The Cat and The Catch

She was Rosalyn Lockhart's most trusted confidante—Lady Catherine Duke was returning with her husband to the Castle of Hearts. It didn't feel too long since she had last seen her friend, but she was awaiting their reunion once more. Especially with how her old time friend seemed to warm up to her now, they had given her a tip on how to make better tea instead of being needlessly upset.

Rosalyn Lockhart had a penchant for outbursts and tantrums.

Catherine Duke gazed out the window and sighed happily, "I'm positive that this time around, my tea formulation would be more suitable for my dear friend's sensitive palette—" A soft whoosh sounded inside her carriage and she glanced back at her sudden companion. Her brows knitted together at the person in front of her. "Chesire?"

A grin curled on their companion's lips as they offered a short bow.

Standing in front of her was a young man or a beastkin? "Lady Duke, I seem to have caught up to you—I would have appeared at your husband's carriage but I don't think he fancies me." Their dark cat ears twitched as he plopped on the seat opposite of hers, taking comfort on the couch. "You are travelling to the Castle of Hearts? It was my destination as well, I will stay in this carriage in the meantime."

For once, the Lady was at loss for words as she beheld the one she was with at the moment.

She was aware of his presence as he somehow took residence around her territory but he had never truly appeared before her and neither stayed in the same premise as she or any of her people.

A mysterious being.

. . . 

Nicholas Hatter was someone who was surprisingly good at reading the atmosphere—though more often than not, he was one to ignore the air and do whatever he wished. What good will it bring to you if you simply adhered to the masses?

It was much more satisfying to be oneself.

But at the moment, it was a weird feeling that shook him after he finished the impromptu song he made. The way that the Queen of Hearts had looked at him was undoubtedly fear. It was odd when she was supposed to show their gratitude to him, that was the reason why she had summoned him in the first place.

'T-That was... a lovely song, where have you heard it from, Nicholas?'

The usual rosy red lips had paled and she seemed at loss for words as the other ladies in the room praised him. Even now as he assisted the Queen of Diamonds, Jeanne la Monique, he was still distracted with the expression that formed on the Queen of Hearts' face as she asked him that question.

It was also the moment that he realized that she also knew his name.

"Fairfarren is such a bittersweet end." Jeanne la Monique swished and flicked her wrist, beautiful penmanship was displayed on the parchment of paper as she finished penning down the song to the lyrics.

The Mad Hatter offered her a smile, "Perhaps one can also interpret it as 'We shall meet again' if they wished for a happier end."

Her head tilted towards him for a moment, "I like that meaning, I didn't expect that a…" Her words were caught up on her throat as she stared back at him. There was no hidden facet of what she thought of him, a simple commoner being within the same vicinity as her was a terrible moment to be in, withstanding the capturing of the song and so Nicholas Hatter drew back without a word.

Royalties were such a pain to deal with.

Someone's voice cut in, "Excuse me, I think that there is a need for something called 'ownership' for the song that the man before us played," Out of all the Queens' voices, the Queen of Clover's was soft and light like the sound of tinkling bells. Reminiscent of a baby bird that chirped in search of its nest.

"Ownership?" The Queen of Diamonds raised a brow.

It was a novel concept.

If there was anything to be said about 'owning', it would be that anything that was done and produced within the Kingdom and territory was something that a King and Queen of said Kingdom had authority over with. All the land and the people were after all under their subjugation, that was how Kingdoms existed and how they continued to exist. Without a King and Queen, a Kingdom could not function. And without men and women who served the Royalty and Nobility then there would be no Kingdom.

And yet someone was challenging the very notion.

"This man owns the song, he was the one who created it." Queen Neo Anasthasia remarked with a firm voice as she looked at the other Queens, "If you wish to make a business out of it, Her Majesty of Diamonds, Queen Jeanne la Monique, then one must provide a certain amount of income… of money to the Hatter. If you were to earn a gold coin, then he would gain more than half of it."

Now Nicholas Hatter was about to shake his head, what was money to but a simple song that he made just—it was a lot of hats. He could make a hundred, no a thousand hats if he were to get a portion of a lot of gold coins! His friend, Mal if they were here would have slapped his hat off, 'Of course y'er supposed to accept money! Think about all the cheese that ye could buy!'

And so he shut his mouth.

Let the Queen of Clover make her case for him. The Queen of Diamonds was at a loss for words or perhaps they were silently computing how much profit would be lost, they had already written down the song after all and it was a good song.

Even he was shocked that something that good would come from him.

"Those are quite interesting ideas, profiting from the song? Ownership? It really is a pity however as I am already his patron of the arts." Another voice cut into the conversation, Rosalyn Lockhart's face seemed to have color return to it, her rose red lips curled into a smile that promised something to be desired, "Haven't we previously made an arrangement already, Mister Nicholas?"

He tried not to gulp.