There is a variety of sweets on the top of Tsuzuki's desk. Before he gets to enjoy them, however, GuShoShin comes in to say they are wanted in Konoe's office. [Tsuzuki has shielded the cakes to prevent sharing them with GuShoShin, and when he looks up, a bit of frosting covers the top of his nose. =P]

Konoe informs them of the situation regarding the candles in the Castle of Candles. There is a sudden increase of mysterious disappearances, and also an increase of people with longer life spans. The connection between them is an association by the name of Kakyouin Group. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are to go undercover in Queen Camellia, a luxury cruise ship owned by the Kakyouin Group. When Tsuzuki starts to complain about not being able to finish his cakes, Tatsumi "kindly" tells him they will eat all the cakes for him.

Tsuzuki is acting as a dealer in the ship's casino, while Hisoka is registered as the son of a big corporation called the Hibiki Group, and a VIP passenger. GuShoShin-elder is posing as Hibiki Group's newest toy design. Kakyouin Takeshi, the owner of the ship, greets Hisoka. [Here's a really cute scene: Hisoka demonstrates the toy's function by tickling GuShoShin-elder, then "shuts" him off by "boink-ing" him on the head. GuShoShin-elder looks like he's going to cry. ^^;] Kakyouin is impressed, whilst GuShoShin-elder thinks he is very dense to not see through the disguise. Hisoka replies that's because Hibiki Azumi lives aboard and no one really knows what he looks like.

Tsuzuki observes the people sitting around the card table. He identifies the politician Wakabayashi Syouzou and the popular actress Houjou Kanako, reportedly Wakabayashi's mistress. When the final cards are revealed, the House wins. Wakabayashi is a sour loser, so he slaps Tsuzuki's hands away when Tsuzuki try to take the chips. Wakabayashi and Kanako leave. A big pharmaceutical company's director's son, Abiko Tetsuhiro, asks if Tsuzuki is all right. Realizing Tsuzuki is new to the ship, Abiko warns him not to go out at night because there is a female ghost roaming the ship.

Meanwhile, Hisoka bumps into a girl and knocks down the flower on her collar. He picks up the camellia flower for her, and she asks if he wants to dance. Later, they go out to the deck. The girl introduces herself as Kakyouin Tsubaki. She is also nicknamed Tsubaki-hime because she always wears tsubaki (camellia) on her clothes. [Hime => Princess.]

[Tsubaki-hime is also the nickname of the main female character, Marguerite Gautier, in French playwright Alexandre Dumas Jr.'s play-turned-novel, "La Dame aux Camélias." It is based on a real story, and the heroine has been Dumas Jr.'s mistress for nearly a year. The novel is later translated into English by the titles "Camille" or "The Lady of the Camelias." It's a wonderful, sweetly romantic tragedy. If you haven't read it yet, do!]

[*Alexandre Dumas Jr. is the illegitimate son of Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Three Musketeers saga.]

In a private room somewhere, a servant offers a doctor some Chateau Margaux red wine. The doctor hears a commotion outside and goes out to investigate. It turns out that Tsuzuki is trying to go into the VIP suite, but because he can't speak English, he cannot communicate with the security guys who block his way.

The following conversations are said in *English*: {Tsuzuki: "No, no, I have no money!" Security #1: Where do you think you're going? Don't you know that from this point on, it's the VIP room?}

A wine bottle suddenly flies down the stairs and hits Tsuzuki on the forehead, knocking him over.

Again, the following conversations are said in *English*: {Security #2: "Who is it!?" Doctor: "He is a friend. I want you all to back off of him." Security #2: "What the..." Securityty #3: "Stop! That's the owner! The VIP!"} [Hmmm.. This sentence is slightly incorrect, since the owner is Kakyouin and Muraki is only a special guest. So technically, it should be that Muraki is "one of the owner's VIP."]

The security guys leave. {Muraki: "Tsuzuki-san, we meet again."} Tsuzuki is shocked to realize the doctor is Muraki. Muraki invites Tsuzuki to the room and offers him some red wine, but Tsuzuki is more interested in knowing what Muraki is doing on the ship. {Muraki: "You're still pure/simple and straightforward. Perhaps that's why I'm so captivated with you.} [As Muraki says this, he starts playing with the wine glass in a disturbed manner. Some sort of Freudian symbolism, maybe? O_o;] Before Muraki leaves, he reveals he is the doctor for the ship owner's daughter.

