A/N: I now have a PlayStation 4. Sooooo… that explains why I didn't update this yesterday. No worries, though, I won't let it (fully) distract me! Though… I do have to beat Uncharted 4 before Ace Attorney 6 comes out…

ANYWAYS!

Thanks to Wolfiered23 for helping me decide on Eric's pet name for Flora!

Review Reply to Gamergirl: It started out a good day, buuuuut… things went south rather quickly, heh. Here comes the mystery!

Nothing else to say. Onwards!

…

Chapter Three: The Letter

The police took us back to the professor's flat and placed us under protective custody. That consisted of a few officers milling around the building, or sitting in their car, watching the door. We weren't allowed to leave without one of them. I moved almost robotically around the professor's flat, making tea for myself and Eric, my mind a whirl of thoughts.

Alfendi... What if he… the professor left him in my care… how could I let this happen? Was I just… too neglectful? Too… wrapped up in my own career? Oh my gosh, what's if she hurts—

CRASH!

"Flora!?"

I was kneeling on the ground, shakily trying to pick up the pieces of Professor Layton's china teapot, when Eric came in.

"Flora. Stop," Eric said, kneeling next to me and catching my hands, pulling them away from the sharp glass and hot liquid.

"Th-the teapot… the professor's teapot…" I looked up at him, my vision blurred by tears. "I… I have to fix it. I already lost Alfendi… if he sees the teapot—" my voice was growing more and more shrill with each word, until suddenly, I was being held tight against Eric's chest, his heartbeat audible in my ear.

"Shhh…. Shhh, my Flower," he cooed, using his pet name for me. "The professor's not going to care about a dumb teapot," Eric said, rocking my back and forth. More sobs escaped me, shaking my body hard, and I buried my face into his chest, all my self-doubt and worry flowing out with the tears. Eric simply rocked me, rubbing my back and muttering soothingly until my sobs slowed.

"What happened to Alfendi is not your fault," Eric said sternly.

"I… I was responsible for him…" I muttered. "And… and Hertz is our enemy, not his…" I argued. Eric was quiet for a moment, snuggling his face into my hair.

"Flora. Did you blame the Professor when Don Paolo kidnapped you in Dropstone?" he asked.

"Of course not!" I gasped. "He had no idea it was going to happen. How could he prepare for it? Besides, Don Paolo was using me to further his plan, not anything against myse…" I trailed off, suddenly realizing what I was saying. "Oh."

"'Oh' is right," Eric said with a small smile. I sighed, resting my ear against his chest, right over his heart, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"Eric?" I said after a few minutes.

"Yes, my Flower?" he asked, running his fingers through my ponytail.

"Do you… do you think Alfendi will be okay?" I asked softly. His arms tightened around me.

"Yes. He's strong," Eric said, kissing the top of my head.

"What if he was hypnotized…?" My voice was tiny as I asked.

"He might not be able to be hypnotized," he countered. I sighed softly.

"I hope so…" I muttered, resting against him again.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Eric kissed the top of my head and stood.

"Leave the mess. I'll get it when I come back," he said.

"But..."

"Just try to relax, okay, my Flower?" he said, gently pulling me up and over to a chair. I sighed, letting him make me sit. There was another knock on the door.

"Coming!" he called, giving my hand a squeeze before walking into the foyer and answering the door. There was some talking, before Eric came back, holding an envelope.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A letter. The officer said a courier delivered, and they inspected it, but… it's blank," Eric explained. My eyebrows drew together.

"Blank?" I asked.

"Yeah. And look at the front." He held it up. In blocky, bold handwriting, was the word 'FLOS'.

"Flos… Flos… where have I heard that…" I muttered, my arms crossed in thought. Focusing on the puzzle was helping me keep my mind clear. I thought through all the possible meanings, feeling that it should be something I would know, when I suddenly realized what it was.

"Wait a minute!" I gasped, snatching the envelop. "'Flos' means 'flower' in Latin!" I said. "This letter is for me!"

"But who would send you a blank sheet of paper under a coded address?" Eric asked.

"What if it's not blank, but just appears to be so," I said, pulling out the paper. I ran my fingers over the smooth surface, feeling little indents.

"What do you mean, my Flower?" Eric asked, coming over to study the paper. I shook my head, standing quickly and walking over to the cabinet, where I knew there to be food dye.

"I think the sender didn't want anyone but me to see the contents of his letter," I explained, pulling down a bowl and mixing some of the dye with some water. I quickly carried it over to the paper, which I put on a plate, and carefully dropped some of the colored water on the paper.

The paper itself turned blue, the color of the dye, causing white letters to appear. Eric gasped at that.

"Amazing…" he muttered. I smiled slightly, carefully doing this to the rest of the paper. Soon, the entire message could be read.

"'Where the silver first grows,

That's where we shall go,'" Eric read out loud, before fingering his chin thoughtfully. "'Where the silver first grows'…" he muttered.

"The place it was first discovered," I said, studying the scrawling handwriting of the letter.

"Why, that would be Caneopa, to the far east of Europe," Eric said. "But… who sent this letter?"

"Isn't it obvious, Eric?" I asked with a grin. He looked at me in confusion. "Who else would know that I would recognize a Latin word, and know how to read an 'invisible' letter?" I asked.

"The professor?" he asked.

"Nope," I said, my smile growing. Eric looked thoughtful, glancing around, until his eyes landing on a picture of Alfendi and I together just before a school dance, hanging on the fridge. He gasped.

"Alfendi!"

"Right! This is his handwriting, and he's the one who taught me that trick," I said, motioning to the now blue, visible letter. "This is a clue that he somehow got to a courier. That means he's okay, Eric! And… he knows I'm going to help him," I added, more serious. Eric sighed, and I thought he was about to argue, try to get me to stay.

"I think you mean that we are going to help him," he said, and I sagged slightly in relief before throwing my arms around him in a hug.

"Thank you!" I said, kissing his cheek. He laughed at that.

"Don't mention it, though I wouldn't mind another kiss. This time on the lips, my Flower," he said with a grin. I let him go with a huff, turning away.

"It's very un-gentleman like to ask," I said in my best snobbish voice, causing him to laugh more. He then sighed, a serious sound. I turned back to him, wondering what the issue was now. "What?"

"How are we going to get out of here and away from the officers?" he asked. I smiled mischievously.

"That's an easy one. We sneak out."

…

A/N: Tada! Sorry about the wait for this chapter. Now that Flora has a plan of action, she's able to focus. Caneopa, here we come!