to understand. . ." Baron said, causing Haru and Muta to turn their heads to him.

"You see. . . back when I lived here and worked with Hound, before the current King and Queen were crowned, the King's parents ruled. The Dog Kingdom and the Wolf Kingdom had made an alliance and began to merge. Many dogs and wolves hated this, but a short time later . . the Dog Kingdom's prince and the Wolf Kingdom's princess married and became the King and Queen we now know and the Kingdoms were officially merged. Then apparently soon after I left Hound and began the Cat Bureau, Prince Vilhelm was born."

The room was silent except for Toto's labored breathing, breaking the silence as Muta and Haru absorbed the new info.

"The King, who was a Weimaraner and the Queen who was a wolf, bore a pup. I suppose, some are still not happy about the dog and wolf alliance even now. So it's not entirely all about mixed breed dogs. Rather, I believe that they just hate the fact that the Prince is a dog and a wolf hybrid. In their words, a mutt." Baron finished, frowning down at the prince's journal.

Muta chuckled.

"Tsk, don't blame the kid for his 'evil' reputation. If I were him and I were treated the same way, I would be a brat too, maybe even a bigger one."

Haru shook her head.

"It's just a shame people can't accept what is different."

Baron sighed.

"Indeed."

Haru's eyes widen.

". . . Do you think that the person who murdered the King and Queen, was someone who hated the dog and wolf alliance?" she asked.

"It's a very strong possibility, Haru. There is, right now, no clear evidence what the murderer would gain from killing the royal family besides pure maliciousness, that may very well may be the case."

Baron then flipped the journal's page and was about to read another passage, before Muta interrupted him.

"Ugh. Try finding something he wrote, that's not so depressing, if there is anything. There has to be something unusual about that alone." Muta said.

Baron flipped past a few pages, before Haru halted him.

"This one looks relatively happy?" Haru said.

"Well? Read it!" Muta commanded.

Giving Muta a soft glare for his rudeness, Baron looked down at the journal and read the entry.



We went! It has been almost half a year, but we actually got to go!

It was a huge surprise! My parents just woke me up in the middle of the night and told me we were going.

I just stared blankly at them for a few moments, before they both laughed and mom pinched my cheek gently.

"I was expecting a better reaction." she whispered teasingly.

Dad's laughing turned into soft chuckles.

"Now, now, get up Vilhelm, unless you wouldn't like to go?" he said his head tilted, his floppy ears, drooping.

I didn't waste anytime, jumping out of bed at that moment.

"No! Oh please! I wanna go!" I abruptly said, before my mom slapped her silver furred paw on my mouth.

"Shhh! Vilhelm, we'll never get to go with you causing a racket!" she scolded playfully.

Dad then rushed to my room's door and peeked out the hallway.

". . . I don't think anyone heard that. Coast is clear." dad said with a sigh of relief.

"Should I change out of my pajamas?" I whispered, looking down at my appearance.

"No time, as you can see your father and I didn't bother either." mom said.

I got a good look at the both of them and giggled to see them both wearing their pjs as well. Everyone would have freaked to see the King and Queen actually leaving the castle in their pajamas, yet here they were attempting to.

Father then went to one of my drawers and pulled out two blankets and gave one to my mother. He then approached me in order to wrap a blanket around me, before hoisting me up in his arms.

"Let's hurry to the carriage now!"

Then mom and dad, still holding me, rushed down the halls and before I knew it, we were on the road heading to that place.



"Hold on a second, pause!" Muta said then gave Baron and Haru a questioning look.

"Just what are these guys doing? Something illegal?" he asked.

"I doubt that." Haru said rolling her eyes, but biting her lip at the same time.

"One thing is for sure, the family was leaving without the knowledge of anyone else. Where could they be going?" Baron pondered.

Haru smiled sadly.

"Another thing is Prince Vilhelm seemed very happy. They couldn't be doing something shady, with Vilhelm being his happiest that we've read so far. The King and Queen wouldn't be doing something bad with their little boy joining them?" Haru asked as she was met with the two frowns.

"One would think." Baron said, then looking down at the journal again and continuing to read the passage.



I could never get sick of this.

The fresh air, the pretty land all around me, the way this place impacts all my senses, and some alone time with my parents, away from the palace, just the three of us.

