I am giddy while writing this, I had been planning this chapter ever since I thought up this story. Though, from this point onwards, the story will get slightly more serious and slightly darker. So consider this a warning for both this and future chapters.

Chapter 3: Chamberlain Residence

"Sergeant, sergeant!"

A cat shouted out loud at the two Guards near Haru, panting as he jogged towards them.

"Chamberlain Residence—red alert…"

It was all the messenger could blurt out between gasps before one of the Guard officer issued orders to his partner.

"Lieutenant Price, Castle Company, go get him!"

They wasted no time taking action as one of the Guards ran off while the officer followed the messenger; and Baron, being the always helpful gentleman, decided it is a good idea to follow the pair, much to Muta's dismay.

"Baron, oi! Where are you—not again!"

Muta protested loudly as he attempted to stop his friend, without success. Left with no choice, Muta grumbled something about sticking his nose on other's business before chasing after Baron, Haru in tow.

When they arrived, Baron was conversing with a Guard officer while the Chamberlain Residence was surrounded with soldiers.

"—we wanted to capture that criminal as much as you do, but all we can do right now is trap him inside while we wait for the Guards from Castle Company to arrive."

"Castle Company?"

"Better armed Guards, now please step back."

Baron obliged as the Guard officer went back to command his troops, returning to the panting Muta, having received the most exercise he had since he was chased around the maze over a year ago.

"Baron—what were you thinking—running off like that…"

"Apologies, Muta."

"What's it to you, anyways? Why are you so anxious?"

Baron appeared to be at a loss of words at Muta question, staring into the towering cat's eyes instead.

"I—recently received a case about a wanted criminal on the loose, so I was rather—uneasy, when I overheard their conversation."

"Going to a party while having detective work on your desk, why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't think they would show up this quickly—I should've thought this through, sorry."

Haru diverted her attention to the mansion instead, what kind of criminal can make Baron this worried?

"There was an intruder at the Chamberlain Residence?"

"Yes, sire. Castle Company is already on their way—"

Before Nagara can finish his report, Lune immediately rose and headed towards the door.

"I'm going!"

"But, sire, we can't risk—"

"I'll bring Onyx with me, you can't expect me to sit around and watch when my chamberlain is in trouble. I'm going, and you're not stopping me!"

Nagara could only watch the king leave as he buried his face in his paws.

"Like father, like son…"

Haru's attention was diverted to the sound of Lune arriving alongside the Castle Company, a group of Guards bearing swords, spears, shields, and more plate on their armour, alongside a different emblem on their arms.

As the arriving cats dismounted, the Guards regrouped at the front yard; while Lune walked towards his guests, following him were Nagara, and a Guard.

"Ah, you guys are here. Sorry about this little incident, but we'll fix it as soon as we can…"

Lune paused to catch his breath, muttering something about the hitching post being so far away, before he gestured towards the lone Guard behind him.

"By the way, meet Onyx, the captain of the Crown Guards' Heart Company."

The black cat nodded, green eyes looking back at the guests. As he walked closer, Haru can see that Onyx was just slightly taller than average, about the same as Lune, in contrary to the tall and burly soldiers that were usually running around. Onyx looked a little older than Lune, his black coat is short, dense, but sleek, she can even see some moonlight bouncing off his coat. Right above his white whiskers were yellowish-green eyes, they were what you would expect from the Royal Family's bodyguard, steely and tenacious, but there's something oddly…soft in Onyx's eyes, something that casts a gentle glow, in contrast to his stern, panther-like image; a British Bombay, most definitely. Complimenting his figure is a fit build, not as big and brawny as the green guards the old king used to have, but he was definitely the fit kind. His black fur clashed sharply with the uniform he was wearing, it was similar to the other Guard Officers, but he was carrying a different sword, one with a peculiarly shaped crossguard that had the steel angled towards the blade, giving it a "V" shape. All of that made Onyx a sight for sore eyes, very sore eyes.

"Greetings."

