While on the way back home from another date, Shadow gasped loudly after hearing what Alice did to her shares. "Why did you sell them?! They'll bring you profits in the long run!"

"I know you're more familiar with these types of things, but I honestly have no use for them after settling down. They'll just be another burden." By no means am I letting you get a single cent from me.

"Understandable. The stock market tends to fluctuate quickly, so I suppose selling them we be in our best interest. Anyway, you're home now. Feeling better?"

"Much better," the redhead lied. "I'll see you next time."

After watching Alice enter her mansion, Shadow sneaked into the trees and met up with a tall man with salmon-red hair. "Good to see you, Volt. Get your disguises and fake documents ready. Time to move forward with my plan."

"Noted. I'll let Mylene and Lync know as well."

Meanwhile inside the house, Alice sat across Shun at the dining table and explained, "I told Shadow that I sold the shares already, when I actually didn't yet. He didn't seem happy at first, but ultimately respected my decision."

"If you actually sold your shares, would he be able to buy them?"

"He might, but I haven't signed the release statements to sell yet. All these possessions make me more paranoid than I need to be, but stalling is the best option we have in misleading him."

"I keep thinking that we're making this more complicated than it needs to be."

"That's because this was complicated to begin with. If I outright reject him now, then that could be my death sentence. Also, did you friends reply to your letter yet?"

"I haven't seen anything yet. You already double checked that I wrote your address correctly. Maybe they're too shocked and need time to—"

Suddenly, several repetitions of car doors closing echoed outside. Alice walked to the front door first to investigate the noise. "Why are there so many police vehicles parked outside? What happened?"

"This doesn't look good. What if Shadow called them over?"

"To report you? For what?"

"Wait and see..."

The redhead walked up to the metal gate and asked, "Officer, how may I help you?"

"Are you Alice Gehabich?" the lead officer asked in return.

"Yes. What's this about?"

"I am Officer Volt Luster. We have reason to believe that you may be involved in fraud and embezzlement. Here is our search warrant and arrest warrant."

"Let me see that!" Alice snatched the warrant and flipped it over. "Where did you get—"

"However, we also believe that these financial were not actually performed by you, but rather by someone in your household using your personal information without your knowledge. Please open the gate for us, as ordered by these two warrants."

The heiress unlocked the gate against her will as the officers stormed into her residence to search for everything. "Fraud? Embezzlement? What does that even mean?"

"Found something!" yelled a pink-haired officer that exited from Shun's room. "I have some bank statements, legal documents, and—"

"Hey, those aren't mine!" the raven-haired servant argued. "Where did you even get your information from?!"

"Lync, may I see?" Volt asked. He read every sheet and shook his head in disappointment. "Your name is Shun Kazami? What is your relationship to Alice Gehabich?"

"I work here. What else do you want?"

"Lync, Mylene—please arrest him. Miss Gehabich, I believe you have fallen victim to identity theft performed by your own domestic servant. Rest assured, any charges and lawsuits against you for these financial crimes redirected to our suspect here instead."

"Alice, he's lying. This is a setup! I never stole any paperwork from—"

"No wonder I couldn't find my bank statements and payment summaries..." said the redhead to herself in realization. "Clearly, I didn't discipline you well enough."

"Alice, what are you talking about?"

Officers Lync and Mylene tied Shun's hand behind his back as the redhead held her forehead and answered, "Now I know why I've been having this eerie feeling of hands around my neck."

Shun stared into his housemistress's eyes for a moment before pulling dragged away by the officers. Why did you say that? What are you trying to imply?

Suddenly, Shadow pulled up his vehicle and met with the heiress quickly. "Alice, you alright? I saw a huge crowd of police vehicles outside your residence and—"

"How on earth was Shun able to steal money from other companies using my personal information? What else did he do behind my back? What if he cleared by bank account and safety deposit box without—"

"Alice, calm down." The silver-haired visitor offered to hug, but the redhead declined and stepped back. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Based on what Officer Luster said, anything that Shun did could be tied to me because he used my credentials. But he also said that no charges will be filed against me once they sort out this 'identity theft' issue. Do I need a lawyer?"

