Denis rubbed his chin in thought, while Carson held his daughter close. Nancy had raced back into her father's office with the note, and they were now deciding their next course of action.

"I guess we are going to have to split our efforts," Denis finally said. "You keep looking into this jewelry case, and I shall look for the two men. I think we should not talk to each other after they have moved into their rentals. Saying I have had to leave for work is true enough, but even saying that is risky."

"But they don't know you're working on this case," stated Nancy.

Denis nodded. "This is true, but while I can trust you not to divulge any information, I wouldn't put it past them to put two and two together once I have gotten their houses set up."

"That's if they're even thinking about it," remarked Carson.

"What do you mean?" Nancy asked.

"If they think that he is in fact assigned to them, yes, they will consider it. But Denis, you seem to have forgotten what we learned back in college. If they're not thinking about it, they won't see it." He smirked. "It was how I got past you by just wearing glasses, after all."

Denis laughed. "True, true! And it is part of my job! I guess I must disguise myself as Uncle Denis, then Agent Denis can work in the shadows."

"But if I get another note?"

Denis shrugged. "Leave them a note first, tell them no one is leaving the country any time soon. They haven't exactly made it very safe for the royal family."

"I wish I could be a fly on the wall when they get that note, though. I think they would be more surprised by getting the note than anything," quipped Carson.

Denis chuckled. "That they would."

"But what should I say on the note?" asked Nancy.

Denis grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and handed it to her. "Just tell them the queen is looking for a more permanent residence here. It's why you're here, your father deals with real estate."

Nancy began writing the note. "And you?"

Dennis pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on with a smirk. "I'm the field man. I'm going to be searching for the right houses for her majesty and her loyal subjects."

"Except you might not want to put that last part in the note. We don't need to be ruffling more feathers than we already have," quipped Carson. "Especially if we are going to get Johann Kovna and Henri Fontaine to safety."

"And the royal family."

Carson nodded. "Exactly, so just write that we are helping them with permanent residence. If the prince decides to charge into the country and throw them down later, that will be his choice. They'll need a different tactic for that."

"Once we do find the prince," mumbled Nancy.

"I'm sure we can find the real prince in no time. I'm sure he's as eager to reconnect with his grandmother as she is with him," remarked Denis. "But if he is still in hiding, all the better. We can take down these rebels without endangering him."

"Right." Nancy finished writing the note and folded it up. Then her forehead furrowed in thought. "When would be a good time to put this out?"

"I suggest when you get back to Lilac Inn to give her majesty and her loyal subjects the secret phrase."

Nancy's eyes widened. "Oh! That reminds me! Apparently the loyal subjects also have a secret phrase. I think we should know it so they know that you're on their side should they meet you without me."

"Might be a good idea, just so we can know who else is on their side."

"Right." She straightened up and let out a breath. "Well, here goes."

Carson gave her a hug. "Good luck, and be careful. Let us know if anything happens."

"Will do." She walked back to her car and got in. She alternated between paying attention to the road and getting lost in her thoughts. Thinking through the whole thing with Francis Baum, things were starting to make sense. He couldn't be the real prince. It wasn't that she didn't want him to be, it just didn't sit right. And it wasn't like he didn't try to be nice and endearing to everyone, but there were times she just felt like it was an act for him. What was his real story? As a matter of fact, she didn't even bother asking her uncle if he looked into Francis Baum's past. Had he been telling the truth about that?

She came to a stop at a light and readjusted her rearview mirror. She tensed. Was that the guys from the airport following her in a dark sedan? She pursed her lips. Time to test it. She decided to take an alternate route to Lilac Inn instead of the regular way. It wasn't much longer, but it did have less traffic. She turned down Cedar Road. A few minutes later, the sedan turned and followed her. She let out a breath as she tried to calm down her instinct to lose them. She needed them to follow her. Hopefully they would get the message that was sitting in her purse at this moment. She took a quick glance at it out of the corner of her eye. But would they take it? First things first, get to Lilac Inn.

She pulled into the driveway at Lilac Inn, still indecisive on how to place the note. Should she put it in the windshield wiper, where they had put their note? Would they even see it? She didn't know any other way, unless she left her window down and left it on a seat, which seemed unwise. She let out a huff. Windshield it was. She tossed her keys into her purse and pulled out the note. She opened the door, locked it, and closed it before putting the note between the windshield and the wiper. She wanted to check to see if they saw her do it, but then the door of Lilac Inn burst open and two men dashed out.

"And don't come back!" Jane shouted, waving a pan at the two.

Nancy was startled, but quickly composed herself and rushed to the door. "Jane! What on Earth is going on?"

