With a week's journey coming to an end, Luna and Jane made their approach on the Echo Bell capital. The pathway they took had a good view of the numerous rivers that crossed into the capital, all flowing at a gentle pace.

Luna reached into Jane's saddlebag and pulled out a book. "Aren't you excited, Jane?"

The Rapidash yawned and glanced over her shoulder. "About what?"

"This'll be my first time going to the Echo Bell capital. I've heard wondrous things about their culture. For example, with the rivers that intercept the capital, they use gondolas as their main mode of transport to get around rather than carriages. Plus, it's home to some of the most famous artists and sculptors in Virdis."

Jane smirked. "Didn't take you for a lover of the arts."

Luna laughed awkwardly. "Well, not me per say, but I've heard plenty from Nathaniel. Still, it really is amazing. The Kingdom of Revelry, they say, where one celebrates their upbringing and culture. There are some remarkable festivals here, too. A shame we won't be attending some of the big ones during out trip."

"Meaning there are some being held soon?"

"I believe there's some sort of potluck festival coming up soon. A celebration of food."

Jane smiled with interest. "Now you have my attention."

Luna giggled. "Let's worry more about finding Sir Gerard."

"We get to stay in the castle, right?"

"Yes, I believe so. You will be joining the other steeds out in the stables."

Jane chuckled. "Perhaps I'll meet a dashing local during my stay."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Ah yes, what a worthy use of our time."

"You're the investigator, I'm the one who carried your butt here. I'll be enjoying my free time while you bury yourself in your work again."

Luna huffed, then crossed her arms as she looked out at the capital. She frowned upon realizing something. "…What do you suppose happened to Sir Gerard during that last mission of his?"

"I don't know. Maybe the trauma of battle finally got to him and his men."

"Still, to come here of all places. The Echo Bell Kingdom doesn't seem like the kind of place he would retire to, especially with the criminal activity that's said to go on at night."

Jane grimaced. "I've heard the stories. Try not to do anything stupid while we're here."

"Since when have I ever done such a thing?"

"Well, aside from burning yourself out after your last workload, need I remind you of your hotheadedness?"

Luna pouted. "Hey, I've grown out of that."

"Surrrrre you have," Jane said sarcastically. "Please, you act calm and refined, but I've heard the stories of when you started out as a knight. You earned yourself quite the reputation being the Verde Kingdom's first female knight, on top of your rebellious nature."

Luna glared. "Hey, I only did half that because of the jerk in charge of training."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't go sticking your nose into places it doesn't belong. I've heard terrible things happen at night, and you don't want to be on the receiving end of their tales."

Luna closed her eyes and sighed. "I'll behave, don't worry. I will."

After getting checked out at the gates, Luna and Jane trotted through the lively streets of the capital. The difference in fashion and architecture hit them hard. Everything was much more colorful than the monotonous gray stones making up a majority of Verde's buildings. Tall buildings surrounded them, conjoined together. Up ahead, in more spacious parts of the capital, more elaborate buildings stood out.

They passed by an opera house with a large, crystal-like dome and an Arceus cross wheel sitting atop the steeple. Farther ahead, they took in the capital square with a fountain sitting in the center, shooting sparkling water from the top spout. A large, spiral tower stood up ahead with civilians entering at their leisure.

The true staple of the capital, though, were the waterways. Gondolas passed by the duo as they trotted the pathways, with some boats occupied by local minstrels playing their harmonious melodies to onlookers. Some waterways had bridges connecting one street to the other, each made with murals decorated on the sides.

Luna inhaled deeply and sighed. "There's something quite…charming about this place."

Jane smirked. "Well, it is the Kingdom of Revelry. I would be surprised if everything felt dreary, at least during the day. Do you suppose we have time for sightseeing?"

Luna shook her head. "No. I must focus on my investigation."

Jane pouted. "Buzzkill."

"I won't be needing your assistance during my time here, so you're free to go about your fun without me."

Jane grinned. "Okay, not a buzzkill." She sighed, lifting one her aching hooves. "Hopefully, those stables have some miracle-working caretakers. My hooves are killing me!"

