54 The King of Spade's Gift

Julius Ginellevé squeezed his eyes shut as he went out the door of the Queen's waiting room. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face as he proceeded to head towards the kitchen.

What did the Hatter desire?

His Majesty's friendship? What a greedy and power-hungry wish for them to speak of and yet it was something that Her Majesty of Hearts fulfilled. For the past few days, he could already tell that she somehow had a change of heart—what kind of Knight would he be if he couldn't understand her desires?

But they were… frustrating.

Or maybe he was just jealous. He pouted and continued his way down the corridor, he wasn't too dishonest with himself to not admit that his perceptions were mixed with such emotions—but it was dangerous nevertheless.

To gain the Queen of Heart's friendship was a chance to gain the power, wealth, adoration and envy from all. If one were able to use their role properly, they could become one of the most influential persons within the Kingdom.

No matter how much the Hatter tried to pretend that his intentions were nothing but pure, in the end, he decided to grab for this opportunity.

And yet she wanted it.

The way that Rosalyn's face had glowed, how she was flustered all because of that Hatter was because she truly desired it and he could do nothing about it.

He stepped into the kitchen and immediately found the maidservant at work—this was the other person who gained the Queen of Heart's favor.

Julius Ginellevé wasn't blinded enough by the sweet taste of tarts to fall for the woman's charms. He eyed her dismissively, "Prepare me the tarts and tea of Her Majesty."

"I-It's already here, Sir Ginellevé." The blonde haired woman shakily stepped towards him while carrying the tray.

His eye twitched, "Give it to me—with your wobbly knees, you might end up tripping and ruining the meal of Her Majesty."

"M-my apologies, Sir Ginellevé." This Mary Ann offered the tray to him and he took it out of her hands and left the kitchen.

What could possibly happen while he was away—his heart trembled. The Queen of Hearts, Rosalyn, she no longer asked anything from him anymore.

When she had pretended to fall ill to avoid His Majesty, she had ignored and rejected his advances. During the mornings when she had woken up, he would visit her and bring her favorite flower and though she still accepted it…

Somehow it felt like her heart was in another place.

Her mind was concentrated on something else. The way that she recently acted and moved were a combination of frantic energy and unwavering determination—it was as if she was chasing after something? Or perhaps she was running away?

And yet she never revealed her thoughts to him.

He knocked twice on the Queen of Heart's door before he stepped inside and bowed, "I have returned with your lunch, Your Majesty."

The two of them seemed to be engaged in a conversation before she would glance towards him and smiled slightly, "Ah, thank you, Sir Ginellevé."

He couldn't take it.

Although he placed the tray in front of her with a smile, it felt tiring to do so. "Your Majesty, do you need me...for anything else?"

She blinked, "Nothing specifically, feel free to leave if you wish to do something else. I'll be fine on my own."

"Although I am accompanying you, Your Majesty." Nicholas Hatter would remark.

Well, that was an answer in its own way—he bowed once again, forcing a smile as he gazed at her and the Hatter, "Very well, Your Majesty. I shall be at the barracks."

Julius Ginellevé left for the rest of the day.

. . .

A few hours would pass by as Nicholas Hatter and the Queen of Hearts stayed together in the waiting room. And though she realized that she didn't exactly have much in common with the Hatter, their differences were quite prominent actually—listening to his stories were quite entertaining in and of itself.

"I think Harold told me before that he was distantly related to Sir Blyke Edelweiss… what do you think of it, Your Majesty?"

She recalled the man hiding behind the door when she had arrived at Mallory's house and recounted the image of the shaking Prime Minister, she stifled a smile, "I can see the resemblance between them, I suppose."

This man was outrageous.

He told her of stories and events that had occured within her own Kingdom that she didn't know at all. The man had a penchant for such occasions or perhaps he was a harbinger of them.

And though Rosalyn Lockhart realized that she enjoyed the company of Nicholas Hatter for lunch and even the afternoon—her duties would soon take precedence. She had excused herself from lunch with the other Royals by saying she was sick, it wouldn't be good to skip dinner.

