6 Arrival of Delegates

If they pushed the window's drapes by just a sliver, one could already see the sights of the Kingdom of Hearts in the distance. Their carriage passed through the familiar road that led to the Heart Kingdom's territory as they passed from the boundary between the lands.

A soft sigh would escape their lips as they turned towards a crystal-shaped jewel that floated in the air, "I don't understand why the Gathering of the Suits has to be at the Kingdom of Hearts. It seems better to host it elsewhere instead of somewhere like… here." They eyed the land before them distastefully.

The forestry was a lush green but the very road that they were travelling to was a deep crimson and when they looked up from the path—almost everything else had a red scheme. The very walls that dictated the kingdom's territory to the architectural structures in the distance; they were a multitude shades of red and adorned with heart patterns.

What an eyesore.

"It changes annually, there's not much we can do with that at the moment." A voice from the crystal responded. "However if you don't like it, then you can possibly change it. I'm sure that the Diamond Kingdom is always willing to host and present such a majestic and powerful display to the others."

The person inside the carriage felt their lips twitch, but decided to turn to other things. "This new King, Hartsmichdt something? How is he reigning over this Kingdom? I see no changes—no improvements but no deterioration either. But it's always still bloody red. I don't get how they can't get sick of this."

"For someone who passed the Card's Trial, they're actually doing decently but of course—there's always someone else who could do it better." Beyond the other end of the crystal, someone else cleared their throat.

The person turned to the crystal and chuckled, "Someone else, are you perchance referring to yourself or to me?"

"You tell me."

They interlaced their fingers together, their brows furrowing together as an idea formed in their mind, "If we were to speak of royal bloodline alone, the Queen, from Lockhart if I recall, she is the rightful heir to the throne as a true Heart. That is one of the reasons why the current King is wedded to her, if I remember correctly?"

"Indeed, it must be quite a loveless marriage if you ask me."

They felt a chuckle escape their lips at the remark, "The King and Queen of Hearts who do not love each other? That seems to be quite a mockery of their representation. No, no my friend—I heard that they are praised to be quite a fitting couple. The King is said to be a perfect match to the Queen in terms of character."

"It's surely all pretense, as you may be so familiar with."

Dismissing the slight jab in their direction, the person continued with their point. "If the people are put into chaos and doubt the King and Queen, then it will be easy to overtake the Kingdom of Hearts hypothetically without even starting a war. They'll overthrow the nobility and royalty themselves and without any actual war between Kingdoms occurring. What happens next after that? One could step in to bring order to such disruption, even the Joker would simply be floored."

"Ah, so you've found a way to go around the Card's Trial rule. That sounds brilliant… but how will you even do that?" The crystal glowed brighter as it hovered conspiringly in the air. "Based on the information passed on to me, the people actually love their King and fear their Queen. If you try to kill the Queen of Heart, then the legitimacy of the Heart bloodline ruling will be questioned but can easily be forgotten."

"Hmm, that's certainly one of the options possible but as you've pointed out—the flaw is that they adore the King. However, if there is someone who will be able to point out the dirt about the King, then surely the King's reputation will suffer and then crumble to ashes."

"Are you implying that you'll approach the Queen of Hearts for help to overthrow her own Kingdom into chaos? Your sensibility seems to be at fault and lacking at the moment."

They laughed, "Of course not, but I've never met her myself and neither have you. If Luck is truly on my side then we'll discover something that can be used against them."

"You know, if you really just dislike the color scheme of the Kingdom of Red Hearts, why not help its counterpart, the Marmoreal instead?"

"White? It's not as harmful to my eyes as Red but still… who would like to keep staring at a blank canvas?" They dismissed the thought with a flick of a hand. "My friend, do not assume that I simply want the destruction of the Kingdom simply because of such an ugly color. My enmity runs far deeper than that."

"Then surely I do not know you as well as I do." The crystal thrummed in color as the voice spoke from the other end.

"And so the same applies to you." The person leaned against their upholstery. "Anyhow, do tell me if you have any other plans or even a couple of suggestions."

"You know that I prefer to watch from a distance."

"Nothing at all?" They asked with a laugh.

"Well, if the relationship between the King and Queen is not akin to a summer heat and is actually frigid as ice—perhaps there's an opportunity for marrying the Queen once the King has been dealt with. An Alliance between Kingdoms, or a merging of the two Kingdoms to be more precise."

The person fought back the smirk that appeared on their lips, "Quite a romantic one, are you? I truly would have not expected that from you. But lo, the King of Hearts turns out to be a treacherous lout and the Queen is left alone, a poor damsel in distress—but look, from a Kingdom beyond someone comes to save her! You must have a penchant for tales."

"Do not patronize me, I am simply saying it would be a pity to let such a beauty go to waste."

"We've never seen her before and you are the one who told me that the Queen is feared." They raised their brow at the inconsistency.

A nervous titter came from the crystal, "I may have been a little curious of such a passionate woman who ordered their servants and people beheaded on whim. It's simply a minor amusement of mine to keep up to date with her shenanigans."

"Ah, a secret stalker from a distance? How frightening!"

The crystal dimmed slightly, "An admirer, well I respect her ability to create such a commanding presence as a Queen. Surely as time passes by, the power and trust put in the traditional monarchy begins to waver."

"Hmmm, think about what you will—as long as you do not get cold feet when the time comes."

"Of course not! I plan to side with the one who has the most power on the playing board and at the moment it appears to be you."

"Very well then, I must disconnect with you as I appear to be in the Castle of Hearts already." The trumpets could be heard playing outside their carriage, a jovial proclamation and merriment was happening. "I shall see you in the Gathering, perhaps there is a chance we could talk privately with this beloved Queen of yours. I do hope that red is at least aesthetically pleasing on her or else I may have to gouge my eyes out."

"Surely you jest—"

They reached for the crystal and crushed it into their hands. The crystal was pulverized right before a servant opened the carriage door.