"Off we go then!" Luna whipped the reins, coaxing Jane to pick up the pace towards the castle.

They closed in on the castle, allowing them to soak in the exterior. First thing they noticed; the entire castle was surrounded by an imposing moat. An entire moat, five meters in width, wrapped around the whole castle. A stone bridge arched over the moat to the courtyard leading to the castle entrance.

The courtyard was filled with hedges molded into statues, gardens filled with an assortment of flowers, and a fountain in the center. There were even berry trees being grown, provided quality shade to a scholar as they read their book. Gardeners wandered the courtyard, tending to their duties, while knights patrolled the premises.

The castle was composed of amber-colored stone, breaching the sky and standing above all other buildings. The front of the castle wrapped around the courtyard in a straightened 'U' shape. Going upward, the castle looked like it was segmented into different, cube-shaped towers interconnected with each other. At the top of the three tallest spires stood guards overlooking the grounds, armed with mounted ballista.

Luna and Jane crossed over the bridge as they marveled at the castle. "Not bad," Jane commented.

"I'll say," Luna awed. "This courtyard is beautiful. I wonder if I could snag a berry off those—"

"Halt!" Jane dug her hooves down and came to a screeching halt. Luna tumbled forward, pressing her face into Jane's fiery mane. After pulling herself up and patting down her warm face, Luna spotted two knights in white armor approach them, armed with pikes. "State your business!" they ordered.

Luna took a deep breath, then saluted the knights. "Hello! I am Luna Freia, a knight under the Verde Kingdom first division, led by the Black Knight himself! I came at the request of King Penworth to carry out official business for the Verde Kingdom."

The knights raised their pikes into a stationary position. "Do you have a form of request?" Luna dug into her bag and handed the official letter to them. They took it and checked the seal and signature. "Hmm. Please wait a moment." They bowed to Luna, then headed into the castle.

A moment turned to ten minutes of waiting for the girls. Jane took a rest on the ground while Luna paced around the courtyard. Their patience was soon rewarded as the castle doors reopened. The knights returned, joined by, quite shockingly, a fancily-dressed Golurk that shook the ground with each step. Despite their large frame, the spectral golem adorned a navy blue jacket/pants and white shirt with a puffy collar. They also wore a pair of tiny spectacles over their eyes.

Luna and Jane gazed up at the giant, feeling quite small in their presence. The golem gazed down upon them and spoke in a hollow, yet deep voice. "You are the knight we've been expecting?" The commanding, masculine tone indicated this Golurk identified as male.

Luna gulped and raised her hand. "Ah, sir! I am Luna Freia, the knight sent by King Penworth! A pleasure to meet you!" She bowed to him.

The Golurk nodded. "A pleasure. I am Guido, the royal advisor of the Visconti family and current caretaker of the kingdom's affairs."

"Oh, that's right, the king and queen are out on business," Luna remembered. "I assume that means the entire royal family is absent, too."

"Not entirely. I am overseeing the two youngest daughters to His and Her Majesty. However, if you came to request an audience with the king and queen, I'm afraid they will not be back for quite some time."

Luna shook her head. "It's fine. If you're capable, your guidance would be most helpful. I just have some questions regarding the affairs between the Verde and Echo Bell Kingdoms regarding…well, retired members of our divisions."

Guido nodded. "Very well." He turned to the knights. "Take Lady Freia's steed to the stables. Be sure she is treated well among the other steeds."

Jane grinned. "Ah, I get to meet some of the handsome studs of this kingdom. Lucky me." She gave a quick, playful salute to Luna. "Don't strain yourself." She followed the knights out of the courtyard.

Luna stuck her tongue out in her direction, but froze up after Guido coughed purposely. Luna retracted her tongue, then tried to salvage her dignity in front of the advisor. "So, uh…where to begin?"