'I wish we could do this more often.' I thought looking down at the lake's water and drinking a sip of its crystal clear liquid.

I turned to see my parents nearby, sitting and leaning on a tree, the two of them cuddling and rubbing noses together.

Normally I would barf, but the fact that I hardly get to spend time with them both, with us genuinely happy like this, makes me refrain from gagging at them and begging them to stop the mush.
Now that I think about it. Mom and dad probably don't get to spend real time together, any more than what they do with me.

I watched them some more, my heart hurting at the thought of us leaving this place, and returning back to our lives in the palace.

They must have noticed me staring at them sadly, because they both then called me over, which I eagerly obeyed, and they placed me between them and they both wrapped their arms around me, a bit too tightly.

"Mom-! Dad-! Crushing-! Me!" I gasped frailing in their tightly gripped arms.

". . . We're sorry, Vilhelm." my mother's voice full of sudden sadness.

That made me halt in my squirming and I tried to look up at her, but their grips on me prevented me from looking up at both of them.

Then dad sighed.

"We know we've been neglecting you for the longest time, and our visits here are getting far and fewer between for our liking."

"But we have no choice. Our duties are pushing us more and more away from you." mom then said.

I frowned, a bit mad that they decided to talk about this now when we were here and should be enjoying our time together, it was a bit painful listening to this.

". . . Please you guys. I don't wanna hear this now. Please." I whispered a plea, as I stared out at the lake and the large waterfall up ahead.

"We love you Vilhelm." my mom suddenly said.

"Please never forget that, my son." my dad said, as their grips on me loosened so I can turn and look at them.

Their faces didn't hide their sadness and their eyes looked at me with an imploring look.

A bit startled, I just stared at them both.

Mom and dad then looked at each other and sigh, with almost disappointment and stood up.

"We have to go." mom said solemnly.

I looked up at them abruptly.

"No! But we just got here!"

"I'm sorry, but we left without anyone knowing and everyone will be expecting us in our beds sleeping." my dad said reaching down to pick me up, but I brushed him away.

"You don't need to pick me up, you know, I'm not eight anymore, I'm eleven." I said coldly, but immediately I regretted it upon seeing the sad looks on my parents’ faces.

"Ah - I see." dad said slowly. "Well then, let's head back to the carriage shall we?"

I stared at their backs as they walked away from me to head to the carriage. I growled.

Why did they go and do all that? It's their own fault for ending our time here in such a bad note. All I wanted out of this was us to leave happily, but they went and ruined that. It's their fault!

I turned and looked at the landscape behind me that we were leaving and sighed sadly, before turning away and trailing behind my parents, as we got ready to leave my Heiliger Gral once again.  - V



Baron, Haru, and Muta didn't say anything after Baron finished reading.

Baron the flipped the page and his unseen eyebrows raised.

"What’s this?" Baron said, looking over the words.

"There is a time gap between this entry and the last, five months to be exact." Baron said.

Muta shrugged.

"Guess after that, the kiddo didn't feel like writing in his diary for a while."

Haru stared down at the entry and read aloud.



Six months until the Offering Festival and already mom and dad are working harder than usual. Great. More time taken away of me not seeing my parents.

I was actually foolish enough to mutter to myself how I wished my parents never created this dumb festival, this afternoon.

Kunz, who was nearby when I said this, took me aside and scolded me on how the Offering Festival was a benevolent event that our Kingdom takes great pride having each year. He then told me we don't have time from my selfishness and walked off.

For a stuttering dog who is one of the shortest in the palace, he sure enjoys scolding me like Archibald. And remarks like that really don't make me feel any better. If anything they make me want to run away from these awful people. From the royal advisor, my tutor, the disapproving eyes of the maids and other servants, to my unloving parents.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't say unloving. . . They do show they love to me and always look so sad when they tell me that we can't spend time with each other alone. But they still don't bother to bend some rules for me and put off work, so they could spend even just a little time with their son. No, unloving doesn't fit, uncaring does however.

I wish I didn't think like this, but I do and no matter how hard I try, I can't remain positive in my situation. Everyone is right about me, I'm selfish, negative, needy, and not at all the right successor for my parents to rule this kingdom after they pass the throne to me. My parents would be better off with another kid who is everything I'm not. But life wasn't fair for them sadly, because they had me. - V

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"Any sign of her in that part of town?"