Onyx's face remained unchanged, unsmiling, serious.

Is it mandatory for every Crown Guard to act like tigers?

"Come on, lighten up. We have this place all locked up, whoever is in there, there is no escape for them."

Just as Lune finished talking, a Guard officer approached them.

"Ah, sergeant, just in time. Would you let us know the situation?"

"Of course, your Majesty. Castle Company is preparing to break into the mansion, we have the entire building surrounded, and Ramal has put a spacetime anchor in this entire area. There are no hostages, and the intruder cannot escape, even by portal."

Lune flashed Onyx a victorious grin.

"See? Told you we'll be fine. In fact, let's have a little chat with Ramal while he is free, sergeant?"

"Right away, sire."

Lune then turned towards Haru and spoke in a slightly hushed tone.

"Onyx might look grumpy all the time, but he doesn't really have a temper. Most of the time, while he looks angry, he actually isn't. So, you don't have to worry about approaching him at all."

Haru nudged Muta in response, "Sounds awfully lot like someone I know."

Muta just groaned to himself.

Moments after the sergeant left, an Egyptian Mau came jogging towards them.

"You seek me, your Majesty?"

"Yes, I trust that you've made sure the intruder couldn't escape?"

"Yes, sire."

"Good, come have a chat with us while you're free."

Ramal breathed a sigh of relief as he realised he is not in trouble. He immediately put on the biggest smile that could possibly fit in his face, smoothened his robes, and greeted the guests.

"Hi, nice to meet you. The name's Ramal, sorcerer—that means I solve problems."

"Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, you can simply call me Baron."

"Muta."

"Haru Yoshioka, pleased to meet you."

As Ramal exchanged handshakes with Baron, his eyes got drawn to Baron's hands, then his eyes. Ramal's golden eyes widened.

"You're a creation?"

"Yes, I am."

Ramal's already large grin turned wider as he grabbed Baron's arms.

"I've never seen one in my entire life! Perhaps you can agree to come to my lab at 10am tomorrow, I'd like to—"

"Ramal!"

The sorcerer flinched at Lune's voice.

"Don't be silly, now don't talk to Baron like that!"

Ramal's grin melted immediately before the annoyed king. When Lune wasn't looking his way, he attempted to whisper to Baron.

"Perhaps we can agree to a…post-mortem?"

"I heard that!"

Ramal immediately withdrew and stood still, a surprised expression plastered all over his face, this triggered a few giggles from Haru, if this entire scene didn't play out before her eyes, she would have never believed it. Their little exchange ended when Nagara called out towards Lune, pointing at the gates of the mansion.

"Look, they got the guy."

All eyes were onto the group of four Guards exiting the mansion, holding a fifth cat in front of them. The apparent intruder had his head held low, his entire body almost concealed in his cloak.

He looked just like a typical medieval fantasy thief…

The officer of the squad dismissed his subordinates as he escorted the prisoner out of the premise alone, passing by Lune and the rest on his way, allowing the king to pass on a remark.

"Good job, corporal. How's the hunt?"

"Way too easy, poor guy didn't stand a chance. I'll get him outta here."

Lune turned back to Baron.

"Well, so far for the illustrious thief-sorcerer. I expected him to hunt for bigger game, but no idea he had an audacious appetite. I wonder what he was thinking before—"

"Corporal, let me come with you."

Onyx spoke after remaining silent the entire time, causing Lune to stop his speech.

"Oh, never mind. I can get him there. I mean, you have to take care of the king."

"I already got the sergeant to take over. Now, let's go."

Sure enough, a Guard officer came by and took over, he made a "Let's go," gesture with his arms to the group.

"Come on Onyx, it's not the time to be picky."

Lune tries to persuade Onyx into giving in.

"Yeah, he's right. I can escort—"

"I insist, corporal. Now please, lead the way."

Everyone except Onyx and the sergeant had confusion spelled all over their faces. What is this fuss between the corporal and the captain?

Onyx was about to speak again when he was hushed by the corporal.