Guido and Luna wandered the castle halls, passing by the maids hard at work tending to their duties. Luna rambled off mostly everything she learned, dancing over some of the more…accusatory information directed at her king. She wasn't sure if Guido was actually listening, seeing as he nodded absently as she spoke, though it may have been a habitual practice being the royal advisor. Either listen and give brief interjections or slap some sense into your king for saying something potentially dangerous. That might have been an exaggeration, but after seeing her king wandering outside the castle drunk, she wouldn't blame Ortwin for committing an action that would get the less privileged thrown in the dungeon.

"…With the increasing concerns regarding our kingdom's safety, I need to find all I can about the Crownless King. Since Sir Gerard retired to the Echo Bell Kingdom, I was hoping to peruse your archives for his whereabouts."

Guido stroked his chin. "Since he was a former knight to our allies, his information may be stored in the royal archives." He glanced down at her. "And you said there's this concern over a…Crownless King? Someone is actually claiming to be the ruler of that untouched land?"

Luna nodded. "Yes, sir."

Guido hummed with intrigued. "This is the first time I've heard of this Crownless King."

"First time for me, too. I only came across it because of Sir Gerard's reports. There's no other mention of the Crownless King anywhere in our archives. No research, history, or anything. It's like someone declared themselves king there." Luna bit her lip. "The troubling part is that one of his servants posed as Princess Penworth's tutor. We don't know if he's dangerous or not."

"Your plight is understandable," Guido agreed. "Do you suppose he's responsible for her disappearance?"

"Partly, but…something about his involvement feels off. We have evidence against him, but we're not even sure who he was. We just know for certain he came from the ruins."

"How troubling. Outsiders truly live up to their scheming ways. Though I have never heard of this Crownless King, I've heard plenty about the depraved souls that wander that hollow kingdom. You won't find more despicable minds than there."

Luna's eyes hardened into a glare, but she kept her thoughts private. "Right. Anyway, according to Sir Gerard's report, he and his men were assaulted for days by unknown assailants. He didn't provide many details, but the described circumstances probably left him little detail to elaborate. I'm hoping the thirty years haven't damaged his memory."

"And what do you intend to do when you find the answers you seek?" Guido asked.

Luna opened her mouth to answer, but lingered for a moment. There was still the pressing matter of the king's possible involvement. Roscoe Penworth, formerly known as Count Fletcher, married into the family roughly twenty years ago, which was around the same time Sir Gerard retired. She recalled the stories, too. He wasn't officially retired by the knights. He just left. Of course, he was recognized by the Echo Bell Kingdom when he arrived, back when they were still a neighboring kingdom and not an officially recognized ally. Did Sir Gerard have some special reason he came to the Echo Bell Kingdom? As Jane rightfully pointed out, this hardly seemed like the place of retirement for a battle-hardened knight.

Then there was the issue with King Penworth. During her investigation, Luna realized something. None of the knights ever heard of the Crownless King, not even the ones that should've been around during Gerard's day. Granted, the line of work for a knight was taxing on the body. She found very few knights who even personally knew Gerard. He was probably the oldest of them all, no doubt in his nineties right now. He powered through, carrying out his duty, as praised by Matthias when she asked about the old knight.

So, none of the current knights actually knew Gerard, much less his missions. Surely, the previous queen, Temperance Penworth, wouldn't dare keep such information from her knights. It didn't sound like something she would do. The only other people she could turn to were her children, except one was dead and the other…well, Luna didn't know much about Queen Penworth's other children, or how many more she had.

That left suspicion to be thrown on the current king himself. All Luna knew about his background was that he inherited a sizable fortune and oversaw some land in the Verde Kingdom before courting Odolina Penworth. All she knew was that Roscoe Fletcher was a nobleman that had money and owned land, just like any noble. Plus, with his acquired power, he could easily tamper with the royal archives.

Was she casting too much suspicion onto her king? Or was there something deeper going on in the Verde Kingdom?

"Guido!" Two shrill voices snapped Luna out of her thoughts. A pair of Gourgeist dressed in frilly dresses floated up to the spectral golem. The bigger Gourgeist wore a blue dress while the smaller one wore a red dress. They floated up to his face and shook their fists. "We're bored!"