"I found out those two men were trying to talk Mrs. Alexandra into moving into their special hospital so they could take care of her better. Anna has been arguing with them for the past ten minutes!"

Nancy gasped. "What?" She glanced at the men as they got into their car and drove away. "I might consider looking into them as my next mystery. But first, is Mrs. Alexandra alright?"

"I was going to check on her, come on." The two walked in just in time to see Anna supporting Mrs. Alexandra up the stairs. "Nancy, can you watch the front real quick? I'll be right back." Jane quickly went up the stairs to help. Nancy pursed her lips, but then remembered the men who had been tailing her and rushed to the window. She slowly pulled the curtain back just a bit so she could peek out. The sedan drove around the parking lot a couple times before parking next to her car. The one who looked like the fellow who had been listening in at the window jumped out of the car and grabbed the paper. He glanced at it and was obviously startled by what he read. He got back into the sedan and the two seemed to confer about what to do next. Finally, the guy got out of the sedan and placed another note on Nancy's windshield. Then they left.

"Nancy? Where's Jane?"

Nancy jumped at the sound of the voice, but she recognized the voice and turned to Emily. "I think the rebels just left me a message. Jane is helping Anna get Mrs. Alexandra into her room and asked me to watch the front. Can you take over so I can get the message?"

"Of course, go!" said Emily as she shooed her out the door. Nancy dashed back to her car and grabbed the note. She opened it and took a quick look. She squealed and jumped for joy. It worked! The note read, "We will release our prisoners tomorrow. But if anything changes, we will take drastic action." So, Mr. Kovna and Mr. Fontaine would be reunited with their family. Perhaps they could help Uncle Denis with locating their hideout. Then perhaps they could help get the royal family back home to where Michael could take back his throne. But that's only if everything worked the way Nancy hoped it would. And she really, really hoped it would.

She dashed back into the Inn and up the stairs. "Is everything alright?" asked Emily as she watched her go up, passing Jane as she went down the stairs.

"I think so, my uncle's plan seems to be working! I must tell Mrs. Alexandra and Mrs. Kovna. Mrs. Kovna! Mrs. Kovna! Mrs. Alexandra! You must hear this!" Anna poked her head out of their room while Mrs. Kovna and her daughters joined Nancy in the hall, all with questioning looks.

"What's going on? It must be good news," remarked Mrs. Kovna.

"It is! Come in, I must speak with all of you." Anna opened the door wider and let them all in. Nancy quickly showed them the note and revealed what she had written to them as well as her uncle's instructions concerning house hunting.

Mrs. Kovna took the note and sat down in shock. "They're, they're letting them go, because, because you told them the royal family will stay here?"

"But we need them back in Centrovia!" exclaimed Katherine.

"But of course!" Nancy's eyes sparkled merrily. "See, that's the thing, if we can get these fellows arrested and possibly learn about their associates, it will provide a safe trip back, for all of you!"

"That reminds me, we must tell you our secret code. Your uncle may have a need of it," stated Mrs. Alexandra.

Nancy quickly sat down. "Yes, please!"

Mrs. Alexndra folded her hands in her lap. "The purple lilacs stand firm against the wind."

"The pink and the white lilacs bend ever so gracefully," stated Katherine, giving a small curtsy.

"Of course it would be to do with lilacs," murmured Nancy. She turned to Mrs. Alexandra. "The purple represents the royal family, and the pink and the white your loyal subjects, right?"

She nodded. "It does indeed."

"I'm surprised Francis does not know it," mumbled Anna.

Mrs. Kovna turned to Mrs. Alexandra in shock. "You asked him the secret code?"

Mrs. Alexandra nodded slowly, a look of pain and exhaustion creasing her brow. "I did, and that made me wonder if he is indeed my grandson. Nada would have at least made sure he knew that, as well as going to Mr. Faber."

"What did he say? What did you say? And how did you react?" Nancy asked.

She sighed. "He asked me if that was a phrase associated with the royal family. I told him yes …"

"Your majesty!" Mrs. Kovna blurted out.

"Madame!" Anna said at the same time, and in a very disapproving tone. Nancy but her lip. She too thought it had been unwise, but there was no going back now.

"What else did you say?" Nancy asked softly.

"I asked if he remembered the phrase. He told me he did not, so …" She let out a sigh. "So, I told him that his grandfather, my late husband, had coined the phrase to mean that we, the royal family, must stand strong with the changing times. It was to be one of the proofs that he was the prince, but I did say that I understood why he would not remember it since Nada had died when he was so very young."

Nancy closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh of relief. She had figured the queen would give an adequate reason for asking Francis the phrase, but it still came as a relief to hear it. The Kovnas and Anna, however, were distraught.

"Oh, Madame, if they use it and find out the answer … oh, all our years of hard work will be for naught!"

