33 A One Man Show

An answer to her troubles quickly came forth with the arrival of the certain man—and though she had no idea on how they happened to find her and the other Queens, she knew she owed a certain Knight her gratitude. Already the other Queens behind her were starting to talk and she grabbed ahold of the situation and glanced back at them, "May I present to you our entertainment for today, a particular fellow from the Kingdom of Hearts—surely none of you have encountered someone like them, have you?"

Most of the Royalty and Nobility in the different Kingdoms were raised in a protected and well-secured environment and so meeting a commoner and actually interacting with them would prove to be something new. Rosalyn Lockhart awaited for the reactions of the other Queen, while casting a sideway glance at the Hatter—they must have gotten the message didn't they? It wasn't like the man was daft, only mad. Not that madness was better than stupidity.

The first one to react was from the Kingdom of Spades, Olivia raised a dainty brow and looked at the man, "Peculiar I suppose, but what's his name?" She addressed the Queen of Hearts for surely they were the one in charge.

However a slight cough would erupt slightly from the man as they stood up, dusting his suit and then tipping his hat as he offered a grin, "Greetings Your Majesties… my name is Nicholas Hatter, owner of the Mad Hatter's Shop. It is a pleasure to meet the Queen of Spades, Her Majesty, Olivia Deuce."

The Queen of Hearts blinked at the man's sudden introduction, she had expected them to greet the Queens with respects but to also know their names was something else. It meant that the Mad Hatter had at least kept up with the news from other Kingdoms not withstanding their own. She may have misjudged him.

Nicholas Hatter continued with his ministrations and bowed his head, his voice was velvet and smooth, "My greetings to the Queen of Diamonds and Clover, Her Majesties, Jeanne la Monique and Neo Anasthasia. I hope that this one will be able to provide enough amusement for everyone here." He ended his sentence with a roguish grin that would have made any other woman swoon, a mischievous gleam in their eyes.

All in all, she would have awarded the man with applause for wiping off the looks of boredom, apathy and annoyance from the other Queens—they were gobsmacked with the respect bestowed by a simple commoner. Then again, she had quickly formulated this plan with their sudden appearance so she hoped it would continue smoothly. Glancing at the Hatter from the side of her vision, she briefly smiled at turned towards the other Queens, "This man is simply not polite and well-educated but he is also quite talented, the King and I previously summoned him to sing for us."

"Ah, so he is truly a musician?" The Queen of Diamond's lips quirked, observing the man with a critical eye, and then finally she glanced back at Rosalyn Lockhart. "If this man is truly talented as you say, then I may offer him to travel with me back to my Kingdom, there are a lot of opportunities in the Diamond Kingdom that can surely entice an upstarting… well, a gifted man."

It shouldn't have come out a surprise that whatever Rosalyn Lockhart would present to the Queens, Jeanne la Monique would try and get it for her personal gain. She felt her eye twitch as she stared at the Queen donning her dark blue gown—they wouldn't have the Hatter since she had found him first! She had plans with the man! He was to be her friend!

"Ah, my apology in advance, Your Majesty, but this man is dwelling permanently in the Kingdom of Hearts." Nicholas Hatter beat her to making a reply, and unlike her, who would have probably snarled at the other lady, the man simply gave a sheepish smile at the Queen.

Queen Jeanne la Monique was rendered speechless at the moment and averted her gaze, a pout twitched in her lips. "We will see about that when I give you a more concrete offer, Monsieur Hatter."

Rosalyn Lockhart tried not to rub her temples, if there was anything that would have made a Queen attracted to a certain item or a person, it would be because of their perceived value. And at the moment, Nicholas Hatter somehow made himself look like a precious and tantalizing jewel to be obtained. They didn't even haven't taken any steps forward to any spot in the Castle or visited the sights, but already one Queen was ensnared. She fought back a snigger and tried to maintain a blank expression.

Olivia Deuce would then speak up, the Queen clad in her soft orange peach gown crossed their arms—a body position that depicted them closing themselves off, or at least defending themselves from outside influence, "If you wish to entertain us with this man singing for us then lead us to your drawing room for this, we are still standing in the hallway." Despite their protective stance, her voice still held a weight of authority along with a sniff.

Inviting someone to their drawing room was an intimate affair for the closest companions of a lord or lady withstanding their personal chambers or study room, and Rosalyn Lockhart herself had never invited anybody there; it wouldn't be a surprise if it was less maintained than the other areas of the castle. Sir Julius Ginellevé didn't count as they visited her chambers and she had tea with Lady Catherine Duke in the gardens for the atmosphere.

She had all the reason to refuse, their level of acquaintanceship with her fellow Royals were not intimate or bosom friendships at all.

Still, she couldn't exactly refuse the request of another Royal without any chance of silent provocation and so she smiled, "Of course, let us all convene there and privately enjoy Mister Hatter's performance." There was no hesitation or visible reluctance on her part, though it might have been a little scandalous and outrageous to have one man inside a drawing room with several ladies and them being the Queens—it would prove to be something that her fellow Royals would be unable to match once again.

Showcasing herself as above her peers was more significant than a little risqué in an entertainer privately serving them in a sequestered room. "Please follow me,"

Rosalyn Lockhart would never back down from her words.

…and if she intended to befriend Nicholas Hatter, it wouldn't count that he would enter the drawing room. Since he was already a 'friend' in some manner; technicalities that mattered to the Queen.

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