"Shh! You hear that?"

Everyone within earshot stopped talking to find out what caught the corporal's attention, but all they hear are faint, casual chatting and the rustling leaves.

"What did you hear, cor—"

"Shh!"

Onyx was once again hushed by the corporal.

"Listen closely…"

The corporal spoke softly, the officers' green eyes looking at each other.

Everyone silenced, yet they hear no anomalies.

"Corporal?"

"SHH!"

Onyx was hushed again by the corporal, now seemingly gone insane, there are still no unusual noises.

"Come on, we have to go," the sergeant spoke to the group, almost whispering, a faint urgency in his tone. "What is happening, sergeant?" Lune tried once more to get a grasp on the situation, but he received no answer.

"I agree with the sergeant, we better get out of here. Muta, would you please take care of Haru?"

"Are you trying to make me a babysitter again?"

Baron seemingly figured out what's going on, but just like the sergeant, he isn't telling anyone, leaving the rest in a haze.

"I heard people in the mansion, I think someone is still inside."

The corporal pointed at the mansion, Onyx's eyes followed. Some soldiers are still around, but no noises can be heard from them. If the corporal can hear something from inside the mansion at this distance, surely the ones right in front of it would've heard it, but Onyx can spot no reaction to that mysterious noise.

"I think you heard one of the squads sweeping the area, now let's not waste much time, we have a prisoner to—"

BANG!

By the time they turned around, they saw the corporal with his right arm outstretched, as if he is trying to push the captain—who was flying in mid-air.

"God damn it, Guards!"

The sergeant yelled out at the rest of the Guards, the entire situation went from calm, to confusing, to chaos.

Onyx didn't have time to draw his blade when he was blasted airborne by a powerful spell, his breath completely knocked out. As he was in the air, Onyx caught a glimpse of the corporal, his outstretched hand began to reach for his sword. Onyx twisted his body around and landed on all fours, as expected of a cat, but by the time he saw the corporal again, steel was already drawn—and it is coming in fast.

Onyx was faster.

Before the soil kicked up from his landing hit the ground again, Onyx drew his own sword and caught his opponent's blade in his crossguard, the steel rang from the impact, barely in inch from hitting skin. The corporal wasn't expecting the parry as he took some time to recover and swung his sword around for another cut, but the captain once again, proved to be faster.

The corporal's hesitation combined with the captain's oddly shaped crossguard slowed down the attacker's blade, allowing Onyx to bring his own sword around to meet the corporal's. Steel clashed with steel again as Onyx parried the blow, and this time, Onyx had his sword lined up with his opponent's throat.

Onyx leaped towards the corporal.

The captain's sword protruded from the back of the corporal's neck as he thrusted, the momentum carried the sword cleanly through, only stopping as the crossguards collide. Onyx drew his sword back as soon as he regained footing, using the angled crossguard, Onyx pushed the corporal's blade downwards, the opponent's muscles not doing much to oppose it. The captain stepped towards the side and brought his sword back up with a powerful uppercut.

"Eeek!"

Haru yelped before covering up her face with her paws, she barely caught a glimpse of the outcome of the duel, only when the corporal's body hit the ground did Haru dared to look up from her paws. Judging by the growing pool of blood, Haru could only assume that not much of the corporal's muzzle survived the uppercut.

It was over as quickly as it started, two Guards, two clashes, two connecting blows, one victor. It was nothing like in the movies, there was no sizing up the opponent, no disengagement and reengagement, no one-liners and no snarky threats. Onyx stood over the corporal's body, his shoulder oscillating as he panted silently, probably the most tiring 5 seconds of his life.

Everyone fell silent once again, even the soldiers near the mansion noticed the commotion and approached to investigate.

Muta held Haru's shoulder as he pulled her out of view of the mess.

"Baron's right, let's go."

"Get him out of here."