"I think it will be over soon, thanks to Nancy and her uncle. And Anna, I am tired, so so tired. I want … I just want to hold my grandson, to know he is safe."

Nancy patted the queen's hand. "Yes, we'll make sure he is. Speaking of, may I try my hand at the jewel box again?"

Mrs. Alexandra blinked. "But, what of your friends? The ones coming in today from the airport?"

"Oh, I'll just ask them over to dinner. Dad and Hannah won't mind, and they'll understand. Besides, I'll get to see plenty of them over the next several years, I want the same for you and your grandson."

Tears welled up in Mrs. Alexandra's eyes. "Oh bless you, child! Anna! Please bring the jewel box!" Anna dashed off to grab the jewel box and promptly handed it to Nancy upon her return. Millie and Katherine inched closer to help Nancy try to figure it out while the women watched on. They went at it for several hours, with the jewel box passed around several times, but to no avail. They went through every idea and every combination of ideas they could think of, but the secret would not reveal itself. They finally had to stop when Emily came up, looking for Nancy.

"Your uncle's on the phone, asking for you. Jane says to hurry, it sounded urgent!"

"Has he selected houses for us to rent already?" asked Katherine as Nancy stood up.

"It's possible, Uncle Denis works fast." She turned to the others. "Will you come and pick a color?"

Mrs. Alexandra smiled. "I believe you can guess what color I shall choose."

"Pink," said Mrs. Kovna.

Nancy nodded. "Alright, I'll tell him." She followed Emily down the stairs where Jane was holding the phone. She held it to Nancy, who took it. She opened her mouth to speak, but then paused. The image of the man listening at the window flashed through her mind. She glanced in that direction. Emily guessed her thoughts and quickly went to look out the window. Jane went and checked the front door and the corners. When both gave her thumbs up, Nancy spoke softly into the phone. "Uncle Denis?"

"Are they listening in?"

"No, Jane and Emily checked, but figured we had better be safe."

"Good idea."

"You've already found houses?"

"It wasn't that hard, but I figured on checking the others, just in case those rebels were hiding out in one."

"And did you find them?"

"I'd rather follow your line of thinking and prefer to not say over the phone. But I will get the colors from the ladies."

"Oh, Mrs. Alexandra said purple and Mrs. Kovna said pink."

"So that leaves white for … right, I'll bring those keys to your house tonight and you can deliver them tomorrow morning. Inform them to be ready to move out in two days."

"You have a plan?"

"Yes, and the less you know the better right now. I need you to keep their focus on you. There are a couple of things I will need you to do later, but I will let you know when it's time. This should be all over soon."

"Mrs. Alexandra just said she thought it would be!"

"And she's right, but it might not be for the reasons she thinks. But, we shall see. Right now, focus on proving the prince's identity."

"Roger that."

"And Nancy, be careful."

"I will. You be careful yourself, Uncle Denis."

"Always." With that, he hung up. Nancy returned the phone to its base as she bit her lip. It was all happening so fast, like going faster and faster down a spiral slide. But more importantly, would she be able to solve the puzzle of the jewel case in time? So much depended on the secret hidden within, it was now just a matter of getting to it.

(Author's Note: Five chapters left! Whoo! Getting closer to finishing this! I have been slowly working my way back up to the level of writing I had been doing before I had to work two jobs. It's taken me a little longer than I would have liked, considering I'm getting more and more ideas and fine-tuning others. Summer hours for the bookstore means we close an hour earlier than usual, so an extra hour to myself! Well, sort of, the dog and my sister try to get as much of my attention as possible, but, you know, still, that's an extra hour to get other things done. As to the Guest reviewer, thanks, I guess? I mean, I get it, lots of people are looking for that Perfect Person and are not considering reality, but when my friends and families get red flags from a bunch of these guys who ask me out, I'm going to listen to them. Two of my closest friends found their Mr. Right, I know I will too, I just have to deal with the other guys first. I'm not giving up because, deep down, I know this is my vocation, this is what I am meant to be. I'm just doing other things until I get there. I know, you apparently got the impression that I was looking for Mr. Perfect, and as I am not going to give out every single detail of every single interaction, I can see why you would assume that. But I am only looking for Mr. Right, the just Right for me. Not every single guy on the planet can be Mr. Right. He also needs to be looking for Ms. Right and not Ms. Perfect himself, as a couple of guys have shown. It's like putting together a puzzle, you have to find the right pieces that fit together. And the wait is worth it. Thanks for your two bits, but I hope you read more of the stories I am writing than merely the tidbits of my life, and I hope you enjoy them just as much. Thanks for reading, your patience, and for hanging around, my rosy readers. Have a great day, and God bless!)