On the bright side though, the other Queens would have probably managed to find their entertainment for the rest of the afternoon. Perhaps the King of Hearts offered to take them around along with the other Kings. The Queen of Spades remarked that the Queen of Clovers knew Alexander Hartsmichdt thanks to the Card Trial.

Rosalyn Lockhart pursed her lips.

She was fine with that, if not she could imagine that they had their ladies in waiting to entertain them at the least.

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?"

She looked up from her cup of tea and sipped the cold liquid, grimacing slightly before managing a smile. "Ah, I am not looking forward to the rest of the day but my responsibilities cannot be neglected. Speaking of which, my Knight may have intruded you in your obligations as well?"

Nicholas Hatter blinked, "The hat orders of the Clover Kingdom."

Rosalyn Lockhart's brows furrowed together, "Is that so? I believe that hat making is a tiring business and I have already asked for too much of your time… would you like to wish to head back to your shop? Let us call for a carriage."

The man shook his head and waved a hand respectfully, "Ah, there is no need for that, Your Majesty. Our town is just within walking distance."

He was actually right about that matter.

She sighed inwardly, "Very well then, but at least let me accompany you to the gates of the castle."

"T-there is no need for that, Your Majesty." Nicholas Hatter replied with a sheepish smile.

Rosalyn Lockhart placed her teacup down and simply smiled, "I insist."

And she wouldn't be denied.

.

.

.

Rosalyn Lockhart ensured that Nicholas Hatter found himself able to leave the castle with the least amount of attention. It would do neither of them any good if such discriminating gazes were to be placed on them—especially when she slacked off her duties to meet with him.

But now that he was gone to make hats for the Clover Kingdom, the Queen of Hearts strolled down the corridor. She silently mused and organized the list of tasks that she would need to accomplish for the day.

She tried not to sigh aloud as she rubbed her forehead.

There were so many things to do but so little time. How could that actually be so? Hadn't she received favor from a person, deity or individual that reversed time for her? Could she be given the chance to file a complaint—

"Your Majesty," A voice called out to her from afar.

When she raised her head, she was met with the sight of a lone King.

Unlike her previous assumptions of the King of Hearts entertaining the other Kings, it seemed to not be the case as Alfred Villeuce gave her a smile.

And for some reason, his smile didn't look egoistical of sorts—it seemed genuine to her. It made him seem youthful, a young King eager to set his place in their world. "His Majesty of Diamonds may have given you a gift, but I do not see it adorning your neck."

It so happened that this particular man had no desire for small conversation and immediately spoke whatever was on their mind. Was it arrogance that allowed them to not fear and speak whatever was on their heart with no filters?

Rosalyn Lockhart couldn't help but feel envious if that was the case.

She cleared her throat and curtsied, "With all due respect, His Majesty of Spades. Such a present would be shameful to wear as it is given by another man."

"Ah, how loyal you are to your husband, Your Majesty?" Alfred Villeuce tilted his head, a contemplative look on their face.

But she paid more attention to his choice of words.

Husband.

That was perhaps the proper term to use, at least that was what the Kingdom of Hearts portrayed. She managed a smile and straightened up, "I am simply doing what is expected of me as the Queen of the Kingdom."

Somehow even when she stood up, the King of Spades would still glance down at her due to her height.

Should she buy higher heels for her to wear?

The King would continue, "I am unsure if you remember my words yesterday. I had told them before the incident in the Gazebo had occurred."

The memory soured her demeanor.

She had fallen in the lake and it was Alexander who—

"I had promised a present and I believe that it may be more useful than a necklace." He gave her a gallant bow as he pulled something out of his sleeve. 

The King of Spades produced a long slender blade with a needle-like point. It was a stiletto dagger.

Rosalyn Lockhart stepped back involuntarily. "W-what is this?" She asked at once and narrowed her eyes at the King of Spades.

It had seemed dangerous to befriend the Hatter, a man with a penchant for madness but this… even her stepping back was futile if the man wished to harm her.

"I am aware that you have the presence of your personal Knight, Julius Ginellevé is a name that is feared and respected by many—even he is known to our very own kingdom, but I believe that there may be occasions where you must lift your own blade and take a decisive strike, Your Majesty."

He offered her the dagger.