Onyx was the next to speak, pointing at the body at his feet, distress is clear in his voice despite his best attempt at hiding it, he picked the prisoner up (who had forgotten to make a run for it) and begin to walk him away. A Guard approached Onyx and offered to escort them, who accepted without a second word. Onyx walked, only to stop after a few steps.

Onyx turned and looked at the corporal again, as if expecting the lifeless body to jump up and continue fighting. Something didn't feel right for Onyx, he couldn't tell what, but there were strings pulling at his heart that made him feel uncomfortable.

Onyx shook his head and begin walking away, thinking that adrenaline was playing tricks on him. It seemed that everyone was in disbelieve, what exactly is happening?

"What a mess…"

A Guard muttered as he dropped a large cloth over the corpse.

"Come on, corporal—"

"—let's send you to the angels…"

Onyx immediately spun around at the sound of a blade drawing, his hand reaching for his sword.

He wasn't fast enough this time.

The Guard that went to cover up the body drew steel on Onyx, and thrusted his blade straight into Onyx chest, knocking him off balance before turning onto the escorting Guard. Once again, everything spun into a chaotic confusion. What's with these Guards going rogue?

The escorting Guard managed to parry a few blows before help showed up and a spear was driven into the rogue's neck, allowing the defender to turn the tide and deliver a riposte straight onto his head, dropping him instantly.

"Captain, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, my armour stopped it."

The captain was helped up by the escorting guard, his paws rubbing where the blade struck.

"What the…"

The sergeant muttered before turning his gaze onto the king and his friends.

"We must leave, now."

The sergeant picked up his pace as he escorted the group towards the horses they arrived in.

"Mount them, quick. I'll get you back to the castle as soon as—"

The sergeant didn't get to finish his speech when another Guard drew his sword, and this time, headed straight for Ramal.

Ramal wasn't as lucky as Onyx.

The blade went straight through Ramal's chest, his robes did little to halt it. Ramal fell backwards, clutching his wound in pain, his face nothing but a frozen shock.

"God damn it, medic!"

The sergeant didn't even draw his blade when he pounced on the attacker, delivering a mean left hook straight into the attacker's jaw, disorienting him for a short while before Baron joined in and tackled him onto the ground, the blade forcefully knocked out of his hand and kicked away.

Realising that the blade was pulled out of Ramal, Haru immediately knelt before him and attempted to stop the bleeding, she pressed hard on the wound as she felt hot blood spurting out with each heartbeat, if help doesn't arrive soon, Ramal would lose all his blood. Haru paid no attention to Muta's calls as she tried desperately to save whatever life remained in the sorcerer, she caught Ramal's eyes looking back at her, a frozen scream seemingly stuck in his throat, he grabbed Haru's arm and attempted to say something, but all Haru heard were incoherent gargles. Ramal coughed as he choked in his own blood, causing even more blood to spurt out between Haru's paws, red stains began appearing on his lower lip.

His grip on Haru's arm was getting weaker and weaker.

Haru could barely hear the shouting around her, the faint gasps of Ramal somehow louder than anything else, she wanted to say something to Ramal, but somehow couldn't, she could only stare helplessly back into Ramal's golden eyes. He opened his mouth again, as if attempting to speak, but his eyeballs rolled back, and a deathly sigh exited, the remaining life in him seeping away.

"Miss, miss! Please stand aside!"

A pair of cats snapped Haru out of her trance and shooed her away, they immediately took over by pressing a white piece of cloth over his wound, then flipping him over to press another one on the wound in his back, the grass beneath him soaked red. Another pair of cat arrived with a stretcher not long after, helped carry Ramal onto it, then raced off to a horse-drawn carriage nearby. Haru watched as they left—still kneeling, she looked down at her paws, her brown fur almost black, soaked in so much blood Haru could almost taste the iron. Haru almost gagged at the sight of her own paws. She wanted to vomit, but couldn't. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. She never thought blood could be so sticky.

"Haru? Haru!"

Baron and the sergeant had successfully subdued the attacker and the latter was holding him captive, the former didn't bother to tidy or brush off the dirt in his suit before rushing towards Haru to check on her.

