Chapter 21:

A RAT

Conrad's POV

"A r-rat", Gunter wailed. "Quick, we've got to swiftly remove it before his highness catches some kind of horrendous disease!"

"No, it's not-", his eminence began.

"Your highness! Please allow me to guide you to safety!" Gunter wrapped his arms around Yuuri's arm and attempted to pull him away, but Wolfram decided to do the same to the king's other arm.

"Let him go, Gunter! If anyone's going to be protecting him, it's got to be me!"

At this point, his highness was being pulled from both sides and Gunter and Wolfram were bickering loudly. It was giving Conrart a headache.

"Gunter", Gwendal boomed, rubbing his temple. Although the two didn't pay him any mind and, instead, chose to continue bickering. "He wasn't talking about a real-"

He was cut off by Gunter and Wolfram as they screamed loudly, pulling his majesty on both sides. Yuuri's pained screeching only added to the drama.

His eminence sighed with a smile on his face and Yozak asked Conrart with an equally amused look on his face, "Do you want to try again, Captain?"

He was still angry with Yozak, though, so he only glared at the red-head before strolling over to Gunter, grabbing his arms, and attempting to pull him off. "Please let go, Gunter. You're hurting his highness."

"But I have to get him to safety!"

"You?! You mean me", Wolfram barked.

Eventually, Conrart pulled hard enough for Gunter's hands to slip off of his highness and the two of them went in the opposite direction that Wolfram and Yuuri went flying. Yuuri lay dazed in the arms of the younger prince and, almost immediately, the soldier's guardian instincts kicked in.

He jumped up and ran to his highness before kneeling down and holding out a hand, gesturing that he'd be more than happy to help the king up. "Are you alright, your highness?" His heart sunk into his stomach as he caught sight of the black-haired demon's downcast gaze and he clenched his hand into a fist. "Please excuse me..." He stood up, gave the king a quick and stiff bow, and left the room, ignoring the stares the rest of the room gave him. Are you still that angry, Yuuri...?

Yuuri's POV (Flashback c:)

"May I ask you something, your majesty?" Diederick sounded as though he were once again walking on thin ice, from outside the barrel.

"Hm?"

"How long do you think you'll be blinded? Will you regain your eyesight?"

He paused for a moment, slightly saddened by the idea of never being able to see Conrad again. "Gisela isn't sure, but she said it's a possibility that I might regain my eyesight. On the other hand, she said that it would probably be impossible... Why do you ask?"

"Forgive me if I might ask one more; Won't you have somebody to guard you, at all times? Certainly it would be dangerous, even, for you to walk alone."

More than likely Conrad. He'd always be by my side, though I AM a little ticked about him going behind my back, like this. "I mean, Conrad will probably be by my side as much as possible. While he's busy, I'm sure I'll have someone... I don't want to cause anyone any trouble, though, so I'll probably just get them to leave me be, until he's available." He laughed nervously and reached to rub the back of his head but stopped and frowned once he felt the bandage. As if to remind him, once more, that he may never see again.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, may I ask just one more? May I ask, would you be willing to use me, by your side?"

"Agh, don't put it like that!" His flustered panicking shook the barrel, though it stopped abruptly, indicating that Diederick had stopped it. "But, I mean, if you're willing to, I guess..."

"Call on me when you need, your highness. May I request something, then, your majesty?"

Yuuri perked up in the darkness as though he were looking at the guard despite both his eyesight being gone and him being in the barrel. "Hm? Sure..."

"Will you stay inside the barrel, throughout the first 12 hours of the ship ride...?"

Yuuri's POV (Present)

Come to think of it, Diederick did question me quite a bit and that request of his was oddly specific... 12 hours? Did he know that something was going to happen within the first 12 hours of the ship ride...? Is he the "rat"?

"Please excuse me...", Conrad sighed, sounding completely defeated.

He heard the sound of shuffling, a door closing, and then a dramatic whistle, more than likely coming from Yozak. Why did Conrad sound so upset...?

"Anyway", Murata said, sighing with that amused yet baffled sigh of his. You know, that one he always did when weird things happened, in front of him. Of course, the weirdest things only happened in the Great Demon Kingdom. Nothing surprised or interested them, on Earth. "The rat isn't an animal-"

"Like we tried to tell you, Gunter", Gwendal grumbled.

Murata coughed to catch the attention of the bickering couple before continuing, slightly louder, more serious, and more confident, this time. "The rat is more than likely a spy in the castle, maybe one of the maids or guards. I think it would be best to check everyone who works in the castle for even the slightest hint of evidence. Pay attention for abnormal questioning or a slip of the tongue and bring anyone who seems suspicious to the interrogation room. That's what I recommend."

Weird questioning... Yeah...

"Come to think of it", Yozak began, sounding weirdly serious. "The captain recently hired someone from Big Shimaron to be a guard. He began tagging along a couple of days ago and staying by his side to learn from him. I don't think it would be too out of reach to suspect Lord Weller or the new guard."

New guard? Is he talking about...

"That definitely seems like something you should have mentioned, Gurrier."

Yuuri could hear the irritation in Murata's voice, as well as the intimidation in Yozak's smile when he said, "Forgive me, your eminence, but I didn't think it important, until now."

"That doesn't matter, now. Do we have a name? We should look into it, immediately."

With a hint of annoyance in his normally just grouchy voice, Gwendal grumbled, "Diederick Bauer."

(TEHEHEHEHEEE, DRAMA DRAMA DRAAAMAAAA~ C: Sorry, I just had to write down the words that I literally spoke aloud in the most ridiculous voice as I finished editing this. Enjoy my great words of wisdom~! xD)