Villainess Of Hearts

"You can't control what people do—"

"And I wish I could." Rosalyn Lockhart sighed and rubbed her face. "Wouldn't life be easier if that was the case? Then I would have no troubles at all." Once she lowered her hand, she gave the man in front of her a smile and relished the look on his face.

It was that shocked and unsettled body language that filled her with ease.

"I can understand that, Your Majesty."

"Do you, Nicholas?"

She gave him a patronizing smile, "I am quite sure that someone like you wouldn't have such a thought like that. A desire to control other people's actions, thoughts and even sentiments—I would not mind if I have the power for that, but you would surely think that is morally wrong."

"But—"

"Do not try and sway me. I know…" She averted her gaze from him, "I think I can tell that someone like you would cherish the freedom of each individual. If someone were to overstretch their influence, use their power for unjust methods—someone like you wouldn't turn and bat an eye over it. I can tell that you're a good person and you look at me with the same set of rosy and optimistic eyes, but that is an illusion."

All these words coming out of her lips right now were true—and yet why was she saying them? Wasn't it better that he knew not a thing? It was more advantageous if he kept thinking brightly of her.

Why was she sabotaging her own plan—

Nicholas Hatter sighed loudly, "I am afraid that my presence has only disturbed you, Your Majesty."

It was supposed to be the other way around! He had gotten it wrong… definitely wrong! Rosalyn Lockhart only glanced at him briefly and raised a brow, "Is that so?"

He lowered his head, "If it is not unpleasant and improper—I would like to excuse myself, Your Majesty."

So he was running away from her? She should stop him and yet she shrugged, "I do not particularly care if you leave right now—I have accepted your gift and your purpose for visiting is over. We can always meet at another time, for the tea party."

"Yes, that is true, Your Majesty." He picked himself up and bowed once again, "I hope that the next time that we meet, I would be of more use to you and that you are feeling better, Your Majesty. My apologies for only increasing your agitation, it is not in my intention."

"Of course it's not your fault."

What was this uncomfortable feeling in her chest. She watched the man fix his hat and then make his way to the door and each step that he took only magnified the tight and unruly sensation in her chest. It was unpleasant but she had to tolerate it, there were other things that she had to do today.

She couldn't let the King of Hearts gain the attention of Nobility all for himself.

The door clicked open, and Nicholas spoke once more, "Your Majesty—it may be out of my position to say it… but I think Her Majesty has placed a lot of pressure on her shoulders. I cannot deny that there are things that you have done that are questionable and perhaps downright wrong, but it continues to perpetuate because of Her Majesty being quite self-destructive with yourself. Please pardon me for my words."

He quickly shut the door after that.

And the man might have possibly ran off after that, leaving Rosalyn with only his words to accompany her in the solitude of her office. She pursed her lips together and picked up her teacup, a scoff escaping her lips. "It is a good thing that he decided to leave after saying those words—perhaps his position as a friend has gone through his head. The man was madder than usual." 

Derision. Disbelief. Disagreement.

"It was only a slip of the tongue—he had manipulated me into speaking about my situation and then he gave me a verdict based on what I said?" The Queen of Hearts snorted and shook her head. The Queen would go back to her office table and take a seat. "If he wasn't so valuable as an individual then I would have gotten his tongue cut off for saying such things."

And so Rosalyn Lockhart would pour her attention into paperworks—they weren't exactly the most important ones, but if she were to head over and visit the Nobility now then she might make a mistake in her conduct with them. She raised her head and sighed inwardly, "Did he even know how to leave properly without attracting any attention?"

If Gine was here then she would have let the man hunt down the Hatter and get him out properly.

But the man was not around, he was still stuck to his bed and asleep. Rosalyn Lockhart shook her head and erased thoughts about the man, "He's got a good head on his shoulders, he'll be able to leave without any trouble." And so the Queen of Hearts returned to her work…

Not exactly realizing that saying such things was almost close to an omen.

. . .

The Joker was nowhere to be seen? 

That was a lie. 

A half-truth.

He had been present during breakfast with the King of Hearts and the man saw him precisely along with the Prime Minister. It all depended on those who could see him—it was an odd situation, but it came along with his position. Two sides. Two people. Similar to how there were two in a deck, and how a Fool could both mean simple naivety of someone traversing a path for the first time or simply the possibility of unlimited paths.

The Nobilities arrived and so he couldn't… well, he wouldn't bother with the King. It was his own decision. He had been looking forward to having the King of Spades over and visit the Lockhart House, but it seemed that the Lord of the House would come here himself. A smirk crossed on his lips.

"I wonder how would he feel when he sees me? This would be exciting."

And yet a thought of a crying girl appeared in his mind, and it was enough to slightly dampen his mood. The Joker sighed and pressed a hand over his forehead, "I had already seen this before, countless times over." He did not interfere unless it was necessary and the fool's decision was that of his own.

It wasn't all true that he tortured and toyed with the Royals, there had been a time where there was unity and harmony between them. During the early reigns, the Kings and Queens respected and listened to him, had even laughed at the hidden addendum in the agreement, but now things were different.

And yet there were cycles.

A young woman who suffered through misery.

A man who refused to take the crown and grab ahold of it.

Some that desired it and others who neglected what they had in their hands.

"Fools, all of them." he muttered. "Except for that cat, at least he's smart enough to not involve himself but until when I wonder? He dared refuse me but seemed to get fond of the Queen, it's a little unfair of him. Quite a biased kitty—I have a lot of milk to feed him at my manor." The Joker would come across a certain man walking the halls and then smiled, "Ah, another one of them. You there—the gentleman with the fine hat, you are the Hatter are you not?"

"... Who are you?" the man narrowed his eyes at them, grabbing ahold the tip of his hat. Similar to how the man quickly became on edge.

The Joker blinked and then shook his head, "It pains me to see that a man after my own heart would not recognize someone as recognizable and striking as me. Surely, my appearance does not make your brain wrack at all?"

"I haven't seen you before."

"Foolish lies," the Joker laughed. "You saw me when I first arrived, you were in your little shop. Why the resistance?"

There was a sense of unease on the Hatter's face, a beautiful look to see, until he nodded. He gave a half-bow in recognition. "You are the Joker, the man in charge of overseeing the entire Four Suit Kingdom and a current guest in the Kingdom of Hearts."

"Correct! A smart cookie—I like it." He nodded and gestured to himself. "If you know that—why haven't you shown a little more respect? Kneel."

And so the Hatter fell on one knee, a proper respectful gesture to someone like the Joker. The disagreement in the man's face was recognizable, and enjoyable—but it quickly got old. He snapped his fingers and the man's posture buckled down. He quickly pulled himself up to his feet and got himself into a defensive position.

"What is it that you want with me?"

"Ah, belligerent—yes, that's it. I like it, as I said, you have the makings similar to me—but do be more respectful to someone like me. For a being my age is a tad sensitive, you know?"

Nicholas Hatter looked unhappy and remained silent.

Now this wasn't going well as he expected. The Joker would have to be gracious in this hour and possibly be the one to talk more—well, he did enjoy talking, but a silent conversationalist wasn't a conversationalist at all. He snapped his fingers, "You have asked me what it is that I want—well, I do not have a lack of things. But perhaps I can do something for you."

"And what could someone like you do for me?" Nicholas asked and then shook his head. "Why would you even offer something like that?"

The Joker grinned, "Ah, so you are interested.. That's good, it's nothing but a little boredom on my part. Are you interested in settling a debt with Time?"