Tsubaki-hime isn't feeling very well so Hisoka escorts her to her room. There, Hisoka learns Muraki is her doctor. Just as Hisoka starts to get fuzzy thoughts about Muraki, the door to the room opens and Muraki comes in. Hisoka glares at him with hatred, while Muraki calmly acknowledges his presence. {Muraki: "You're here, too? What a coincidence."} Tsubaki-hime is puzzled by this interaction.

When Tsuzuki is walking to Hisoka's room, he overhears a conversation between Wakabayashi and Kakyouin. Wakabayashi is blackmailing Kakyouin. Since Wakabayashi had lost the card game earlier at Tsuzuki's hand, he wants Kakyouin to arrange it so he can win the next one.

Later that night, Muraki is tucking Tsubaki-hime to bed. When Tsubaki-hime asks how he knows about Azumi (aka Hisoka), Muraki replies he just happens to know a wide circle of people. Then, Muraki smiles and hands her some medicine. Tsubaki-hime drinks it and goes to sleep. {Muraki: "Good girl. Goodnight, Tsubaki-hime."}

The next morning, Hisoka and Tsuzuki hear a scream. They rush towards the source and ends up in front of Wakabayashi's door. When they look inside, they find Wakabayashi's dead body sitting in a chair, with candles all around him. There is blood stain on his chest that leads all the way to his feet, where a message card lies.

Kanako accuses Kakyouin as the murder, since Kakayouin has a fight with Wakabayashi the night before. Abiko thinks it's the ghost he hears roaming about the ship. Kanako makes fun of him for believing in ghosts, because it's so obvious the criminal is human. Tsuzuki opens the message card and reads it outloud:

"Dear Tsubaki-hime,
A gift for you from someone who loves you truly,
consecrating the sacrificial heart on the altar.
Ace of Wands."

There is also a tarot card, Ace of Wands, with the message card. Tsubaki-hime explains the card has the meaning for "beginning."

Later, Tsuzuki asks Hisoka's opinion on the situation, and whether he thinks Muraki is the one behind it. Hisoka agrees with Tsuzuki, since he also can't think of anyone except Muraki who could be the culprit.

Then, Muraki shows up with a bouquet of red roses for Tsuzuki. {Muraki: "I still really like you. I prepared these Red Queens especially for you."} Muraki proposes a game of poker with Tsuzuki, but instead of betting on money, he wants to bet on "body“. When Tsuzuki starts to refuse, Muraki taunts him, "are you afraid you'll lose?" Then, Muraki says he will tell Tsuzuki everything he knows about the female ghost if he loses. Tsuzuki finally agrees to the game.

Unfortunately for Tsuzuki, Muraki wins the game with a King Fullhouse. [A big sign of "USO DA~~" shows up in the background behind Tsuzuki. "uso da"="no way"] Muraki advances on Tsuzuki, backing him into the wall. {Muraki: "You're mine for tonight."} Tsuzuki looks away and shuts his eyes. Suddenly, Hisoka interrupts them. {Hisoka: "Wait. I challenge you to a game, doctor. If I win, the previous round doesn't count."}

The game starts, with Tsuzuki sitting in a chair labeled "prize“. Muraki is very confident about the outcome.
{Muraki: "You suspect me, don't you? But I have an alibi. You can go ask Tsubaki-hime if you don't believe me. However, the alibi is so perfect that it may bring even more suspicion. In addition, I'm the one who performed the autopsy on Wakabayashi."
Tsuzuki: "What do you mean by that?"
Muraki: "You may suspect me to have mislead you to the real time of death in order for my alibi to work. Is that not so?"}

However, Hisoka wins the game with a Royal Straight Flush. Tsuzuki is so relieved he turns into Tsuzuki-doggie again. Muraki starts to leave, but Tsuzuki stops him, demanding Muraki pay the price now that he has lost. Muraki tells them about Irene, a girl who was on the ship for a while, but suddenly died. After her death, strange things begin to happen. Tsuzuki doesn't believe him. This saddens Muraki.

{Tsuzuki: "Don't assume you can change the subject. Are you not the one behind it all?"
Muraki: "Why don't you trust me? If I die... then you will trust me."}

The next morning, Tsubaki-hime knocks on Hisoka and Tsuzuki's door. She tells them Muraki hasn't shown up, and his room is locked. They run to Muraki's room and Tsuzuki bangs on the door. Akiyama, Abiko, and Kanako come up to them, and Akiyama unlocks the door with a key. When they enter the room, they see a doll on the center table. Tsubaki-hime goes to the bed and screams when she finds Muraki's body. He is lying in the bed with his right arm over his chest, holding a bouquet of roses and another message card. There is blood on his lips and on the pillow. Poker cards are scattered all around him. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are in shock.

{Hisoka: "What's going on!? Even Muraki is killed..."}