Villainess Of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts grasped thin air and then let her hand drop on her blankets, the woman's red eyes peered at herself grasping the thick cloth in between her fingers. Bundling it tightly in her hand until she released it with a heavy sigh. The windows' curtains were drawn back but sunlight filtered through the space in between them, the warm yellow light pouring through the floor.

She was back.

Rosalyn Lockhart averted her gaze to the grandfather clock in her room, feeling her lips curl down into a frown. "What a liar," she muttered to herself with a touch of frustration in her tone. She hadn't even given her reply and this was what he would do? Send her away without even much of a sign except for him offering his hand for her to take?

Such insolence!

Her fingers dug through her palm, nails grazing over the flesh and she took in a deep breath. Forcing air through her lungs before she hyperventilated herself over this situation. A smile of disbelief curled on her lips.

She was mad, betrayed and hurt all at once.

And yet she couldn't help but feel silly over the emotions sweeping itself in her chest. These emotions came over because she missed the chance to obtain the recipe of the tea that he served her? It was such nonsense but that was the only reason.

She shook her fist at the clock ticking over peacefully in the corner of her room.

Well, she wouldn't be sharing the secret to Mary Ann's tarts either!

The Queen of Hearts stepped out of her bed and shook her head. She once again took her chance to recompose herself. If the man was insistent on sending her back… Well, it was up to her to do exactly as she said she would.

She wouldn't think about him.

Rosalyn Lockhart wouldn't normally chide herself—she accepted her actions and moved on from there. What had happened was already placed down in paper and all that was left for her was to take responsibility for everything she did. (Whether it had been choosing to be Queen or eating seven plates of tarts in one sitting) And yet she still wanted to slap a hand over her face. 

When a man presented himself with a dessert table and unlimited tea then surely the right choice back then for her was to eat and drink to her heart's content. And yet she had been too focused on not allowing herself to be scorned in her death, thrown aside and killed like nobody than to choose that afterlife.

But what was done was done.

Her only concern now was the future of what might happen and how she would deal with it.

The Queen of Hearts could still tap into her emotions, especially when she closed her eyes and imagined. The memories of what she could recall replaying itself piece by piece from the arrival of the girl and smitten King and all of the men, to the chill of an impending doom pounding itself in her head and of troubles in the Kingdom of Hearts. Her then exile and then her death.

Both vivid and vague.

She nonetheless felt the flame burn through her veins, the heat flash through her mind like an ungodly plague. A sensation that was both scorching and yet made her blood pound. When the Queen of Hearts opened her eyes—her resolution found itself once more in her heart.

Fire.

Passion.

Rosalyn Lockhart would have her way.

Thus she began to go about her morning rituals. She went through the motions of preparations, bathing, brushing and then clothing before she finally stormed out the door to face the world.

… and found no one waiting. There was no sight of her Knight with a rose in hand. No gorgeous silver haired man with amethyst eyes that looked at her with an all-consuming devotion. She missed a beat in her step. Had she woken up that late?

Where was her Knight?

Rosalyn Lockhart clicked her tongue. Surely he wasn't possibly late? Or was it she who had overstayed in her bed. She glanced at the clock behind her and found that it had been still around her normal schedule, she was begrudgingly grateful she had awoken at this time and not fifty years in the future. The thought of the 'Governor of Time' doing it never exactly slipped her mind, and yet she promised herself to not think about it.

There were even bigger things at stake.

The missing presence of her Knight was something that put her at unease.

Regardless of his other duties that beckoned him to busy hours and long days of hard work—he always came here first thing in the morning. Only special cases would make the man shift from his usual schedule.

Special often meaning itself to be dangerous.

Enough to warrant himself to miss meeting her. She stuck herself to the back of her door and warily glanced around the hallway. A chill ran up her spine and tingled it with electricity. Earlier irritations wasted away in lieu of the revelation. What if something had happened to him? It seized her chest in fear for a moment.

Did she need to hide in her room? Block off the windows or something? She couldn't see or hear anyone—until she saw a humble maidservant walking around the hallway.

She eyed them and received a squeak of fear in exchange. "You there!" she called out with a stern voice, "What is happening this time?" Attacks? Raids? Assassins?

"L-long live to the Queen of Hearts and glory to the Hearts Kingdom!" the woman bustling through with a laundry basket in her hands suddenly stopped cold. She lowered her head and ducked down to the ground. "The day is going well, Your Majesty. Is there anything I can do for you today?"

Rosalyn Lockhart wasn't satisfied, but seeing as how this maid servant at least knew how to address her with more respect than the usual servants she'd often meet, she would simply frown. "Go to the kitchens and have Mary Ann deliver me my breakfast at my office."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty!" the woman scurried away fast, perhaps relieved of the orders.

A loud sigh escaped her lips.

She thought that her day would go well, but even these minor changes were enough to irritate her nerves. It made her day all the more horrible, even when she had promised to focus on achieving her goals—it was always the little things wasn't it? 

Rosalyn Lockhart stomped down the hallway.

All of the minor things added itself up, one after another until it raged inside her like a torrent of powerful fury and flames. And then she saw a figure ahead of her talking with the Prime Minister—a precious smile on his face and his blue eyes lit up. It was a sickening and repulsive one.

How did she end up crossing paths with him?

The Queen of Hearts curtsied, "Good morning, Your Majesty."

She could have added other more superfluous words, statements to boost his name—but unlike the maidservant, the King and her had already done this multiple times over that there was no need for it.

Blyke Edelweiss fumbled for a greeting of his own and the King of Hearts nodded a greeting back. Compared to how he had been… last night? Yes, it had just been last night when the two of them had walked through the gazebo, today he was much more happy.

As if everything from last night had been a dream.

What she did of reaching out to him to momentarily comfort him now seemed useless if he was able to bounce back so easily and laugh with the Prime Minister.

"Good morning, Your Majesty of Hearts," King Alexander Hartsmichdt placed a hand over his heart, there was a careful look on his face, "Have you already eaten breakfast? It's a little strange to not see you with your Knight."

She pursed her lips, and yet ended up saying it. "Indeed, have you seen where he is?"

"No," He blinked and glanced at the Prime Minister.

Blyke Edelweiss shook his head, "Perhaps he has simply taken over the training of the Soldiers today? Sometimes he switches with the Captain of the Guards too in lecturing and teaching the ones assigned to patrol over the Castle."

So much for being the one who took over the affairs of the Castle and immediate land in their place—she knew as much as he did. The Queen of Hearts straightened her back and nodded, "Perhaps that is the case, well then, I shall be heading back to my office."

Rosalyn Lockhart stepped past the middle of them.

"Ah, a moment of your time, Your Majesty?" Alexander called out to her. "It's about the meeting with the Nobles in this coming week?"

She turned back to him, "What of it? I have already sent all of the correspondence—have we received the responses yet, Prime Minister Edelweiss?" Her gaze flitted back to the man not much taller than her.

"Ah yes, the majority of them, Your Majesty."

The Queen could at least tolerate his somewhat fearful gaze compared to the King's relaxed one. It always seemed like the two of them often ended up with contrasting emotions and it made it all hard for her to like seeing him. If he was unhappy, she would be forced to take over matters for him and when he was like this, somehow it tended that she would have agitated feelings for whatever reason.

Rosalyn Lockhart turned to him, "What then seems to be the problem?"

"It's not exactly a problem per se, but the Lockhart House has finally responded.." he stared back at her with his blue eyes, "This will be their first time attending since our coronation, Your Majesty."