Baron was surprised to hear the sound of a carriage in the drive, but waited patiently for Yuki to either summon him, or bring in his guest.

When she did come in, it was rather sooner than he had anticipated, and she was carrying a letter with the royal seal upon it.

He instantly opened it and started to read.

Dear Baron,

Please forgive me this, but for reasons beyond my control, I shall not be able to wait for you at the gate as I had anticipated. Please, at your own readiness, use the carriage I have sent for you instead. The driver has orders to stop for no one and bring you directly to the ballroom entrance at the palace.

Your fears regarding your stepfather were, it appears, justified.

All of my love,

Haru

Baron hurried to don his suit for the ball before clearing the stairs down in a leap and running for the carriage. He shut the door and ordered the man to go as panic rose in his heart.

As the carriage passed through the gates of the palace, Baron felt the disquietingly familiar tingle of his stepfather's magic. Terror overcame his panic as he watched the carriage grow around him. No, that wasn't it. He was shrinking! The carriage halted before the ballroom and he checked himself over as the footman opened the door for him.

He almost sighed in relief. Nothing else about him had changed except for his stature. Well, things could have been a lot worse.

The now cat-sized cat lord ran into the ballroom, only to be stopped short by what he saw there.

Every man there looked like him, and every girl there looked like the princess. At least, at first glance. Of course, they were all wearing different clothes, and the women were all as feline as the men, and…

Haru was probably the most calm of the entire royal family. Considering the situation, that was definitely a good thing.

When Hiromi had finally come in and roused her, the blonde girl had also been the bearer of a letter addressed to her highness. Haru had read it while Hiromi stripped and dressed her.

"We've got trouble," she had said as the corset was laced.

From there, Haru had sent her letter and coachman to the Baron's house, met with her family to explain what seemed to be going on, and now… Now, as her mother sat on the throne, with Machida and his wife on one side, and Haru on the other, she found herself wondering when Baron would come. The others didn't fool her, but she was beginning to wonder. It was midnight an hour ago and she only had until dawn to locate the one who kept her heart.

About the only thing that had gone right all night was explaining the cat-like features everybody had developed upon entering the palace grounds. Black magic was, after all, not unheard of however forbidden it was. Stating that it would be over by dawn as long as everybody remained calm had, indeed, placated most of them, while the few who were left panicking had been taken to the royal infirmary where they were given sleeping draughts. When they woke, it would all, hopefully, be a bad dream.

Haru scanned the crowds again, hoping to find her Baron.