"No, let’s keeping looking."

Turning away from the nice black elderly puddle in front of me selling fruit, I looked at the four palace guards storming the place.

I tilted my head.

"I wonder what they're looking for?" I said aloud.

"’Whom’, is more like it. They were searching here earlier too for someone. But not bothering to ask anyone for help though, like now."

Curiosity getting the best of me, I turned to Marissa and paid her for the food.

"Thanks again, Marissa." I said grabbing my brown bag of food.

"Anytime dear." the puddle replied.

Clutching the bag of food, I followed behind the guards and tapped the closest one on the shoulder.

"Excuse me? But who are you looking for?" I asked.

The guard turned to look at me and his eyes widen, while the other guards ahead of him turned too and followed that example.

"There you are." the guard said, then grabbing my arm harshly.

"We've been searching for you." another one says.

Trying my best to hold my groceries in my other arm, I struggled to get my arm free.

"Hey, let me go! You don't have a right to treat me like this!" I argued.

"Actually we do." the third guard said.

"Huh?!" I said starting to slightly panic.

The last guard then came up to me and sternly looked down at me.

"Delmira. We are to take you back to the castle, you are under suspicion for attempted murder."

I stared back at him, suddenly losing my grip on my bag of food, and let it all slowly slip to the ground.

OoOoOoOoO

"Which room, Haru?" Baron asked going down the hallway, while Haru was perched on his shoulder.

". . . I think that room? It's a little hard to tell now that I'm high up." Haru laughed nervously.

Baron smiled softly and headed towards the said room and knocked on it, before entering. Baron and Haru's eyebrow's went up seeing, Hound, Basil, and Archibald, touching everything in the room almost frantically.

"Oh no! Please don't tell me the switch is not even in this room!" Archibald said running to the room's bed and frantically pressing its headboard.

"I sure hope not. . ." Hound said in exhaustion, pulling books from a bookcase.

Basil walked out from under the bed.

"Nothing in here too. Damn!" Basil cursed, then looked up at Baron and Haru gawking at everyone.

"Haru? What are you doing here?" Basil asked frowning.

"We came up to give possible useful info and to see if you any needed help. . . what are you guys even doing?" Haru asked with her own frown.

"We're looking for a secret switch or lever that will trigger an opening for a secret room we discovered." Hound interjected, still tugging on books.

Haru titled her head with a slight smirk on her face.

"What? You mean like in the movies?"

"Yes, like the movies." Basil replied with sarcasm, giving a sly smirk.

"Could you two give us a hand?" Hound spoke hopefully.

"Of course." Baron said placing Haru on his hand and lowering her to get on the ground with Basil. Baron then watched the tired and frustrated looks on the three faces.

". . . Just how long have you been looking for a switch or lever?" Baron asked, earning a glare from all three of them.

". . . Forget I asked. . ." Baron said putting his gloved hands up and turned away to inspect an area of the room where the others weren't looking.

Haru looked around, wondering where to search, and looked down at the floor, noticing how close it was now that she wasn't riding on Baron's shoulder anymore. Curiously, she went to the rug in the middle of the room and with a bit of struggle, tried to see under it.

"I've already looked there. I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything."

Haru let the edge of the rug fall from her hands to turn to Basil.

"Oh." Haru said disappointed. "So, where should I look then?"

Basil gestured her to follow him.

"You could help me by looking in the wardrobe. I've looked already, but it wouldn't hurt for another pair of eyes to look again." He said as he and Haru walked to the large wardrobe. "By the way, what was the 'useful info' that you were going to tell us?"

"Oh! Um, well you see. We read Vilhelm’s journal and found out he was discriminated against because he's a dog, wolf hybrid. We also found out that the king, queen, prince have been secretly leaving the palace from time to time to go to some unknown location." Haru said trying to make a brief summary.

Archibald looked up from his searching in order to stare at the female mouse.

"What? The king and queen were secretly leaving the castle? B-But how?!"

"From what we read, they would sneak out the castle when everyone was supposed to be asleep or gone, and came back as if nothing happened." Baron said.

Archibald, blinked blankly at Baron, absorbing the information, and weakly replied.

"T-Then what was the location they went to. . . ?" Archibald asked reluctantly.

"Some pretty land? Vilhelm doesn't say it specifically, but he called it his 'Heiliger Gral'? Does that mean anything?" Haru asked.