Luna's eyes widened. Are those the princesses? Aren't they supposed to be in their teens? They sound like children. And they're not even speaking formally.

Guido huffed. "Shouldn't you two be finishing your tutor's assignments?"

The oldest Gourgeist huffed and crossed her arms. "Giselle and I already finished that stuff. When is our family getting back?"

"Yeeeah," Giselle whined. "Azelia promised she'd teach me how to apply makeup! I wanted to stroll around town and check out the cute boys!"

Guido sighed. "It is beneath a princess to fraternize with the commoners, especially lowborn males."

"Then can I check out the cute noble boys?" she asked.

"You are also too young for a relationship."

Giselle stuck her tongue out at him. "No fair! Grandad got married when he was fifteen! I'm fifteen!"

Guido sighed, then turned to her sister. "And why are you upset, Princess Jessica?"

Jessica huffed. "Evangelina was supposed to help me with my research project."

"I thought you were done with your assignments."

"Oh no, this is purely for me. I found a bunch of these old books in the library with no authors attached to them, so I wanted to see if I can trace back their origins." She puffed her chest out proudly. "That'll show those stuffy noble scholars what a princess can do. I'll be recognized for uncovering lost history."

"Have you been getting into fights with the scholars again?"

Jessica pouted. "Well, they started it. How dare they assume I can't do my own research? Besides, with Evangelina's help, that would double my achievement."

"If this is so important, you could just ask Ms. Gatti for help."

Jessica gagged. "That screwball? As if! She'll just get distracted halfway through and blabber on about some inane topic."

"Yeah!" Giselle agreed. "She once told me the planet is actually round! Can you believe it? Everyone knows the planet is flat!"

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at the younger pumpkin. Guido suppressed his sigh. "…I may have to get a separate tutor for you."

Only then did the princesses finally acknowledge the Snivy knight in the hall. "Eh? Who's this?" Giselle asked, floating down to Luna's level. "Why is one of our maids wearing armor?" She gasped. "Wait! Is this the new maid uniform? So cool!"

Jessica slapped her sister in the back of the head. "Chill out. Don't you remember? The Verde Kingdom sent over a knight to do some research or whatever." Jessica rubbed her chin. "Still, kind of weird to see a female knight. And here I thought the Senbo Kingdom were the progressive ones."

Luna laughed awkwardly, then bowed. "Err, greetings, Your Highnesses. I'm—"

"Don't care," Jessica dismissed, turning her back to the Snivy. Luna suppressed the growl bellowing behind her clenched teeth.

Giselle, however, shook Luna's hand excitedly. "Nice to meet you, Lady Knight! If you need anything, just ask! As long as it doesn't involve anything requiring dexterity and using my thinking box."

"…Good to know."

Guido shooed the princesses off. "Alright, that's enough out of you two. Lady Freia has a lot of work to do. How about you take the day off and peruse the capital? The Festival della Festa will be coming around in a couple weeks. I'm sure your subjects would appreciate your approval with free samples."

Giselle grinned. "Ooh, free samples? Don't mind if I do! To the capital square, Jessica!" She grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her along.

"Hey, not so hard!" Jessica yelled, flailing her free hand as she vanished around the corner.

Luna chucked exasperatedly. "Well, they were…something."

"Not often you deal with royals?"

"Our princess was skittish and the king hardly interacted with us outside of official orders. I've dealt with plenty of nobles, of course."

"Hmm. Anyway, if you intend to perform research, you're free to use the royal archives. Under the supervision of our head archivist, of course."

"Oh, of course." Luna bowed. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. Annnnd, apologies in advance." Guido turned and walked on ahead.

"…" Luna lifted her head and blinked twice. "Wait, what?"

Guido opened a door, letting out a blast of cold air that sent shivers down to Luna's core. She rubbed her arms, chattering her teeth, and gazed down the stone steps descending into a faint flickering of the basement.

"This is the royal archive," Guido explained. "You should be able to find information on Sir Gerard down here."

"W-Why is it so cold down there?" Luna stuttered.

