The girls sped out into the hallway, almost bowling Mrs Oliver over in the process.

‘I wondered if you’d got lost in here,’ the old woman said, smiling.

‘Mrs Oliver, we have a problem. We need to talk to you – in private,’ Alice-Miranda said. She’d just noticed that the young woman who had escorted them to the toilet was still waiting.

Millie walked over to the woman. ‘Excuse us, you don’t have to wait. Mrs Oliver can show us the way back,’ she said in perfect Japanese.

‘What was that, Millie?’ Dolly frowned at the child. ‘Oh my heavens, did you just speak Japanese?’

Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘She’s very good at it too.’

‘In there. The lot of you. NOW!’ Dolly pushed open the powder room door and the children rushed through.

‘Millie took one of your tablets by mistake,’ Alice-Miranda began.

Deep lines creased Dolly’s forehead. ‘But that’s impossible!’ She opened her handbag and fished around for the pill case. She pulled it out and then reached for her glasses. ‘I know exactly how many of those tablets were in here. Now let me see, there were three of everything except the Japanese tablets – there were two of those left. Oh dear. And now there’s only one.’ The woman gulped. ‘How on earth did that happen?’

‘What about me? What did I take?’ Jacinta asked anxiously.

‘Not you too,’ Dolly groaned. She counted the other pills. ‘Well dear, I suspect you could be very good at Spanish in a little while.’

‘Gracias,’ Jacinta said. ‘Oh, how exciting. I think it’s started to take effect.’

‘But how did you?’ Dolly peered into the bag and pulled out a very similarly shaped case. ‘The mints! Oh heavens, how utterly careless of me. I was so excited about coming to the palace, I wasn’t paying attention. Girls, I am so sorry. I’m sure that you will be fine – in about seven hours.’

‘Mrs Oliver, that’s not the problem. We need your help. Can you get us to the inn?’

‘Why on earth would we want to do that? We can’t just leave, Alice-Miranda. It would be the height of rudeness.’

‘I’m sure that we can explain to the Emperor and Mr Kenzo as soon as we find Princess Kiko and bring her safely home.’

‘Find the princess? What are you talking about? What’s she doing at the inn?’ Dolly asked.

‘Come on. We’ll explain on the way.’ Alice-Miranda grabbed Dolly’s hand.

 

Meanwhile, in the dining room, Kenzo glanced around at the empty chairs. He wondered what was taking everyone so long.

He motioned for the man behind him to step forward and whispered something into his ear.

‘Hai.’ The man scurried from the room to search for the missing guests and the princess.

‘Dessert will soon be served,’ Kenzo announced. ‘Perhaps the children and Mrs Oliver have got lost out there somewhere.’

‘It is a big place,’ the Emperor agreed. ‘One wrong turn and you could be gone for days.’

Hugh and Lawrence glanced across the table at one another. Hugh frowned. It wasn’t like his daughter to take a wrong turn at all.