Villainess Of Hearts

In the Castle of Hearts, there were occasions and events that brought it into chaos. Notably they'd often be caused by the Queen of Hearts herself—the Queen who ordered everyone beheaded on a whim while the King of Hearts would have to retract her orders. 

When she had a fit, everyone braced for the danger and hid themselves from her wrath.

But other than that, the Castle of Hearts was still dignified, as exquisite as any other Royal Castle within the entire land and despite the bad start in the delegation, with the Queen of Hearts falling into the lake, some tension in the signing of the new agreement, and daresay faux pax or even scandal with the Queen of Clovers blurting out Alexander Harstmichdt name—everything was still going smoothly… until this certain visitor arrived. 

It wasn't Catherine Duke.

Perhaps it was her if you asked Rosalyn Lockhart, or everyone for that matter if she had been given the chance to speak but for the other individuals in the Castle, the point of disaster started with someone else.

A stray cat.

What was meant to be a quiet and peaceful breakfast for the Royals of the Four Kingdoms and their respective Delegates was upturned by the appearance of Chesire. Blyke Edelweiss had been eating his carrot souffle with relish, enjoying a diet that was far healthier than eating roseberry tarts and sugar laced tea, when he noticed that a figure appeared in front of the Queen of Diamonds and she screamed.

Her Majesty, Jeanne la Monique was having an entreé of grilled salmon garnished with cream and lemon, it wasn't as good as the ones back at her home but—the disaster-maker appeared on the table, cutlery and dishes flying out as he landed with a small thud and he eyed the fish with a grin, "Mmm… are you eating that? It looks puurrfect."

It was there that Lord Warth Duke, who had been quietly eating his breakfast and waiting for his wife bolted up from his seat, "It's that damn cat!" The usually calm and soft spoken man went for his knife, murder in his eyes. The blood of a hunter in his veins.

The King of Hearts did not know what to do but was quite aware that it was an unexpected disaster. Of course he was expected to be the one who handled this event. He winced and motioned for the guards on standby to make a move, "Arrest that one immediately." He ordered them but it was his first time encountering magic in this land—at least in this particular place.

And yet that only made things worse.

It was how these events led up to one of the people, who in an ill-attempt to capture the cat, threw a good pie into the air. And with how destiny worked, it was in that glorious moment that the Queen of Hearts stepped into the room and saw it fly right at her. 

Until it was swatted down by a paw—hand.

Chesire Cat floated in front of her, his bushy tail swinging in the air as he caught the pie and threw it back into the table with a simple swipe. 

It seemed like he hadn't even tried.

The Queen of Hearts stared at the tail in front of her, it was swinging like a pendulum and magnetizing so, as she had the urge to reach out and squeeze it. "S-soft…" But she held back.

She watched as Chesire glanced at her, with a sheepish grin of being caught in this mayhem, "Good morning to you, Your Majesty." Between the two of them, both recalled that Rosalyn Lockhart had forced this person to clean up his mess in the kitchen. This time he raised his hands, "Not my fault." Until he disappeared in a poof of a cloud.

Which was good timing as Warth Duke had nearly dove his butter knife toward the cat's skull.

Rosalyn Lockhart huffed. It was just another day for her as she wordlessly walked past the man who got tackled by his wife and made her way to the reserved seat beside the King of Hearts. Everyone's eyes were on her and there were some murmurs of discontent.

"What kind of creature was that?" Francis le Diamant looked appalled as things settled down. His Queen, the Queen of Diamonds had calmed down and was eating her salmon in peace and without the danger of cat filching her meal.

It didn't mean that she stopped giving Rosalyn Lockhart a dirty look though. One way or another, Jeanne la Monique was probably convinced that this incident was brought about or contrived by the Queen of Hearts herself.

A baseless and senseless accusation that she was in no mood of clearing up—let them think of whatever they wanted to think.

But it was Catherine Duke who spoke up with a bashful smile as she took her seat beside her husband, "Your Majesty of Diamonds, that creature is the Chesire Cat, a one of a kind inhabitant in the Blue Forest near my jurisdiction. A completely harmless but naughty cat, my sincerest apologies for its disruption—it had forced itself on the caravan to spread mischief perhaps."

Something like this would reflect poorly on the Kingdom of Hearts.

In other words, it was an inhabitant of the Kingdom that obeyed no rules and laws. Perhaps if it had been someone else, it would have been sentenced to death. Warth Duke seemed keen on doing that if the knife he used to cut the steak was any pointer but even Rosalyn knew it was a moot point.

"What an interesting magical creature, if the King and Queen of Hearts would allow for it—the Kingdom of Clovers could attempt to capture that unique specimen." The King of Clovers, Ivan Nordskov offered with one of his smiles.

It unnerved Rosalyn Lockhart.

One of the most predatory looks she had seen and she had encountered many of those. She bristled in her seat at the suggestion of capturing Chesire! "The cat is mine—ours to handle, His Majesty of Clover." She smiled thinly.

"I would consider it, King Nordskov." King Alexander Hartsmichdt replied at the same time.

Contrasting answers.

It was the first of the few moments that the King and Queen of Hearts had not answered in the same harmonious one they've often done and practiced in public.

"Ah, so which is which? It seems like the King and Queen of Hearts are conflicted about this matter." Alfred Villeuce, the King of Spades was no King of subtly, he said it unabashed. 

With a small chuckle even.

Rosalyn Lockhart wished to step her foot down in this matter, she threw a look at the King of Hearts. Perhaps it was a solution to his mind but it was far from hers… she had plans to befriend the cat! No Clover would stand in between her way.

The King of Hearts coughed.

It didn't look like she was going to get her way in this situation—as with most of her orders, they would be taken back by him. It wasn't a lie to say that she disliked him more in this moment… and yet it wasn't enough for her to want to stab him.

The nightmare flashed through her and the face of Alexander Hartsmichdt in front of her was alive and well. She had her grudges and resentment no doubt, but unlike in that rapture, she was much too weary now.

The Time Man had managed to rouse her to say with conviction that she would have Alice beheaded—much better it be the woman than herself after all. But sometimes she was just exhausted, the Queen of Hearts placed a hand on her forehead. 

The lack of sleep was getting to her as well.

She raised her head and eyed the King of Clovers and she couldn't hide her distaste for him in that moment. The smile on his face was annoying as he awaited her reply. But she chose to not say anything else right now. If the Chesire was being hunted then it would make much more sense that he would seek a haven and that was something she was more willing to provide.

Rosalyn Lockhart was confident that whatever place the Chesire Cat had stayed in for now, whatever forest it may be, she could give him a better place and treat him so well that this person would be so heavy that it'd be impossible for him to float.

She would stuff his mouth with treats.

At the end of the day, whether or not her first request of the Chesire Cat not being hunted down by the King of Clovers was to be granted—she would inevitably get what she wanted. Other people's plans be damned.

The Queen of Hearts gave a smile at Ivan Nordskov, "Please do whatever you wish to do, His Majesty of Clovers. This is the Kingdom of Hearts and you are our guest." Try and do whatever you want, bastard. As long as you don't forget where exactly you're standing at right now… this was her territory. 

"Ah, you have my thanks, Her Majesty of Hearts." Ivan Nordskov replied with a smile of his own.

It seemed like someone was baring their teeth at last.