58 Dining Disaster

It was a dining disaster.

Perhaps that would be an overstatement but to Blyke Edelweiss, it seemed like things were going sour quickly. The Prime Minister took a quick gulp of his water and tried to wash it all down away, he did it while he assessed the ongoing dinner for them. 

Not only had Lady Catherine Duke arrived with her husband, Lord Warth Duke which added more delegates. Although that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just the persona of…

"Perhaps tomorrow, I could tour the Queens of the Suits over to our governed area—there are quite beautiful sights over there, interesting caves formations to explore and forests to enjoy in. The nature of the Hearts Kingdom is truly a blessing that you should all experience." Catherine Duke smiled as she glanced over at the other Queens on the table.

She was eager and honest.

Perhaps a tad too much and it wasn't like her husband was going to disagree with it at all. Would one call that true love? He didn't know, but it was perhaps the difference between this Noble couple and the King and Queen of Hearts. Despite the fact that the two of them were eating side by side—and nothing seemed amiss. At least on the surface.

Compared to how Lord Duke Warth seemed to bask in his wife's glow and eagerness, his Majesty and her Majesty seemed lesser as a couple. Her Majesty Rosalyn Lockhart was simply eating her dinner while His Majesty Alexander Hartsmichdt was trying to explain to the Lady that the other Queens couldn't go that far.

And that had only been the beginning.

The Queen of Spades managed a small smile, "Perhaps if the next Gathering of the Suits were to be at the Kingdom of Spades, you'd like to try the delicacy of cactus juice."

"It's going to be in the Kingdom of Diamonds next, please prepare your winter coat—if ever you and your husband are to visit, Lady Catherine." The Queen of Diamonds said.

Somehow the other Queens weren't one to let Catherine Duke continue speaking all by herself, they took pride in their own Kingdoms. Now as for the other two silent Queens however, Queen Rosalyn Lockhart was content to stay silent and the last one.

"Alex—" The Queen of Clovers cut herself off from speaking further and blinked. Even she seemed to have been surprised at speaking aloud.

There was no title, no His Majesty or King. She had nearly called him out simply by name that not even the Queen of Hearts herself had done. It should have been a minor blip, something that should have been overshadowed but the Royal Dining Hall was silent.

Until the King of Diamonds spoke up with a chuckle, he took a sip of wine. "Ah, it seems the rumors are true that the King of Hearts and the Queen of Clovers are quite closer than they appear to be. Would it be rude to ask how differing groups at that time during the Card Trial managed to befriend each other?"

Only someone like them would be unafraid to point it out. And they were trying to deliberately put in tension on the table—the Card Trial was the pride and glory that elevated the King of Hearts now and they were trying to sully and tarnish it.

The Queen of Clovers had fallen silent, their expression faltered for a moment and anybody would have been blind to not see how her gaze fleeted towards the King of Hearts who… decided to speak up. Within the context of his position as the Prime Minister, Blyke Edelweiss wasn't sure if this was the best action.

They hadn't rehearsed or prepared anything for this but the King of Hearts still spoke up, with a smile.

"It may not be obvious to the King of Diamonds now, but even before, I truly believe that no matter what Kingdom you belong from, be it Hears, Clover, Spades or Diamonds—you can find yourself respecting them as a person and wishing for their success. Even if we were pitted as enemies, there is no reason for me to not try and see if we could become friends."

. . .

Rosalyn Lockhart felt her throat parchen, those words were perhaps something she would have heard from that vixen… although perhaps Mary Ann would have had said the same. She kept her face blank as the King of Heart's words gained applause from the other Delegates in the table. She continued to eat her meal in silence, she had no desire to contribute anything in the conversation.

"Even from your time in the Card Trial—you were already thinking like a King!" Francis le Diamant, the King of Diamonds mended their words in a flash. Knowing fully well that the King of Hearts managed to make such a conversation to his own favor.

And yet she didn't let this event go pass by her. Her gaze flitted towards the Queen of Clovers, Neo Anasthasia who had remained silent albeit for the embarrassed expression on their face as they glanced at the King of Hearts.

Glancing at the corner of her vision, it seemed that the King of Hearts shared a quiet look as well with the Queen of Clovers. The corner of his lips curled up in gentleness that she perhaps had only witnessed on rare occasions.

An ugly sensation wormed its way in her heart at the sight of that. One of their recent conversations came to mind—

'I've offered my heart and sincerity and yet you never even do so much as blink'. 

He had told her that. But his actions from the very moment they were first introduced as the King and Queen of the Hearts Kingdom were far from it. She inwardly sighed. That had already been a long time ago, instead she turned her attention to something else. She noticed the King of Clovers who seemed to be digging their knife into their steak a little too hard. Compared to him, what she was feeling was minutiae. Nothing.

Barely a passing sense of… possessiveness? 

That wasn't exactly it but she clicked her tongue. These kinds of emotions were beneath her and this was only due to the troubles of what might occur if the King of Hearts and Queen of Clovers continued to perpetuate such events.

She needed to intervene on this later and convene with the King of Hearts in private.