"That's an unusually bold promise for an officer to make. If you are truly a victim of identity theft, then the police might ask for your statement, and you would need a lawyer to be present. Don't worry about this for now. The police will ask for your help when needed. But do you need my help with finding a lawyer?"

"Well, if you know someone who's competent, then having their contact information handy. I'm not feeling well, if you don't mind..."

"Alice, I completely understand what's happening. Stay safe and remember that this isn't your fault. See you later."

The redhead watched her visitor leave the premises and bit her lip. You sure came to rescue pretty quickly. Shun wasn't kidding about Shadow being the type to always bother for help but then burn bridges once the mission is near accomplished.

The series of police vehicles left Alice's residence one by one and returned to the police station together. While cruising through the streets of town, a certain bluenette was shopping when the vehicle honks caught everyone's attention. Is that who I think it is in the back seat?! She quickly paid for her groceries and returned to her hideout. "Marucho, do you still have Shun's letter with you?"

"Yes, I do. But why do you look so rushed, Runo?"

"I just saw a bunch of police vehicles in town and saw Shun in one vehicle's backseat. Nobody sits in the back unless they get arrested."

"Shun got arrested?!" screamed Dan as he returned from his errand. "What kind of mess did he get into?"

"It may not be his fault," the blond clarified. "Do you think it's a coincidence that he gets arrested shortly after we received his SOS letter? I don't think so. Shun knows that Alice will be in danger, whether marries Shadow or not. Him being arrested could be Shadow trying to clean up loose ends. We know how careful Shun is. This arrest has to be staged."

"You deduced that so quickly."

"As a matter of fact, we could be in danger as well. We also know how ambitious Shadow is." Marucho unwrapped the paper around the silver bracelet and bit the item carefully. "This is high-quality sterling silver. The only way to keep everyone safe from Shadow might be to rescue Miss Alice Gehabich from his grasp..."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Shun actually did that?!" exclaimed Chris and Soon after hearing their housemistress's explanation.

"That's what the police told me. I personally don't think he did it because everything was just too perfect. I think the police planted evidence."

"Then why didn't you speak up?" the blonde asked.

"Because...I think know who's behind this."

"I bet you're thinking of Mister Shadow Prove."

"Soon, how did you know?"

"Miss Alice, we had a feeling that Shadow seemed too good to be true when we approached your aunt and uncle. Even when your grandfather was still here, it seemed like you weren't very interested in all the suitors that approached you. I never asked because it's not my business. Shadow didn't give up easily, and you began to accept his company. All we wanted was for you to be happy."

"But instead, we let a con artist into your life and got caught in the mess," Chris lamented. "I never liked him to begin with. He's a diehard overachiever with horrible fashion sense. Soon and I have been busy with errands and have no idea what happened, but we believe your word. What will you do now?"

Alice laced her fingers together and laid her chin on top. "I know Shun's innocent. He just crossed paths with the wrong person. I'm not sure how to save him, though. Even though Shadow may be a fraud, he still has real connections with dangerous people."

The housemaids glanced at each other in thought until the blonde pointed at the coffee table. "You have mail! I was supposed to hand it to you until you called us over for an important meeting at the dinner table."

"Let me see that." The heiress sorted through today's mail until she found one envelope that wasn't like the others. Did Shun's friends finally reply? She opened the flap and read the contents in her head.

Dear Miss Alice Gehabich,

Greetings to you. My name is Marucho, and I am the one writing this letter on behalf of all of us. I addressed the letter to you specifically because we already know that Shun was falsely arrested by police officers that may be conspiring with Shadow Prove. We understand the danger that you're in, but we underestimated that danger that Shun is in.

To better assist you, please visit the market square on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival. There will be festivities and night markets, so the streets won't be deserted. Blend in with the crowd, and you'll be safe. There's one family that sells winter mooncakes at the same location every year. Just approach the stand, and the leave the rest to us. We already know what you look like.

"When is Mid-Autumn Festival again?"

"That's today," both housemaids answered.

Either these people replied late, or the post office took longer than usual. "Are you two interesting in going out tonight?"

The housemaids glanced at each other again and asked in surprise, "During these times?"

"I have an errand to run. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I want you two to have another joyful time here while we're still together. No guarantees on what could happen in the future." Alice took out her coin pouch from her purse and slid it across the table. "There's your allowance for tonight. Honestly, this inheritance is a curse. I can't even enough use most of the money until I'm legally married, but any married woman's money becomes her husband's money anyway."