"Since Ms. Gatti is the only one who manages the archive, she likes to keep it cold for herself."

"Ms. Gatti?" Luna squinted in thought. "That's the…screwball Princess Jessica was referring to?"

Guido nodded. "Monica Gatti. She has been working the archives for about a year now. Not the most satisfying job, but she's the only one who stuck with it."

"So, is this what you meant when you apologized to me?"

"Partly. You'll see for yourself when you head down." Guido stepped aside and bowed to her. "I shall have a room prepared for you. When you've finished your business for the day, a servant will come around to escort you."

Luna nodded. "Ah yes, thank you." She bowed to him, then descended the stairs. Guido closed the door behind her, enveloping the chamber in darkness once again. Luna kept her hand on the railing and followed the flickering light downstairs.

Aside from the cold air, which Luna was steadily adjusting to, she noticed the scent of mint in the air. It was strong and refreshing, sharpening her mind as she drew closer. Perhaps the archivist had an appetite for desserts.

"Uh, hello?" Luna called out as she neared the bottom steps. "Ms. Gatti? Sorry to disturb you. I am Luna Freia. I was sent by the Verde Kingdom to conduct official business. Are you present at the mo—" Upon reaching the last step, Luna turned into the archives and recoiled in horror. "What the?!"

Compared to the neat and orderly archives back home, she wasn't expecting the mess lay out before her. Drawers were thrown open with documents hanging out like used towels. Pages were scattered all over the floor. Towers of scrolls sat off to the side in a haphazard pile where pulling one out could disrupt its equilibrium. There was even a mountain of unused parchment stacks thrown together into a small hill.

That wasn't the worst of it. Dishes were stacked on the tables, some with half-eaten pastries that had begun to mold. A pile of books that definitely did not belong in the archives sat off to the side. One of the open drawers had laundry hanging off the side. A washboard and tub were in the corner, of all things!

Luna ran her hands down her face, astonished by the horrendous sight. "What…What is all of this?!"

"Meh-meh?! Who's there?" Luna squeaked and jumped back as the mountain of parchment started rustling.

An Alcremie popped out of the mountain stack, shaking some papers that sunk into her creamy body off. Based off her light blue and white coloring, as well as the green treats in her hair that matched her eyes, she was a mint cream Alcremie with clover sweets.

She pulled herself out of the mountain pile and dusted herself off. She wore an oakwood brown robe with solid blue strips going down the sleeves and the middle. She wore a teal shawl around her neck. She wore a strange pair of swirly glasses on her forehead.

"Yes, hi, hello! Greetings!" The Alcremie pulled a parchment out from the back of her head and tossed it aside. "Who are you again?"

Luna's jaw quivered as she continued looking around the messy room. "I'm…Luna Freia."

"Luna Freia, Luna Freia, Luna Freia…" The Alcremie twirled her fingers through her creamy hair loops, then snapped her fingers. "Gotcha! Nice to meet you, Moon Lady!"

Luna raised her brow. "Moon…Lady?"

"Yeah. Luna, Lunar, Moon. Freia, means 'lady' in an older language. Therefore, you are Moon Lady!"

"…Ooookay. And you must be Monica Gatti?"

"Monica Gatti, that's me! The archivist, the head of history, the agile Advisor Cat!"

"Huh?"

"Ah, well, my name means—"

"Y-You know what, I don't need to know the details." Luna gulped and turned her attention back onto the archive. "So, uh…was there a party down here?"

Monica looked around, then stared blankly at Luna. "What makes you say that?"

"Um, well…I don't mean to sound rude, but why does the royal archives look like someone's apartment?"

Monica blinked, then burst into laughter. "Oh, that! Yeah, I kind of moved into the archives once I was the only one maintaining it."

"Maintaining it, you say," Luna grumbled as she pushed a plate aside with her foot. "Then why are all the documents laying around like this?"

"Hmm, hard to say. Started small, but then I just kept reading and reading and reading until I eventually lost track of time. I mean, I had the place to myself and hardly anyone ever comes down here, so I figured I could use the extra time to do some light reading. Never really bothered putting everything away because I was more interested in reading something else. Then I eventually forget what I was doing and reread stuff I've already read, then…wait, who are you again?"

