Villainess Of Hearts

Why had it taken this woman too long to come and get her? Rosalyn's lips curved into a smile, "I thought you wouldn't ask." She closed her journal and placed it in her drawer. Once she was done, she greeted the lady, "Shall we head off already, Lady Duke?"

Catherine Duke blinked for a moment, before nodding and smiling back, "Yes, let's head off now." Her gaze flickered to the man on the couch, "Ah, it's also good to see you, Sir Ginellevé. I almost didn't see that you were there. Have you eaten already?"

It's a shame that he couldn't join them?

Perhaps only she would have thought about something like that. The Lady was too kind to even know that her words could be read in an entirely different manner.

Her Knight simply inclined his head, "May you and Her Majesty have a good breakfast. I shall accompany—"

"There is no need for that. Please go ahead and have your breakfast as well, Sir Ginellevé." Rosalyn Lockhart told him. 

She needed him gone for this opportunity.

He paused for a moment before nodding. Not knowing anything at all but he obediently followed her whims. He stood up and extended a hand towards her, "Then may I escort you till we part ways?"

But it couldn't be denied that he also did things out of his own volition.

The Queen of Hearts had to be wary of that.

She gave him a firm nod, watching the man move closer to her as she took his hand. He escorted her out of the office as Catherine Duke followed along. And it was only after that they parted ways, reluctantly on the part of the Knight that squeezed her hand before letting go, that she had the chance to enact her plans.

She walked with her old friend, her old opponent.

In a time before, she had never encountered the Chesire Cat before Alice had arrived. She could surmise that the Cat was more content to stay in the borders of the Duke House. But with a simple change between her and Catherine Duke's relationship—the pieces on the board began to rearrange themselves.

She wondered if this was a good chance to ask—

"Ah, your Knight is still as lovely as ever isn't he?" Catherine Duke smiled brightly as they crossed hallways. She had chosen to dwell on a topic that she was sure wouldn't upset the Queen.

The Lady wasn't a fool, she could read the atmosphere.

To have a Knight that was both beautiful and deadly, it was similar to having the good steel sword that the Lockhart House had focused on as their mercantile endeavor—she nodded briefly, "He has been good to me," In some ways, this woman had been the longest person she had known, besides her own Knight. "A dependable person."

Catherine Duke simply grinned, her eyes lighting up as she spoke up, "The lady that he'll marry in the future would surely be lucky."

Rosalyn Lockhart said nothing about that. Perhaps it was a good measurement that nobody beyond the King of Hearts himself had much suspicion between her and the Knight. She might have done well as a good actor.

Then again, each one of them all had their own roles to play.

Her lips quirked at the thought of her Knight finding someone else and shrugged nonchalantly, "If he ever finds the time, I admit that most of his time is spent on me." 

She eyed her old friend and watched for her reaction.

"Ah the duties of a personal Knight is indeed a burdensome role," Catherine Duke remarked with a small smile, walking along cluelessly. "You have to give him some time off as well, Her Majesty."

Many times this woman had already gone and forgotten common sense, hadn't she? And yet Rosalyn Lockhart had once again chosen to be benevolent. At least she didn't forget the honorifics. She flicked her wrist, "I give him time but it can't be helped that he fulfills his duty wholeheartedly."

"Ah, a devoted one." Catherine chuckled, "There's not much we could do about that."

Except distancing herself perhaps. The Queen of Hearts walked with perhaps the closest female friend she'd have near her status, the guileless smile and stature. It was only right that this woman beside her never became the Queen.

If that had happened—the entire Hearts Kingdom would have gone down to flames.

But now this was the opportunity to ask her own question, she had already suffered with the pleasantries and so it was her time to strike. However it had to be done where the Lady wouldn't cower away or evade her. Rosalyn Lockhart cleared her throat, "Earlier this morning, there was this cat I've encountered."

"How splendid!" Lady Catherine Duke was quick to burst into an optimistic stance about it. "Did it greet you good morning, Your Majesty? Have you decided to take it in? What's his or her name?"