"Haru, your paws…"

"Huh? I—I'm fine…"

"Come on, Haru, we'll get you back to safety and get you cleaned up."

Baron took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around Haru's paws, though it didn't take much before the piece of cloth was dyed red and rendered unusable. He quickly helped her up one of the horses Lune brought with his convoy, giving her a small boost up the tall horse and behind the driver.

"You aren't coming with us, Baron?"

"I…"

Baron looked behind him, the sergeant had tied up Ramal's attacker and was talking him to Onyx, seemingly having a serious conversation. The rest of the Guards were gathered up and a team of green-coated soldiers just arrived and seemed to be questioning some Guard officers, Haru can only assume they are Military Police.

"…I'll be staying behind a little. I'll catch up soon, I promise."

Baron flashed her a weak but reassuring smile, Haru wanted to return it, but she couldn't lift the corners of her lips no matter how hard she tried. With that, Baron left.

"Hold on to me, miss. We'll be riding fast."

The Guard in front of her spoke, the rest of the convoy had already left.

"But, my paws…"

"It's okay, I won't mind. A little bit of blood won't be the end of the world."

Haru complied as she gingerly held the waist of her driver, staining it red.

"Ready? Here we go."

The horse took off in a gallop, leaving Baron behind.

"God damn it, medic!"

Onyx snapped around immediately at the voice of the sergeant, and he was greeted with the sight of Ramal getting stabbed.

"What in the…"

Onyx turned towards his escort.

"Keep him in check, I'll find out what exactly is wrong with them."

The captain bolted off, leaving his escort alone with the prisoner. By the time Onyx got there, the sergeant and Baron had already subdued the attacker.

"Now that we captured one, we'll have to find out what is wrong with them as soon as possible." Onyx said to the sergeant as he helped tying up the captive.

"Him, Micah, Nicholas. Hell, all of Castle Company needs a screening."

"Castle Company?" Onyx looked up at the sergeant in reply.

"This guy, the corporal, that one, they're all from Castle Company."

"I see…"

As the captured Guard was brought to a stand, Onyx grabbed his chin and tilted his head upwards to get a good look in his eyes.

"Captain?"

Onyx didn't answer for a short while, and was instead busily inspecting his captive's seemingly normal eyes.

"I'll try to get their commander to gather up all the Guards that went inside the mansion. I think I have an idea."

The sergeant pondered a bit at Onyx's answer, before he shot him a questioning look.

"Are you sure, captain?"

"I'm not, but it's the best explanation I can muster."

Before he could make his way there, Baron chimed in.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. May I please take a look at the prisoner?"

"Oh, you again. Why would I let you?"

"Sergeant, let him take a look."

Onyx answered the sergeant's question himself.

"He is a magical being, he might see something we cannot."

"Thank you, captain."

Baron followed the same procedure as Onyx before him, tilting the prisoner's head upwards to get a look into his eyes. Baron spotted something that Onyx didn't.

"He is...under hex."

"Hex?"

"Yes, a powerful, almost untraceable kind. No wonder Ramal didn't notice it."

"Could it be that anyone that was in contact with the intruder got affected by his spell?"

"Possibly. Look, Onyx's back."

"Evening, gentlemen. Lieutenant Price, Castle Company."

Onyx brought an orange tabby with him upon his return, Lieutenant Price flashed them a polite smile and extends his paw for a handshake, which Baron gladly returned.

"Lieutenant Price is the officer in charge of Castle Company, if you need any information, you can ask him." Onyx said while pointing towards Lieutenant Price.

"Sergeant Kinn. Can I ask which assaulting squad had been in contact with the intruder?"

"Only Corporal Shephard's squad. They alone brought him out, the rest were still inside and had to be recalled."

"I see, can you tell me who made up the squad?"

"Sure, that's Elric..."

The Lieutenant pointed towards the body lying several metres away, Onyx's attacker.

"Then there's Oliver..."