"Luna!" she yelled.

"Moon Lady, right!" Monica rubbed her chin. "Wait, lost my train of thought."

Luna slapped herself and groaned. "How can you get anything done in this mess? And…seriously, why are there so many dishes down here?"

Monica looked at the dishes, then tilted her head. "Huh. When did those get there?"

Luna pressed her hands together and inhaled through her nose. "Monica, you're supposed to be the head archivist of the royal archives. Don't you think it might be a little unprofessional for someone of your esteemed position to leave the royal archives in this state?!"

Monica shrugged. "I mean, maybe, but the royal siblings haven't fussed about it."

"Eh?"

"Oh yeah, His and Her Highness come down here a lot. Star Prince and Gospel Princess." She noted Luna's confused expression. "Prince Asterio and Princess Evangelina. Anyway, they come down here all the time. Actually, they're the only ones who come down here and talk to me. Asterio and I are pretty tight. He brings me hot cocoa and makes sure I'm getting sleep. He's a nice guy."

"Are…we talking about the same prince?" Luna asked, recalling the few times she saw the shiny Frillish. Intimidating and gloomy were the best ways to describe him. "Also, isn't it beneath a prince to assist the help?"

Monica waved it off. "Nah! He doesn't care about that hoity-toity stuff. He comes down here for documents on old fighting styles used by former knights. Did you know we had a knight one hundred fifty years ago that used a scythe? How cool is that?"

"Err, cool, but—"

"I wouldn't say I'm as close with the princess, but she's pretty nice to me, too. Don't know Princess Azelia or Giselle that well. Princess Jessica told me to 'get lost, weirdo'."

"Harsh."

Monica waved it off. "Eh, two out of five ain't bad."

"If we can get back on topic about the horrid state you've left the archives in—"

"Ooh, that reminds me!" Luna gasped as Monica melted out of her clothes and jumped around the archives as a surge of cream. She snatched some files off a high shelf, swung past Luna to drop them into her hands, then reformed back into her clothes. "Check those out!"

Luna shook off her shock and looked at the top document. "This is…a list of old laws?"

"Fascinating, aren't they? I found a whole list of laws back during the kingdom's infancy."

Luna squinted at one of them. "It was illegal to…die during an opera between the hours of eight and midnight?"

"Yeah, apparently that happened once, and the old king got super angry his favorite opera was interrupted. Nowadays, no one really enforces that one. Still, pretty cool, huh?"

Luna took a deep breath, then dropped the files on the floor. "Ms. Gatti, as nice as this sounds, I'm not here to play. I am on an important assignment for King Penworth, and I don't appreciate these distractions, much less the state you've left the archives in."

"Oh, it's not so bad. Just a few things scattered around—"

"You're literally using empty drawers to hang your laundry!" Luna yelled.

Monica tapped her chin and stared at the clothes. "Uh huh, yeah. I might be seeing what you're putting down."

"Seriously, what if you damaged the documents? History of your kingdom ruined before of suds!"

Monica waved it off. "Oh please. Why do you think I piled everything into the corner over there? Completely away from wet floor hazards."

"They shouldn't even be on the floor to begin—" Luna caught herself and took a deep breath. "I'm not going to work myself up over this. I can't waste any time bickering with you. Do you at least have a semblance of organization in this mess?"

Monica sucked her lips in. "I have no idea how to answer that."

Luna flared her nostrils, but refrained from raising her voice. "Oookay. Do you think you could help me get this place under control so I can find the information I need?"

Monica grinned. "Ah sure, I can handle that." She looked around at her belongings. "But, uh, where am I supposed to put my stuff?"

"In your actual room, obviously."

Monica scratched behind her head. "Riiiight. Remember when I said I sort of moved in here? Yeah, that wasn't by choice. The younger princesses get bored quickly, and I'm an easy target for their pranks. Bucket at the doorway, missing wardrobe, mixed up some files I was supposed to deliver—"

"They've been pranking you?" Luna asked. "Why haven't you brought that up with the king and queen?"

