Villainess Of Hearts

Her smile lit up a fire in his soul. A raging fire that tormented him day and night. He didn't want to admit it, but he hoped to only see her smile in his presence—for it to be caused by him and him alone. The Queen of Hearts was sharing a breakfast with multiple guests. Julius Ginellevé looked down at his empty teacup and bit back a sigh. He refilled his own cup without any need to be waited upon. He felt unhappy about this situation. But she was happy.

And that was what was supposed to matter didn't it?

His heart tightened painfully because it had only been him and her before. But now, the Knight glanced at the other people they were with. From the young woman that served the Queen, the Hatter that she once wished to dispatch along with the man's friends, they were now surrounded by much more people.

And the smile on her face was brought by having them.

He wasn't enough. The old days lingered in the back of his mind but they paled in comparison to the now. The current woman in front of him was glowing in warmth in a certain way that he hadn't seen except when she was much younger—he wasn't even listening to the conversation properly, stuck in his thoughts. Just earlier, he had even caught the explanation at the Court Room of the dagger being gifted by the King of Spades instead of being the weapon for murder as the King expected.

She didn't mention it at all.

Perhaps she didn't even trust him to be able to take care of her. It wounded him deeply, and yet the pain was only a reminder of how much he longed for her approval. 

. 

Rosalyn Lockhart smiled a little, because that was all she could do—it was obvious that the three people were good friends. From the Hatter to Mallory and Harold, all three of them could have shared the breakfast together even without her and that would be fine. They were enough company for one another.

"I honestly can't believe we're here because of ye, idiot!" Mallory shook her head. "Harold already said ye were good as dead."

A chuckle escaped the Hatter's lips, "Oh really, Harold?"

"Well, I thought so er…" The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Laughter emerged from Nicholas as he wiped an imaginary tear, "Let me do the same when you get arrested, but you have my thanks for rescuing me."

Perhaps having her as an addition was too much, but somehow just listening to them banter and speak was enough to make her feel like she belonged in the group. Rosalyn Lockhart sipped her tea and noticed Julius Ginellevé quietly doing the same, as for Mary Ann, she was standing at the side ready to be waited upon. "Have you already eaten?" She asked the woman.

Even if the earlier interaction between the woman and the Hatter was enough to give her a heart attack, she didn't want to take it out on Mary Ann. She wasn't Alice. 

She definitely wasn't Alice.

"Ah, Your Majesty." Mary Ann curtsied, "I-I've already…"

"Well, it feels awkward having you just standing around there. Take a seat. Gine, can you pull out a chair for her?" Rosalyn asked. She bit her tongue but realized that nobody paid attention that much, and she watched the girl awkwardly take a seat beside her Knight. 

If they had the Chesire right now… well, she wasn't sure how the breakfast would unfold, but it would be fine. She wouldn't have actually minded if Mister Rosswall also happened to be here, but that would also bring much more trouble than the Chesire could bring about.

That was how she saw the situation to be.

And yet this situation would be short-lived, at least she knew that after this, her responsibilities came after. 

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" Nicholas turned to her, glancing at her with furrowed brows.

She managed to smile and nod, "Of course, but ah, I seem to have forgotten—how did you arrive in the Castle in the first place?" She wasn't going to forget about this detail. The Queen of Hearts glanced at the other two friends of his and wondered the same thing. If three ordinary people were able to get into the Castle of Hearts then it's security wasn't exactly that good, wasn't it?

"O-oh! Um…" Nicholas Hatter looked around the room. 

"Well, we managed to sneak in—Harold distracted them for me and then ran after me. He can do a wild impression of the Prime Minister." Mallory's cup clinked on the table as she set it down and shrugged. "If we tried to talk to the Soldiers—it wouldn't let us get inside, and so we had to make do, Yer Majesty."

She appreciated the honesty. "I see...." The Queen of Hearts looked at Harold and finally noticed some slight resemblance between him and Blyke Edelweiss, she hadn't paid that much attention to him before. But now she could only imagine how much trouble her life used to be if the allies of Alice had the capacity to enter the Castle while impersonating someone else.

The woman couldn't underestimate anyone.

"What about you, Hatter?" She asked the man. 

The man's eyes widened, but then coughed lightly, "Well, erm...I think you can ask your Knight about it, Your Majesty."

She raised a brow but didn't push the man to continue, instead she glanced at her Knight—the man's capacity to move around the Castle fast and perhaps some secret paths? Even she didn't know much about them, but his capacity for clandestine was always something she appreciated. 

"Why did this man come here in the first place?" Julius finally muttered, the teacup was clanked down the table. "What was your agenda at coming here while uninvited, Hatter? Even if you may know of a path, it does not allow you access to the Castle whenever you wish." Her Knight's eyes glinted in a way that poor Mary Ann looked like she was about to pass out in her seat.

Another cough escaped the Hatter's lips, "I...I have encountered my own fair share of trouble at my shop when some men visited and caused trouble there, and it had made me worried about the Queen's safety. My apologies for coming here without any permission...if need be, I can stay at the dungeon."

"Ye just got out of there, Nicholas!" Mallory slapped a hand over her face.

The Queen of Hearts felt a frown tug on her lips. Even if the experience of being on the risk and even brink of death was a terrible experience—to some extent, she was prepared for it. A throne was not built without bloodshed and suffering, but she did not expect the Hatter to get involved in this mess. "There is no need but—"

"Have you killed them?" Her Knight's voice was brusque.

The Hatter blinked, "K-kill?"

"If you hadn't killed the people you encountered in your shop," Julius Ginellevé's gaze never wavered from the man, their words were biting. "Then you offer no help but only a burden to the Queen."

"Um…" 

Rosalyn Lockhart's throat had a lurch in it as she glanced at the Hatter. Her Knight's words had reason to it, she was the one who abided under such a belief—but could she even ask that from someone she had hardly befriended? The man had tried to escape her when they met, she couldn't expect that much loyalty from them. Now would be the appropriate time to try and step on the Knight's foot to stop them from ruining her relationship with other people.

The man should know that.

She waved a hand, "What has happened has already happened—there's no use looking back into it, Gine." The Queen of Hearts gave the Knight a look before she sighed inwardly. The man knew what he was doing, but he still continued to antagonize the Hatter and his companions like it was his business.

"...I was only stating what I think about the situation, Your Majesty."

"Well, there's no harm to it. I appreciate your opinion, Sir Ginellevé but I'm not one to er… I'm not used to staining my hands unless it's the coloring used for my hats." Nicholas Hatter managed a weak smile, "My apologies, however, I should have considered tying them up—then perhaps the one behind this assassination could be solved, Your Majesty."

"We have people who are given the responsibility to undergo the investigation. It is a shame, but I am not sure whether we had captured them or not would make a difference. I don't think it would allow for the revelation of the person behind this plan." Rosalyn Lockhart sighed and tapped her fingers on the rim of her cup. "Based on your previous encounters, Gine… they've been unwilling to speak, haven't they?"

"If we talk to the right person, someone who'll loosen up their lips after some torture—then we'll be able to handle this situation." Her Knight grunted.

Yes, the Knight was right.. But she couldn't blame the Hatter right now, there was no need to get mad… and the thought that she didn't need to do it was enough to send a shock through her body. What exactly was she saying now?