He pointed to another body near the first.

"Here's Georgei..."

He pointed towards the prisoner held hostage by the sergeant, the orange tabby's expression tells Baron that he seemed to be catching onto what they're thinking.

"The last one would be Albert...where is he..."

The Lieutenant looked around, scanning the area for the last squad member.

"There he is!"

Lieutenant Price pointed behind Onyx, as they turned around, they saw the Guard that Onyx left the prisoner with, another Guard approached them.

"Private Albert! Can I trouble you for a moment?"

The Lieutenant called out to him, but he received no response.

"Private Albert!"

He called out again, this time louder.

The Guard walked faster towards the escort and the prisoner.

Lieutenant Price cursed before chasing after Albert.

"Albert! I said stop!"

Albert drew his weapon and broke into a run.

The escort Guard stared at the commotion in confusion, he tried to tell Albert that his commander was calling him but with no avail, it's not until Albert charged at him that the escort drew his own blade.

BANG!

A loud clap rang through the night as the silent prisoner generated a telekinetic blast that blew the escort sky high, despite his restraints.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Albert took out a key and start to undo the prisoner's handcuffs, the restraints opened easily with a click, but before they could make a break for it, Lieutenant Price caught up and tackled them both onto the ground.

As he struggled to hold both of them down, the prisoner conjured up his energy and sent another spell right into Lieutenant Price's belly and blasted him, too, into the air-and unfortunately, right into Baron, knocking him down.

Seeing that he got two birds with one spell, the sorcerer chuckled to himself, failing to notice an actual bird extending his talons, and approaching fast.

With one swift swipe, Toto grabbed the unsuspecting sorcerer, lifting him onto the air.

The prisoner struggled and clawed at Toto, pounding at his talons in hopes of it loosening, Toto only tightened his grip, not even when he felt magical energy gathering in his prey's paws.

Toto, as a relatively large gargoyle, had no fears of his telekinetic blast, any magical wind he could conjure will be nothing more than mild turbulence to the large bird. However, magical winds did not spawn from the sorcerer's outstretched paw; instead, a cascade of flames and embers poured out of it, colliding with Toto's black feathers. Toto did not expect to be hit by a flamethrower and dropped his captive due to the sudden heat threatening to light him on fire.

After Onyx helped his comrades up, he immediately bolted towards the dropped prisoner, as soon as he lands, he would immediately be wrestled down and had a magic dampening shackle slapped onto his paws, Onyx would not allow him to escape again.

The sorcerer would not allow Onyx to capture him again.

Before his landing, the sorcerer opened a portal right where he would land, a split second later, he disappeared into the magical trapdoor and closed it shut. Onyx could only grab at air.

Several guards rushed to help, but it was too late. They already lost the prisoner. Onyx can only kneel at the ground, staring at the soil that once had a portal opened through it.

"Come on, Captain..."

Lieutenant Price offered Onyx a paw, which he accepted.

"...we'll get 'em next time."

Haru arrived at the Cat Castle a minute after her departure from the mansion. They stopped right in front of the castle where a few servants began to take the horse and lead it to the stables. The driver dismounted and proceed to help Haru down the tall horse. She noticed him staring at her paws as he helped her down.

"Come on, ma'am, let's get your pass cleaned up."

"Thank you…and Haru, please call me Haru."

The Guard didn't reply as he led her through the hallways of the castle. Haru tried her best to ignore the glances some servants gave her as she walked past.

What would they think of me when I'm running around with this bloody paws?

"Miss Haru, this is the washroom. I'll be going now, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask any nearby servants, they'll surely help you."

"Alright, thank you, thank you very much."

"You're welcomed."

With that, the Guard left her, Haru's last view of him is his back against her, and two red stains on his waist.

As Haru removed her ruined gloves, she got a good look at her own paws, the fur matted into a bloody mess, the sight alone caused Haru to recoil in disgust. She carefully turned on the tap, trying her best not to stain the polished metal. She rinsed and rubbed her paws in the steady stream of water, the blood slowly but surely drained away.