Archibald only shook his head.

"Never heard of such a place."

"Did you say Heiliger Gral? Huh. . . wonder why he would call the place that of all things. . ." Hound murmured, considering the name, then his eyes widen. "Do you all possibly consider the fact that perhaps before the deaths the king and queen, they were heading to the location, instead of their 'official business'?"

"Now that you mention it, that could very well be the case." Archibald considered. "Blast it! But where exactly is this location?"

Basil looked at Haru.

"Besides it being 'some pretty land', was there anything more that the prince wrote describing it?"

"Erm. . . um, I think he said there was a lake, a river, and waterfall, right Baron?"

"Yes, with clear water and just a prediction of mine, an area with a lot of vegetation as well." Baron confirmed.

Hound frowned.

"I don't recall such a place being so close to our canyon, that the King, Queen, and Prince could go to and from and return just in time for no one to notice their disappearances."

"Yeah. I've never heard of such a place, and yet. . . it sounds familiar somehow. . ." Archibald said.

"You know, it's kind of weird for me to say so, but me too." Haru said puzzled.

Basil stared at Haru and Archibald strangely. But now with this description of this location, he somehow easily pictured it. . . too easily.

Basil's eyes trailed to Hound who just glared down at the carpet in thought. He let his gaze drift
to Baron, who seemed to be having the same thoughts himself, from the odd look on his face. Then suddenly, as if a light bulb appeared on top of the three heads, they slowly looked up and realized just why the 'location' sounded familiar.

Haru and Hound broke out of their own thoughts and looked at the other three with confusion, until they followed the direction of their gaze, and stared in realization at the painted landscape on the ceiling of the room.

"Oh. . . that's why. . ." Haru giggled rubbing the back of her neck.

". . . And you know, none of us checked for a possible switch on the ceiling. . ." Hound said matter of factly. "But it's too high for us to reach."

"There should be a ladder in one of the maid closets." Archibald murmured. "But I'll need help carrying it."

"I'll come and help." Hound then looked towards Baron, Basil, and Haru. "You three decide what we should specifically press on the landscape," Hound said as he and Archibald opened the room's doors, leaving them slightly ajar, and departed the room. Haru ran to the doors to peer out at them going down the hallway.

"But that could be anything! We only read about - and they're gone. . ." Haru growled in annoyance as she stepped back into the room.

"Don't feel bad, Haru. They're just as lost as we are." Baron sighed and looked up at the artwork.

"Yeah, but still. I would think that-." Haru stopped in mid sentence as her gaze moved down the hall, and her eyes widened slightly in horror.

Baron craned his head in question.

"Haru? Are you alright?"

Still not breaking her gaze, she shook her head.

"I'm - I'm not sure. . . I thought I just saw Clive down the hall . . . "

Basil, who was staring up at the landscape, ignoring the two's previous conversation, for his own reasons, abruptly turned to look at Haru.

"You what?!"

"Clive. . . I thought I saw him. . ." Haru said pointing down the hall, her gaze still frozen. "B- But then again, it could be my imagination. . . at least I hope it was."

Basil immediately stormed out the room and past Haru, into the the hallway, while Haru watched him from the doorway.

'I . . . almost forgot for a second there about Clive and everything else.' Haru thought with shock.

Baron watched the two in confusion and walked up to Haru and bent down to lightly have his gloved hand brush her small back.

"Ms. Haru? You look quite frazzled. What's wrong? Who is this Clive?"

Haru stared down the hall at Basil, as he quickly scanned his surroundings.

"He's. . . let's just say one of the people involved with me being a mouse right now. . . " Haru said.

Baron's unseen eyebrows shot up. Not expecting a connection with her appearance to link with this new name.

Before Baron could question her, Haru quickly replied.

"We'll talk about this once we solve this case." Haru said firmly, while Baron nodded slowly at her.

Basil then finally stopped looking and walked towards them.

"Well, while I don't see any sign of anyone being here and it could have been just your imagination. I can't take this lightly."

Basil then turned sternly at Haru.

"Haru, all I can say is I hope the prince actually knows about the Opal or if we find him alive at all. Because despite the fact we are trying to solve this case, we need to remember our main goal." Basil said. "We need to get the Opal of the Hund before Ratigan does."