Monica deadpanned. "Have you ever tried tattling on a couple of royal pains? It's my word against theirs, and…well, you know." She gestured to the archives. "Down here, however, they wouldn't think twice about risking damage to the archives. I consider this my little safe haven."

Luna frowned. "Ah. Well, now I feel a little bad for getting angry with you. But that doesn't excuse you for leaving all this crap everywhere!"

Monica laughed it off. "Fair enough."

"Look, if you help me find what I need, I'll help tidy this place up into something more manageable for you. Can we agree on that?"

Monica hummed for a moment, then grinned. "Oh, what the heck? I'm in! Might be nice to spruce this place up." She laughed awkwardly. "Admittedly, I'm not the best at cleaning up after myself."

"I've noticed." Luna huffed through her nose. "You can start by cleaning up these dishes and taking them back to wherever they're supposed to be. I'll start organizing the parchment."

"Sounds good, Moon Lady!" Monica darted for her plates and teacups, stacking them onto a tray.

Luna sighed and approached the huge mountain of parchment stacks. "Not how I wanted to start my day, but it can't be helped." She rolled up her sleeves and started digging through the pile.

Monica got a sizeable stack started, then turned sheepishly to Luna. "Hey, Moon Lady. Thanks."

Luna shrugged. "It's whatever."

"No, I mean…really, thank you." Monica sighed. "You have no idea how much I appreciate you calling me out like that."

Luna winced. "Please don't say it like that. Makes me sound mean."

Monica giggled. "I guess the mess got so out of hand that I got used to it." She frowned. "Being the head archivist is fun and all, but it's a lot of responsibility to manage. I was given the position when the other archivists quit on account of the two terrors upstairs. I stuck around purely for the passion of it. You really think you can help me manage this place better?"

Luna stopped digging for a moment, took a deep breath, and smiled at her. "If you promise to put in the effort, I can give you some tips on how to keep yourself organized."

Monica squealed. "Thanks a bunch, Moon Lady! I'll remember to make it up to you, I swear!"

Luna waved it off. "Just as long as I get that information on Sir Gerard, we'll be even."

"Oh no, I'm not letting you off that easy!" Monica exclaimed. "I promise, I'll compensate you for dealing with my laziness! This, I swear!"

Luna raised her hands. "Really, you don't have to get me any—"

"Well, I'm off to return these dishes! Be back soon!" Monica carefully ascended the stairs as she balanced the full tray of expensive dishes.

Luna's face fell into a disgruntled look. "She really is a screwball." She shook her head, then turned back to the pile with a small smile. "Sweet, nonetheless, but a screwball." She sighed. "Organizing all of this is going to take a lifetime. Where do I start? I suppose chronological order would suffice." She groaned and rubbed her head vigorously. "Why did the Echo Bell Kingdom have to be rich with history?"

She dug through the pile and carefully walked the stacks to a fresh corner. As she did, the upper layers of the pile lost their balance and fell onto her head like concrete, dropping her to floor. She used her Vine Whip to grab the strap binding the stack together and lifted it onto the table. She sighed and pressed her face into the floor.

"This might take a while." She felt something flutter onto her head. She pulled it off and sat up. She glanced at it and raised her brow. "Huh, this is a newspaper clipping. Must've gotten mixed up when the royal siblings were down here." She turned it over and skimmed the lines.

According to the headline and the passage, a fire broke out in the Paradise District of the Echo Bell capital around 38 years ago. The cause for the fire was never identified. Seven people died in the inferno, but two children were never accounted for. They have been ruled as 'missing'.

Luna narrowed her eyes. "38 years ago. That's a shame." She set the clipping down. "Echo Bell does have a problem with criminal activity at night. Must be a ton of clippings like that in here. I wonder what else goes on in this kingdom." She grabbed another stack of parchment and carried them off. "Can't dwell on that now. I have to focus on finding that information on Sir Gerard. Hopefully this goes smoothly."