Haru exited the washroom soon after with a pair of clean paws.

What's that soap made of? It cleaned off those sticky blood like it's grease.

Haru decided against pondering about her bloody paws again as she tried to find Baron, or Muta, or Lune, or… anyone that could give her any sort of comfort right now. But it wasn't after a few steps that Haru sat down on a nearby bench, she felt that her legs couldn't carry her onwards any longer. For a few minutes, she did nothing but stare at the empty walls.

"Can I help you?"

A servant cat asked her softly, perhaps out of concern at the distressed girl.

"Yes, take these and wash them, please. Thank you."

"Of course, ma'am."

Haru left her bloody gloves with the servant, but halted her before she could leave.

"Can you tell me where I can find Baron? Or Muta? You know them, right?"

"Yes, of course. They're currently having a conference with His Majesty the King. You can wait outside if you want. It is up that flight of stairs, turn right, it'll be the fourth room to the right."

"Alright, thank you."

Haru left without another word, she went up the flight of stairs, turned right, and sure enough, she arrived at the fourth room to her right which had a small label: waiting room. Haru wanted to knock, but decided against it as she sat down at a nearby chair instead.

Haru glanced around the area, she appeared to be near the castle's infirmary, several benches, much like the one Haru was sitting on, were set up near the wall. Some rooms with the label "restricted access" are to her right and several rooms with the label "ward" were in front of her, alongside their corresponding number. The first room at the entrance at the hallway is "Emergency Ward 1" as Haru noticed in her waiting. Looking around made Haru wonder.

What happened to Ramal?

Her question was answered almost immediately when the door to Emergency Ward 1 opened, and Onyx walked out of it. He noticed Haru almost immediately and approached her.

"May I ask why you're here, ma'am? It's quite late, do you have a place to stay?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you."

She was about to tell Onyx to refer to her by her name only but at this point, she couldn't be bothered.

Onyx was about to knock on the Waiting Room before Haru spoke up.

"If you don't mind me asking, how is Ramal? The…sorcerer."

Onyx glanced back at the room he just came from.

"Ramal is currently in that room. I just checked on him, his signs are stable for now. He lost a lot of blood, but I'm confident that he will survive, given enough time."

"Good to hear that…"

Onyx stared at Haru for a moment, seemingly in thought, before he spoke.

"Ma'am, Ramal's survival wouldn't so certain if you hadn't acted as quickly as you did. You saved Ramal."

Haru was surprised at Onyx's words. To be honest, trying to cheer her up was probably the last thing Haru imagined the stoic and stern Captain of the Guards to do, but there he was, trying to make Haru feel better about the incident.

"I…I still…feel like I could've done more…"

"I myself couldn't have done it better, Haru."

Haru looked up at Onyx in surprise.

He called me Haru…

She couldn't say exactly why Onyx had this change of behaviour, but his words seemed more genuine and sincere, as if Onyx wasn't the imposing Captain of the Guards…but a friend.

Onyx shifted his gaze towards a nearby table, before he walked towards it as he excused himself.

On that table lies a few mugs and a kettle, he took a mug and filled it with some liquid from the kettle, before returning and handed it to Haru.

"This will make you feel better."

Haru accepted the mug from Onyx, it was filled with a beverage that had an orange tint, a sweet smell emits from it.

"Drink it slowly, it's hot."

Haru sipped the drink carefully, the hot liquid warmed her up immediately, and the taste of honey and a faint smell of lemongrass made her crave more with each sip. Onyx wasn't lying when he said it will cheer her up.

Haru looked up at Onyx again, his expressions barely changed since they met, he still had his 'captain' face glued to his head, nonetheless, he succeeded in cheering Haru up, a feat not even herself think was possible.

Now I know what I saw in his eyes…

For the first time since what seemed to be ages, Haru smiled.

"Thank you…for everything."

Before Onyx can reply, the door opened abruptly, revealing Lieutenant Price.

