Bowser was certain he had lapped the castle and its grounds at least five times by now. But he hadn't seen a single sign of Peach anywhere. She had disappeared so quickly from the gardens where he had found her that Bowser hardly had the chance to call out her name before she was gone. He had turned to his brother to see him look surprisingly shaken. Worried, Bowser asked him what had happened. Boo brushed off his concern and gave some half-baked story that he and Peach had gotten into a silly argument over dinner plans or something as equally frivolous and pointless. Bowser knew instantly that Boo was lying to him, but he had no idea why. He looked almost embarrassed as he spoke, as though he knew Bowser would see through his lies but didn't know what else he could say to him. Bowser had been confused at his brother's response but had ultimately dropped the subject. Instead, he took off in the direction Peach had gone running and went in search of her. But what Bowser had initially thought would be a two-minute task had turned into a three-hour detailed search through every room, corridor, and cupboard of the castle, his emotions rising with every passing moment. Neither Peach nor her handmaid were anywhere in sight. None of the other servants had seen or heard anything other than one stable boy claiming that they had rode off in a carriage a while ago and Peach had looked rather distressed at the time. When asked if something was wrong, she simply replied that she needed to clear her head. This answer only served to make Bowser even more confused. Why would she ride off when the light of twilight was already fading into the darkness of night? At least she had taken a coach, rather than just riding off on horseback. That way she had both Toadette and the coachman with her. And another question still loomed over his head- what had Peach and Boo been arguing about so much that Peach had found the need to quite literally run away from him? Almost as if his thoughts had summoned him, Boo appeared by his side after Bowser's third search of the castle's kitchen's.
"Brother, it's late, you should retire for the night," Boo said calmly from the doorway.
"How could I possibly sleep? Peach could be in trouble," Bowser frowned, despite the heaviness he felt in his body.
"I'm sure she's just fine. She's probably just gone to stargaze," Boo shrugged and Bowser shook his head. How could he possibly be so utterly unfazed by Peach's disappearance?
"But what if something has happened to her?" Bowser protested, feeling a sudden sense of defeat wash over him.
"Nothing will happen to her. She's perfectly safe. You know that as well as I. In any case, you'll get no answers running about the place like a headless chicken. She's clearly not here and I'm sure if anyone sees her, they'll inform you of her safe return. But, until then, I am going to bed. You should do the same," Boo nodded firmly before swiftly turning and walking out the room. Bowser stared at the open doorway his brother had just been standing in. His body ached for sleep, but his mind could do nothing but race with thoughts. He knew he was probably over-reacting; Boo would be right, Peach would return home long before dawn in a much happier state than she had left in. But, even as Bowser slowly made his way through the castle and towards his chambers, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
Boo paced frantically in the dark silence of his chambers. His hair was dishevelled, his grey jacket and black waistcoat long since discarded over the chair behind his desk, and his nails had been bitten almost down to the quick. He had tried to remain as nonchalant as possible in front of his brother, not wanting to worry him more than he already was. But inside he was shaking with unease. He tried to believe the words he had said to Bowser about Peach surely being safe and well. And he truly hoped he was right. But something in his gut told him otherwise. He had lied to Bowser about the nature of his and Peach's argument more out of instinct than anything else. He had known what he had said to Peach was wrong, even as the words were leaving his mouth. But he had to know if she was truthful, that she really did care for his brother the way she appeared to. He had thought he had been prepared for any outcome of that conversation; that she truly loved him and Boo was finally able to give them his blessing, that she was using Bowser for power and wealth, that she was using him to get closer to Boo, that she was a spy for a foreign nation here to undermine his rule and trade away royal secrets, or anything in between. But the one thing he hadn't been expecting was that she was so completely on the other end of the scale- that she cared for Bowser so deeply- that even the idea that she was using him for her own ends had upset her so much that she had run from him in tears. And now she was missing. What made it worse was that Boo knew that if anything happened to her, it would be entirely his fault.
Sighing to himself, Boo flopped down into his chair and held his head in his hands, his elbows propped up on the desk in front of him. He knew his brother would not rest until Peach was found, and he had a feeling that he himself would not find any sleep tonight either. Not until he knew Peach was safe and sound, despite the growing fear in his heart that she was anything but.
