Hey look at that, I followed through. Here's another chapter.

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What to do now? Eugene had been wandering about the kingdom for a day and a half, doing little good deeds here and there if he could. He wondered how long he would have to keep this up.

As much as tried, he could not stop thinking about Rapunzel and how she was coping. He really did feel terrible for leaving her like he did, but what could he do? He remembered kissing her and not being able to feel it. All those days of him imagining what it would be like to kiss her still had not come to pass. He was just as clueless as he was before.

He wanted to see her again. Just for a little bit. He wouldn't let her see him, but he just had to know if she was recovering from the heartbreak he had caused. He made up his mind that he would return to the castle to check up on her.

He wasn't too far from the castle at the time, having spent a couple hours in the upper part of the kingdom, so it didn't take him long to arrive at the castle gates. He easily walked right past the guards at the gate and entered the courtyard. He scanned the area, making sure that guard, Levi, and Rapunzel were nowhere around since they were the only two (that he knew of) that could see him. Neither of them were in sight so he moved further inside.

Where would Rapunzel be? His first thought was the garden. If he were a prince trying to woo a princess, he probably would have taken her to the garden. It was the most romantic location of the entire castle, especially now in the spring while all the flowers were in bloom. Yeah, he would check the garden first.

The garden was located on the opposite side of the castle from the courtyard. He resisted the urge to run and kept himself at an easy pace, resting his thumbs on his belt and looking at the ground. He reached the garden within no time, though it seemed likes ages. He kept low and crept around the garden, just in case Rapunzel was there.

Sure enough, his theory had been correct. He saw Rapunzel first, then he spotted a head of thick light brown hair beside her. It had to have been the prince she was intended to marry. Eugene could not clearly see his face, but he caught a glimpse of it. Not the handsomest person he had ever seen, nothing compared to himself. Eugene mentally slapped himself for letting Flynn Rider control his thoughts. Eugene had given up telling himself he was the handsomest man alive. That was his Flynn Rider self thinking he still was.

He figured the thought had been sparked by jealousy. He mentally slapped himself again. There was no reason to be jealous over the couple. He could not be with Rapunzel no matter how badly he wanted to. He was dead, Rapunzel was going to marry the prince and that was that.

Eugene scooted closer to the royals in hopes of hearing what they were saying. He could finally pick up their voices once he squatted down behind a rose bush close to the garden bench they were sitting on. He peered through the bush at them

"... you shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Rapunzel was saying, "I'm sure you'll be a great king someday."

The prince sighed. "That's kind of you to say, but I'm nothing compared to my father. He's so jolly and fun-loving. I'm just quiet and timid."

"Being quiet can be interpreted as being wise. I've met so many people who are loud and fun, but they talk way too much, making themselves sound ridiculous. I kind of like the type who talk at the appropriate times and let others get a word in every once in a while."

"Then... I think we'll get along just fine," the prince said, "I honestly don't talk much."

"Well you've talked plenty to me," Rapunzel remarked, then she noticed the prince's self-conscious face. "Not too much though! I've enjoyed our conversations."

"We haven't had that many."

Rapunzel smiled. "Well I've enjoyed them anyways."

Eugene sighed and moved away from the couple. Rapunzel was doing just fine. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Part of him was happy that she was happy, but then the other part was hoping she wouldn't forget him. Once far enough away from Rapunzel and her fiancee, he straightened up and began to stroll around the garden. It was a big garden. It took up the entire rear of the castle.

He plopped down on a bench and leaned over on his knees, resting his head in his hands. Why had he come? It just made him more depressed than he already was. Oh yeah, he wanted to check up on Rapunzel. Was it right of him to come back? What good had it really done?

He suddenly heard approaching footsteps. He looked up just in time to see a dark haired man come around the bend. He was dressed in a navy blue suit complete with a silver cape, and he wore all manners of rings, pendants, and other jewels all over himself. Eugene wondered if this man was part of the visiting royalty party.

"Radcliffe!" a woman's voice bellowed, "Where are you?"

The bejeweled man halted in his tracks and turned towards the source of the voice. A woman with black hair appeared. She was a sight. Her dress was enormous and probably had every color in existence on it, she was even more decked out in jewels than the man was.

Clearly neither the man nor the woman could see him, since he was sitting right beside them and the man was staring right over him at the woman. She stomped up to the man, her painted red lips curled into a tight frown. "What is it, Vivian?" the man, apparently named Radcliffe, asked.

"I thought you should know that security is tight here!" the woman named Vivian announced, "They are checking our luggage! The nerve of them! What did you do with the papers?"

"They're safely hidden, my dear," Radcliffe replied lazily, inspecting a nearby lily with great interest.

"What would happen if they were found?"

"They won't be."

"How do you know? If the king found out about what you were doing with those papers-!"

"He won't because I left them back at Faldonia," Radcliffe insisted, growing irritated.

"Faldonia? Are you crazy? They could be found there! You're being too conspicuous!"

"You're the one being conspicuous by shouting it across the kingdom. Lower your voice for heavens sake!"