"Oh, you're here. Come inside."

Onyx entered without a word, closing the door behind him. Haru was once again alone outside.

"Oh, Haru! There you are!"

Haru had been sipping at her beverage quietly when Natoru appeared near the hallway, wearing a relieved look upon seeing the girl.

"I heard about what happened back at the residence, are you okay? Are you hurt? How's your hand?" Natoru wasted no time in bombarding Haru with questions, which Haru answered patiently.

After the fourth "Are you sure you're okay?", Natoru was finally convinced that Haru is fine, letting her ask a question in return.

"Baron mentioned that the intruder had been active for a while. Can you tell me about it?"

"Uhh, yes, yes of course..."

Natoru began telling Haru the whole story, from the first hit to the most recent heist.

"…they're now discussing the plans to capture the cat, or whatever, in question. I believe they are going to take military action after their breaking in the residence of a government official and attempted murder of military personnel."

"I see…"

"Ah, d-don't worry, we'll get that sneaky bastard locked up in no time! When he finds out the Crownguards are after him, he'll soil his pants for sure, ha! I anticipate the day Onyx take him on a stroll to the gallows, I'll get the front row seat and—"

Natoru stopped abruptly.

"Sorry, I got carried away…heh."

The cat laughed nervously, apparently embarrassed.

"Oh, it's okay. I needed that laugh…"

Both of them shared a quiet giggle, one secretly glad that no one will be filing any complaints to the king, again.

"…I hope I can get tickets to that rat's hanging."

Haru gave Natoru her most unsettling grin she could muster, startling the smaller cat.

"Wha…"

"Oh, I'm just joking!"

Their quiet giggle turned into a hearty laugh as their attempts in brightening the mood worked splendidly.

"So…shall I show you your room?"

"Yes, please!"

After walking to the other side of the castle and up a flight of stairs, they arrived at a brightly lit and decorated corridor with several doors to their right.

"These are the guest rooms, yours is the first room at this end of the corridor. This is your key."

Natoru showed Haru the golden key before opening the door with it, revealing a lavish-looking bedroom.

"Ta-da! That's the dressing table, the closet is over there, that's the bathroom, we even have a water-heater, fancy that!"

Natoru led her inside and pulled out a chair for Haru.

Such a chipper fellow...

"Anyways, I have some errands to run before calling this a day. So, if you need anyone, just press this little button over there and speak into it."

Natoru showed her a small copper box with the shape of lips stamped into it, a tiny button sits at the edge.

"This is the closest thing to a telephone we have, it runs on magic instead of—uhh—domesticated lightning. Also, please be gentle with it, it's awfully delicate and horribly expensive."

"Ah ha ha ha, alright Natoru."

"That should be just about it, please make yourself as comfortable as possible...and...sorry, about everything that had happened..."

Haru immediately pulled Natoru into a hug, she couldn't bear the sad look on Natoru's face. The brown cat gladly returned it.

"Don't mention it, Natoru. In any case, I'm happy to help."

Natoru broke away after a short while, presenting Haru with a weak smile.

"Thanks, Haru. I needed that."

The girl scratched Natoru's head in affection.

"Anytime, Natoru."

Soon, the brown cat turned and left, leaving only a "Sweet dreams, Haru." with the guest inside. With Natoru gone, Haru yawned her largest yet since the last time she stayed past midnight for her exams.

I sure am tired...I'll take a quick shower and call it a day...

Haru stripped her green dress off and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water rinse her troubles away.

I wonder how Baron is doing right now...

Author's notes

I really couldn't blame anything for the delay of this story's updates but my own laziness that made me fall behind in school studies. I started realising halfway through that I'm spending more time on the chapter covers than I did on the actual story, and due to my inexperience in drawing, that took me a long, long time. At the situation I'm in now, I cannot afford to waste any more time in things that are not important, so I have decided to postpone the chapter covers until I can afford to make them again. They will strictly be a "free time" project.

This won't happen again.