Villainess Of Hearts

And then everything started to make sense. The Prime Minister's remarks over dinner that one time, the King of Hearts' words today and his incompetence and even the words exchanged that occurred between her and the Time Man.

"You are from… another world?" she said it. And when she gazed back at the man in front of her, she'd see that there was a certain look in his face and he would let out a breath. Emotions swirled around him.

Ease.

Unadulterated relief.

Solace.

That was what was present in the eyes of the man and the shift of his posture told her just that. Rosalyn Lockhart couldn't even make a strangled sound or even make a vague sound of protest when she was met with such clearness and joy in the man's eyes—there was such revel in it that he looked like he was about to collapse then and there.

He looked so comfortable in that hour that it was difficult to even find air for her to breath. Had he always been that handsome? It was an odd thing to think about, but it was as if the man was revitalized by those mere words—and it all started to make sense for her too. 

Yes, every little disagreement could have been attributed to that.

Not everything.

But an entirely different world? The Queen of Hearts nearly fell down on the floor, she stumbled but kept her balance and looked back at him with a stifled smile. What were the consequences of such a thing like this? Had the Time Man known of this? No, more importantly—the Joker knew of this?!

The Joker took people from other worlds to become Kings and Queens?

What madness was this?

"Hah…" The Queen of Hearts would take a seat down for a moment, and clutched at her chest. She had always known that Alice was too different, too special in her ways that she garnered attention but it was because she was from another world? And not only that, but this man as well in front of her?

It spoke of the strange looks of the Queen of Clovers.

It told and confirmed that Prime Minister's Blyke Edelweiss' offhand remark of seeing another world was true. He wasn't only saying it because he felt miserably underappreciated back then.

"Your Majesty!" The King of Hearts, no, Alexander knelt down beside her and grabbed for her hand. "Please take a deep breath." He began to coach her to take deep breaths and steady them.

Rosalyn Lockhart wheezed at that very moment and tried to calm down her mind—make peace with this information. Whatever this thing was? Was this the reason why the King of Hearts had talked with her? Not to try and impress her but to tell of this fact?

"One, inhale. Two, exhale."

The Queen of Hearts shoved a hand in the man's face and tried to stand up, "Don't treat me like a child—I know how to breathe. But you could have told this to me at some other time and yet you tell me this now?!"

"What other time could I have possibly told you? You're always busy!"

"First thing in the morning, Your Majesty!" Rosalyn Lockhart stared back at him with a frown on her face. She pressed her hand on the floor and then stood up, shaking her head. "For the love of all things good—you tell it to me when I am about to sleep and now I have to consider all of the possibilities of not only another kingdom but another world that could invade my kingdom."

"Wait, slow down—that's not going to happen."

"One woman was enough to burn the kingdom to ashes now huh?" the Queen of Hearts smiled sarcastically. "I suppose you don't even need to send another world but just one person is enough? The Joker knew of this and has never bothered to tell me? How can I even know that you're legitimate? Why did he—"

"That guy told us we were originally from this world."

"W-what?"

Alexander Hartsmichdt looked back at her with a chagrined look, "I guess you're right—this is a bad time. Why don't we just sleep now and then discuss it tomorrow? We'll have a better time when you're well rested and not cranky."

"I wouldn't be in this state if you haven't told me—"

"I know! I messed up—" He stopped from responding in a voice as loud as hers and took a deep breath.  He shook his head and then pinched himself. Somehow it was enough to make him calm down. The King would then turn to the door, and reached for the doorknob. "Let's go now."

The Queen of Hearts fumed at that hour but then waited for him to move—she could still see reason, if some. She just understood that she didn't want to be in the same room as with him right now and so she waited.

He tried to turn it. "...it's not opening."

"What did you just say?" Rosalyn Lockhart smiled at him. She didn't hear him correctly didn't she? This was fatigue getting to her because if he said that the door wasn't—

"The door won't open."

Her breath hitched and she moved past him, "Let me do it!" The man would move away and she would try her hand at the door, but it wouldn't budge. The Queen of Hearts looked back at him, "What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything—it just got stuck!"

Rosalyn Lockhart took a deep breath and then frowned at him, she tried to shake the doorknob and cursed underneath her breath. "Do you have anything like bad luck? Why would the door not open?"

"Maybe it's old?" Alexander offered.

She gave him a look that shut him up. The Queen of Hearts knocked at the door, "Is anyone outside?" How a door would suddenly malfunction was beyond her understanding—it was too obnoxious to happen at a time like this. Why weren't things going smoothly again?

The Queen of Hearts understood that she had turned back time—a sudden thought jumped at her and made her frown. What if this was her fault? Once again the insane thought that if there was a Time Man, then there ought to be Life and Death too and here was Life putting things in order so she could die by sticking with the King of Hearts for an entire night.

Surely her death wasn't going to be this vain now, would it?

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" the King of Hearts asked. "I can do the shouting and knocking if you're already tired."

She looked back at him and felt her shoulders slouch, "This is your fault."

"Yes, Your Majesty." he would say with nothing but reluctant but resigned acceptance.

The Queen of Hearts moved away from the door and then towards one of the available couches. It was furnished, but otherwise it was devoid of a lot of things. A lack of bed for once—not that she was actually looking for one. Things would surely be fixed and the two of them would be able to escape the room, even if she would have to throw one of the smaller couches at it.

She would watch the King of Hearts knock and shout at the door. But it was to no avail.

No!

She couldn't accept that these things were like this, she frowned at the door. "Surely there must be some maidservant that is still there in the Royal Dining Hall? Why isn't there anyone around to open the door."

"The way to the kitchen is in the opposite direction than ours, Your Majesty." Alexander looked back at her with a grimace. "Maybe someone locked the door by accident from the other side?"

"That doesn't make any sense and you know it."

"Sorry, just trying to think about how we got stuck here—this feels almost cheap and contrived."

"What?" She narrowed her eyes at him. His words didn't exactly make much sense right now. "Is this another difference because you… you are from another world? Has this happened to you before?"

"Not me." Alexander scratched the back of his head and then sunk back to the floor. He sat and leaned against the door.

"Have I told you to stop asking for help?"

He gave her a look, it bordered to some teasing. "But I'm the King—you can't boss me around or harangue me."

The Queen of Hearts gritted her teeth and then looked away, "I-It doesn't matter because you're the one at fault here. It's probably because you're unlucky and strange."

"... One can only hope that natural law restores things, but I've been here for far too long that I can't help but think that I'm stuck here for good."

She frowned at the man's sudden words. And yet it made some sense. She gazed back at him, "You wish to return back to your world? Even after what you have accomplished here? You are a King here and yet… are you in a better place there? Were you an Emperor?"

"No, I'm just ordinary."

"Well, that makes for one of us."