Villainess Of Hearts

Julius Ginellevé stripped down the bandages from his chest and grabbed for a plain white shirt from his cabinet, pulling it down through his body. His movements were smooth, fast and controlled. It was a familiar rhythm he had for what seemed to be revolving and unchanging days, his purple eyes set on the pristine shining set of armor provided to him. The breastplate, gauntlets and everything were a beautiful set of silver-colored metal.

This suit of armor that he had used since he first became the Knight of the Lockhart House—it was continually dyed in red but retained its purity and metallic shine. He slipped them on and finally strapped his sword to his side. It was an unnatural feeling to not always have it at his side, and he pulled it out. The glittering blade shone in the morning light.

He sheathed it back and wore his boots, his body still keeping the everyday activity that he did despite resting for two days. The Knight glanced at the mirror in his room and his reflection, before he turned away and stepped out of his chambers. He could keenly remember that this was the second day of the Nobilities arriving in the Castle, if the words of the Royal Doctor could be said to be true.

His feet took him in a familiar direction, already heading at the first choice of the Queen's location if she were not immediately joining in the conversations between the Nobles and the King. The man stopped in front of the double doors, the imposing aura it held as he tried to reach for the handles—

Julius' hand flexed back reflectively, and he knocked against the door. Whatever kind of hesitations he held in him, there was no time for it, his duty was above all.

"Who is it?"

The Knight found a lurch inside his throat, his back straightening, and stiffened as he stared at the barrier in between them and pushed through it. He wordlessly stepped inside and raised his head to see the Queen of Hearts. She was stationed once again in her office chair with a teacup in hand, and then it dropped.

It shattered on the table as she moved away from the table slowly and unsurely. She looked like she had seen a ghost, and yet Julius' eyes widened at the sound, her name in his mouth,  only relieved that she hadn't hurt herself or pricked her fingers—Rosalyn Lockhart dashed forward and threw herself at him, the man caught her but still toppled back onto the floor.

He hadn't braced himself for this action and he blinked to see her arms wrapped around his neck, a fiery look in her red eyes that it almost stung. "Gine!" she cried out and hovered her body above him, "Why are you here—are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" She bit on her lip, "Have you already recovered from your injuries? I shall stand up now—"

His arms and hands rested gently on her upper back and he held her close, "I'm fine, Your Majesty… but if you do not mind, can we stay like this for a while?" He closed his eyes and took in her presence above him. It was a comforting one. "I think it is helping me relieve and recover my strength."

She made a sound of protest but didn't squirm out of his arms, a sigh escaping her own lips. "It seems that you are taking advantage of your currently recovered state, but I will overlook it right now."

Julius Ginellevé was content and happy at this moment.

That was what mattered to him right now—he absolutely had no ideas of the future, of what was to come and whether he'd actually be able to stay by her side, but all of those things washed away in this moment. He embraced her and enjoyed the moment, sinking into the soothing presence.

"A-Ah…" Somebody squeaked behind them. It was an annoying and disruptive voice.

"Mary Ann… ah, you can see that Gine has fallen down and I along with him." Rosalyn said in a tone that might have actually been convincing. The woman clicked her tongue, "Shall you help us?"

"No need, my apologies, Your Majesty." Julius Ginellevé lowered his arms back onto the ground and sighed inwardly. He should have closed the door and the urge to shut it even if the servant girl was there was still prevalent in his mind—the man opened his eyes and watched the Queen of Hearts pull up to her feet.

She extended a hand to him, and he took it.

The Queen helped him up and then addressed her servant, "I accidentally shattered my cup, do you have anything to clean it with?"

"I-I'll be back, Your Majesty!" Mary Ann squeaked and then left the hallway at a pace that might have gotten other clumsier people to hit the wall. She soon disappeared, but it didn't change the fact that the mood was particularly halted at her arrival.

Perhaps he could lock the door and ask for another hug?

"I'm glad that you're alright, Gine." she said.

Julius Ginellevé held a hand to his chest and bowed, "If possible, I would have wished to recover much more quickly to be able to stay at your side. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience—"

"Stop that nonsense." Rosalyn Lockhart glared at him. "I… I believe that I am the one at fault, but even then I do not know. I am not sure and that is because I have not treated you as well that I should."

He looked back at her, "But—"

"There are no buts here, it is clear that in one way or another—you came with the decision to do that and I was unaware." Rosalyn Lockhart sighed and rubbed her face, "Look at me, even now I have stopped you from speaking because I believe I understand what you are about to say."

Julius Ginellevé didn't really mind that much. He was supposed to listen to her orders and worries… His own matters were what made him attempt to take his own life. It was the moment that he had been so concentrated on what he wanted, what he didn't have and what—

"Gine."

Her voice brought him back, and there was a stiffness in her lip as she pouted. It had been obvious that his thoughts were elsewhere, but before he could offer an apology—

"Gine, I want you to be honest with yourself. I understand that you have placed me above everything and you have served me well, but if you have suffered because you neglected yourself or I had neglected you then say something."

Julius looked back at his Queen, his Lady, and said, "Your Majesty, if there is one thing that I wish to say, it would be this." He managed a weak smile, some selfishness in his heart. "Can things not go back to how they used to be?"

"What do you mean?" she asked this time instead of forming her own conclusion. Her red eyes stared at him with some confusion, her brows furrowing together, and this time she was actually listening.

It was a strange thing to witness.

Somehow it made it more difficult to put what he wanted into words, "That is…" What exactly did he wish for when the two of them were like before? "I want to go back to the days where we used to be children, where you'd take my hand and take me into the Lockhart Manor, Marmoreal, and we would pretend to have tea together. The days when you look forward to the Joker's… Mister Rosswall's visit to hear about stories about a Princess and her Prince."

A smile broke out on his face—she was his princess.

There was a smile on her face too, except it was of a confused one. Rosalyn Lockhart pushed a stray of her hair behind an ear, "I believe that we now have better tea and tarts now, Gine. And as for the pretend play that we did… do you not like how I am the Queen and you are my Knight?" She motioned to him briefly, her smile gentle. "You are my Knight in shining armor. And this is no longer a pretend between the two of us, acting out roles that were never ours, but the real thing."

That was it.

It all seemed like a beautiful dream, a fantasy that only he had held onto? The two of them could no longer be like how they used to be and yet why was that such a thing—his heart pounded and he looked into her eyes. He held out a hand. "Don't you want a life with me?"

Her expression froze slightly, uncertainty in her eyes. "Gine."

"Is it that difficult of a question to answer?" he asked and felt an answer that was palpable in the air. The answer was clear in how her gaze softened at him, but she didn't take his hand. "Is it such a hard thing to do, Rosalyn?"

"I—"

"I've already listened to your words before—of me haunting your dreams and what it might mean, of the things that had troubled you so and so. I've listened to it and done my best to respect your boundaries because it was what made you feel safe." the words he had in him poured out, and he wanted her to listen—but more than anything, he wanted her response.

"Gine, you've been so good to me—"

"Because I love you," he said.. "But I was never sure if you felt the same way."