"He raided one of the kitchens in this castle."

"Oh," She fell silent for a moment. "It can't be helped can it? A cat is more concerned with itself, isn't it? The poor thing must have been hungry."

Rosalyn Lockhart watched the Lady's expression. Her furrowed brows and sympathetic frown—she still hadn't gotten to whom she was referring to, did she? Had the Chesire Cat arrive here without them knowing? It didn't seem strange that the Cat would use words to his advantage, but nevertheless, he did say he came along with Catherine Duke and she decided to put a bit of trust in it.

"As you know, the people within this Castle maintain this place with an iron fist, I cannot help but wonder from where this cat came from?" Rosalyn Lockhart spoke again.

Once again she was waiting for the Lady to get it.

"Cats are quite agile creatures, Your Majesty. I wouldn't be surprised if they climbed up the walls undetected." Catherine Duke replied.

The Queen of Heart's eye twitched. She had enough knowledge to know that the Chesire Cat had filched and scared enough people in the Duke House's territory that the Warth Duke considered him as a menace. Not enough to warrant the Castle of Hearts to hunt him down, but enough to make several stories and warnings about his presence.

"It was a man with cat ears." Rosalyn Lockhart gave up and said it at last. There was no chance for subterfuge with this woman before her—she needed to spell it out clearly.

Lady Catherine Duke nearly stumbled on the carpet as she walked, glancing at her with widened eyes, "H-how?!" She yelped and caught herself before falling. "This cat… man?"

Rosalyn Lockhart watched the woman's startled expression and savored it before glancing around and checking that there was no other person within earshot. "This cat said that he came along with you, Lady Duke. How will you explain that to me?"

"W-Well! Chesire has a mind of his own, Your Majesty!" Catherine Duke floundered about in this moment and gestured widely. She had been caught red-handed. She gesticulated in a way that was not fit for a Lady of her stature but she did so. "I—my husband has been trying to capture him for so long to no prevail, and you know how good of a hunter he is, Rosa—Your Majesty. This situation has brought so much headache to him that I can't help but be concerned about this myself."

"And yet the situation remains the same."

A grimace befell Catherine Duke's features, "Chesire has no ill-intent, Your Majesty. My sincerest apologies for his ransacking of the kitchen but once I see him, I'll have him apologize to you. Although he lives within our territory, I assure you that his actions do not align with our interest at all."

Rosalyn Lockhart took it all in with a stride and never said anything else to appease the woman. The more she stayed quiet, the louder and more rambunctious Catherine would be and it was her method of collecting information—although so far, it was all incoherent blabbering. Did Catherine not know of any method to make him come to them at will? Sighing inwardly, she gave the Lady another look and delayed speaking.

"Chesire is someone I've met on a few occasions when he tries to hide from my husband but in all our meetings, he has been nothing but an odd yet a safe person to be around with. Perhaps I'll try to get him to come out, although he has a penchant for coming in at his own discretion, Your Majesty." Catherine Duke winced and waved once again, "But the moment he does arrive, I'll make sure to punish him—"

"No!" Rosalyn Lockhart said it before she realized what she said.

Catherine Duke blinked, "Pardon?"

The Queen of Hearts coughed lightly, "I simply want you to bring him to me… I'll be the one who'll decide on a befitting punishment for a pilfering pussycat." She wanted to slap a hand over her face, nobody used pussycat unless it was a derogatory term and yet she used it without hesitation. Old habits. Shaking her head, she bit her tongue and continued her way to the Royal Dining Hall with Catherine in tow.

She had thankfully decided to stay quiet after their conversation and that was the only thing that Rosalyn Lockhart would wish for the rest of her life. Peace and silence was what she wanted and yet with how her life was turning out, it would be far from it. Soon enough, they arrived at their destination. A servant bowed to them when they've arrived and was quick to open the door— 

Just in time to see something fly towards her face.

It was a pie.