The shouting woman took a deep breath and continued in a quieter voice. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do! Corona is one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the area. If it were to be united with Faldonia, we would be rich beyond belief."

Eugene was confused by the entire conversation. He had considered leaving before it began, but since Flynn had been at the surface of his thoughts after seeing Rapunzel, he had kept Eugene from going anywhere. Now Eugene and Flynn didn't want to leave.

What were they talking about Corona being wealthy? Rapunzel had told Eugene that she had to marry the prince because their kingdom was dirt poor. So maybe she didn't use those exact words, but still, shouldn't these visitors be aware that the reason that their kingdom was joining Corona was because Corona was desperate for money? Eugene decided to continue listening. He felt nosy, but he was dead, what did it matter?

"I only left the debt papers there. I have the important ones here, hidden somewhere no one will find them," Radcliffe explained, "Even if they did find out where they were, they wouldn't be able to get to them."

Debt papers? Why would debt papers be such a big deal? And what other papers were they talking about? Something told Eugene that whatever these two were talking about could not be good.

"Alright, but I have one last concern," Vivian sniffed, smoothing some curls that had fallen loose from her black braid back behind her ears, "Are you daring enough to follow through with the final part of your plan?"

"I am. There's no need to doubt me, my dear," Radcliffe said, "After this is over, you and I will become rich beyond your wildest belief."

The woman relaxed slightly at the mention of wealth. Obviously the two liked riches a lot, judging by their apparel. She linked her arm with Radcliffe. "You'd better be right," she warned.

"You may be assured of it," Radcliffe said. And with that, he and his companion strolled out of the garden in a smug way.

Eugene wondered who the people were. He knew their names and he knew they came from Faldonia, but who were they exactly? He did not like the way they were talking. Their conversation had been so... conspiring. Eugene wanted to know what the hidden 'papers' they kept referring to were about. Why would debt papers be such a big deal? What could the other mysterious papers be that was so important that they had to keep them hidden? He had to find out what papers they were talking about, but how would he do that?

"Hey you!"

Eugene recognized that voice. With a groan, he turned around and saw the young guard, Levi, running towards him. "Yes?" Eugene asked as the young man approached him.

"Why are you out here in the gardens?" Levi demanded.

"Just taking a stroll, really," Eugene replied, "I have some time off right now and-"

"Didn't you hear that everyone is to stay out of the gardens this afternoon?" Levi cut him off.

"No I didn't."

"Well, the Prince Nathaniel and Princess Rapunzel are to have the gardens to themselves this afternoon. King's orders. No one is supposed to be in here."

"Not even the gardeners?"

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

Levi showed irritation with Eugene's talk-back attitude. "I saw you walking in here and it's my duty to make sure everyone follows the king's orders."

Eugene was amused by the guard's sense of duty and how easily his pride was hurt. He obviously did not like his authority to be questioned nor did he like being told he was not doing his job well. Eugene decided to keep poking fun at him. "What about those other people?"

"What other people?" Levi asked.

"A man and a woman. They were just having a very heated discussion in here a moment ago. I'm surprised you didn't hear them."

Levi's face flushed a bright red. Whether it was from annoyance, embarrassment, or anger, Eugene could not tell, but whatever it was, it was an amusing sight. However, Eugene no longer wanted to tease the guard. Mentioning the bickering man and woman made Eugene remember their discussion. He needed to get his hands on the papers, but how?

Eugene looked back at the red-faced guard who was glaring at him, trying to think of something to say. Then Eugene got an idea. Maybe this boy could be useful to him.

"Levi, isn't it?" Eugene inquired, even though he knew it was.

Levi seemed surprised that Eugene knew his name, but he nodded, still red in the face.

"You seem like the type of person who tries so hard to do his job right, but is never noticed by anyone, am I right?" Eugene inquired.

"Yeah, so what?" Levi asked defensively.

"Well, I think I have something that can help boost your popularity with your superiors."

Levi eyed Eugene suspiciously, but seemed to be slightly interested. Eugene continued, "I just overheard a very suspicious conversation. It involved secret papers and a plan involving the kingdoms of Corona and Faldonia."

"What?"

"You heard me. Am I wrong, or is Corona supposedly in debt with hardly any money left?"

"That's what I've heard."

"Well this conversation I just heard has proven otherwise. They said that Corona was one of the wealthiest kingdoms. These two who were discussing this were visitors from Faldonia. They would know the reason why their prince was marrying our princess, so why should they say that Corona is rich?"

Levi was listening intently now, but tried not to seem too interested. "I suppose it does sound a little fishy..."

"Beyond fishy! I think we need to find out what this is about, but the only way to do that is to find these papers they were talking about."

"The soldiers have already searched the visitors' luggage and nothing has been reported."

"I know that. The papers are hidden somewhere and we need to find them."

Levi stared at Eugene for a moment before finally letting his guard down and leaning closer to him. "What do you have in mind?"

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Ooh, now this is really getting interesting, eh? Reviews are chocolate for my soul!