Lady Jeanne Mont St. Michel

Prince Yoh rapped on the door of a huge white mansion. He and Faust had been patiently waiting outside for someone to acknowledge their presence yet nobody came. It felt odd because he thought he saw someone look out of the window when they were approaching the front lawn of the Duchess of Mont St. Michel's house. He was warned that the lady of the mansion was elusive but he never thought she would completely ignore visitors.

"We are emissaries from Kasai kingdom. We wish to speak with the Duchess," Faust called out. His patience was running low. The medicine man pounded on the wood until his knuckles were red and sore.

"Maybe nobody's home, Faust. Should we come back tomorrow?" The prince stepped back from the door.

They were prepared to leave when the door creaked open and a man wearing glasses who was of the same age as Faust appeared by the entrance. He gave them an irate look but when his gaze fell on Prince Yoh, his facial expression transitioned from annoyance to rage.

"You!" The man grabbed the prince by the collar of his shirt. "- have the nerve to come back here?!"

"Get your hands off him!" Faust grabbed the man's arm to pry his grip off the Kasai royal. "It's the first time we have seen you, you lunatic!"

The man knocked the blond doctor unconscious with a punch in the face. His furious eyes were the last thing Faust saw before waking up in a dark dungeon.

"How's your cheek?" Prince Yoh inquired when he saw his companion propped himself up from the cold floor.

"I must have broken a tooth or two..." Faust expelled a bloody spit. He wandered his eyes around the dank prison. "I think I'm having a deja vu.. What I can remember though is that you're the only one who's inside a cell."

The prince would have laughed if their situation was different.

"Whatever did we do to that crazy strong guy?" The medicine man scratched his head. "I guess when your brother said that he is hated here, he meant he will be killed here if he had shown his face."

"I will definitely strangle him to death," the man who had thrown them into the dungeon appeared out of the shadows. He unlocked their prison cell and ushered them out. "The Duchess will meet you at the dining table. I'm sorry for the mild altercation we had earlier."

"Mild? My cheek is swollen like a chipmunk's!" Faust grumbled.

At the dining hall of the Mont St. Michel mansion...

Prince Yoh's mouth watered when he saw the food brought out from the kitchen by a couple of servants. It was already lunch time and they were famished. They had spent their breakfast budget on ale last night so thay had not yet eaten anything since morning. The Kasai prince smiled at his blond companion from across the table. Faust was trying to stop himself from pinching the roasted chicken in front of him. They were still waiting for their hostess.

Maybe she wouldn't even notice a missing skin... The medicine man thought.

"Please help yourselves," A gentle voice said as a very comely girl entered the dining hall. The man who had greeted them with a punch by the door followed the beautiful duchess dutifully.

"I am sorry for the unpleasant welcome from my butler, Marco." She gave her right hand man a stern look. "I am Jeanne, Duchess of Mont St. Michel."

The two guests stood up and bowed as their hostess positioned herself by the head of the table. "I am aware of your king's request. I had just been informed quite recently that he had sent out a number of telegrams to me. Someone had misplaced them so I wasn't able to give a prompt reply." She peered at her butler who was pouring her some peppermint tea.

"I thought I would return him the favor after he ran off and left you while you're grieving for your father." Marco avoided his mistress' gaze and glared at Prince Yoh instead.

"I apologize for the pain my brother had caused." The Kasai prince bowed his head.

"Forgiveness had been granted a long time ago..." Jeanne assured him.

"And I wonder if he had the slightest idea what he had left behind?" Marco muttered under his breath.

"Hao went home with his father," the Duchess reminded her butler. "A good decision if you would ask me after knowing he was able to spend his last days with him."

The butler's eyes softened. "I am deeply saddened by King Mikihisa's passing. He was a good man and a dear friend to the late duke." The banter between the two stopped and Marco remained stoic during the entire meal.

"Thank you for your generosity, My Lady," Faust and Prince Yoh bowed down at the Duchess after lunch was over. Jeanne stood up to leave the table and it was then that they noticed a bump in her belly. It was more obvious when she was facing them sideways.

"The head servant will show you to your rooms. Please freshen yourselves up. May I invite the Kasai prince for an afternoon tea alone once he's ready? I know you have some important matters to discuss."

"I'm more than delighted, My Lady," Prince Yoh smiled at her.

Faust gave the Kasai royal a knowing look while they were being led by a plump woman down the hallway towards the guest rooms.

"Do you think it's your brother's?" the blond doctor whispered. "He would be pissed off, you know... because he hates kids but on the other hand, Kasai would have an heir."

"I don't know... Hao doesn't seem to be interested in Jeanne at all. He rarely mentioned anything about her." Prince Yoh said in a hushed tone.

"Indeed... Your brother is picky on everything. I think the only girl who had caught his eye is the queen of Kouku. He had also been pestering Ryuu about reports on Anna's daily activities right before we left. Are you aware that he had also been sending her roses from the royal garden since the new peace treaty signing ceremony? Come to think of it... you're twins so it makes perfect sense that you would like the same type of woman... Maybe he sent you away so he can make his move on her... But the Kaminari king was faster."

The Kasai prince dropped his jaw and looked incredulously at his blond companion.

"I'm kidding of course. You said you want to get over Anna but clearly you couldn't." Faust messed up the prince's dark hair. "Anyway, I trust that you will get the duchess' good side with your charms. Let me know if it is indeed Hao's baby. I can't wait to send him a telegram! He will get the biggest shock of his life! Too bad we won't be there to witness it." The medicine man chuckled as he entered the room that was assigned to him.