"Unfortunately, you can't be more correct, Miss Alice."

"So many downsides of being a girl."

"At least I'm not a materialistic person. I don't know how I'd survive without you two." The redhead walked around the dinner table and hugged her housemaids together tightly. "You've been more like younger sisters to me instead of domestic servants."

"We won't forget all that we've been through."

"Thank for all the happy memories here, Miss Alice."

Later that night, the trio entered the market square for Mid-Autumn festivities, although Alice wandered off in search of the family who sold homemade winter melon mooncakes. At least there's an obvious sign advertising their products. What do I do— "Hey!"

Someone dragged the heiress into an alley before another person blindfolded her. Then both people dragged her further through the crowded streets into a cul-de-sac. Finally, they all stopped, and the blindfold came off. "We finally meet Alice Gehabich in person..." announced a bluenette with green eyes.

"Who are you? Why did you drag me away from the main attraction?"

"I'm Runo," the girl introduced before holding a lantern up to reveal her partner face. "My brunet friend here is Dan. He'll open the door for us."

Once inside the secret hideout, a short blond boy rotated his swivel chairs to see who had returned. "Greeting, Miss Alice. I'm Marucho, the person who drafted the letter to you. Please do not be alarmed by our living situation. We won't keep you for long. Have a seat, if you don't mind."

Alice looked around at Shun's former living situation before taking a seat. "Do all four of you live here together? What about the orphans that he told me about?"

"This is our workspace. Runo and the orphans sleep in one room. Us guys sleep in another room. There is backyard space, but that's not pertinent to our tasks today." After Dan and Runo also took a seat around the center table, Marucho pushed his swivel chair over as well. "We read both pages of your letter several times before replying. Dan suggested a prison break, but that's not as easy as it seems."

"Can't we just prove that the police has false information? The police said Shun was using my information to embezzle funds and commit fraud. Do you know how ridiculously fake those accusations are?"

"You clearly no have idea who you're about to get married to," Runo refuted. "Shadow used to do what we do, but then he ditched us in favor of bigger scams and opportunities. The only way to stop him from pursuing your inheritance is to get rid of him. I don't know if or how he knows that Shun chose to back out, but this is Shadow's way of tying up loose ends."

"I'm pretty sure he bribed the police to arrest Shun, or at least used fake people and paperwork to get the job done," Dan added.

"Well...let's say that Dan's idea of prison break actually succeed," the redhead hypothesized. "What happens next?"

"Leave the rest to us," Marucho reassured. "We should never have let Shadow get past us in the first place. Please keep this a secret from everyone else and continue to follow Shadow's demands to avoid suspicion."

Alice nodded before placing a sapphire hairpin on the table. "This is for you. Thank you again for helping me...even though we're in completely different classes of society."

"We have a common friend and a common enemy. We can't let any more people get hurt by Shadow's ambitions. That's all we have for tonight."

Like before, Dan and Runo blindfolded Alice and brought her back to the Mid-Autumn night markets before returning to their hideout. "I wanted to be the one to tell Alice that I suggested a prison break!" the brunet ranted.

"Why does that even matter?!" the bluenette yelled. "For all I know, you could've scared her away if you announced it. Marucho has better communication etiquette than you."

The blond pushed his glasses up and returned to his desk. "That might still be our only option. Shadow must've known that suspects who are guilty of financial crimes are denied bail due to the nature of the crime."

"We're all prepared for possibly being caught, but to be sent to prison for ridiculous reasons like this is not fair at all," Dan added.

"I'm certain that Shun didn't commit anything that the police officers claimed. We know him well, but not as well as we know Shadow. Now, I wonder if Julie and Joe are still in business. Joe would know how to get a copy of the prison floorplan, and Julie is excellent with disguises."

"What's your plan, Marucho?" Runo asked.

"We sneak inside and take note of the surroundings for blind spots, shortcuts, secret passages...everything and anything. Once we know our way around, then we'll pretend to cause a disruption to evacuate the whole building and save Shun in the meantime."

Dan and Runo stared at each other and shrugged. "Let's hope this works..."