Villainess Of Hearts

Dinner was over before she could blink an eye, and yes, the Queen of Hearts had survived it—no, not only surviving but more. Rosalyn Lockhart would consider it a success because she had placed the Noble Houses in their proper places—and the look on the face of the Eris girls was satisfying.

She had no need to have another person by her side to support her, she could handle it all by her own. That was what she had always done, how it always has been. Her and her alone to handle everything in her hands.

"Your Majesty!" the voice of Alexander Hartsmichdt came from the Royal Dining Hall.

The Queen of Hearts paused in her tracks, and while she had been enraptured with all the events that happened yesterday and today—mostly preoccupied and burdened with what had happened with Gine, she couldn't exactly forget what had come between her and the King. When she looked over her shoulders and saw the man running towards her, a vision of him jumping into her arms came to mind.

It was enough to make her blink.

While it may have been placed aside—the man's apology and promise had happened. The King had promised to do better, and she had told him that his words were worthless as copper. He needed to prove himself. Rosalyn Lockhart grabbed the sides of her gown and gave him a look, "What can I do for you, Your Majesty?"

His expression turned melancholic and his eyes lowered for a moment, until the moment passed and was replaced by a well-practiced smile of his own, "I would like to thank Her Majesty for attending dinner today, I would have thought that you were preoccupied…" his voice lowered and faltered. "With your Knight."

What did he want her to say to that?

She wanted to shut up her mouth, or maybe walk away, but his recent words were enough to make her stay if not tolerate his presence more. Even Julius had told her to make amends with the King in a time that seemed so long ago, and even if she had initially hated and balked at it—made her stomach churn in ways impossible, perhaps it truly was better to form a respectful relationship between them.

Even if she still found herself far greater than what he could do in most things.

A loud sigh escaped the King's lips, and he slapped his cheek once before looking back at her, "I'm sorry that it happened to you and to Sir Julius, I wouldn't have wished for anything like that to happen and I wish I could do more than just sit back here and watch everything unfold but my duties—"

"Your duties require you to entertain the present and incoming Nobles, and even I am supposed to do the same." Rosalyn Lockhart smiled tired. "I am aware of that, Your Majesty. I do not expect more from you."

"But—"

"I do hope that you are more careful though, Your Majesty." Rosalyn Lockhart eyed him and lowered her hands, smoothening over the creases of her gown. "I wish you would be able to act more properly among the Nobles—it's not enough that the love of the people is with you, if you simply say yes to their requests then the others would think that it's easy enough to twist you in their hands and control you."

"I think it's better that they think that way."

His answer made her blink.

Alexander rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced back and forth in the hallway and then offered a hand for her. "If we could talk about this in a more private and secure place."

Despite the Nobles already leaving far earlier than them, she accepted his hand, and he led her to one of the available rooms in the castle. The door clicked behind them and she glanced around, pulling her hand away from his and pursed her lips together. It was one of the many empty rooms available for a number of purposes, and it was well-maintained enough that even a cloud of dust was not present. A chandelier lit itself above them and provided light.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Your Majesty?" Rosalyn Lockhart placed a hand on her hip. At least for this moment, she would hear him out instead of automatically berating him… she had already spent a good portion of her day doing just that, and even she would grow weary of getting upset and being in hysterics.

"If they're at more ease with me, then they'll slip up some more, they'll grow more relaxed and even sloppy, Rosalyn—Your Majesty of Hearts." the King said with a well-timed cough. "I understand that your tactics are more fear-driven, that if you intimidate the Nobles that they would not go against you and would instead respect you. That is the way that the Nobles operated, everything is based on honor, position and how one presented themselves."

She merely listened and raised a brow.

The Queen of Hearts had never expected him to say something like 'fear-driven' and his words denoted that he really had not come from a Noble family despite what the Joker might claim of this man's bloodline. And yet she couldn't help but admit that at least he knew what he was talking about—almost brilliant in its way.

Acting naïve?

It was a tactic that she might have given points for Alice and to learn and understand that the King of Hearts wished to employ the same? The Queen of Hearts gave a look at him and then sighed, "I would rather not play the part of a fool if I were you. But do whatever it is that you wish then, thank you for informing me of what is in your mind—at least I'll temper my tongue and sit back for this. I hope that is good for you."

"Thank you, my Queen."

She didn't exactly correct him this time, although it was something more intimate than 'Your Majesty'... a little more impressed than usual. She then looked away from him, "Is that all you wish to say to me then? Apologies and then this? If this is simply everything, then I will be leaving now, Your Majesty—"

"Wait."

Rosalyn Lockhart glanced at him. The man was incidentally blocking the door and so she actually had to listen to him, but she still clicked her tongue. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

"I am going on a walk tomorrow with the Noble Ladies and perhaps some soldiers."

"And you tell me this, why?"

"I wished to inform you because I wanted you to know of it." Alexander said. His mannerism and words were even less elegant this time as he scratched his cheek. His blue eyes stared back at her. The man took a step towards her, "You probably don't care, but if you would like to join us tomorrow?"

His closeness was enough for her to relieve a time even closer than when he had hugged her. Rosalyn Lockhart stepped back twice, tried to look at his forehead instead of getting engulfed by such deep blue eyes. "I suppose it is necessary, well, not entirely. But I'm sure any other Queen would be jealous if a King were to walk with other women, wouldn't she?"

"Precisely." he said. Although a sudden flush appeared in his face, "I mean—that is what we want the people to believe after all, the image we've crafted over the years. It's only right that we let those young women understand that it is only you and you alone who'd I take as my wife and Queen." 

His words were smooth, honest and direct.

Rosalyn Lockhart was used to hearing something similar, and yet she blinked in this moment. Somewhat taken in surprise—because this was far too much than what was necessary. Her face heated up in anger and she begrudgingly nodded, "Well, it won't be able to topple the image if I allow you to walk with them without me. I do not want to be seen as some kind of insecure woman that needs to be around her spouse to feel reassured about her position."

"A-ah, there is that too." a sheepish laugh escaped from the King.

She didn't take it too kindly, but she only frowned. "Yes, I think that I will be choosing to see and visit my Knight tomorrow. The son of the Lorie House wishes to spar with my Knight, but he is in no condition to do so."

And so the surrounding air finally lost the strange tension in them—her Knight's name, the magic words to put an end to things. Alexander Hartsmichdt nodded along and managed a smile, "We can always make an excuse that your Knight is preoccupied with something, I do not think that this kind of situation is best to be announced."

The King finally learned how important it was to maintain appearances, regardless if he wished to act like an unsuspecting puppet in the plans of the Nobles. Rosalyn Lockhart nodded back to him and so the sensation in her chest stopped throbbing and instead slowed down. An image of her Knight unconscious in his bed was enough to make her emotions stop fluctuating with the man she was with.

… and then came the thought that she needed to stop grieving swept back to her. Everything was just a terrible mix of thoughts, different priorities and values—and which one was to be valued the most? The Queen of Hearts sighed until she felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"