Villainess Of Hearts

It was through cat's bad luck that Chesire had seen the Lord Warth Duke as one of the people in charge of handling the surveillance of the Nobles and their carriages coming in and it was for that reason that he had escaped through the garden maze to avoid getting caught. Somehow the Lord just had too uncanny senses when it came to tracking him down.

But then he realized that there was something strange—the maze itself seemed to be morphing and realigning itself, that it was hard to get out or even fly over it. Once you got in, it was almost inexplicably hard to get out… like magic. Now Chesire wasn't scared of that or any specific days that celebrated and remembered it.

He lived in the Blue Forest where everything was blue and things sometimes appeared bigger or smaller than it should be. However, it was a tricky thing indeed. Somehow on this particular day, at this specific year and at this predetermined spot—the surroundings changed and shifted itself at the whim of the world.

These things were often subtle, but it also seemed to be growing greater in intensity and frequency. It almost made him believe that there was something that needed to be fixed and was the reason for his immediate surroundings morphing itself. Until another person dropped by and somehow this was a reversal of fates—the Hatter. The man himself had arrived here.

"You're acting pretty shady." he greeted the man with a grin.

And that was enough to scare the hell out of the man and make them crash against the hedges and promptly fall over the other side. Chesire blinked. "Maybe it was just my imagination catching up to me." And so he floated above the hedge while turning himself invisible.

He watched the Hatter practically run for cover under one of the carriages.

"That's just silly—he could get run over." The cat person yawned and covered his lips. Now with the Lord Warth Duke out of the way, however, it meant that he could finally go out and look for the Queen… and it was for no particular reason, really. He was just bored, and the Queen tended to pay attention to him.

So it was essentially just the two of them using each other for entertainment.

It wasn't so bad. Chesire wouldn't even question why a commoner like Hatter was in the castle yet again and acted as if getting thrown into jail the last time wasn't enough of a lesson for them. But then somebody caught his eye, and it was someone who opened their window and conversed with some Knights without any hint of trouble or hesitance.

She was a young woman with straight blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was giving a childish pout towards two Knights. "...I really cannot go outside, can I, Theodore?"

The young woman was the exact person from the carriage that the Hatter had snuck himself under in… so it was a little interesting to watch until the man was discovered and perhaps placed back in the dungeons—he wouldn't mind waiting to observe it. And so the cat listened in on the conversation some more and paid a little more attention to the girl.

Although the two idiot Knights were blocking him from getting a more consistent look. One of those Knights now being aptly named by the bored and detached Chesire as tall Theodore because of how much their height was blocking the sight.

"Unfortunately not." one of them finally responded to her. And surely that was the one named Theodore.

But the other one of these two Knights—and they looked almost like an replica of the first one. So Chesire named him Two began to speak in favor of the young woman's side. "What if we came with her, brother?" Two said with a smile. "Surely we'd be able to keep her safe and there'd be no questions asked at all!"

No questions at all?

Chesire raised a brow languidly in question. He was catty like that at times and asked himself. If this person was so important enough to be protected, then why weren't they part of the visiting Nobles that entered the premise of the castle and was forced to stay in the carriage?

Was she some doll meant to be kept hidden and under wraps?

Albeit, he might have agreed that the young woman looked fragile. There was something about her that made you want to keep an eye on her and even protect her because she looked that soft and in need of help. He had to admit that she was also beautiful, but it wasn't just her looks… there was just an aura around her.

He couldn't exactly determine what, but she probably gave good head scratches.

"We can't do that, Thomas." The first Knight addressed Knight Two, and Chesire would have to give him kudos for sticking with his decision when there were two people now giving him cute kitty eyes. "The Lord had requested that we keep you protected and for not one person to see you, Miss. It would trouble the Lord."

"... Now that I think about it, Julius is here, and he's a scary man and he'd eat your heart!" the second one finally agreed.

Chesire wanted to roll his eyes at the ridiculousness, and it seemed that the woman agreed with him because a small huff escaped from her, and there was a pout on her face. "You're trying to scare me, Thomas!"

"He just bathes in blood then." Theodore said with a sigh.

"Alright…" she said and crossed her arms, "I had just wanted to go inside of the Castle and see it for myself. I wanted to meet the King and the Queen."

It was at that moment that there was some discomfort that reflected in the two Knights' body language, even more uncomfortable than that of earlier. But Chesire only focused on the young woman's words.

"The Queen."

He had almost forgotten that he had intended to visit the Queen and say hello and perhaps get something good and delicious to eat, but there was something about the girl's plea that made him want to see how this thing would end. The Chesire felt some pity for the person trapped inside the carriage and with no place to turn to.

Life was just unfair sometimes.

Especially those that inflicted and restricted such freedom—the Chesire was free to go wherever he wished, but somebody else was starving, dying, and then this one was trapped. Whatever it was… the Knights told her to stay inside and so she did and promptly closed the window to the carriage and ended the conversation then and there.

A look of relief and guilt crossed the two twin brother's faces, before one was left and the other helped the other Knights in regards to the items from the other carriages. And that made him scoff—because why would they bring so many things?

It wasn't like they were going to transfer into the carriage.

"The people here truly hold so much dearness and attachment to their items and can't even leave it behind." Chesire shook his head and landed on the castle's grounds silently. He wondered how the Hatter would escape, but when he glanced underneath the carriage… the man was already wriggling out like some sort of caterpillar.

Well, that was good for them.

But otherwise, the Chesire would leave them alone. Instead, he puttered towards the carriage and even tripped a random Knight passing through—and felt some pain course through his foot. He hissed.

The armor was pretty hard, but at least the sound of someone dropping the boxes in their hand was slightly silly. He turned around the carriage and then finally noticed the banner flying above the carriage… and it was a strange sword in a heart symbol? He really didn't know what it was and instead made a move towards the carriage's door.

And then realized that the Hatter was also standing in front of it with a conflicted look on his face.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be running away by now? The Chesire revealed its head alone from its invisibility and managed a grin, "Someone's head looks like it's lost in the clouds right now?"

No laughter emerged from the man.

Instead, there was a look on his face that almost looked like it was clouded with sorrow or something. Chesire didn't like it one bit, and though he probably shouldn't care… he still frowned and asked. "What's with that look? Do you know who this young woman is?"

"I do."

"Oh," the Chesire raised a brow at that and then turned to look back at the door, "If that's the case then why aren't you opening it? She looks nice to me." Whether it was through some luck… this Hatter wasn't getting seen by others yet, the Knights too distracted with their work and were on the other side of the carriage.

He still didn't like his chances, and so turned invisible just in case.

Better that this guy get captured instead of him—though he doubted the ability of the Knights to catch him. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

However, the Hatter still hadn't replied.

Well, the Chesire didn't care and he would do what he wanted, and so he reached for the carriage door and pulled it open.

But it was locked.

"What are you doing?!" the Hatter hissed at him.

Chesire ignored it and tried it again, "Knock knock?" he said. "Hello there Miss, will you let me in?"

"... are you a wolf?" came her voice.

"I'm a cat."

What a strange thing for someone to ask a person they had barely met.. It made him like her already.