Villainess Of Hearts

A young woman bolted up from her bed and clutched her chest. She was panting. Her gaze darted across the room and it was hers, not his, not the King's—there was a loud pounding in her ears as she looked down into her hands. Hands that were devoid of blood.

She hadn't killed him?

"W-What?" She could hardly hear her own voice as she took a sharp inhale. Had it all been a dream? A shudder ran down her spine as she recalled it vividly. There was no foggy or muddled part in her mind… it had been all crystal clear.

It felt like she had done it all the same—

And yet she hadn't confronted the King at all! She hadn't even talked to him after the dinner, what use would it have been to speak about the Queen of Clovers? There had been no incident about it at all in the past—what she knew was Alice. She ought to worry more about that future threat than some mere eye goggling fools. 

And yet this dream plagued her mind. Her heart pounded louder than she ever thought possible. There was a ringing in her ears. She pulled up her night gown's sleeve and it revealed the gauntlet sheathe of her dagger. 

A present from the King of Spades.

Had this thing haunted her dreams and showed her of a future where she had possibly attacked the King of Hearts? It had been her and not her all the same. She let out a shaky breath, "It had been uncomfortable sleeping with this attached to my arm and yet this is what it does to me?"

Rosalyn Lockhart appreciated the present from Alfred Villeuce… but if this was what bloodshed meant—she wanted no part of it. How did her Knight manage to do such a thing? Goosebumps ran across her skin, despite having thick blankets draped across her body, she felt cold. Her gaze flickered to her windows.

It was shut tightly.

Barely any glimmer of moonlight made its way past her chambers and it instead casted her into darkness. Rosalyn liked this, it allowed her to sleep fully. She sighed in relief and tried to lie back down again and closed her eyes.

The Queen of Hearts tried to rest.

Rosalyn Lockhart searched for sleep.

She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to reach into the land of Nod. But her mind and soul could not find peace, slumber evaded her and was simply a little bit out of—just a little more. And it was gone. There was nothing for her to grasp.

It was terrible. Her heart continued to race as she once again sat up in a torment of her own doing. She was breathless and she placed a hand on her chest, everything had been clear except for the last part in that feverish dream of hers.

No.

It was clear.

She had killed the King of Hearts, even admired him and inspected him closely—she had felt that fatal attraction that squeezed her chest. And then she was gone. Killed as well by some stranger.

Could it have been Julius Ginellevé?

Despite the swing of a blade, it couldn't have been him. If the man wished to kill in secret then she wouldn't have noticed him at all. He was trained and specialized in silent killings.

She had been stupid—who would leave the windows open in the Castle of Hearts? Due to her own frenzied state at that time, she had paid no heed to it but now that the dream was finished… Rosalyn Lockhart should have noticed that jarring detail! Someone had gotten in via the window and—

The Queen of Hearts paused.

Why was she thinking too hard about some stupid dream? It was simply nothing but a fabrication of her mind. Little shows and acts performed while she was asleep.

And yet she couldn't even get a blink now, could she? She knocked her head a little into her headboard and sighed. What was she ever going to do now? Her hands grabbed for the blankets, but a knot formed in her belly.

Wouldn't it be better to stay in bed and not move an inch at all?

No. That was a delirious attempt to stay buckled down by a nightmare. If she wanted to get up—regardless if it was in the middle of the night. She would do so. Rosalyn Lockharts threw off her blankets and stepped down from bed, her bare feet making contact with the carpeted floor.

She looked for slippers.

Once she had worn slippers—to protect her feet! She patted herself for a moment. Her entire self was present and her mind was intact… "I am going for some tea." And not her usual sugar laden tea, perhaps something less sweet and more calming.

Taking one final breath to soothe her nerves, the Queen of Hearts made her way out of her room and into the hallway. There was naught but a single figure tonight, her gaze flickered up to the portrait just outside her bedroom. She normally paid no heed to it and had even considered that her Knight was more eye catching—but it was a painting of a regal man and woman.

Her brows furrowed together. She ought to remember who they were and yet somehow this detail was a bit fogged. She was positive that this was the previous King and Queen before the bloody Card Trial but other than that… she was a bit lost. Shaking her head, Rosalyn Lockhart made her way to the kitchen.

She doubted anyone would be there at this time of the night but she could prepare her own tea. How hard could it be? It was only a shame that there probably weren't any tarts for her tonight. She half wondered if Mary Ann was one of the servants staying in the servant quarters or the ones who went back into her town.

Rosalyn Lockhart rolled her eyes. She would never step a foot in that location either way, soon enough she arrived at her destination. She stepped inside the kitchen and then stopped in her tracks—

The entire place was in a heap of mess.

The Queen of Hearts found herself with the presence of someone ransacking the kitchen. Her hand reached for the dagger hidden in her sleeve but paused when the presence turned to her with an uncanny grin.

"Ah, fancy a midnight snack yourself, Your Majesty?" The figure greeted her with such a bewildering grin that it took her a moment to notice the twitching cat ears above his head.. The young man purred, "I myself have been looking for some milk."