"On that point, Your Majesty, we have already devised a preliminary plan."
Mycroft set down his knife and fork, lightly dabbed at the corner of his mouth with his napkin, and began speaking in an unhurried tone.
"Charlotte, Mr. Watson, and I are all of one mind: Moriarty's target is Her Highness herself.
This much can be deduced even from the warning letter he sent.
When he returns tomorrow night, it will be to return the music box.
And to return the music box, he will inevitably have to make contact with Her Highness."
As he spoke, he then turned his gaze toward Princess Louise beside him.
"And then?" The Queen's gaze swept over Charlotte and Russell, carrying a questioning note.
"And so, we intend to turn his own scheme against him." Charlotte picked up the thread.
"Tomorrow night, we will clear away every guard and attendant from around the royal bedchamber, and concentrate them at all the points where Moriarty might possibly slip in."
Hearing this plan, the Queen's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Clear away all the guards?" she repeated uncertainly.
"Wouldn't that be far too risky?"
"Although saying this may make it seem as though I'm making excuses for him, please believe me, Your Majesty," Russell spoke up, drawing the Queen's attention to himself.
"At most, Moriarty just has a bit of a... mischievous streak."
"And so?"
"And so, the worst possible outcome tomorrow night is simply that we fail to catch him.
I can guarantee there will be no casualties whatsoever, and that Her Highness will get back the treasure she so dearly cherishes."
As he spoke, he then offered Louise a faint smile.
"For that very reason, this is in fact the best approach."
"Then why can't the three of you guard Louise together?"
King Edward VII spoke up at the opportune moment.
"Have everyone else go block the entrances Moriarty might use to get in, while the three of you station yourselves around Louise—wouldn't that be better?"
"Doing so would actually raise unnecessary risk."
Charlotte said.
"Based on my investigation of Moriarty, while he doesn't like to harm people, that does not mean he lacks other means of robbing someone of the ability to act.
Take the Lloyds Bank affair, for instance—he hid himself in advance in the home of one of the security guards, used a drug to render the man unconscious, then disguised himself as that guard and slipped in among them.
If Mycroft, Watson, and I—all three of us—were clustered around Her Highness, then the other guards could very well be infiltrated by him.
And we are still not certain whether the drug Moriarty uses to knock people out has any side effects on the human body, so..."
She did not go on, but her meaning was already plain enough.
Every medicine is three parts poison.
Moriarty might have no intention of harming anyone, but who could say whether the knockout drug in his hands carried any adverse effects.
"So, in order to avoid unnecessary casualties, we need to spread our security forces out."
Mycroft seized the moment to take up the thread, rounding out Charlotte's plan.
"At every entrance, every passage where he might appear, we deploy heavy guard.
That way, no matter which route he chooses to enter by, he will inevitably trigger the alarm and expose his whereabouts."
"It does sound feasible." The Queen pondered for a moment. "In that case, what about at Louise's side?"
"Mr. Watson will be responsible for that." Charlotte answered without hesitation.
"Him?" The Queen looked at Russell, her brow knitting. "Why him? What I mean is... isn't he your assistant? And besides... he's a man."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I can personally vouch for Mr. Watson's character," Mycroft said.
"At the same time, I swear upon the Holmes name that absolutely no groundless gossip or rumor will ever leak out."
At these words, the expressions of the Queen and the King eased somewhat, though their gazes upon Russell now carried a few more shades of scrutiny.
To this, Russell merely returned a polite smile.
"In fact, the main reason for choosing him is this—he is the most suitable candidate." Charlotte said, setting down her knife and fork.
"Do go on." the Queen said.
"It's quite simple—of everyone present, he poses the smallest threat to Moriarty."
"That's true enough." Russell nodded, offering no objection.
"Therefore, Moriarty's wariness toward him is the lowest." Charlotte continued.
"Moriarty's goal is to return the music box and make contact with Her Highness—not to carry out an assassination.
His ultimate aim is to complete this perfect curtain call that he himself has scripted and staged.
So he will not harm anyone, least of all Her Highness herself."
She paused, then went on:
"In his script, he will appear in the most inconceivable manner, hand the music box back to Her Highness, and then, under everyone's gaze, depart with grace and flourish.
What he craves is astonishment and applause—to become a legend.
Not gunshots and bloodshed, becoming some second-rate murderer."
"So, what you mean is... he won't make a move?"
King Edward VII said tentatively.
"At least, not while the enemy Moriarty must face is him.
The most Moriarty will do is stir up a bit of commotion to draw attention, then find some way to get close to the princess.
That way, his threat is reduced to the absolute minimum."
Charlotte corrected.
"Therefore, what we need is not a fighting expert who can grapple with him, but a perfect alarm."
As she spoke, her gaze then turned toward Watson.
"And as it happens, our Mr. Russell Watson is more than equal to this great task.
His skills may be ordinary, but he has one greatest virtue—"
"What virtue?" Louise couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"He's obedient enough." Charlotte put it concisely.
"Do at once what must be done, and don't do at all what need not be done—that is his creed in life."
"..." The corner of Russell's mouth twitched.
"And so, he won't be foolish enough to get entangled with Moriarty.
The instant Moriarty appears, all he has to do is immediately sound the alarm to us and make sure Moriarty can't get near the princess."
"It's a method that sounds rather... simple, yet is unexpectedly effective." The Queen pondered for a moment, and in the end even voiced her agreement.
Mycroft listened quietly off to the side, offering no opinion whatsoever; only in those eyes of his there flickered a trace of amusement.
"Very well then, let us do as the three of you say." King Edward VII gave a slight nod.
"Um... that is..."
At that very moment, Louise, seated to the side, suddenly raised her hand, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"What is it, my dear?" The Queen looked at her little daughter with doting affection.
"Do you have something to add?"
"Mm..." Louise nodded, then looked toward Charlotte and Mycroft.
"If it's possible... could you please not hurt Mr. Moriarty?"
"Hm?" Mycroft arched an eyebrow. "And why is that, Your Highness?"
"Be-because, even though he... even though he affronts the dignity of the royal family," Louise stammered, struggling to weave the words together in her mind.
"but still... he did catch a great many parasites, didn't he... so... if it's possible, just catching him would be enough."
The young girl spoke, and the eyes that looked toward Charlotte took on a few shades of entreaty:
"C-can you?"
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