Villainess Of Hearts

There was a minor problem, just a small one that occurred as a servant led the Queen of Hearts and everyone else to find a suitable room for both the King and the person he had saved. "Do you know where my brother is?" Rosalyn Lockhart eyed the Prime Minister. "We need to have a meeting right after we show the King of Spades his current accommodations."

"I'll have another a servant—"

"Do it yourself," she said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Prime Minister bowed once at them, giving a few remarks befitting his position and then left to find Lord Reinhard Lockhart. 

The Queen of Hearts should have instructed Julius to do it, being a Lockhart Knight but she wanted him at her side. It would not make any sense to have her bodyguard leave her when she had the King of Conquest beside her.

Not to mention that she still understood that there was still some lingering tension between her brother and her Knight. She had taken Gine away from the Lockhart House only by sheer loyalty and devotion of the man to her. If it weren't for that, then the best Knight of the House should have remained with the Lord of the Lockhart House.

That was how things normally went for the Lockhart House.

Nonetheless, Blyke Edelweiss was the other option left and would do his job accordingly. She doubted any simple servant could approach her brother who surely had his entourage with him. Similar to everyone Noble and person in this Castle, he was also to be subjected to the same treatment as everyone.

Everyone needed to find proof that they were at a specific location and had not created any sort of trouble from last night. But knowing her brother's nature and fastidiousness, even more so than her, he surely would have already found a good alibi.

Thus she talked with the King of Spades, catching up politely in topics befitting that between a man and a woman who happened to be of Royalty. She discussed lightly the current affairs of the Castle of Hearts while politely inquiring into the happenings at the Kingdom of Spades.

All of this was given a carefree and easy reply by the King of Spades.

Alfred Villeuce still knew how to converse and engage in proper conversation, this was after all necessary for someone like him. But the man really did wish that the Knight had left. He wouldn't be able to discuss far more important things to him with the man within earshot.

The same applied to the person he had saved earlier.

—-

The white pawn moved forward across the chessboard.

A silent gesture for her to make her move.

It was an easy piece to capture if she wanted to, but there was surely a trap lying in wait. Alice looked up at the face of Lord Reinhard Lockhart and felt a certain distinguished air around him. This man did not ask where she had been last night, and even when she had done the outrageous thing as throwing her arms around him—he accepted it all the same.

And it had been that time where the two of them quietly slipped away from the throne room with some of his people.

He was enigmatic and a mystery to her, but she owed her life to him. And for that, without even waiting for him to speak or even give a look of mere chiding, she began to speak. "Last night, I don't know how to explain it, but there was something that captured my attention and I couldn't help myself—"

It really sounded like a horrible excuse.

"There was this maze and when I went inside of it—it was like I was teleported into another world. Not my world, but somewhere else. I think there was a very nice entity there that had taken care of me, or else I would have been lost for good."

She didn't sound sane at all, right?

Alice wanted to hang her head in shame and maybe walk off into the wardrobe and pretend she didn't exist. Maybe hope that once she passed through numerous apparels and clothing, she'd come back home.

But there was a reason why she was here.

And it tugged within her, even while she wished to go home. This wasn't her place at all. However, before she could lift her head and check the face of Reinhard for any such clue—a knock interrupted them.

Her eyes widened. 

But then she was already on her feet and really moving into the wardrobe. She wasn't supposed to be here and it would be terrible for a person to discover that a woman was with him in the privacy of his room and so she hid.

And so Lord Reinhard Lockhart opened the door to discover the pale-faced, white-haired Prime Minister. If there was any moment to be annoyed, it would be this… but the Lord only inclined his head. "Prime Minister Edelweiss, is there anything that requires my attention? The entire afternoon has been given for all Nobility to do as they wish for tonight's trial."

"Her Majesty of Hearts requests an audience—the King of Spades has arrived suddenly and the agreement about sword production is still needed."

"Even at this particular day." Reinhard mused aloud.

"Yes, Lord Lockhart." Prime Minister Blyke Edelweiss bowed. He knew the ins and outs of his position—while possibly the highest official amongst all of the people as he worked in the Castle, his blood still depicted him as the lower-class one.

"Very well then, let us do this at the appropriate chambers for this meeting. It is very much a deal between two kingdoms so I doubt my current room suffices as a meeting place," Reinhard said.

The man did not miss a beat as he said it.

The Prime Minister nodded immediately, "Of course."

And thus, without further ado, the Lord of the Lockhart House left his room without any questions. He'd simply give a look at the four of his current knights standing outside of his room and motioned one of them to follow him.

It struck Blyke Edelweiss as odd, but he had no time to question such things and practically hurried in a rushed manner to meet up with the Queen while going at a pace that wouldn't have annoyed the Lord.

Unbeknownst for whatever had actually been precious enough in the Lord's room to be safeguarded and treated as the most precious jewel in his possession.

A singular young woman.

But she was clearly different from all of the rest, that even he acknowledged.

—-

Blake Landrigan was dismissed to his own quarters, without even having the opportunity of letting anybody know his name. He was positive that if he had been given the chance to inform his name to the Queen, then the presence of the King of Spades would have been secondary.

He held more valuable information.

But as far as he had seen, the damage had already taken place based on the confrontation with the Lord Jericho of the Marius House. He gulped and paced in the bedroom. He would surely be treated well here, but he wished—

Did he really wish to be taken to the meeting between Her Majesty, the Lord Lockhart and the King of Spades? 

He hesitated and then plopped into the bed. Suddenly annoyed at the sudden situation he landed himself in. He would be a sitting duck that surely would be thrown away into the streets once he had recovered,

The man needed an audience with the Queen—

—-

Never let it be said that women had the most terrible silent looks when they were enemies with another woman. In actuality, most of them might have faked a smile and tolerated one another for the sake of keeping a peace.

When the Lord Reinhard Lockhart and the King Alfred Villeuce met—thunder and lightning could have sparked in the atmosphere around them.

It was so intense that even Gine's presence was ignored, but the man never really cared about those kinds of things and had instead only watched the back of his Queen. He was still silently pondering about the conversation with the Joker.

This mattered to him more than the business trade that would surely occur between the Lockharts and the Villeuce Royal Family.

Rosalyn Lockhart cleared her throat and finally sat down. The rest of the men followed suit—but before the Prime Minister could take a seat, Rosalyn glanced at him… and then at her Knight. "Ah, Gine. Please do get us some refreshments. Is there anything that His Majesty Villeuce would like?"

"I'll have whatever you're having." The King smiled.

"Earl grey tea for me," Lord Reinhard said. His gaze temporarily flickered to the Knight and he smiled briefly. "No sugar."

The short emphasis was sudden, but then the Knight bowed and wordlessly left—even forgetting that Prime Minister Edelweiss still hadn't been given the chance to place his own requests! But the man could not sulk right now.

His reason for being allowed to stay here than Gine made sense.

The Queen of Hearts did not want a fight to break loose—and he was the perfect guy to avoid all of that. Well, it could have been the King of Hearts himself, but then again, their egos and roles would have clashed too much.

Blyke Edelweiss really was the perfect choice for this.

Rosalyn Lockhart spoke first, "I believe that we can begin with the negotiations and details immediately. Prime Minister, please document it down for us."

… he also happened to be the perfect secretary.