Chapter Thirteen: The Curse's Cure

Baron looked over his numbers again, to be sure that the information matched up. He grinned warmly, pleased that his work was perfect.

'It's strange,' Baron thought as he placed the papers aside, his work done for the day. 'When my mind was filled with Louise, I'd stay up past midnight to fix all my mistakes. But, since Haru walked into my life, the numbers have just come to me.' He sighed again, resting his chin on his fists.

'True, she's not as pretty as her cousin, but her heart seems so much purer to me. Why is she so willing to help others, without a single thought for compensation?'

Muta lazily opened one eye to look up at his tall friend, an evil smirk present on his face.

"Aren't you going to watch for Louise?"

Baron blinked, since the thought had not occurred to him in the week since the festival.

"No. She has her knight."

And the young captain looked very dashing, perhaps they were well matched for each other. The thought hadn't hurt him as much as he had once expected it to. The large white cat smirked again.

"Well, anyone else you want to watch for?"

The orange and cream cat bit his lip nervously.

"Haru's a seamstress. She won't be down there."

"Then why was her name the first one off your lips?" Muta asked evilly, pouncing from his seat to avoid Baron's fist.

"Why don't you go fight with Toto for a while?!" the half-cat asked, wishing for his thoughts to remain private as a fiery blush turned his fur red.

"Why would I want to do that?" the white cat taunted, running to the other side of the couch. "It's way more fun to tease you about your new crush!"

"She's not a crush, she's just a new friend!" Baron made to rush for the fat cat again, but then the tower room was lit up with blue light. The tawny half-cat raised one arm to his eyes in order to save them. His slanted green eyes shifted to the fireplace, where the majority of the light seemed to come through.

'Am I about to be visited by a saint?'

A trim gray cat hopped out of the light, and it began to fade behind him. The feline stood on his hind legs, and gravely studied Baron as the half-cat lowered his arm in amazement.

"So Haru wasn't exaggerating. You really are the von Gikkingen boy."

Baron had only heard his last name a handful of times, since his mother had all but annulled her marriage to his father, and it wouldn't be smart to air around that name without solid evidence.

'Well, Haru doesn't appear to take a promise lightly.' The tawny lord bowed politely for the cat, certain that he was a royal.

"I am. Would you care for some milk?"

The feline guest nodded as Muta looked around the couch at him. His jaw dropped.

"Prince Lune?! How on earth did Haru manage to contact you?!"

The gray cat looked down, more than a little embarrassed.

"She got me out of a sticky situation with some human children, and nursed me back to health. She's a great girl, but I have to admit it took a bit of effort on her part to convince me that Baron was the complete opposite of his father, and so deserved a different fate than my grandfather gave him. It was the only thing she wanted for repayment."

The mentioned half-cat grimaced, carefully placing a saucer next to the prince, who started lapping politely.

"I don't claim my father, if I can help it. He tried to kill my mother and I, just after I was born."

Lune nodded.

"Haru mentioned that. But I'm guessing that you were never told how to break the spell? Your father was told how."

Baron nodded again, hardly believing that his already rock-bottom opinion of his father could sink even lower.

"Do you know?"

The prince nodded back.

"I had to sift through Grandfather's memoirs to find it, but it's doable. Sort of. You're quite lucky that it was me Haru contacted, and not my father. He's still angry over your father trying to kill him, and would have probably just added something else on top of your curse."

Baron sat down next to the gray cat, glad that this area had a rug.

"What do I need to do?" he asked, wondering what the old Cat King had concocted. Lune laughed a little grimly

"Oh, youdon't have to do much… except convince a fair young human maiden to offer you her first kiss."

Baron blinked, feeling a blush cross his cheeks once more.

"Are you serious? That's it?"

"That's it. Oh, and it has to be her idea. If you make the first move, you'll stay in this shape forever."

The tawny half-cat grimaced.

"That's a little unfair."

The feline prince nodded.

"Grandfather was a great ruler, but when his temper got roused… well, it's probably something like Father's, which isn't pretty."

Baron shook his head, studying the faded designs in the worn rug.

"I don't understand. I'm not the one that did those things. Why should I bear the punishment?"

Lune looked at him sadly.

"Grandfather assumed that your father would love you, no matter your appearance, and that your punishment would hurt him worse than getting it himself." The prince sighed and stood up again, since the milk had been lapped away. "I should return to the kingdom before anyone thinks to ask where I've been. Good luck, Baron."

Facing the fireplace, Lune focused, and made a portal of light appear once more. But just before climbing into it, he suddenly looked at the cursed half-human again.

"Baron?"

"Yes?"

The prince took a steadying breath.

"I know it isn't my place to say this, all things considered, but Haru's a great girl, and she's really worried about you. She really wants you to have the normal life you desire." He turned to jump through the portal, saying the next part in a rush as the blue light disappeared behind him.

"If I were in your position, I'd go for her to break the spell!"

When the light faded, Baron slowly locked eyes with his creamy companion, who was smirking evilly.

"Baron and Haru, sitting in a tree-" the fat cat began to sing, cutting off to avoid his friend's fist.

"Silence!" Baron shouted, trying to drown out the chorus of;

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" as Toto revealed himself from his hiding place, and also grinning fit to kill, an evil cackling laughter issuing from both of the tormentors' throats as Baron ran around the tower room, trying to silence them as a magenta blush covered his entire body.